{"product_id":"lee_latin_2604","title":"Lee, Peggy - Latin ala Lee! - Super Hot Stamper","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e*NOTE:\u003c\/strong\u003e This record was not noisy enough to rate our M-- to EX++ grade, but it's not quite up to our standards for Mint Minus Minus either. If you're looking for quiet vinyl, this is probably not the best copy for you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVintage covers for this album are hard to find in exceptionally clean shape. Most of the will have at least some amount of ringwear, seam wear and edge wear. We guarantee that the cover we supply with this Hot Stamper is at least VG\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis vintage Capitol stereo pressing has the kind of Tubey Magical Midrange that modern records can barely BEGIN to reproduce. Folks, that sound is gone and it sure isn't showing signs of coming back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHaving done this for so long, we understand and appreciate that rich, full, solid, Tubey Magical sound is key to the presentation of this primarily vocal music. We rate these qualities higher than others we might be listening for (e.g., bass definition, soundstage, depth, etc.). The music is not so much about the details in the recording, but rather in trying to recreate a solid, palpable, real Peggy Lee singing live in your listening room. The best copies have an uncanny way of doing just that.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you exclusively play modern repressings of older recordings (this one is over 65 years old), I can say without fear of contradiction that you have never heard this kind of sound on vinyl. Old records have it -- not often, and certainly not always -- but less than one out of 100 new records do, if our experience with the hundreds we've played can serve as a guide.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat The Best Sides Of Latin ala Lee! Have To Offer Is Not Hard To Hear\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe biggest, most immediate staging in the largest acoustic space\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe most Tubey Magic, without which you have \u003ci\u003ealmost\u003c\/i\u003e nothing. CDs give you clean and clear. Only the best vintage vinyl pressings offer the kind of Tubey Magic that was on the tapes in \u003ca href=\"\/search?q=tag:%221960%22\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1960\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTight, note-like, rich, full-bodied bass, with the correct amount of weight down low\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNatural tonality in the midrange -- with all the instruments having the correct timbre\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTransparency and resolution, critical to hearing into the three-dimensional studio space\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo doubt there's more but we hope that should do for now. \u003ci\u003ePlaying the record is the only way to hear all of the qualities we discuss above,\u003c\/i\u003e and playing the best pressings against a pile of other copies under rigorously controlled conditions is the only way to find a pressing that sounds as good as this one does.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCopies with \u003cstrong\u003erich lower mids and nice extension up top\u003c\/strong\u003e did the best in our shootout, assuming they weren't veiled or smeary of course. So many things can go wrong on a record. We know, we've heard them all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTop end extension\u003c\/strong\u003e is critical to the sound of the best copies. Lots of old records (and new ones) have no real top end; consequently, the studio or stage will be missing much of its natural air and space, and instruments will lack their full complement of harmonic information.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTube smear\u003c\/strong\u003e is common to most vintage pressings. The copies that tend to do the best in a shootout will have the least (or none), yet are full-bodied, tubey and rich.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHeavy Vinyl\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the S\u0026amp;P pressing came out, I was knocked out by the sound. Here is what I wrote in my catalog at the time:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003eThe Record of the Year for 2003. I know how crazy that sounds, but it’s true! If you don’t have a smile on your face fifteen seconds after playing track one, you better check your pulse, cuz, as the famous song has it: Jack, You Dead. Amazingly good sound, courtesy of a fabulous and painstakingly difficult remix by the mastering guru himself, Steve Hoffman. This is popular music for the previous generation — but why should we be denied these long forgotten treasures?\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow I would find much to fault in the sound of that pressing. I'm sure it has all the shortcomings typical of this era's records from Kevin Gray's opaque and ambience-free cutting system.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you want to hear a copy with all the life, presence and space of a \u003cem\u003ereal\u003c\/em\u003e record, you will have a hard time doing better than this very pressing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat We're Listening For On Latin ala Lee!