Non-Album Tracks, 1956
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
November 26, 1956
The Lady is a Tramp / Night and Day / Lonesome Road / If I Had You
Top Choices:
•Australian Pal Joey CD
•1991 A Swingin’ Affair CD
LP Choices:
•Original Pal Joey and German Sinatra’s Greatest mono LP - not much sparkle in the tone; compressed. Pal Joey is the better of the two, but neither is all that great.
Avoid:
•His 20 Greatest Hits - wet tapes used; additional reverb added on top of that
•The Frank Sinatra Collection 2-CD set - Duophonic
•USA and Japan Pal Joey CDs, Gold! CD, 1998 A Swingin’ Affair CD - all Norberged to varying degrees
NOTES
•The 1997 Australian soundtrack CD appears to be the 1991 Walsh CD mastering, which has extremely faint “stereo playback of a mono tape” artifacts, summed (or otherwise converted) to mono.
Arranger/Conductor: Nelson Riddle
Original Release: Pal Joey LP, 10/14/57
Original LP Release: Pal Joey LP, 10/14/57 Original CD Release: Australian The Frank Sinatra Collection (link), 1986
Releases sampled for this comparison:
•1957 Pal Joey mono LP
•1961 mono German Sinatra’s Greatest LP
•1974 Australia His 20 Greatest Hits LP
•1986 Australia The Frank Sinatra Collection CD
•1989 Pal Joey CD*
•1989? Japan Pal Joey CD*
•1989 Gold! CD
•1991 A Swingin’ Affair CD**
•1997 Australia Pal Joey CD**
•1998 A Swingin’ Affair CD*
•2009 UK 25 Classic Tracks CD
*Shared transfer to digital
**Shared transfer to digital
BLUE = Shared mastering
GREEN = Shared mastering
Audio Clips
SAMPLE AUDIO CLIPS
All clips posted here mirror those freely available via itunes:
Song #1:
“The Lady Is a Tramp”
NOTE: Capitol has released two distinct edits of this recording, both of which are identical until the 2:58 point. The first version, released in 1957, involved Frank Sinatra singing the last word of the song, “Tramp,” in a short style. A year later, in 1958, a different edit appeared, in which Mr. Sinatra sang the last word of the song in a much more sustained, stretched style. The two versions will be examined separately below.
Edit One
Above. 1974 Australian His Twenty Greatest Hits LP
Above. 1986 (reissued with same mastering in 1997, shown) The Frank Sinatra Collection 2-CD set
Above. 1989 Pal Joey soundtrack CD, mastered by Bob Norberg (reused for Japanese issue)
Above. 1989 Gold! CD, mastered by Bob Norberg (cover later changed)
Above. 1991 A Swingin’ Affair CD, mastered by Larry Walsh, reused in 25 Classic Tracks CD
Above. 1997 Australia Pal Joey CD
Above. 1998 A Swingin’ Affair CD, mastered by Bob Norberg
Above. 1957 Pal Joey promo LP, courtesy eharmonica
Top Choices
•Time-Life Legendary Singers LP
Close Second:
•UK The Great Films & Shows CD - See NOTES at right
Also very good:
•UK The Frank Sinatra Collection CD - Stereo playback of a mono tape, with slightly wavering image. Also, see NOTES at right.
Avoid:
•The Works, Twenty Golden Greats LP - Duophonic
•All others - wrong tapes used (reverb added)
NOTES
•All versions of this edit include a minor defect during the piano intro. For discussion and clip, see here.
•Both UK The Frank Sinatra Collection CD and The Great Films & Shows CD have a decay on the last note that is slightly cutoff.
Arranger/Conductor: Nelson Riddle
Original Release: The Lady is a Tramp EP, c. June, 1958
Original LP Release: Frank Sinatra Sings Rodgers and Hart LP, Nov., 1962
Original CD Release: UK The Frank Sinatra Collection (link), 1987
Releases sampled for this comparison:
•1958 The Lady is a Tramp EP
•1962 Frank Sinatra Sings Rodgers and Hart mono LP
•1973 The Works LP
•1987 UK Twenty Golden Greats LP
•1985 Time-Life Legendary Singers LP
•1987 UK The Frank Sinatra Collection CD*
•1989 UK The Great Films & Shows CD*
•1990 The Capitol Years CD
•1991 Dutch The Classic Tracks CD
•1992 Australia The Essential Frank Sinatra CD
•1992(?) UK 20 Golden Greats CD
•1994 Japan The Best of Frank Sinatra CD
•1995 Sinatra 80th: All the Best CD
•1997 Australia The Frank Sinatra Collection CD
•1998 36 All-Time Favorites CD
*Shared transfer to digital (different mastering)
BLUE = Shared mastering (wrong source tapes)
Audio Clips
SAMPLE AUDIO CLIPS
All clips posted here mirror those freely available via itunes:
Edit Two
Above: 1985 half-speed mastered Time-Life Legendary Singers LP
Above: 1962 Frank Sinatra Sings Rodgers and Hart D5 mono LP
Above: 1989 UK The Great Films & Shows, Volume 4 CD
Above: 1987 UK The Frank Sinatra Collection CD
Above: 1989 UK The Great Films & Shows CD
Most releases of this edit, including the original LP release from 1962, use wrong (reverb-added) tapes. Here is a clip that starts with the 1990 The Capitol Years CD mastering (wet tapes), and transitions to the 1989 The Great Films & Shows CD mastering (dry tapes): LadyCapYrs-FilmsShows.wav
Above: 1958 The Lady is a Tramp D1”#2 EP
Above. 1961 German Sinatra’s Greatest LP
