Non-Album Tracks, 1955
Thank you to SHTV’s “Bob F” for his invaluable assistance in compiling this information.
Ongoing discussion at the Steve Hoffman Music Forum (LINK)
Album Index <---- 1954 Sessions 1955 Singles: March 4 March 7 March 23 July 29 August 19 September 13 October 17 October 31 ----> 1956 Sessions
Song #4:
“From the Bottom to the Top”
March 7, 1955 -
If I Had Three Wishes / How Could You Do a Thing Like That to Me? /
Two Hearts, Two Kisses / From the Bottom to the Top
Song #1:
“If I Had Three Wishes”
Above: 1998 UK Look to Your Heart CD, courtesy “rangerjohn.”
Above: 1996 Complete Capitol Singles CD, mastered by Bob Norberg, courtesy “rangerjohn”.
Above: 1983 MFSL Look to Your Heart LP, mastered by Jack Hunt
Above: 1984 Look to Your Heart UK LP, courtesy “Sinatrafan”
Above: 1980s N-series Look to Your Heart LP, mastered by Jay Maynard.
Above: 1994 UK This is Frank Sinatra 1953-1957 CD.
Top Choice:
•1996 Complete Capitol Singles CD, despite its “stereo widening” and noise reduction. It has full dynamic range and warm tone. Via Mid-side decoding, the widening issue can become a moot point.
Second tier:
For non-Norberged versions, I would suggest either the MFSL LP (compressed LP tapes, but good tone), or an original “D” 45 (slightly less compressed, but less-warm tone, and probably “tweakable” if a mint copy were obtained).
Not as good:
•1980s N-series Look to Your Heart LP - tubby sound
•1984 UK Look to Your Heart LP. Close to being as good sounding as the MFSL LP, but not quite.
Avoid:
•UK Sinatra Sings Music for Pleasure LP - additional added compression
•UK Look to Your Heart CD and UK This is Frank Sinatra CD, both of which run slow and are compressed.
NOTES
•One key version was not sampled: The original LP release, which is almost certainly compressed (as are other songs from Look to Your Heart).
•Speeds are quite varied on this title, ranging from 2:50-2:54 (music content only, no rills).
•It appears that only the original 45 and Norberg CD were sourced from correct tapes.
SAMPLE AUDIO CLIPS
All clips posted here mirror those freely available via Amazon.com.
Audio Clips
Arranger/Conductor: Nelson Riddle
Original Release: #3102, April 18, 1955
Original LP Release:
Look to Your Heart LP, 1959
Original CD Release:
UK This is Frank Sinatra, 1953-1957, 1994
Releases sampled for this comparison:
•1955 D5 & D8 45s
•1959 UK Sinatra Sings Music for Pleasure LP
•1980s Look To Your Heart LP
•1983 MFSL Look to Your Heart LP
•1984 UK Look to Your Heart LP
•1994 UK This is Frank Sinatra 1953-1957 CD
•1996 Complete Capitol Singles CD
•1998 UK Look to Your Heart CD
Above: 1955 D8 45
Above: 1959 UK Sinatra Sings Music for Pleasure LP
Above: 1996 Complete Capitol Singles CD, mastered by Bob Norberg, fed through a mid-side decoder to remove the fake stereo effect.
Above: As with other tracks from the Look to Your Heart album, this track seems to have been released from two very different source tapes: The commonly-used Look to Your Heart LP master, which is compressed, and the less-commonly-used session tape, which is not compressed. The animation above shows the Norberg release (session tapes) and the MFSL release (LP tapes).
Song #2:
“How Could You Do a Thing Like That to Me?”
Top Choice:
•1991 Come Swing with Me CD
Second Best:
•Original N 45 (see notes at right)
Avoid:
•All Others. The two Norberg masterings use correct tapes but are heavily processed, and every other LP or CD release uses incorrect, wet tapes.
NOTES
•The 1998 UK boxed set CD is the least dynamic of all tested (the only one that is blatantly compressed), and may be a needledrop (of a “wet” pressing), as there’s a nasty, non-electronic “pop” at 0:25.
•As with “Not as a Stranger,” there is serious dynamic difference between D1 and N1 45 pressings. D1 = compressed; N1 = uncomopressed.
