[Gordon]

Hello all...

I am looking for information on this boxed cd set...can someone help me ??

I could not find it during a search of SFF....

Did you try my Master Index, Gordo?

Frank Sinatra In Hollywood (1940-1964)

Bumping up. Hooray for Hollywood!

[Gordon]

Bob!

Can a MOD merge this ??

[Gordon]

Bob:

I see Amazon has this for $95.00..is that about right?

Gordon, those mods really earn their keep around here, huh?

I see it listed at retail on Amazon proper for more than you mentioned, but I'm confused because I thought it went out of print. You must be quoting a price from an Amazon market reseller, and there are quite a long list of them selling "new" copies for around that amount.

It was much less a few years back, so you may want to shop around... Check out Overstock.com. You'll save some money there, but this is not an endorsement.

[Gordon]

Yes..the mods are great..So is the Administrator ..

Bob..I see a cd set with this title listed as Collectible..for a little bit more..I don't know if it's the same one..with something extra..or just the same one marketed differently..??

Anywho..I will be getting this one tonight

[Jeffrey Simmons]

I wish to start off by first of all conceding completely to Chuck Granata's above post. I think memory does play tricks more often than not and I do now fully agree that the Capitol 'Soliloquy', which sounds absolutely great on this set by the way, was never in fact completed by FS and no completed version exists anywhere.

I have recently been listening quite a lot to the 'Sinatra In Hollywood' set and I would now like to come back with some further comments. Before I do, I would like to say that on the whole this is a magnificent effort which is most enjoyable to listen to.

The fact is that some of the recordings on this set are nothing less than sensational. For example the quality of the newly mixed elements to make a true stereo recording from the 1945 'Anchors Aweigh' song "What Makes The Sunset" is outstanding. Others, unfortunately, are not quite of equal quality some which come to mind that fall short include 'Brahms Lulaby' 'The Charm of You' and 'I Fall In Love Too Easily' from the same movie where at times considerable hiss etc can be heard. I can only assume that not all the recordings came from the same sources.

So sound quality over all and from movie to movie is really a bit of a mixed bag ranging from the totally superb to the occasionally less than satisfying.

The other subject that I would like to raise is completeness. As indicated above, there were often tracks recorded for the actual movie that were then re-recorded again for the film's 'soundtrack' album. One example of this is "You're Sensational" from High Society. The released Capitol album has a different recording than the one on the actual movie soundtrack. Another example is "I Could Write A Book" from Pal Joey. What I personally would like to have seen included and appearing on the set would have been representation of ALL the different versions of each song made for the one particular movie. So not only would we get the recordings appearing on the actual movie soundtrack appear on the set, but also the related recordings that appeared on the issued so-called movie soundtrack albums.

Keeping with 'Pal Joey' I was interested to listen to 'The Lady Is A Tramp'. I had previously understood that the recording appearing on the Capitol movie soundtrack album was almost entirely the same as the actual Capitol Records recording save that the ending was spliced with a short re-recorded segment to include the longer 'Traaamp' ending as appearing in the movie. Now on this set I do believe what we hear is an altogether totally different recording to the Capitol records recording. This one is a beautifully cleaned up version which was recorded only for the movie. Unless my ears deceive me, this sounds great but I am not certain if this is in stereo. Am I correct?

[MMM]

Not stereo. It SHOULD have been stereo, but the materials for such a thing are not known to exist anymore. Those Pal Joey songs are tape dubs from George Sidney's collection - either he or someone dubbed his "playback discs" to a tape which was used on the box.

I think "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" - the movie version - is one of Frank's best songs of all...

[Jeffrey Simmons]

Thanks Martin, I certainly love "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" too.

I recall Chuck mentioning that the stereo elements did no longer exist for the DVD of Pal Joey, which is really a tragedy. I thought, however, that the album soundtracks were in stereo.

