Non-Album Tracks, 1953

Thank you to SHTV’s “Bob F” for his invaluable assistance in compiling this information.

 
 
 

April 2, 1953 - Lean Baby, I’m Walking Behind You, Day In - Day Out, Don’t Make a Beggar of Me

Arranger: Heine Beau; Conductor: Axel Stordahl

Original Release: 45 & 78 RPM #2450, 4/53

Original LP Release: 12” Swing Easy!, 1962

Original CD Release: Point of No Return, 1987


Releases sampled for this comparison:

•1953 Promo 78

•1953 D2 45

•1961 UK Look Over Your Shoulder LP

•1962 Swing Easy 12” mono LP

•1960s UK Look Over Your Shoulder reel

•1968 The Sinatra Touch 6-LP mono set

•1975 Holland Songs for Young Lovers LP

•1980(?) Australian Mr. Success LP

•1983 Japan The Hit Maker LP

•1984 UK 12” Swing Easy LP Reissue

•1987 Point of No Return CD

•1989 Japan All the Way/Hit Collection CD

•1990 The Capitol Years 3-CD set

•1995 Sinatra 80th: All the Best CD

•1996 Complete Capitol Singles CD

1998 UK Swing Easy CD

•2002 Point of No Return Norberg remaster CD

2005 Young at Heart (Proper) CD (unlicensed)

•2010 Come Fly Away CD

•2010 Dance with Me CD

Recommended top choice:


•Japan The Hit Maker LP

•1987 Point of No Return CD*

•Japan All the Way/Hit Collection CD*


Also excellent:

The Capitol Years 3-CD set**

•Sinatra 80th: All the Best**


*Shared mastering

**Shared mastering

Avoid:


The Sinatra Touch - heavily compressed

•ALL VERSIONS of Swing Easy LP or CD, Look Over Your Shoulder LP & Reel, and Young at Heart CD - reverb-added tapes

Complete Capitol Singles, 2002 Point of No Return, and Come Fly Away- “mono widening” (All shared mastering)

Dance with Me also uses the Capitol Singles mastering, but adds severe compression to the point of distortion in some spots.

Mr. Success LP, 1975 Holland Songs for Young Lovers LP - fake stereo.

NOTES


The 1987 Point of No Return CD has the widest dynamic range of any recommended versions.  Only flaw? Stereo tape played back on a mono machine. Tone is essentially identical to 1990’s The Capitol Years.

Arranger/Conductor: Axel Stordahl

Original Release: 45 & 78 RPM #2450, 4/53

Original LP Release: 10” Today’s Top Hits, Volume 10, circa 1953?

Original CD Release: Point of No Return, 1987


Releases sampled for this comparison:

•1953 Promo 78

•1953 D2 45

•1961 UK Look Over Your Shoulder LP

•1960s UK Look Over Your Shoulder reel

•1973 Like Never Before LP

•1980(?) Australian Mr. Success LP

•1983 Japan The Hit Maker LP

•1987 Point of No Return CD

•1989 Japan All the Way/Hit Collection CD

•1989 Collectors Series CD

1995 Sinatra 80th: All the Best CD

•1996 Complete Capitol Singles CD

•1998 UK The Rare Sinatra CD

•2002 Point of No Return Norberg remaster CD

•2006 Supreme Jazz SACD (unlicensed)

Day In, Day Out

Arranger/Conductor: Axel Stordahl

Original Release: Point of No Return CD, 1987

Original LP Release: (None)

Original CD Release: Point of No Return, 1987


Releases sampled for this comparison:

•1987 Point of No Return CD (mastered by Larry Walsh)

•1995 Frank Sinatra Sings the Select Johnny Mercer CD

•1998 UK The Rare Sinatra CD

•2002 Point of No Return Norberg remaster CD

Arranger/Conductor: Axel Stordahl

Original Release: Forever Frank LP, 1966

Original LP Release: Forever Frank, 1966

Original CD Release: Point of No Return, 1987


Releases sampled for this comparison:

•1966 Forever Frank LP

•1978 The Rare Sinatra UK LP

•1987 Point of No Return CD

•1998 The Rare Sinatra UK CD

•2002 Point of No Return Norberg remaster CD

•2009 Amazon/Capitol Forever Frank download

Recommended top choices:


•Japan The Hit Maker LP

•1987 Point of No Return CD*

•The Rare Sinatra UK CD*

•Japan All the Way/Hit Collection CD*


Also excellent:

Collectors Series CD**

•Sinatra 80th: All the Best CD**

•Like Never Before LP


Tweaked, but enjoyable:

•Complete Capitol Singles CD***

2002 Point of No Return CD***


*Shared mastering

**Shared mastering (See notes)

***Shared mastering

NOTES


Discs marked ** appear to use the same mastering (or at least the same raw digital transfer) as *, except for a very brief cut (~1/10th of a second) at the :50 mark.