Audio Clips
Arranger/Conductor: Nelson Riddle
Original Release: #3130, June 6, 1955
Original LP Release:
UK Look Over Your Shoulder, 1961
Original CD Release:
Come Swing with Me, 1991
Releases sampled for this comparison:
•1955 D1 45
•1955 N1 45
•1961 UK Look Over Your Shoulder LP and Reel
•1962 12” Swing Easy LP
•1981 Australian The Rarities LP
•1984 UK Swing Easy LP
•1991 Come Swing with Me CD
•1996 Complete Capitol Singles CD*
•1998 UK Swing Easy CD
•1999 Come Swing with Me CD*
*Shared transfer
Above: 1991 Come Swing with Me CD, mastered by Larry Walsh
SAMPLE AUDIO CLIPS
All clips for this song mirror those freely available via iTunes. To access the 90-second iTunes free samples, click
“View,” then “View in iTunes.”
All other versions tested are either stereo-processed Norberg masterings or are sourced from reverb-added tapes. To illustrate the difference, here is a clip that starts with one of the better “wet” masterings, the 1984 UK “Dell” LP, then, at the word “gave,” transitions to the properly-sourced 1991 Walsh mastering:
Song #3:
“Two Hearts, Two Kisses”
At Left: 1996 Complete Capitol Singles CD, mastered by Bob Norberg, courtesy “rangerjohn”.
Top Choices:
•Original EP or 45 (see notes at far right) - if in good condition
Not as good:
•Sinatra Sings Music for Pleasure - midrange-y EQ
•Complete Capitol Singles Collection - Norberg
Avoid:
•The Rarities, Volume Two and Forever Frank LPs - wet tapes
NOTES
•The 45 and EP are the only ones that “sound like Capitol” straight off the shelf, but are not really great to my ears; just the best of a sub-par group.
•Norberg may be fixable with considerable tweaking.
SAMPLE AUDIO CLIPS
All clips posted here mirror those freely available via Amazon.com.
Audio Clips
Arranger: Nelson Riddle? (discussion link)
Conductor: Dave Cavanaugh? (discussion link)
Original Release: #3084, March 21, 1955
Original LP Release:
UK Sinatra Sings Music for Pleasure, 1959
Original CD Release:
The Complete Capitol Singles Collection,1996
Releases sampled for this comparison:
•1955 D5 45s
•1956 D2 Session with Sinatra EP
•1959 UK Sinatra Sings Music for Pleasure LP
•1966 Forever Frank LP
•1983 Australia The Rarities, Volume Two LP
•1996 Complete Capitol Singles CD
Above: 1959 UK Sinatra Sings Music for Pleasure LP
Above: 1996 Complete Capitol Singles CD, mastered by Bob Norberg, courtesy “rangerjohn”.
SAMPLE AUDIO CLIPS
All clips posted here mirror those freely available via Amazon.com.
Audio Clips
Above: 1959 UK Sinatra Sings Music for Pleasure LP
Above: 1955 D5 Promo 45
Above: 1983 Australian The Rarities, Volume Two LP.
Above: 1955 D5 45
Above: 1955 N1 45, courtesy “stevelucille”
Above: 1955 D1 45
Above: 1956 Session with Sinatra D2 EP, courtesy stevelucille.
Above: 1955 D5#2 45
Top Choices:
•Original 45 (see notes at far right) - if in good condition
Not as good:
•Complete Capitol Singles Collection
•Sinatra Sings Music for Pleasure - midrange-y EQ
Avoid:
•The Rarities, Volume Two and Forever Frank LPs - wet tapes
NOTES
•The D5 and D6 45s sounded identical, so I’ve only posted the D6, which was in better shape.
•Norberg may be fixable with considerable tweaking, and this is one of those tracks that actually comes across as being pretty listenable in spite of the processing. It’s also the only version with full dynamics, save for a little squishing on the drums at the very end.
Arranger: Nelson Riddle? (discussion link)
Conductor: Dave Cavanaugh? (discussion link)
Original Release: #3084, March 21, 1955
Original LP Release:
UK Sinatra Sings Music for Pleasure, 1959
Original CD Release:
The Complete Capitol Singles Collection,1996
Releases sampled for this comparison:
•1955 D5 and D6 45s
•1959 UK Sinatra Sings Music for Pleasure LP
•1966 Forever Frank LP
•1983 Australia The Rarities, Volume Two LP
•1996 Complete Capitol Singles CD
Above: 1955 D6 45
At Right: 1966 Forever Frank mono LP, “P2” stamper contract-cut by LongWear Records, courtesy “Arkoffs”