\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEnergy\u003c\/strong\u003e for starters. What could be more important than the life of the music?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThen: \u003cstrong\u003epresence and immediacy\u003c\/strong\u003e. The vocals aren't \"back there\" somewhere, lost in the mix. They're front and center where any recording engineer worth his salt would put them.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe Big Sound\u003c\/strong\u003e comes next -- wall to wall, lots of depth, huge space, three-dimensionality, all that sort of thing.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThen \u003cstrong\u003etransient information\u003c\/strong\u003e -- fast, clear, sharp attacks, not the smear and thickness so common to these LPs.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTight note-like bass\u003c\/strong\u003e -- which ties in with good transient information, also the issue of frequency extension further down.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNext: \u003cstrong\u003etransparency\u003c\/strong\u003e -- the quality that allows you to hear deep into the soundfield, showing you the space and air around all the instruments.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eExtend the top and bottom\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003ci\u003evoila\u003c\/i\u003e, you have The Real Thing -- an honest to goodness Hot Stamper.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eVinyl Condition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMint Minus Minus is about as quiet as any vintage pressing will play, and since only the right vintage pressings have any hope of sounding good on this album, that will most often be the playing condition of the copies we sell. (The copies that are even a bit noisier get listed on the site are seriously reduced prices or traded back in to the local record stores we shop at.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThose of you looking for quiet vinyl will have to settle for the sound of other pressings and Heavy Vinyl reissues, purchased elsewhere of course as we have no interest in selling records that don't have the vintage analog magic of these wonderful recordings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you want to make the trade-off between bad sound and quiet surfaces with whatever Heavy Vinyl pressing might be available, well, that's certainly your prerogative, but we can't imagine losing what's good about this music -- the size, the energy, the presence, the clarity, the weight -- just to hear it with less background noise.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eFrom the Liner Notes\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen Peggy Lee brings her own special warmth to a song, it takes on a fresh, new glow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere she adds fire to twelve great songs that are already brilliant as only Broadway hits can be. Such fabled musicals as “My Fair Lady:’ “The Music Man:’ “Can-Can:’ “The Pajama Game:’ “Damn Yankees:’ “Oklahoma!:’ “Say Darling:’ “Bells Are Ringing:’ and “Flower Drum Song” contributed the impressive array of top tunes for this album, and the pulsating Latin backgrounds make them glitter as never before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeggy swings smoothly through a fascinating variety of rhythmic contrasts, a choice assortment of thrilling Latin tempos that make this a wonderful album for dancing as well as for listening. Such familiar tunes as C’est Magnifique, Heart, and Surrey with the Fringe on Top are done in the delightful and danceable rhythm of the cha-cha-cha, while on others it’s Peggy Lee at her soft and sultry best, breathing new meaning into tender ballads like the very lovely Til There Was You, done as a haunting bolero.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe genuine Afro-Cuban sound of Jack Marshall’s orchestral backing is no mere accident. The fine Latin instrumentalists who perform on this album were gathered from the vast pool of musical talent in the Los Angeles area, and they succeed in giving these great arrangements an authentic South of the Border flavor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTrumpets, guitars, and an agile flute section create some really exciting effects, and all tracks feature the solid backing of four Afro-Cuban drummers, allowing Peggy to relax against the staunch rhythm contingent and concentrate her emotional fire on the musical and lyrical challenges present.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe tasteful use of male voices creates still another fine background effect that helps to provide a melodic magic carpet for this trip from Broadway to Latin America. It all adds up to Peggy Lee in a dazzling new setting, as she steps on stage to score still another singing and swinging triumph.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eViva Peggy Lee!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Lee, Peggy","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51629971407144,"sku":"lee_latin","price":49.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0257\/3415\/2295\/files\/latinalalee_ab15592d-dae4-469c-9c76-dd137eaa6e75.jpg?v=1710015001","url":"https:\/\/better-records.com\/products\/lee_latin_2604","provider":"Better Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}