I purchased the Dylan ‘Triplicate’ volume in the nice packaging back last year not really thinking that it would be that good but curious none the less.
Although the performances range from the stunning to the not so sublime throughout there is an obvious affection for the American Songbook which like The Great American Novel everybody knows about but nobody can quite say what it is…
Subsequently I started collecting Sinatra LPs and CDs whenever they turned up on a trawl.
Pretty quickly the obsession kicked in and I now am collecting as many Alan Dell mid 1980s vinyl copies as I can find ( in some cases Dutch copies are DMM too) but generally they in better nick than original 50s and 60s vinyl and sound better due to improved transfer of tape to vinyl.
I also started collecting the 1987-1991 Larry Walsh remastered CD transfers as they are considered (with the exception of the expensive 21 CD UK set) to be the best out there. All of this recording trivia is wonderfully explained on this website.
http://www.11fifty.com/Site_108/Welcome_Sinatra_Cole.html
Even more there a handy wall-chart of the best copies too:-)
So far have about 5 Alan Dell reissues and 6 Larry Walsh CDs from the Capitol years.
More importantly I discovering what a treasure trove of song writing they contain and my admiration or Sinatra growing daily.
e was a complex character but always like his mother a Democrat and stood up against racism and injustice whenever he saw it…sometimes as in the case of being Sammy Davis Jnrs best man when it could have harmed his career but like Chaplin he bigger than all of that.
There no place for highlights most of the albums are superb but particular stand outs are September Song on Point of No Return his last album for Capitol and Lonesome Road off of A Swingin Affair.
The Beatles came and went and he was still singing and having hit records which shows his longevity.
I have a lot more to discover.
Here where it all started for me…Dylan ‘moidering’ one of his songs…and the original and best 🙂