[Mark]

I was at my parents for dinner and did everything in my power to get my truck's receiver to broadcast into the kitchen radio and it just wouldn't happen so I had to settle for a couple of discs that I brought with me. I was really disappointed that I didn't get to tune in while prepping dinner for them.

I'm wondering if anyone else encountered difficulty listening online today?

I was plagued by repeated intermittent dropouts and "buffering" attempts by the Sirius player, and I had to change the quality from Premium to Standard (lower bit rate) in order to hear the broadcast cleanly.

It might have been the fault of my Internet provider, so I'm curious if anyone else experienced such problems before I complain.

I have yet to buy Sirius radio. I need to just break down and buy it. I have been listening to the free trial here at the hospital though. I have been listening on and off all day, without any trouble. (I love hospitals with free Wi-Fi!) Must be your ISP. I feel for ya.

Originally Posted by Rolland Kirby

I have been listening to the free trial [...] without any trouble.

With the free trial, you can only listen to the standard low-speed (32K) bit stream. I had no trouble with that. It was only the premium high-speed (128K) transmission which was problematic for me today.

Oh ok. I get it! Im enjoying it while it lasts! I am going to just have to break down and buy one of the portable ones. I swear its addictive!

[Mark]

Dernitall, Bob. I didn't even think about listening on the Internet yesterday!

[David B.]

Bob, I had the same buffering problems on my S.I.R. broadcast, too. It happened at least three times during the show. I'm using Charter Communications Cable in So. California.

PS - I didn't think to switch from Premium to Standard to see if that made a difference.

Thanks, David. That would seem to suggest the problem was at the source. It's the first time I've noticed anything like that from Sirius.

[David B.]

One thing I noticed, Bob, was that when the audio came back after "buffering", it resumed exactly where the song left off at the interruption. Then a few seconds later, it jumped ahead to where it would be streaming in real time.

I don't know if that helps to narrow down the source of the problem, but I just wanted to add another detail I remember.

Next time I hear it happening on a particular show like that, I'll try to make a note of exactly where it occurred to see if that matches anyone elses experience, too. It seems like that would really narrow it down to a Sirius issue if we all heard it happen in the same places.

It was most annoying to me because I like to record the shows. (They make great one-hour CDs for the car.) Fortunately, I have two more chances to capture this one.

The Chairman's Hour
with Frank Sinatra
Show #7 – August 18, 2007

1. Nice 'N' Easy
   (Instrumental intro includes a few bars of A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening)
   "Good evening. I hope that you'll share this next hour with me, visiting some lovely songs recorded through all these years, and meeting a few new songs …"
   Television 1981: Sinatra: The Man And His Music *
   
   
2. Sand And Sea
   Reprise 1966: That's Life
   
   "Thank you very much! And now, here's my choice for number two on our show. Let's see how you like this one."
   
   
3. Somethin' Stupid (with Nancy Sinatra )
   Reprise 1967: The World We Knew
   
   
4. Recording session: "And this is Remake 2 … Ok, we're rolling."
   This Town (electronic remix by Mint Royale)
   Reprise 1967 (original version): The World We Knew
   
   
5. Yesterday
   Reprise 1969: My Way
   
   "Every one of the Beatles was a very talented young man individually, and here is an example of George Harrison with a great love song."
   Live in Jerusalem 1975: The Jerusalem Concert *
   
   
6. Something
   Reprise 1979: Trilogy: The Present
   
   
7. All I Need Is The Girl (short excerpt)
   "And what a girl. Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Ella Fitzgerald!"
   Ella Fitzgerald – Body And Soul
   Television 1967: A Man And His Music + Ella + Jobim *
   
   "This is one of my favorite songs of many favorite songs, but through the years it's hung in there all the time."
   
   
8. More Than You Know
   Reprise 1979: Trilogy: The Past
   
   "Exactly the same today as it was last year and 90 years before that. The reason it doesn't change, of course, is because there's no point in changing something that's as good as it can get. Any more than you change the Statue of Liberty or the Golden Gate Bridge. People just like 'em that way."
   
   
9. I Left My Heart In San Francisco
   Reprise 1962: The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings
   
   
10. The Brooklyn Bridge
    Columbia 1946: Sinatra Sings His Greatest Hits
    
    
11. All The Way Home
    Reprise 1983: The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings
    
    "Y'know, I covered a lot of territory in this thing called show business, but Sinatra the Weatherman? Heh, I dunno, but let's see."
    
