High Definition Tape Transfers continues to make available excellent new releases of classic albums. Here are a few recent arrivals that have been brightening my days.
Frank Sinatra, Only the Lonely. HDTT 1958 2025 (DXD, DSD256) HERE
Only the Lonely is one of Frank Sinatra's most iconic albums, released in 1958 by Capitol Records. Known as one of Sinatra's most emotionally intense works, it features deeply melancholic ballads and is often referred to as his "suicide album" because of its heart-wrenching themes of loneliness and heartbreak. The album was arranged by Nelson Riddle, whose lush orchestral arrangements perfectly complement Sinatra's vocal delivery. Interestingly, Riddle wrote these arrangements while grieving the recent deaths of his mother and daughter, which added another layer of poignancy to the music.
Sourced from a two-track tape, this release is exceptionally clean, clear, detailed, and highly resolving. And very "analog sounding." It sounds more like a real voice and real instruments in a real space than any digital release I've heard.
It is a wonderful release by HDTT.
René Leibowitz conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. HDTT 1962 2025 (DXD, DSD256) HERE
This is a wonderful Kenneth Wilkinson and Charles Gerhardt recording from their collaboration making recordings for the Readers Digest series in the early 1960s. The recording is a beautiful capture of the orchestra—full, balanced, wonderfully "analog" in its sound. It is classic Kenneth Wilkinson wonderfulness, the way his recordings sound when not pressured by his Decca masters. And we get excellent performances by Rene Leibowitz and the RPO. This release is a transfer from an original RCA pressing and sound just terrific. It demonstrates that the Vinyl Records Restoration series from HDTT continues to outperform all expectations! More, please.
Don't know Kenneth Wilkinson, the legendary Decca recording engineer? Oh, my! If you love excellent orchestral sound you need to know his recordings. See my article from several years ago if you want to learn more: HERE.
Persuasive Percussion, Terry Snyder and the All Stars. HDTT 1959 2025 (DXD, DSD256). HERE
An interesting artifact from 1959, the very early days of stereo. This was a test/demonstration recording. Never intended to reproduce a natural 3-dimensional soundstage, it was intended to demonstrate stereo separation, transient response and timbral accuracy of one's two-channel stereo system. Recorded by the very talented Robert Fine for Command Records (he who recorded the great Mercury Living Presence classical recordings), it is a tour de force of clarity and detail. Closely mic'd, multi-mic'd. No reverb. Dry as all heck. Annoying as hell as the percussion bounces from one channel to the other. It is nonetheless a true test of one's system. Back in the day, this recording was omnipresent in audiophile circles. It's still a very worthwhile torture test for your audio setup in this transfer from an original Command 4-track tape.
The President plays with the Oscar Peterson Trio. HDTT 1959 2025 (Pure DSD256). HERE
Just great music making going on here. It's a toe-tapping joy in all its monophonic excellence. Sourced from a 2-track 15ips tape, the sound quality is excellent for it's vintage. Yes, a bit dark, a bit muted, a bit rolled off in the top end. But... Everything sounds completely natural, warm, and thoroughly engaging.
And the musicianship is top of the house great. Lester Young takes the lead on most cuts, with Oscar Peterson (piano), Ray Brown (bass), and Barney Kessell (guitar) making equal partners.
From HDTT: Lester Young, affectionately nicknamed "Prez" (or "The President"), was one of jazz’s most influential tenor saxophonists. His cool, relaxed tone and innovative phrasing set him apart and earned him a legendary status in the jazz world. This album is celebrated not just for its technical excellence but also for the chemistry it showcases. It stands as a testament to Lester Young’s lasting impact on jazz and the way his cool, innovative style could transform and elevate a session with the finest players of his time.
Whatever... I'm just enjoying the heck out of it on this cold snowy afternoon in February.
"Doc" + 4 = Dixie, Doc Evans and his Dixieland Band. HDTT 1959 2025 (DXD, DSD256). HERE
Ah, such good fun. From the early days of stereo, this 1959 recording from an original Concertapes Audiophile Series 4-track tape release is a treat to hear. Nicely recorded, somewhat warm, completely relaxed, this is one to simply slip into and enjoy. Doc Evans on his cornet is accompanied by piano, double bass, drums and guitar for an ensemble that sounds completely in tune with one another. For the audiophile listeners, this album has a lot of clarity, excellent instrument tone and natural soundstage balance. There is no unnatural "hard left, hard right" channel separation here, but there is some occasional spotlighting from the separate miking of instruments on some solos. Oh, well. Nonetheless, I found this a satisfyingly enjoyable 38 minutes of relaxed Dixieland on this rainy afternoon.
