I'd featured this LP in 2017, and the Zippylink upload is long gone. So, I've re-re-ripped this excellent but junkily-pressed LP in the best audio I can manage, and the sound is acceptable, save for a "wow"-filled Body and Soul and a "Twilight Three" track clearly remastered from a worn master. I did a good deal of de-noising on the latter.
Royale, you'll recall, belonged to Elliott Everett "Eli" Oberstein, whose labels were probably the cheapest of the cheap, though I hesitate to make a claim that cheap--I mean, that large. As is not infrequently the case with Eli, the music here is quite decent--much better than the second-rate vinyl it was pressed on. Best of the bunch are the marvelous pre-RCA and Columbia Percy Faith sides, which date from the 1947 (orig. on the Majestic label).
Vintage easy listening which can't be beat, despite the Oberstein-quality reissue. And can we assume that Society Favorites (That Are Our Favorites) was followed by Society Favorites (That Aren't Our Favorites)?
DOWNLOAD: Society Favorites Royale.zip mp3
Vintage easy listening which can't be beat, despite the Oberstein-quality reissue. And can we assume that Society Favorites (That Are Our Favorites) was followed by Society Favorites (That Aren't Our Favorites)?
DOWNLOAD: Society Favorites Royale.zip mp3
Body and Soul--Stevens Orchestra
Sweet and Lovely--Nat Brandwynne and Orchestra
Dancing in the Dark--Percy Faith and Orchestra
You and the Night and the Music--The Twilight Three
I Cover the Waterfront--Stevens Orchestra
I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plans--Chauncey Gray and Orchestra
That Old Black Magic--Percy Faith and Orchestra
The Continental--Jerry Wald and Orchestra
Society Favorites (That Are Our Favorites)--Royale VLP 6042 (10")
Lee
7 comments:
My favorite society is The National Geographic Society. My least favorite is the dregs, so there you go. :)
And can we assume that Society Favorites (That Are Our Favorites) was followed by Society Favorites (That Aren't Our Favorites)?
Either way, Lee, there is a real charm to these types of records. Sometimes, they are even better than their high-end counterparts. Maybe it is the kitsch factor, or they tried harder, or tried less, than their counterparts.
Still, these albums are fun to listen to.
My question is...
If these albums sound this way now, did they really sound this bad when they were first released? If so, how did they last, as a company, after releasing just a few different albums?
Ernie,
LOL! Well, these really aren't bad (most of them)--it's just the subpar, no-pride-in-product label group.
Bryan,
I totally agree--these are fun. That's why I have so many of them. Re did they sound so subpar in their day, I'd guess no, and because the main buyers of budget records weren't keen on fine fidelity and were probably purchasing these as an alternative to 78s. Buyers with inexpensive phonographs--thus, even the worst Royale audio was probably satisfactory to their ears. Just a guess.
Precioso álbum, muchas gracias por compartirlo, saludos.
Francisco,
You're very welcome!
Will get around to listening to this album eventually, but thanks for uploading the SPC version of Sea of Love on YouTube! That is one of my favorite fake hits treatments.
musicman1979,
Same here! I think they outdid the original with that one.
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