    
12. Rain (Falling From The Skies)
    Capitol 1953: Where Are You? (bonus track)
    
    
13. A Foggy Day (In London Town)
    Reprise 1960: Ring-A-Ding Ding
    
    
14. Summer Wind
    Reprise 1966: Strangers In The Night
    
    "You know, ladies and gentlemen, in my business … there are some songs that transcend the word 'standard.' They kind of become classics, like this great song by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II from Showboat."
    Television 1967: A Man And His Music + Ella + Jobim *
    
    
15. Ol' Man River
    Reprise 1963: The Concert Sinatra
    
    
16. "Sinatra: A Man and His Music. Is the man going to talk about his dark ages, when his career had that little stroke, when his voice ran away from home, when his records started selling like used Edsels? Nope …"
    From Here To Eternity (movie dialogue with instrumental underscore)
    "… Prew, listen: Fatso done it, Prew! He likes to whack me in the gut …"
    Movie 1953: A Man And His Music *
    
    
17. From Here To Eternity
    Capitol 1953: The Capitol Collector's Series
    
    
18. Pick Yourself Up
    Reprise 1962: Sinatra And Swingin' Brass
    
    
19. Angel Eyes (verse only)
    "Well, I must say it felt awful good doing my thing for you tonight. They tell me that all good things must come to an end."
    Put Your Dreams Away (For Another Day)
    "Goodnight and sleep warm!"
    Television 1968: Francis Albert Sinatra Does His Thing *

* Track includes (… full) broadcast narrative by Frank Sinatra.

I have XM and listen to High Standards. They were called " Frank's Place" play a lot of Frank Sinatra and it is great.... Is XM becoming a part of Sirius ??? does anyone know it that deal has gone through?

[Nancy]

Roger

Siriusly Sinatra, channel 75, is on twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Frank's Place is history.

I'll be posting my weekly song listing above when I have a chance, but I just thought I'd comment on a rarity which was played on this week's The Chairman's Hour show #7.

Early in the program, we hear an (unreleased?) version of Lee Hazlewood's "This Town"—a song which has been receiving a lot of airplay recently, due in part to its appearance on the soundtrack of Ocean's 13. The arrangement here uses a driving rock rhythm which is nothing like the one on the single and in the album The World We Knew (and in this summer's movie release).

On first comparison, it sounds to me like Sinatra's vocal part is the same as a portion of that on the released take. This may be the unreleased version reported in discographies as having been recorded June 29–30, 1967 in New York. The released song was remade July 24, 1967 in Hollywood, but it's unclear exactly how much of the instrumental backing or vocal was done at which session. (There is some studio chatter at the start of the track, and "remake 2" is announced from the control booth.)

[Added:] I'm a little slow on the uptake, it seems. The version of "This Town" heard on show #7 is a modern remix by the British alternative/electronica group Mint Royale.

[voice1]

There was a video of this re-mix which was removed from YouTube. I loved the beat and the additional instrumentation.

Originally Posted by voice1

There was a video of this re-mix

Rick, Was it a video of the actual recording session, or just the audio track behind something else?

[Added:] Never mind. I found the answer to my own question; see the [Added] in my post two above.

The Chairman's Hour
with Frank Sinatra
Show #8 – August 25, 2007

1. Nice 'N' Easy
   (Instrumental intro includes a few bars of A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening)
   "Good evening. I hope that you'll share this next hour with me, visiting some lovely songs recorded through all these years, and meeting a few new songs …"
   Television 1981: Sinatra: The Man And His Music *
   
   
2. Dinah Washington – Destination Moon
   Roulette 1962: Dinah '62
   
   
3. "Now this man who's playing the piano is going to take me by the hand and he gonna lead me from one saloon to another tonight …"
   Fly Me To The Moon
   Live 1966 (Las Vegas): Sinatra: Vegas (Disc 2) *
   
   
4. Moonlight Becomes You
   Reprise 1965: Moonlight Sinatra
   
   
5. Oh, You Crazy Moon
   Reprise 1965: Moonlight Sinatra
   
   "So if you'll all fasten your seatbelts, we will proceed, non-stop, to the sunny side of the street. Start walkin' boy!"
   
   
6. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
   Capitol 1961: Come Swing With Me!
   
   "Go ahead, surprise me."
   
   
7. River, Stay 'Way From My Door
   Capitol 1960: Come Swing With Me! (bonus track)
   
   
8. Have You Met Miss Jones?
   Reprise 1961: Swing Along With Me [Sinatra Swings]
   
   "This is a ballad, ladies and gentlemen, to slow down for a little bit."
   
   
9. Once Upon A Time
   Reprise 1965: September Of My Years
   
   "We'd like to do a very pretty song for you, written by a man named Einar Swan."
   
   
10. When Your Lover Has Gone
    Capitol 1955: In The Wee Small Hours
    
    
11. Sammy Davis, Jr. – When I Look In Your Eyes
    Reprise 1968: Sammy Davis, Jr. Sings The Complete "Doctor Dolittle"
    
    "That's Sammy, Jr."
    
