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Sinatra - 21 CD Capital Box

I’ve got it, and it is a lovely thing. Composite picture of Sinatra on the back of the CDs not shown. It’s been a while since I played it, but I remember it sounding pretty good, despite a tiny amount of peak distortion which may be from the original tapes. I don’t know what the Discogs prices are like, but I paid £111 new from Amazon in 2005 - I have checked my order history - so it must have been highly recommended!

The booklets with each CD contain a short (1-3 page) essay and there is a 16-page potted biog concerning that period included in the box.

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Thanks for the replies gents. I have the 'Capitol Years' 3 disc set and that peak distortion you mentioned is there on that one particularly at the beginning of 'I've Got the World On A String'. Suspect some of the tapes just may have been like that. Will consider buying if I can find a good deal.
 
I would just cherry pick his best albums on CD, they are pennies. I love Sinatra, but 21 albums is perhaps too rich a banquet?
 
Woodface said:
I would just cherry pick his best albums on CD, they are pennies. I love Sinatra, but 21 albums is perhaps too rich a banquet?
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If you can get these masterings for pennies, that’s the way to go, but I don’t know how you go about ensuring that. They are supposed to be among the best - see the link in the OP. And that’s definitely why I bought the box 15 years ago.

It’s also the only period of his career I really care for, but of course that is a personal value judgment.
 
Marchbanks said:
If you can get these masterings for pennies, that’s the way to go, but I don’t know how you go about ensuring that. They are supposed to be among the best - see the link in the OP. And that’s definitely why I bought the box 15 years ago.

It’s also the only period of his career I really care for, but of course that is a personal value judgment.
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I have a few Sinatra albums on CD & they tend to sound very good. Vinyl copies 2nd hand are not expensive.

I quite like some of his Reprise releases, the Jobim record he did is excellent.

Then again if you can buy 21 albums for circa £100 it is not expensive.
 
@boneman I’ve revisited four CDs from the box tonight. Come Fly With Me was OK, a little edgy-sounding to my ears. Songs For Swinging Lovers was terrific. This Is Sinatra and A Swingin’ Affair were even better. ‘Night And Day’ from the latter is electrifying. Plus there are several tracks on it that feature a flugelhorn (I think) player so tremulous he could be a Mellotron, which obviously makes it ten times better still. Sorry, that’s one that maybe only me and fellow 35-tapehead owner @stephen bennett will really appreciate.
 
Marchbanks said:
@boneman I’ve revisited four CDs from the box tonight. Come Fly With Me was OK, a little edgy-sounding to my ears. Songs For Swinging Lovers was terrific. This Is Sinatra and A Swingin’ Affair were even better. ‘Night And Day’ from the latter is electrifying. Plus there are several tracks on it that feature a flugelhorn (I think) player so tremulous he could be a Mellotron, which obviously makes it ten times better still. Sorry, that’s one that maybe only me and fellow 35-tapehead owner @stephen bennett will really appreciate.
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Thanks for the update. I reckon the trumpet you mention is 'Sweets' Edison. I've often recommended "Songs For Swingin Lovers" and "Swingin Affair" to young players just getting into jazz for what a swing feel should be. Sweets swings so hard at times it's almost painful! And of course he has sound like no other. Love him. Also agree with you that this era is by far Franks best. I think the Reprise stuff gets really cheezy. Some of it is great of course but on the whole this era is his golden one to me.
 
boneman said:
Thanks for the update. I reckon the trumpet you mention is 'Sweets' Edison.
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I think I have misled you here. There was no info in the sleeve booklet, so I turned to my copy of ‘Sinatra! The Song Is You’ by Will Friedwald*. He says the instrument I heard featured on several tracks including the instrumental break on ‘Night and Day’ is in fact a valve trombone, played by Juan Tizol.

The penny has just dropped - given your nickname I have probably offended you deeply by not correctly identifying a valve trombone! My apologies.

*if you don’t know the book, I highly recommend it. Will is forthright and inclined to be tetchy. I’d skip the section on Bono’s appearance on Duets II (“nightmarish screams that suggest live animal vivisection”) if you are a fan of his.
 
Marchbanks said:
I think I have misled you here. There was no info in the sleeve booklet, so I turned to my copy of ‘Sinatra! The Song Is You’ by Will Friedwald*. He says the instrument I heard featured on several tracks including the instrumental break on ‘Night and Day’ is in fact a valve trombone, played by Juan Tizol.

The penny has just dropped - given your nickname I have probably offended you deeply by not correctly identifying a valve trombone! My apologies.

*if you don’t know the book, I highly recommend it. Will is forthright and inclined to be tetchy. I’d skip the section on Bono’s appearance on Duets II (“nightmarish screams that suggest live animal vivisection”) if you are a fan of his.
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:D:D No worries at all. Valve bone is sometimes hard to identify bacause it's not brash like a slide so in the upper rigister certainly could be mistaken for a flugel. Funny I could swear I've heard the N&D version Frank does and would have remember bone. Need to revisit. I'd be interested in reading the book. Those Duets sides I really thought were a money making yarn. I heard that Sinatra and the duet partner were not even in the same room for them. Think my missus got the CD and I listened for maybe 5 mins before yelling in my best Sinatra accent - CUT!
 
boneman said:
Thanks for this tip. I ended up winning the auction for £51 + £8 for delivery. It's in NM shape so I think I got quite a bargain!
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Well done - I saw one a couple of years ago in a local car boot sale for £60. I wasn’t going to mention it, but it’s safe now! So is it definitely a valve trombone?

With the money you saved you can buy Will’s book to read while you are listening. Now I think about it, I’m certain I read his comments about this box in an interview soon after it was released. Something along the lines of ‘the limeys got it right!’

And although it’s a bit late now, there’s a long thread going into more detail than anyone really needs here!
 
Marchbanks said:
Well done - I saw one a couple of years ago in a local car boot sale for £60. I wasn’t going to mention it, but it’s safe now! So is it definitely a valve trombone?

With the money you saved you can buy Will’s book to read while you are listening. Now I think about it, I’m certain I read his comments about this box in an interview soon after it was released. Something along the lines of ‘the limeys got it right!’

And although it’s a bit late now, there’s a long thread going into more detail than anyone really needs here!
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I would have paid double and still considered it worth it TBH. Thanks for the link. I'll look into Will's book but I fear the money I saved already went on 2 of the Miles sets now available!
 
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