Many of the cuts in the Box sounded as if they were from the actual movie soundtrack and not from the album of the same name. I suggested above that both versions should perhaps have appeared in the set as they both related solely to the respective movies in any event.

It is interesting to me though that so many songs throughout seem to have been recorded especially for the movie and then re-recorded again for the albums and vice-versa. One might have been forgiven for thinking that in many cases artists would record the song in a studio first and then mime to the recording on the movie. In many cases here Frank seems to have recorded both a movie version (which was usually mimed to on the film) and then an album version, which was usually more polished and on occasion even differently arranged.

I was listening to "Style" from 'Robin And The Seven Hoods' from the Box today and I realised that even that seemed to be a different version to the Reprise album recording. Is this correct? Of Course 'My Kind Of Town' was totally different to the Reprise recording in every way. On the other hand "I Like To Lead When I Dance" was definitely the released Reprise recording as far as I am aware.

As to some of the 'Can Can' tracks, I cannot help but think that a few of these, especially the ones with Maurice Chevalier did not sound totally clear and clean and I wonder about the source, which sounded to me like it possibly came direct from the magnetic strip of the film. But 'It's Alright With Me' and 'Let's Do It' sounded very good. As I remember the Capitol album sounded fine throughout, but that may have possibly contained some alternative recordings. Does anyone know?

[MMM]

The movie version of "Style" is different than the version on the soundtrack album (which was recorded at United). Kinda faster and looser.

The Can Can songs are new stereo mixes made from the 3 track tapes that Capitol received from the film company (forget which at the moment). These 3-tracks were "reduced" back then from the 35mm magnetic multitrack elements. Don't know if the mags exist anymore...

[Jeffrey Simmons]

Thanks Martin, but I can't help thinking that the two tracks with Maurice Chevalier are distorted. I listened to them again today and they do not sound clear to me. Somewhere I have the LP version of the Soundtrack album and I must did it out one day.

Some lucky members may have acquired that (now unavailable) triple CD set of the soundtrack albums of High Society, Can Can and Pal Joey. I would love to know if any of the mentioned tracks sounded better or different on that little set?

Originally Posted by Jeffrey Simmons

Some lucky members may have acquired that (now unavailable) triple CD set of the soundtrack albums of High Society, Can Can and Pal Joey.

Not so lucky really, Jeffrey. That triple CD set sounds terrible—much worse than the three individual CDs that were produced in the US in the late 1980's. I have both, and the individual CDs have much better sound. The (Australian) EMI 3-CD set is without a doubt the worst mastering of Sinatra Capitol music I have ever heard.

[MMM]

Is an engineer credited for the mastering on the Australian set, Bob? Just curious...

No production credits at all, Martin. Just "Manufactured and distributed by the EMI Music Group Australia." The liner notes are very primitive and cheaply done. I find the discs to be unlistenable.

[Jeffrey Simmons]

Thanks Bob, so my question is diverted to the individual CD's and I am asking if any of the above mentioned tracks from the Hollywood Box set sound any better or different on the Capitol Cd's?

[MMM]

Thanks Bob.

While all of you are playing your Sinatra in Vegas. I'm waiting here for my copy to arrive so I'm playing another tremendous box set tonight " Sinatra in Hollywood".

Listening to "That Great Come-And-Get-It Day " at the moment.

What a fantastic collection this is ! It's so much fun this set. Because Frank is singing in character for a lot of these songs " Like O'brien to Ryan , to Goldberg"

This Set just makes you smile. It's just makes your day

***"That Great Come-And-Get-It Day "***

Oh yeah - what a great swinger this is! Play it in the morning and you'll be whistling/humming it along all day... one of my fav tracks from this box as well. It also makes a good "trio" along with the equally beautiful "At Sundown" and "I Cried For You".

Bernhard.

[Nick in Toronto]

Just for fun,I sometimes try to calculate just how much an album has been "Worth" to me", in terms of how many times I played it; and the pleasure it has given.

The Australian set was one expensive purchase as I have never played it again since the day I bought it.