Guilty pleasure: The Complete Capitol Singles cut has received the mastered-by-Norberg “black box” treatment, but the results are quite pleasant on this track, with the warmest vocal tone, widest dynamics, and most extended treble of any of the releases.  Despite its flaws, this may be the most enjoyable listen of the whole bunch, but don’t let your audiophile friends hear you say that.


There is a tape splice or defect at about the 2:00 mark, in the middle of the word “behind,” just before the flute entry.  It is on all versions.

Recommended top choice:


•1987 Point of No Return CD*


Also excellent:

•1998 UK The Rare Sinatra CD*


Tweaked, but enjoyable:

Frank Sinatra Sings the Select Johnny Mercer CD


*Shared digital transfer, but UK disc is  2.5 dB RMS louder.

NOTES


Limited choices here, but the Walsh mastering is excellent, and the UK clone is also very good, but compressed.

Thoughts:

•If you want a quick and easy way to add good-sounding, un-futzed versions of all four of these tracks to your collection, just pick up the 1987 Point of No Return CD, well-mastered by Larry Walsh. 

•There are a few sub-par versions of “Lean Baby” to avoid, and only one good version of “Don’t Make a Beggar of Me.”


Brief Audio Samples

(All samples mirror those available as free samples on iTunes.  Click “View,” then “View in iTunes” for 90-second iTunes samples.)


•78 RPM clip (courtesy “stevelucille”), transitioning to the Walsh 1987 CD.  Click: Lean Baby   

•78 RPM clip (courtesy “stevelucille”), transitioning to the Like Never Before LP.  Click: I’m Walking Behind You

•45 RPM “Lean Baby” clip, transitioning to the Walsh 1987 CD.  Click: LeanBabyD2 45-Walsh.mp3

•45 RPM “I’m Walking Behind You” clip, transitioning to the Walsh 1987 CD.  Click: I'mWalkingBehindD2 45-Walsh.mp3

•”Stereo WIdening” - Norberg’s Complete Capitol Singles* ---> Walsh’s Point of No Return CD.  Click here. (*Courtesy “OldCoder”)

•”Wet Tapes” - in the early ‘60s, Capitol began reissuing some mono cuts with additional reverb added.  Here’s a comparison that starts with the 1984 UK LP (extra reverb) and transitions to the Walsh Point of No Return CD, with no added reverb.  Click here.

•On “I’m Walking Behind You,” the otherwise-excellent Walsh/Furmanek sound on The Capitol Years has an odd little 1/10th of a second edit around the 0:50 mark.  This is a very minor thing, but once you become aware of it, it does become noticeable, for what that’s worth.  Here is a very brief clip that alternates between the edit-free 1987 Walsh version and the “edited” Walsh/Furmanek version from the Collectors Series CD.  You may also want to check out this post (and accompanying clip) from the Hoffman forum. 

•Bad EQ - The non-EMI, unlicensed SACD release, Supreme Jazz, transitioning into Collectors Series.  Click: I'mWalkingBehindYou SupremeJazz-Collectors.wav

•”Lean Baby” and “I’m Walking Behind You” from the Japanese LP, The HIt Maker: LeanBabyWalkingBehind TheHitMaker.wav

NOTES


How odd that the The Rare Sinatra CD has the previous two tracks in “dry” form, but this one is “wet.” 


Again, Larry Walsh did excellent work here on his Point of No Return CD, with zero additional reverb!

Note how quickly Capitol got these promo copies together.  It appears as though there were merely two weeks from recording session to promo release!


By the way, in 1953, WGGH was a little itty bitty station in Marion, IL, licensed at the time of this release to broadcast a 500 watt signal.  WSM in Nashville, by comparison, was broadcasting a 50,000 watt signal as early as 1925, and still does today.


These are photos of the promo 78 heard in two samples above.  Thanks to SHTV’s “stevelucille.”


Thanks, also, to Arkoffs, OldCoder, RangerJohn, Bferr1, MMM, and all the usual suspects at the Steve Hoffman Music Forum.

Recommended top choice:


•1987 Point of No Return CD

Avoid:


Forever Frank LP

•UK The Rare Sinatra LP

•UK The Rare Sinatra CD

•Amazon/Capitol Forever Frank

--All use reverb-added tapes.


•1998 Point of No Return CD

--Norberged

Avoid:


•1998 Point of No Return CD - Norberg “Black Box”, with sub-par tone, as well.

DON’T MAKE

A BEGGAR

OF ME

Avoid:


•UK Look Over Your Shoulder LP & reel-to-reel tape - reverb added

Supreme Jazz unlicensed SACD - bad EQ

Mr. Success LP - fake stereo.

Ongoing discussion at the Steve Hoffman Music Forum (LINK)   Album Index     1953 Singles:  April 2   April 30   May 2                                   December 8   December 9    ----> 1954 Sessions