    
12. Me And My Shadow (duet with Sammy Davis, Jr.)
    Reprise 1962: Eee-O 11: The Best Of The Rat Pack
    
    
13. On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever)
    Reprise 1966: Strangers In The Night
    
    
14. "I frankly believe that this next song is one of the great American standards of our repertoire …"
    Don't Worry 'Bout Me
    "Thank you. That's a marvelous song …"
    Live 1966 (Las Vegas): Sinatra At The Sands with Count Basie & The Orchestra *
    
    "This is by Rodgers and Hammerstein. This is one of my favorite pieces of music ever (that I ever had to sing), and it's from a show called 'Carousel' …"
    Live 1988 (Detroit): Sinatra 80th: Live In Concert *
    
    
15. Soliloquy
    Reprise 1963: The Concert Sinatra
    
    
16. Tina
    Reprise 1960: The Reprise Collection
    
    
17. To Love A Child (with children's chorus featuring Nikka Costa)
    Reprise 1981: The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings
    
    "Well, I guess that just about wraps it up. We thank you for looking in, and we hope you had a little fun with us. We'll see you again, next week. Goodnight and sleep warm!"
    
    
18. Put Your Dreams Away (For Another Day)
    Reprise 1963: Sinatra's Sinatra

* Track includes (… full) broadcast narrative by Frank Sinatra.

The Chairman's Hour
with Frank Sinatra
Show #9 – September 1, 2007

1. Nice 'N' Easy
   (Instrumental intro includes a few bars of A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening)
   "Good evening. I hope that you'll share this next hour with me, visiting some lovely songs recorded through all these years, and meeting a few new songs …"
   Television 1981: Sinatra: The Man And His Music *
   
   
2. September In The Rain
   Capitol 1960: Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!!
   
   "You know, as far as I'm concerned, Antonio Carlos Jobim is the boss of the Bossa Nova."
   
   
3. Wave
   Reprise 1969: Sinatra & Company
   
   
4. Change Partners
   Reprise 1967: Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
   
   
5. "Here's Rodgers and Hart!"
   The Lady Is A Tramp
   "Thank you. Rodgers and Hart, and Billy Byers' arrangement …"
   Live 1982 at Caesars Palace: Sinatra: Vegas (Disc 3) *
   
   "One of the great Judy Garland songs happens to be, or really is, one of my old favorites."
   
   
6. Judy Garland – The Man That Got Away
   Television 1962: The Judy Garland Show (CBS)
   
   
7. Love Looks So Well On You
   Capitol 1959: The Complete Capitol Singles Collection (bonus track)
   
   "Now we have something that I think you'll enjoy. I like doing it. This is a Rodgers and Hart song."
   
   
8. There's A Small Hotel
   Capitol 1957: Frank Sinatra Sings The Select Rodgers & Hart
   
   "This's something not as pretty, but it jumps!"
   
   
9. Hello, Dolly!
   Reprise 1964: It Might As Well Be Swing
   
   
10. Louis Armstrong – The Boy From New Orleans
    RCA 1970: What A Wonderful World (aka Louis Armstrong And His Friends)
    
    
11. Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World (with spoken introduction)
    RCA 1970: What A Wonderful World (aka Louis Armstrong And His Friends)
    
    "A marvelous record of Tony Bennett's…"
    
    
12. Tony Bennett – Theme from 'The Oscar' (Maybe September)
    Columbia 1965: Forty Years – The Artistry Of Tony Bennett
    
    
13. Days Of Wine And Roses
    Reprise 1964: Sings Academy Award Winners
    
    "Now that I got your complete attention, I can do a ballad for you now. Something nice and soft."
    
    
14. The End Of A Love Affair
    Capitol 1956: Close To You
    
    "This is a marvelous piece of music that I've been kind of crazy about for some years now."
    
    
15. Don't Take Your Love From Me
    Reprise 1961: Greatest Love Songs
    
    
16. Drinking Again
    Reprise 1967: The World We Knew
    
    
17. "For no very good reason at all, an old old tune has taken up light housekeeping in the Sinatra brain. 'Brain,' he says, hah! The song's been with me for days now, and I think it's time I took it out for a breath of fresh air. Gentlemen?"
    I Don't Know Why (I Just Do) (with The Sinatra Symphonette)
    Radio 1954: To Be Perfectly Frank (NBC/AFRTVS)
    
    "Well, I guess that just about wraps it up. We thank you for looking in, and we hope you had a little fun with us. We'll see you again, next week. Goodnight and sleep warm!"
    
    
18. Put Your Dreams Away (For Another Day)
    Reprise 1963: Sinatra's Sinatra

* Track includes (… full) broadcast narrative by Frank Sinatra.

Is anyone else listening to these?

There was a great rarity from the To Be Perfectly Frank radio series played this week. Tomorrow is the last chance to hear it.

<< Is anyone else listening to these? >>

I heard it yesterday (that wasn't the 1st, though... I do remember hearing all of those songs. I'm sure they re-ran the program). I jumped when I heard Change Partners -- it's my absolute favorite song on FAS & ACJ.

I haven't stopped listening to this channel since.