Schumann Piano Concerto In A Minor, Van Cliburn, Fritz Reiner, Chicago Symphony Orchestra. HDTT 1960 2025 (DSD256, DXD) HERE
Recorded April 16, 1960, in Orchestra Hall following Van Cliburn's first appearances with Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony, this recording is as much a historical document as it is a musical experience. Regrettably, the sonics of the recording are not among recording engineer Lewis Layton's greatest recordings. One can only presume that marketing pressures overcame good artistic judgment in balancing the piano and the orchestra in the mix. Ah well, such is life.
The performance captured in this recording is indeed a treasure of the recorded catalog. It's riveting, a large-scale virtuosic reading of this concerto, filled with all the excess of the era in which it was recorded. Reiner is the perfect collaborator, bringing forth all the virtuosity of which his outstanding Chicago players were capable. It is considered by most a 5-star out of 5 performance. This recording, made when Cliburn was just 26 and only four years after winning the Tchaikovsky Competition, will give you a good taste of what the Van Cliburn mania at the time was all about. It is a mandatory recording for any serious classical music collection.
And this transfer from a 2-track tape is excellent. This is sonically as good, if not better, as any release I've heard of this recording. It is far superior sonically to the rather weak CD I have.
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique," Antal Dorati, London Symphony. HDTT 1963 2025 (DSD256, DXD) HERE
Antal Dorati recorded the Symphonies No. 4, 5, and 6 with the London Symphony Orchestra in the excellent acoustics of Watford Town Hall. His recordings there benefit greatly from the excellent sonics captured by the great Mercury Living Presence recording team of engineer Robert Fine and producer Wilma Cozart. This Sixth Symphony is one of Mercury's triumphs. The transfer here by HDTT is from a 4-track tape and yet the result has remarkable clarity, resolution and dynamics. It is fully equal to some of the best efforts Bob Witrak has given us. That he was able to create such a fine outcome is a credit to his remarkable tape handling skills. He is a true magician in recovering information from analog tape. I recommend this reissue most heartily.
Dorati's performance is a paragon of clarity. He is able to push the drama, but never allows the orchestral texture to become other than very clean and balanced. Where Tchaikovsky can be sprawling, Dorati maintains focus, continued excellent pacing, and clarity of musical expression. He doesn't get lost n the long slow middle section, as do some conductors. Overall, he maintains richness and drama without getting bogged down. And I'll say it again, the clarity with which he carries his LSO players through the details is something very special.
Of over a dozen recordings of the Sixth in my music library, I consider this recording to be among the very first tier, both for performance values and sonic quality. Very much recommended!
(A side note... Some of you may comment that the strings sound a bit sharp, a bit steely. That is not a fault of the reissue. It is a routine attribute heard in many of the Mercury Living Presence recordings due to the microphones Bob Fine preferred. Unless someone has futzed with the frequency balance to "sweeten" them, which HDTT has not, you will hear this string sound artifact in most of the original Living Presence vinyl releases. What you have here is truth to the source. For which I am grateful to Bob Witrak.)
Clair De Lune, Raymond Agoult, London Proms Symphony. HDTT 1958 2025 (DSD256, DXD) HERE
Another of the legendary Decca recording engineer Kenneth Wilkinson's outstanding recordings made during that remarkable period of time when the Decca recording team was under contract to RCA and was responsible for making some of the greatest RCA Living Stereo recordings.
Whew! Did I get all of that into one sentence? Sorry about that. But, I'm a nut about Kenneth Wilkinson recordings. And here is yet another outstanding release from HDTT of a great one.
Luscious, sweet strings is what the RCA Living Stereo "Shaded Dog" LP releases were known for. And this release from HDTT, sourced from an original RCA 1/S- 1/S "Shaded Dog" pressing, has that sound in spades. It is as sweet and alluring as a soft feather pillow encased in silk, but with the extended frequency response, dynamics, and detail of the best audiophile recordings. And this IS one of the best audiophile recordings.
Opening with Massenet's "Meditation" from Thais, then moving the the Faure Pavane, it is just minute after minute of delicious strings. And when you think it can't get any better, then comes Debussy's Claire de Lune, Bach's Choral-Variation for orchestra, Elgar, Tchaikovsky and Gluck. It is a glutton's aural delight. And it is a great orchestral album. Beautifully recorded. Sumptuous sonics.
This is yet another example of the excellence of HDTT's continuing Vinyl Record Restoration series. If you know and loved these recordings on LP, as I did, you will be thrilled with these DSD256 releases. Dead quiet backgrounds, extended frequency response, great dynamics, superb inner detail. These are the best of my long love affair with vinyl.
