LATEST ADDITIONS

Chet Baker was 29 years old when he recorded this album of vocals with occasional trumpet back in the summer of 1958 released today, 61 years later for RSD Black Friday.. He sounds like a kid. Actually you could argue he sounds positively girl-ish, which back then must have driven them pretty crazy—even crazier than did his chiseled, pugilistic face.

Before I get further into this follow-up review, a short disclaimer: other than the US Apple/Capitol singles of “We Can Work It Out”/“Day Tripper” and “Hey Jude”/“Revolution” (which, as expected, sound lousy), I don’t have any Beatles 7” singles other than this new The Singles Collection box. All my Beatles listening is on LP (the 2014 mono series, the Giles Martin remix LPs, and a few mono and stereo UK and European pressings) and the occasional lossless digital format, therefore from these recordings I’m used to great sound quality. My expectations for The Singles Collection (generously gifted to me by AnalogPlanet editor Michael Fremer) were likely different from most others’: sure, I expected the all-analog lacquer cuts to sound good, but sound quality on 7” singles isn’t the first thing I think about. With the 7” format, it’s primarily about the musical content, collectibility, packaging (when applicable), and finally, sound quality.

Ever since the publication of The Beatles, The Singles Collection box set review, it's been gnawing at me. I went into this hoping and expecting the new set to better or at least equal the older set but that clearly was not the case. However, it's also true that had I not had the World box with which to compare the new box, I'd probably not have been so negative. Nonetheless, the second and more complete listen confirmed the initial conclusion that the new box sonically disappoints.

This is great news! On December 27th Motown/UMe will release 5 mono Motown albums cut by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, pressed on 180 gram vinyl and packaged in deluxe Stoughton tip-on jackets. The titles are: The Miracles' You've Really Got A Hold On Me (1963), The Temptations' (1965), The Four Tops' Reach Out (1967), Diana Ross & The Supremes' Reflections (1968), And The Marvelettes' Sophisticated Soul (1968).