NAT KING COLE in special Vintage MONO MIXES from Analogue Productions on SACD/CD!

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Hoffman, Jul 16, 2009.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
Page 1 of 16
  1. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Chad, owner of Acoustic Sounds/Analogue Productions is a great guy. Here's why. You know this giant Nat "King" Cole thing he dreamed up and we've been working on since October, right?

    http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=184804

    Well, in addition to the SACD three-channel surround, SACD two-channel and CD layer there will be for four Nat albums the authentic original dedicated monaural LP mixes on the SACD/CD as well. Chad Kassem understands the significance of the mono versions (being the "hit" versions that sold millions of records).


    LOVE IS THE THING
    JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS
    THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU
    NAT KING COLE SINGS SONGS FROM "ST. LOUIS BLUES"



    This means you will be able to hear the real deal plus a surround and stereo mix of these legendary albums. By real deal I mean the close-miked mono creation, done live in Capitol Tower Studios A & B along with the "upstairs" control room creation, the stereo versions with a different set of microphones and parameters. This is very exciting to me. These mono versions have been out of print since the 1960's and we will use the original mono reels, mastered flat to DSD via the awesome Grimm A/DSD converter.

    I'm jazzed about this, totally. Thanks, Chad for agreeing to do this wacky thing for us music lovers. What other label head would ever agree to do this or even understand why it needed to be done?

    By the way, there will be no mono for THE NAT "KING" COLE STORY or WHERE DID EVERYONE GO. Why? Those two albums did not have dedicated mono. The mono Nat Story was a full track transfer of the stereo mixes and the mono Where Did Everyone Go was mixed from the 3 to mono after the fact; by 1962 Capitol had stopped recording in two control rooms and had stopped running a live mono mix.

    Oh, and I can't forget the legendary Nat Cole LP AFTER MIDNIGHT. It was recorded in mono only but certainly deserves a disk to itself (and 6 bonus tracks). It's one of the greatest albums of the 1950s. Hey, maybe we should put the 1962 DUOPHONIC mix on there?:) Kidding.

    To be able to hear Nat and Gordon Jenkins (below from December, 1956) in both a stereo and a mono on the same disc (not to mention three-channel) is totally cool beans. Too bad we can't also do the Beatles: Mono, stereo and four-track all on the same disk!
     

    Attached Files:

    Steve Hoffman, Jul 16, 2009
    #1
    CBackley likes this.
  2. johnny33

    johnny33 New Member

    Location:
    usa
    Wowee cool!
     
    johnny33, Jul 16, 2009
    #2
  3. mmorris3

    mmorris3 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN, USA
    I'm looking forward to these, and it's great to hear the news about the mono versions being included.
     
    mmorris3, Jul 16, 2009
    #3
  4. thorbs

    thorbs Active Member

    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Awesome! Thanks Chad, Steve, and Kevin!!!!
     
    thorbs, Jul 16, 2009
    #4
  5. Clark Kauffman

    Clark Kauffman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Des Moines, Iowa USA
    Amazing.

    If there was any previous doubt as to whether these upcoming SACDs would be the definitive versions of these classic albums -- and I don't think there was! -- the inclusion of the mono mixes seals the deal.

    Now, here's a dumb question: Will the SACD layer of these discs have all three mixes (stereo, three-channel and mono), or will one or two of the mixes only be accessible on the "standard" layer?
     
    Clark Kauffman, Jul 16, 2009
    #5
  6. Tone

    Tone Senior Member

    Location:
    Sittin' on the Steps
    That's just fabulous Steve. You guys are keeping the bar high. Kudos!
     
    Tone, Jul 16, 2009
    #6
  7. bluesbro

    bluesbro Forum Hall of Shame

    Location:
    DC
    Im in.
     
    bluesbro, Jul 16, 2009
    #7
  8. Roninblues

    Roninblues 猿も木から落ちる。

    Location:
    On the bank of the Sanzu River
    When is all we need to know.
     
    Roninblues, Jul 16, 2009
    #8
  9. dolstein

    dolstein Senior Member

    Location:
    Arlingon, VA
    Great news. I wish this were done more often.

    If only Acoustic Sounds and Steve could give the Sinatra Capitol catalog the same treatment.
     
    dolstein, Jul 16, 2009
    #9
  10. Gary

    Gary Nauga Gort! Staff

    Location:
    Toronto
    This means that Chad is not just a music lover, but he also understands history and the correct way to release these!

    Thank you, Chad.... :cool:

    More additions to my "must have" list! :D
     
    Gary, Jul 16, 2009
    #10
  11. jtaylor

    jtaylor Senior Member

    Location:
    RVA
    Absolutely wonderful news!

    Steve, thank you for prevailing upon Chad to release these essential mixes (and Chad, thank you for agreeing!). Is it correct to say you've had something of a conversion working with these mono tapes?

    So no live mono mix post-integration of the control rooms? Good to know; I had always thought otherwise, but I'm glad we now have clarification.
     
    jtaylor, Jul 16, 2009
    #11
  12. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    There will be a surround layer for the three channel stuff, a stereo SACD layer and a CD layer. I would assume the mono will go on the SACD two channel layer and the CD layer. Don't know for sure though..
     
    Steve Hoffman, Jul 16, 2009
    #12
  13. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    He didn't take much convincing; he "got it" right away (after hearing the mono opening to "WHEN I FALL IN LOVE" with the lovely close-miked cello solo it's not hard to understand).

