In the Wee Small Hours

The vocals on this recording are the highlight. The music is often relegated behind Sinatra’s vocals. After the opening of some tracks the musical richness is dialled back to emphasise the vocals.I have not set out to write reviews of the music content as “beauty is in the ears of the listener”. These reviews are about the quality (or not) of the recorded sound. To read about how the reviews are done please see my profile. • Clarity – Excellent very transparent • Channel separation – very limited sounds as if a mono recording • Channel balance – virtually no use made of the left and right channels. It sounds as if it is a very high quality mono recording. However there is no clarification on the leaflet notes • Sound Stage – exceptionally limited as sounds as if a mono recording. However the sound of the band behind Sinatra is excellent • Distortion – non audible • Compression – good highs and lows does not sound overly compressed. There may be limitations due to when the recording was made • Atmosphere – very warm and intimate. Sounds as if it were a personal recording made just for the listener. The band is sparse and restrained. • Bass – low frequencies – good, but limited and restrained. Has little depth and is on the whole un-intrusive. The bass on Sinatra’s voice is excellent • Treble – high frequencies – overall very good, measured and balanced. The horns and strings are very good. Unlike the vocals the music does not soar • Vocals – superb, deep, rich, honeyed, evocativeAs a general rule of thumb recordings from the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s are nearly always better on the original vinyl. Remasters often fail to please as it’s just not possible to make a silk purse from a sows ear, i.e. the original recording lacks the necessary detail to be processed digitally and show an audible improvement. Indeed such processing can make the sound worse.Modern recordings which have been processed digitally from start to finish can be as good as vinyl. CD’s are often unfairly criticised for being poor quality. This is not the case, it is the original recording or the process which is to blame. Modern “remasters” can both enhance and degrade a recording. The statement GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out) is the limiting factor. Ignore this at your cost.

This would be the single malt in the Sinatra selection. It is a classic distillation of his 50's torch song repertoire. The songs are all evocative and, to assist your decision, I would say that they are probably for Sinatra aficionados. This does not mean that they are not classically done and brilliantly executed and would appeal to a wide non-Sinatra audience, it is merely to highlight that for Sinatra fans, this is Frank with a piano, a great haunting Nelson Riddle arrangement and a despairing mood that he exploits with great phrasing.Certainly one of the classic albums and, as described, this is the first concept album, therefore, the songs are generally all of the same type so don't expect a variety of tempos and moods. This is the album for late night subdued lighting and reflective contemplation as you cradle a glass of single malt.

I have always loved the sound of Frank Sinatra, but it was always the popular tunes that were commonly played, not there is anything wrong with the popular tunes, but I wanted to hear something different, buying this album gave me a chance to appreciate Frank's scope and how the melodies melts my heart, I have played this many of times and have got compliments from friends and family. I recommend this album most highly.

I was never much a fan of Frank Sinister but this is a great album for as it says: the wee small hours. If you like Frank - buy with confidence.

The green vinyl is a lovely colour, I looked into buying an original copy from 1955 but they were not cheap. This reissue looks great and sounds great but not the best