1957 - SinglesEtc34

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

November 25, 1957

I Believe / Everybody Loves Somebody /

It’s the Same Old Dream / Time After Time

Song #1:

“I Believe”

<---- 1956 Sessions 1957 Singles: March 14 May 20 May 23 Aug 13. Nov. 25 Dec. 11 ----> 1958 Sessions

Top Choice:

•Great Films & Shows CD (mono)

2nd best:

•2016 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

Sub-par:

•1985 UK This is Sinatra, Vol. 2 LP and 1994 UK This is Frank Sinatra, 1953-1957 -- bright and thin

Avoid:

•Christmas with the Rat Pack and 2008 At the Movies CDs: Compressed versions of an already-odd 1996 digital stereo mix.

•Close-Up and all non-mono LP editions of This is Sinatra, Volume Two - Duophonic (despite being recorded 3-track)

NOTES

•All stereo releases use the 1996 digital stereo mix. That 1996 release is uncompressed, while the later releases add compression, making the 1996 CD, nearly by default, the “best stereo release,” but it’s still quite poor, and has an odd right-to-left swaying of the stereo image in the opening.

•Original 1958 LPs, plus the 1989 and 1998 UK CD and 2016 LP releases have no tape damage. Other mono releases have tape flaking/damage in the opening bars.

Audio Clips

Click photos below for audio

Top choice:

•2016 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP (mono)

Second place, lighter, airier tone:

•1988 Japan Best Now CD

Avoid:

•The Works, Golden Double 32, and Close-Up LPs and all non-mono LP editions of This is Sinatra, Volume Two - Duophonic (despite being recorded 3-track)

•September Song LP - Fake Stereo (sums to mono nicely)

•September Song reel: compressed; non-rich tone

NOTES

•Most mono releases of this title are nicely mastered, with many fine choices available. Some have some slight compression, but that’s about the worst I can say. Mostly good.

•The stereo recording appears to be a 3-mic set-up, with the sax solo off-mic

•Standards All The Way CD, while ostensibly mono, was transferred on a stereo tape machine with sub-par alignment, but still sounds quite nice. Too bad about two tape dropouts on that version.

•The 1985 UK LP and 1994 UK CD appear to come from the same digital source tape.

Audio Clips

Song #2:

“Everybody Loves Somebody”

SAMPLE AUDIO CLIPS

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

Above: 1958 MONO D5 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

Above: 1984 MONO Japan This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

Above: 1985 UK This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP MONO

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

Above: 1998 MONO UK This is Sinatra, Volume Two CD, courtesy “rangerjohn”.

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

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

Arranger/Conductor: Nelson Riddle

Original Release: This is Sinatra, Volume

Two, March 31, 1958

Original LP Release: (Same)

Original CD Release: UK The Great Films &

Shows, 1989

Original STEREO release: The Complete Capitol

Singles Collection, 1996

Releases sampled for this comparison:

•1958 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•1969 Close Up LP

•1984 Japan This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•1985 UK This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•1989 UK The Great Films & Shows CD

•1994 UK This is Frank Sinatra 1953-1957 CD

•1996 STEREO The Complete Capitol Singles Collection CD*

•1998 UK This is Sinatra. Volume Two CD

•2004 STEREO Christmas with the Rat Pack CD*

•2008 STEREO At the Movies CD*

•2016 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

*These all use the 1996 Norberg digital stereo mix, each differently mastered (see NOTES) at right.

Arranger/Conductor: Nelson Riddle

Original Release: This is Sinatra, Volume

Two, March 31, 1958

Original LP Release: (Same)

Original CD Release: Australian Standards All the Way, 1987

Original STEREO release: The Capitol

Years CD, 1990

Releases sampled for this comparison:

•1958 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•1967 UK September Song LP

•1967 UK September Song 3.75 ips reel

•1969 Close Up LP

•1973 The Works LP

•1975 Japan Golden Double 32 LP

•1984 Japan This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•1985 UK This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•1987 Australia Standards All the Way CD

•1988 Japan Best Now CD

•1990 STEREO The Capitol Years CD

•1994 UK This is Frank Sinatra 1953-1957 CD

•1998 UK This is Sinatra. Volume Two CD

•2016 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

Above: 1958 MONO D9 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

Above: 1984 MONO Japan This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

Above: 1985 UK This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP MONO

Above: 1987 Australian Standards All the Way CD MONO

Above: 1990 The Capitol Years CD STEREO - mixed by Ron Furmanek and Larry Walsh

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

Above: 1998 MONO UK This is Sinatra, Volume Two CD, courtesy “rangerjohn”.

Top Choices:

•The Capitol Years and Frank Sinatra Sings the Select Sammy Cahn CD (STEREO - see “NOTES” at right)

Best mono choice:

•1985 UK This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

Sub-Par:

•2016 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP - middling tone, plus a tape defect during the flute soli at the end.

Avoid:

•Close-Up LP and all non-mono LP editions of This is Sinatra, Volume Two - Duophonic (despite being recorded 3-track)

•Original mono This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP and 1998 UK This is Sinatra, Volume Two CD - heavily compressed

NOTES

•The stereo recording appears to be a 3-mic set-up

•The Sammy Cahn CD re-uses the 1990 Furmanek/Walsh stereo mix from The Capitol Years, but takes steps to filter out a low-frequency recording defect audible at the tail end of each of the clips below (especially The Capitol Years stereo clip). Regrettably, it also very clumsily filters out some of Frank’s “P Pop” sounds.

•The 1985 UK LP and 1994 UK CD appear to come from the same digital source tape.

•The Japanese LP, while tonally pleasing, has some odd softness/swishiness in the high frequencies

Audio Clips

Song #3:

“It’s the Same Old Dream”

Arranger/Conductor: Nelson Riddle

Original Release: This is Sinatra, Volume

Two, March 31, 1958

Original LP Release: (Same)

Original CD Release: UK The Great Films &

Shows, 1989

Original STEREO release: The Capitol

Years CD, 1990

Releases sampled for this comparison:

•1958 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•1969 Close Up LP

•1984 Japan This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•1985 UK This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•1989 UK The Great Films & Shows CD

•1990 STEREO The Capitol Years CD*

•1994 UK This is Frank Sinatra 1953-1957 CD

•1996 STEREO Frank Sinatra Sings the Select Sammy Cahn CD*

•1998 STEREO 36 All-Time Favorites CD

•1998 UK This is Sinatra. Volume Two CD

•2016 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

PURPLE = Shared Mastering

*Same digital mix; different mastering

Above: 1958 MONO D5 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

Above: 1984 MONO Japan This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

Above: 1985 UK This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP MONO

Above:

1990 The Capitol Years CD STEREO - mixed by Ron Furmanek and Larry Walsh

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

Above: 1998 MONO UK This is Sinatra, Volume Two CD, courtesy “rangerjohn”.

Above: 1996 STEREO Frank Sinatra Sings the Select Sammy Cahn CD, courtesy “rangerjohn”.

Above: 1989 UK The Great Films & Shows CD MONO

Above: 1989 UK The Great Films & Shows, Volume 4 CD

Top Choices:

•1984 Japanese This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP (mono)

•2016 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP (mono)

Second Best:

•1985 UK This is Frank Sinatra, Volume Two LP (mono; not as warm as the Japanese edition)

Best stereo release, with caveats:

•Sinatra 80th: All the Best CD (reused for 36 All-Time Favorites CD)

(See NOTES at far right)

Tonally Thin:

•The Great Films & Shows and This is Frank Sinatra, 1953-1957 CDs

Avoid:

•Close-Up LP, All-Time Classics LP, and all non-mono LP editions of This is Sinatra, Volume Two - Duophonic (despite being recorded 3-track)

•BLUE releases (at left): Norberg stereo mixes with compression added

•GREEN releases (at left): Norberg stereo mixes

NOTES

•The stereo recording appears to be a 3-mic set-up (maybe with a spot mic on the piano?), presented somewhat unflatteringly in what is nevertheless the “Best Stereo Release” choice: Sinatra 80th, which could have benefitted from a judicious addition of reverb to the instrumental tracks, so as to remove the barn-like acoustic of Capitol Studio A as captured via minimalistic mic techniques, under which conditions “the room does not forgive.”

•The Sinatra 80th CD also sounds mildly noise-reduced, and is artificially narrowed. (See here.)

•The D2 45 is among the best-sounding 45s we’ve yet reached in this series, yet it pales by comparison when A/B’d with better options.

Song #4:

“Time After Time”

Arranger/Conductor: Nelson Riddle

Original Release: This is Sinatra, Volume

Two, March 31, 1958

Original LP Release: (Same)

Original CD Release: UK The Great Films &

Shows, 1989

Original STEREO release: Sinatra 80th: All the

Best CD, 1995

Releases sampled for this comparison:

•1958 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•1959 45

•1969 Close Up LP

•1983 All-Time Classics LP

•1984 Japan This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•1985 UK This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

•1989 UK The Great Films & Shows CD

•1994 UK This is Frank Sinatra,1953-1957 CD

•1995 STEREO Sinatra 80th: All the Best CD

•1996 STEREO Frank Sinatra Sings the Select

Sammy Cahn CD*

•1996 STEREO Complete Capitol Singles CD*

•1998 STEREO 36 All-Time Favorites CD

•1998 UK This is Sinatra. Volume Two CD

•2004 STEREO Taking a Chance on Love CD*

•2007 STEREO Romance: Songs from the

Heart CD*

•2016 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

PURPLE = Shared Mastering

*Same digital mix; two different masterings

BLUE = Shared Mastering

GREEN = Shared Mastering

Above: 1958 MONO D5 This is Sinatra, Volume Two LP

SAMPLE AUDIO CLIPS

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