You (didn't) ask for it!! Nat King Cole Capitol matrix and take numbers, misc.

A precursor to Sinatra '65!

 

Can't remember. Sorry. It's fading, like after studying for a math test.

 

What fascinates me about this little bit of interplay is that when Nat was singing he was watching Lee behind the glass the entire time. Like a pupil watching his teacher while performing. Notice that Nat stops singing and says "What's the matter?" without Lee having said anything or stopping the take. Nat could see Lee's face and knew something was wrong.

I love stuff like that.

 

Jordan, refresh my memory, what disk?

 

Geez, I can't even remember doing those bonus tracks! Do they match a Capitol CD version with the same bonus tracks?

 

Yes -- and I know that the decision was not yours to make, but the bonus tracks really break up the flow of the album. Too bad it was foisted upon you guys as a condition of release, as the audio in the grooves was truly first rate.

 

Matt, I remember working on this S&P album at Capitol Studio B in the middle of the night. Did the three bonus tracks have the same mixes as the Capitol version or did I redo them?

 

From your original post back in the old days:

I don't own the album (I heard it, though, at a friend's house about 3 years ago), but my recollection is that the whole thing is remixed. Maybe somebody else can 100% confirm.

 

I remember doing it but I don't remember the second Billy May three-track assembly coming in that night, only the 1957 album assembly and the mono mix assembly (unused at that time)..

 

Can you confirm? Echo levels, etc. Thanks I have no recollection of the later album assembly but it was VERY late in spooky old Tower Studio B.

The DCC LOVE IS THE THING had the bonus track old mixes on it, yes. I felt we were pushing our luck in getting the three-track assembly reel for the album and I didn't want to push it further or put any more pressure on Cheryl Pawelski.

 

Thanks, Lemme know. My copy is in storage..

 

Must be right, Capitol would never do anything like that on their own. My bad for not remembering. However, it was a very long night when I worked on that.

Wish I could hear it..

 

Thanks, Jordan, always love hearing that. Actually it's take 7 that is the complete stereo take.

Do you hear Nat unconsciously jiggling his chain bracelet at the "harp" part at the start?

 

Yes, that is correct. Take 3 was skipped, take 4 was a two bar "not together" breakdown, take 5 was the same, no Nat vocal involvement, take 6 was a complete take but not to Lee's satisfaction (used for a bit of the final mono version), take 7 was the stereo "keeper" with the popped "T", and take 8 was the mono "master", Nat's vocal not taken by the three-track machine because of them frantically trying to rewire the binaural room to take out that compressor that you can hear during the "T" pop on 7. By the time they got the limiter out of the system they were on to "Where Can I Go Without You" and the vocal sound was a LOT better.