NAT "KING" COLE - Year by Year (part4)

Continued from here:
http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=206777

 

Thanks, MilesSmiles, for establishing the new thread

To get this show on the road, here is what I think is a classic photo of Nat King Cole from 1954 taken by a photographer for LIFE magazine.

 

And let's take classic Cole into the present.

I can't find where this has been discussed before, but what do you guys think about that Re:Generations CD that was released in 2009 (and is now already out of print in physical format) that blended Cole with hip-hop, reggae, etc.?

Sacrilegious? Refreshing? Failed experiment? Right on the mark? Did it help to bring Cole to a new audience? Did any of you guys pick it up merely because it was Cole related even though you may never listen to it?

 

I thought it was wretched. Just horrible. And I think I'm pretty accepting of remixes, 'fake' duets, mash-ups, etc. I'm OK with the 'Generations' concept, but the execution was horrible. Most of the tracks -- definitely not all, but most -- were beyond irritating. The way the new parts were welded onto the original recordings ... it ws like listening to different radio stations at once.

I also loathed the Chirstmas mash-up CD that, I think, was exclusive to Target stores. I really wanted to like it, too, but it just didn't work for me.

 

Personally, while I admire the fact that these new guys appreciate Cole enough to have wanted to be a part of that project, it just doesn't do it for me. When it first came out, I thought it was an interesting idea. I tried listening to the online clips in iTunes, but I could never get past 10 or so seconds of each. It just made me feel uneasy. Maybe if I were not so familiar with Cole's music and came in as a Cee-Lo Green fan, I might feel differently about it.

Whoa, I had no idea the same concept was applied to a his Christmas material. Yyyyeaaaaahh.... Going to have to pass on that. I can't even imagine.

 

If someone likes it, that's fine. I didn't buy it. Hated what I have heard. I distrust fad and cant and transformed music that someone thinks needs to be "more relevant". Ugh. In my view it is an unprovable notion that this would help build an appreciation of Cole or any other musician, but it is often trotted out by those who produce these projects. I don't know what their sales were, but there seem to be a lot of these on the internet for sale.

 

Esquire Magazine didn't have centerfolds, so I guess that the Trio is looking at their win of an Esquire Jazz Poll in the forties.

 

Does anyone have a list of the Esquire Jazz Poll Winners during the Forties? Or what the categories were? Thanks.

 

I believe I have located some clips of Nat's appearance on TV in 1948, probably his first TV appearance.

It was June 1, 1948, a CBS TV network (of four stations) broadcast of We The People . We've seen a clip of eden ahbez being interviewed on the program. Then on this DVD, eden goes across stage and shakes Nat's hand. There are two or three very short clips of the trio performing Nature Boy. One can briefly hear instruments of the orchestra. I hope that this documentary didn't dub in the sound of the 78. At least the visuals of the Trio seem to be from the 1948 show.

It is on an A&E Biography DVD called Nat King Cole: Loved In Return. 1997. My DVD is a DVD-R


In the credits, they acknowledge footage from MacDonald's & Associates, which is the name of the firm where I first ran across the info on this early TV appearance. MacDonald's & Associates listed a kinescope of this broadcast that they have in their collection.

My cover:


Possibly the original cover:

 

man I hated this remix project too. completely failed. Verve did several remix titles and some of the mixes created were very good IMO, so I had hopes for this to have a few good bits, but it didn't. a very big missed opportunity.

 

Part 4!? Who would have thought that when we started this thread 5 (?) years ago that it would still be going. Amazing. I'm still listening to the new SACDs and enjoying them a lot.

 

That's a great picture.

 

Here's to Part 40!

 

"The Nat King Cole Story" on SACD arrives at Acoustic Sounds!!!

Has anybody following this thread seen the New Arrivals webpage at www.acousticsounds.com today?!? "The Nat King Cole Story" on SACD is upon us!!!

 

Got my Fed-Ex shipping notice & tracking number via e-mail 4 hours ago!!!

 

Mine has been on backorder for so long the credit card I used to order all the Cole SACDs back when they were announced has long since expired -- so I have to update my account information to get that thing shipped!

 

Clark, that is what happened to me on the last two Cole SACDs. I updated the card and then I couldn't figure out why the discs were not shipping. Well, the card number got updated but not the 3 digit code. Finally I just gave them a different credit card. Ah, the fun of pre-orders, eh?

 

Today I received the first volume of the Complete POP Instrumental Hits of the Sixties. This 3CD set is just for 1960. Before playing, I was browsing the booklet and saw Nat King Cole's name in the artist list. I couldn't think what instrumental of Nat's would have come out in 1960 and charted. It evidently reached #15 on the R&B chart, and #92 on the pop chart on 3/14/60. We haven't really mentioned this version. It was the B side of the 45.

Whatcha' Gonna Do. Capitol 4325 - Time And The River / Whatcha Gonna Do

The only words used are the three words of the title at the very end. The notes describe "the record is quite jazzy." Will Friedwald calls it a funky little piano riff.

The sound on this compilation is stereo and quite good. Now I will have to compare the sound to the Mosaic set and the Stardust set.

What do you think of this stray piano single?

 

Wild is Love

Anyone notice that "Wild is Love" on the new Nat King Cole Story SACD has a slightly different ending than the version we've known till now? It occurs when Cole sings the last line "as wild as love." I would assume that the album master included an edit there, while the full take from the session reel that Steve worked from did not have the edit.

Dale: I like those two piano singles alright, but could do without the choir and tambourine. Just Cole and rhythm, or Cole by himself would be more desirable, though that combination was not likely to have any chart potential by late 1959/early 1960.

 

I'm with jtaylor on this. I can do without the choir and the tambourine. I remember the first time I heard this, my initial reaction was, "Huh?" That must have been recorded at the same time as "In a Mellow Tone". Same exactly feel, choir, and no words except the title at the end of the track. Quite honestly, I've never been able to sit all the way through either.

Another song with a choir that bugs me is "Let True Love Begin (Let's Begin Again)". Not up to normal standards to begin with, IMO, and the choir just puts me on edge. It's much better without the choir. This song always reminded me of "Save the Last Dance for Me". I just googled it and it seems The Crests recorded it as well, with the same call/response arrangement.

 

Interesting. I didn't pick up on that. I must hang my head in shame. Will have to listen a little more closely.

 

Though it may not be, it actually sounds like an edit to me (on the sacd).

 

I think it's an edit on the later versions.

I took another listen to the SACD and heard an off beat cymbal being hit. Then I played the SACD track on top of the Bear Family and Capitol versions, which was a little difficult because the SACD track plays at a slightly slower speed. No difference in the vocal, but there is definitely a difference at the end of the tracks. As Cole belts out his last "Looooooooooooooooove", you can hear it. A few seconds before the very end of the SACD track, it sounds like someone, definitely a string, hits a sour note. That's probably what prompted the edit. On the Bear/Capitol track, the cymbal is on the beat, there are bongos in the left channel, and no string flub. Pretty cool stuff.

Good ears, man!

 

Thanks for the confirmation, coleman.

 

jtaylor, coleman, ben, apileocole, or anyone else who may be able to help,

I have the Mosaic and 2 Bear Family sets, all the AP SACD's, and some of the Collectors Choice CDs. Earlier in one of the threads (Part 1, maybe?), some kind soul listed the Collectors Choice CDs that had tracks that were not previously available on the Bear Family Sets. I remember that one of them was the "Every Time I Feel the Spirit" CD, but what others am I forgetting? I tried to find the list, but came up empty. Thanks to anyone that may be able to help - I truly love that this thread is still going, even though it is my first post to it!