    I have had a "conversion", yes. I admire the clean stereo tracks for being able to be a fly on the wall in the studio and hear what THEY heard (without reverb, EQ, compression, etc.) but taking a "peak behind the veil" as it were can only go so far. The sweat and blood of the finely tuned mono mixes cannot be denied even though some of them have more echo on them than I personally enjoy. That was THE sound of that era. To wipe it out completely is to take a movie negative and take all the "day for night" shots and print them for daylight. Fascinating but totally bogus at the same time.

    Jordan, the tape box for the mono "WHERE DID EVERYONE GO?" sez: Mono mix made from 3 track". I would assume that's the case for everything after 1961 but I cannot be sure. As far as I can tell there was no mono recording for the NAT STORY either, just three-track and two-track, live.
     
    Steve Hoffman, Jul 16, 2009
    #13
  14. jtaylor

    jtaylor Senior Member

    Location:
    RVA
    No pictures, by chance???
     
    jtaylor, Jul 16, 2009
    #14
  15. Billy Budapest

    Billy Budapest Forum "Member"

    Location:
    America's Biggest Small Town (a.k.a. St. Louis,MO)
    I think I'm going to become a Nat "King" Cole fan shortly . . . :cool:
     
    Billy Budapest, Jul 16, 2009
    #15
  16. MilesSmiles

    MilesSmiles Oenologist

    Location:
    Now reporting from the 305
    Amazing, can't wait to have them in my hands.
     
    MilesSmiles, Jul 16, 2009
    #16
  17. Black Elk

    Black Elk Music Lover

    Location:
    Bay Area, U.S.A.
    That makes most sense, the only thing you want in the M-ch area is the 3-channel mix for maximum compatibility with stereo-only SACD players.

    Interesting that you used the Grimm: any thoughts in relation to Meitner, dCS, etc.?
     
    Black Elk, Jul 16, 2009
    #17
  18. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    For us, in that situation the Grimm killed the Meitner. It sounded exactly like the analog, both tone wise and ambiance wise. Very impressive.
     
    Steve Hoffman, Jul 16, 2009
    #18
  19. Black Elk

    Black Elk Music Lover

    Location:
    Bay Area, U.S.A.
    Wow! That's high praise indeed. I've only heard the Grimm in show conditions -- I own Meitners (for now).
     
    Black Elk, Jul 16, 2009
    #19
  20. Greatest Hits

    Greatest Hits Just Another Compilation

    Location:
    Somewhere in Oklahoma
    Chad? :)
    [​IMG]
     
    Greatest Hits, Jul 16, 2009
    #20
  21. zurge

    zurge Forum Resident

    Location:
    Minneapolis, MN
    WOW!! These will be absolute must-haves. I will be pre-ordering the day AS makes these available to do so! Thank you, Steve, and thank you, Chad (if Chad read this...?). This is incredible. I never, ever thought this would have any chance of happening - this made my whole night.
     
    zurge, Jul 16, 2009
    #21
  22. Blair G.

    Blair G. Senior Member

    Location:
    Delta, BC, Canada
    I'll be buying all of these and will thank Chad in the best way I know possible: I'll buy the discs directly from Acoustic Sounds (like I'm doing by having an AF subscription) and not wait a few months until someone else has them cheaper.
     
    Blair G., Jul 16, 2009
    #22
    CBackley likes this.
  23. apileocole

    apileocole Lush Life Gort

    Location:
    San Luis Obispo California
    A big "virtual hug" to Chad. I like him too. Already did. Back early on when Acoustic Sounds was still taking off - seemed about 40% Reference Recordings and 40% Chesky in those days wasn't it? - I talked to Chad on the phone about something (too many years ago) but the gist is he was so into quality music and sound that I ended up buying a load of titles from him pretty much just to support his idea of the audiophile record shop. Now it's rare I afford any records but I'm pleased I was able to buy those then. Of course how could any one know what lay ahead, these dream editions of some of the music most beloved by me. Karma making its way back? Hey who knows but it's for certain I'm tickled pink about this.

    The point on the mono isn't lost on me. When a "lesser" single of his, As Far As I'm Concerned, was included in stereo on the Bear set I was thrilled. But while it sounded fine, it didn't quite have that magic the mono single had. It's unfortunate mono has either been excluded or had such anemic sound for so many of the more modern releases. Done right from a good source, they can sound fine indeed and are often the best way to hear many of the recordings up to around '60.

    This is fantastic news. With Steve handling a quality mono and stereo mastering, folks will be able to hear it in premium quality both ways (including the mix the production intended) and chose for themselves which way the "magic" of this beautiful music works for them.
     
    apileocole, Jul 16, 2009
    #23
  24. ShawnMcCann

    ShawnMcCann A Still Tongue Makes A Happy Life

    Location:
    The Village
    +1

    This is very exciting news. More exciting to me than any other major reissues that have been announced for the next couple of months.
     
    ShawnMcCann, Jul 16, 2009
    #24
  25. jwoverho

    jwoverho Licensed Drug Dealer

    Location:
    Mobile, AL USA
    Awesome!

    As terrific as the old DCC Nat titles are, these are poised to become the gold standard issues!

    Please pass along our thanks to Chad and the rest. We can hope that future AF titles from other artists might receive the same TLC.
     
    jwoverho, Jul 17, 2009
    #25
Page 1 of 16
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine