Non-Album Tracks, 1957

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

March 14, 1957

So Long, My Love / Crazy Love

Top Choices:

•Japanese The Hit Maker LP

•2016 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

Very Close Seconds:

•Japanese This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•Australian The Rarities - Volume One LP

Honorable Mention:

•The Complete Capitol Singles Colection CD - see NOTES at far right

Avoid:

•See NOTES at right

NOTES

•In very un-Capitol-like fashion, this is a poorly recorded, poorly edited release.

•There are edits at 0:31, 0:32, 1:01, 1:02, 1:50, and maybe elsewhere.

•Following a distorted saxophone passage, the gain is unsubtly turned down at about 1:44.

•All three CD masterings are problematic. The only one that is tonally pleasing is the Capitol Singles set, despite being over-processed by Robert Norberg.

•Lots of bad-sounding versions, largely the fault of the recording, not the mastering.

•The best choices are not revelatory compared to others, but merely not quite as bad.

•D6 45 has compressors set to “obliterate”

Arranger/Conductor: Nelson Riddle

Original Release: 45/78 #3703, April, 1957

Original LP Release: This is Sinatra, Volume

Two, March 31, 1958

Original CD Release: Japan All the Way: The Hit

Collection, 1989

Releases sampled for this comparison:

•1957 45

•1958 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•1981 Australian The Rarities - Volume One LP

•1982 Japan The Hit Maker LP

•1984 Japan This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•1985 UK This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•1989 Japan All the Way: The Hit Collection CD*

•1994 UK This is Frank Sinatra 1953-1957 CD

•1996 Complete Capitol Singles Collection CD

•1998 UK This is Sinatra. Volume Two CD*

•2016 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

*Shared mastering

Audio Clips

SAMPLE AUDIO CLIPS

All clips posted here mirror those freely available via itunes. To access the 90-second iTunes clip, click VIEW, then “VIEW IN ITUNES” when prompted.

Song #1:

“So Long, My Love”

Above: 1996 Complete Capitol Singles CD, mastered by Bob Norberg, courtesy “rangerjohn”.

Above: Japan Hit Collection CD, courtesy “progrockfan” (mastering re-used in 1998 UK CD set)

Above: 1982 Japan The Hit Maker LP

Song #2:

“Crazy Love”

Above: 1958 D5 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

Above: 1981 Australian The Rarities - Volume One LP

Above: 1984 Japan This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

Above: 1985 UK This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

Above: 1958 D2#2 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP, courtesy Arkoffs

Above: 1958 N6 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP, courtesy Arkoffs

Above: 1994 UK This is Frank Sinatra 1953-1957 CD.

Top Choice:

•Japan The Hit Collection CD

•2016 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

Close seconds:

•Japan The Hit Maker LP

•1985 UK This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

Sub-par:

•UK This is Sinatra, Volume Two CD - audible limiting (pumping) during brassy sections

Avoid:

•1984 Japan This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP - Beginning of song clipped off; brass and drums sound like they are under a blanket

•Complete Capitol Singles CD - Norberged

NOTES

•After the sonic disaster of “So Long, My Love,” the session’s sound quality rebounds considerably here, although still not top-notch.

•Japanese All the Way: The Hit Collection CD involves stereo playback of a mono tape, but sounds good in general.

•UK This is Frank Sinatra, 1953-1957 CD runs slightly slow

•The two “close seconds” actually have slightly warmer vocal tone than the “top choices,” but their brass/drum tone is a hair dull/anemic by comparison.

Arranger/Conductor: Nelson Riddle

Original Release: 45/78 #3703, April, 1957

Original LP Release: This is Sinatra, Volume

Two, March 31, 1958

Original CD Release: Japan All the Way: The Hit

Collection CD, 1989

Releases sampled for this comparison:

•1957 45

•1958 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•1982 Japan The Hit Maker LP

•1984 Japan This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•1985 UK This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP