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Frank and Splank:  Less is More, or Less is Less?

Here we have Sinatra with the great Basie Band, idiomatically and effectively arranged by Neil Hefti, and it’s a powerful combination for the most part, with the band, the arranger, and The Voice seemingly enjoying themselves immensely.  That said, it does seem to be a bit of a “short shrift” in terms of content, and it seems to have been conceived as such.  Previous albums consisted of sessions for at least 12 songs, with the exception of GREAT SONGS FROM GREAT BRITAIN, for which 11 songs were recorded.  (Technically, 11-1/2 were recorded for SINATRA and STRINGS, I guess.)  In some cases, a song would be dropped, resulting in fewer released tracks, but here (to my knowledge), only 10 were planned and recorded over only two planned recording dates, meaning fewer $$$ for less session time, marking the start of a trend: Reprise albums that come across as being a little skimpy.  Had two more (a total of 12) songs been recorded (three sessions rather than two), the album would have clocked in at a length akin to NICE ‘N’ EASY -- nothing earth-shatteringly long.

AUDIO SAMPLES

(All samples fall within the 90-second free samples freely available at iTunes.)

CLICK PHOTOS TO HEAR AUDIO

Above: 1963 A2 R-1008 mono promo LP, pressed at Waddell, courtesy Martin Melucci.

Above: c. 1963 A4 R-1008 mono LP, pressed at Waddell.

Above: c. 1964(?) 1A F-1008 mono LP, pressed at Columbia, courtesy Martin Melucci.

Above: 1963 B4 R-1008 mono promo LP, pressed at Waddell, courtesy Martin Melucci.

Above: c. 1964(?) 1B F-1008 mono LP, pressed at Columbia, courtesy Martin Melucci.

Above: c. 1963 B2 R-1008 mono LP, pressed at Waddell.

Above: 1963 A1 R9-1008 stereo LP, pressed at Waddell, courtesy Martin Melucci. Original stereo mix.

Above: c. 1965(?) 1D FS-1008 stereo LP, pressed at Columbia, courtesy Martin Melucci. Original stereo mix.

Above: 1970 VS 144 Valiant Label UK stereo LP, courtesy SHTV’s “Hodgo.”  Original stereo mix.

Above: c. 1982  FS 1008 LW1 stereo LP, mastered at Warners for Capitol’s Los Angeles plant. Original stereo mix.

Above: c. 1985  FS 1008 JW1 stereo LP, mastered at Warners for Capitol’s Jacksonville plant, but pressed at Specialty. Original stereo mix.

Above: 1992 CD, courtesy SH.TV’s “Hodgo.”  Remixed by Lee Herschberg. Stereo Mix #2. (Reused in the “suitcase.”)

Above: 1999 EOTC CD, courtesy Martin Melucci, with mastering credit: “Digital Mastering by Lee Herschberg; Additional Engineering by Keith Blake.” Stereo Mix #3.

Above: 2011 Concord CD, remixed by Larry Walsh. Stereo Mix #4.

Above: 2016  FSe stereo LP, which reuses the EOTC files.  Courtesy SHTV’s “BFerr1.”  Stereo Mix #3.

Above: 1963 A1 R9-1008 stereo LP, pressed at Waddell, courtesy Martin Melucci. Original stereo mix.

Above: c. 1965(?) 1C FS-1008 stereo LP, pressed at Columbia, courtesy Martin Melucci. Original stereo mix.

Above: 1970 VS 144 Valiant Label UK stereo LP, courtesy SHTV’s “Hodgo.”  Original stereo mix.

Above: c. 1982  FS 1008 LW1 stereo LP, mastered at Warners for Capitol’s Los Angeles plant. Original stereo mix.

Above: c. 1985  FS 1008 JW1 stereo LP, mastered at Warners for Capitol’s Jacksonville plant, but pressed at Specialty. Original stereo mix.

Above: 1992 CD, courtesy SH.TV’s “Hodgo.”  Remixed by Lee Herschberg. Stereo Mix #2. (Reused in the “suitcase.”)

Above: 1999 EOTC CD, courtesy Martin Melucci, with mastering credit: “Digital Mastering by Lee Herschberg; Additional Engineering by Keith Blake.” Stereo Mix #3.

Above: 2011 Concord CD, remixed by Larry Walsh. Stereo Mix #4.

Above: 2016  FSe stereo LP, which reuses the EOTC files.  Courtesy SHTV’s “BFerr1.”  Stereo Mix #3.

Above: c. 1964(?) S9-1008 7.5 IPS Stereotape reel, courtesy SHTV’s “zoltantamas.” Original stereo mix.

Above: c. 1964(?) S9-1008 7.5 IPS Stereotape reel, courtesy SHTV’s “zoltantamas.” Original stereo mix.

Above: Yugoslavia mono LP, courtesy SHTV’s “zoltantamas.”

Above: c. 1966(?) 1E FS-1008 stereo LP, courtesy SHTV’s “zoltantamas.” Original stereo mix.

Above: Yugoslavian mono LP, courtesy SHTV’s “zoltantamas.”

Above: c. 1964(?) 1A FS-1008 stereo LP, courtesy SHTV’s “zoltantamas.” Original stereo mix.

Above: Holland mono LP, courtesy SHTV’s “OlBlueEyes2001.”

Above: Japan mono LP, courtesy SHTV’s “OlBlueEyes2001.” NOTE: This is a fold-down of the original stereo mix.

Above: 1972 VS 144 Midi Label Germany stereo LP, mastered by Gunter Pfanz, courtesy SHTV’s “ArneW.”  Original stereo mix.

Above: Japan mono LP, courtesy SHTV’s “OlBlueEyes2001.” NOTE: This is a fold-down of the original stereo mix.

Above: Holland mono LP, courtesy SHTV’s “OlBlueEyes2001.”

Above: 1972 VS 144 Midi Label Germany stereo LP, mastered by Gunter Pfanz, courtesy SHTV’s “ArneW.”  Original stereo mix.

So....what to recommend, in terms of “best” sound quality on this release?  After hearing more than 15 masterings/releases, here are my thoughts, and much of this commentary stems from 100% blind listening done by myself as an individual, and by a panel of “volunteer Sinatraphiles and/or audiophiles.”

The truth is, a lot of the masterings are “okay” or “more or less just fine,” and part of that may be because even the BEST of the versions out there seems to not really reach out and grab people.  The recording strikes me (and some others) as being more than a little boxy and vanilla.  When playing the album from the beginning, one of the first things that catches my ear is how HORRID that sax solo on track one sounds.  How wildly different are the masterings on that solo?  Here is part of that solo from three different masterings:  1.) Mid-60s USA FS stereo LP; 2.) The original Herschberg-mastered CD release; and 3.) The 2016 LP, itself sourced from the 1999 CD mastering. AUDIO CLIP HERE: PennySaxFS-OrigCD-FSeLP.wav.  I only post this to show that no mastering of this title is perfect, and they all of plusses and minuses.  That FS (cut 1D) pressing is very good overall, but the sax here is pretty shrill, as it is on the original CD release, which is not a horrible release overall.  Meanwhile, the 2016 LP, which leans warmer and darker that any other release, goes a long ways toward helping the tone on that sax solo, but I can’t say I’m a fan of that release overall.

I mentioned that much-appreciated panel of “blind listeners,” and over on the Steve Hoffman Music Forums, I posted this to-scale summary of the results of all that blind listening, with the lowest-scoring versions to the left, and the highest-scoring versions to the right.

I have heard a handful of additional masterings since posting that scale, but none of them even began to approach the right side of that scale, so this remains more-or-less how I view the releases (although, to reiterate:  The graph shows the GROUP outcome of blind listening to eleven masterings.) 

I do have a few picayunish differences.  For instance, I think that -- hands down -- the WORST masterings I heard were the two 1980s USA stereo LPs that I own.  You can hear these clips above, if interested, but they strike me as just dreadful, and well worth avoiding.  I place those as being worse than the mono pressings I heard and/or own -- and the mono LPs are nothing special, in my opinion.  Also, I think that the 1970 Valiant UK stereo LP was as good or better than the R9-stereo LP, either of which is a good “second choice.”

CDs?  I think they are all “serviceable,” but no great shakes.  I’d probably place the EOTC slightly below the others, but they all have significant pros and cons.  Listen to the samples; pick your favorite.  I guess I’d go with the original CD release, but all three editions are good and bad in very different ways.

Now.....in blind listening (which is always my preference, to wipe away as much bias as possible), the release that I chose as a “top choice” on each track sampled (as did some others on the panel) was the mid-60s FS-1008 1D/1C pressing that Martin Melucci shared.  The vocal tone is never overly warm, but it is well-balanced on the whole.  Dynamics are wide, as is the stereo spread.  Brass sound brassy, and the rhythm sections sounds present and clear.  The reverb of the well-presented original mix is not soupy.  Look again at the chart, and you can see that it was a very popular choice, and it is also my personal recommendation.

Here are some clips (they all fall within the “free sample windows” available at Apple and elsewhere - “no free music giveaways here”) from that excellent sounding LP, and I think the samples speak for themselves.  AUDIO HERE: Sinatra-BasieFS1D1CStereoLPClipsMMM.wav

Thanks to Martin and to all those who shared samples.  Enjoy the music!  If you can find a clean copy of FS-1008 from an early-ish USA pressing, I advise that you buy it! 

As always, “Happy Listening,”

--Matt Lutthans, May 27, 2021