 "New Edition - Shocking Remaster!!!" | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User from Hong Kong, China SAR Hong Kong |
What an ugly bit of engineering! Sounds like the engineer switched on the "maximum compression" button and went for lunch. I am refering to the 2010 re-issue of "Watertown" which claims to be "Remastered" - you can spot the difference between editions because here ("@2010 Frank Sinatra Enterprises") the previous bonus track "Lady Day" has disappeared, although amazon is still showing 11 tracks above. Either the re-issue has different versions - unlikely - or the amazon page-loaders are just being sloppy.
This collapse in quality control somewhere along the production line is very puzzling. I have also bought the 2010 editions of "A Man Alone", "She Shot Me Down", and "Ol' Blues Eyes Is Back", and they all sound fine. Then this monstrosity of a remastering job shows up. Go figure. The only credit on the cover is the original credit (I guess) of "digital mastering by Lee Herschberg". No mention of remastering, except on the back cover where it reads "Digital Remastering @ 1998 and @ 2010". Lee Herschberg is a name that traditionally commands my respect so I hope he is free of involvement in this new issue.
Great album though! Didn't know it before....takes a few plays but gets underneath your skin fairly quickly, and now it's stuck on rotation with "A Man Alone". (To place both of those albums on one CDR I had to reduce the volume of Watertown by minus 2 dB's on my Yamaha HD1300E to reach a bearable match between the two discs).
"A Man Alone" is new to me so I cannot compare with previous editions, but it sounds just marvellous. The improvement in "She Shot Me Down" was significant, while on the other hand it seems quite marginal with "Ol' Blues Eyes Is Back".
Sorry that most people will find this "Not Helpful" but somewhere out there someone (like me!) might be grateful for this warning. This is likely to be one of those cases where your older edition has a better sound.
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 "The cover's untold story" | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User from Seattle |
| On the gatefold lp cover, one can open the cover and see the other half of what's depicted on the cover: the man you see with his back to the tracks and to the train that has receded without having his wife disembarked, is facing two boys and the rest of the small town's buildings. Rain puddles everywhere. Heartbreaking. As is this great album. |
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| "Suspend Logic and Enjoy this Disc" | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User from Cheyenne, Wy USA |
Yes, I must agree with a review written prior -- the idea of Sinatra as a railroad worker is not a convincing one. But, Watertown is a truly gorgeous song cycle, and Sinatra sounds totally invested in these songs. It is a shame and, I dare say, an injustice that this album has often been overlooked and derided. It is a beautiful example of late 60s/early 70s pop. And, I think it holds up much better than many of the more highly regarded rock concept albums of the same time.
Fans of Sinatra or good pop music -- you can't go wrong with this one. |
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| "Sinatra's Hidden Masterpiece" | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User from Indiana, USA |
Elegant and original in its composition and unabashedly real and sad in vocal delivery, "Watertown" is an absolute juggernaut in not only the Sinatra canon but in the lineage of all melancholy music.
For the peak career Sinatra enthusiast, those in love with the sexy crooning and lighthearted wordplay, "Watertown" is completely devoid of both instead relying on a whole stockpile of previously untapped passion and authenticity from Sinatra that plays out not only in the internal struggle of the central character but also the events that come with each wholly human emotion typical of the grieving process: This is the sole purpose of "Watertown".
'Goodbye (She Quietly Says)', easily one of Sinatra's top performances may be one of the most perfectly executed pieces of music ever laid to record. The music is tender with a dull edge that accentuates the voice of late period Sinatra precisely. It's worth mentioning too how Sinatra seems to become the words he's singing. This is the voice of a man who knows the pain of losing love.
The story unfolds in brief snapshots of the unnamed main character's struggle with his wife's leaving and though the music and words tell the story, Sinatra's voice has a way of filling in the emotional blanks, redefining the story in a way that could never be replicated by someone else's vocal cords.
"Watertown" is sadness in its most raw and uniquely human state. You really should hear this album. |
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| "A Hidden Sinatra Masterpiece" | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User from Indiana, USA |
Elegant and original in its composition and unabashedly real and sad in vocal delivery, "Watertown" is an absolute juggernaut in not only the Sinatra canon but in the lineage of all melancholy music.
For the peak career Sinatra enthusiast, those in love with the sexy crooning and lighthearted wordplay, "Watertown" is completely devoid of both instead relying on a whole stockpile of previously untapped passion and authenticity from Sinatra that plays out not only in the internal struggle of the central character but also the events that come with each wholly human emotion typical of the grieving process: This is the sole purpose of "Watertown".
'Goodbye (She Quietly Says)', easily one of Sinatra's top performances may be one of the most perfectly executed pieces of music ever laid to record. The music is tender with a dull edge that accentuates the voice of late period Sinatra precisely. It's worth mentioning too how Sinatra seems to become the words he's singing. This is the voice of a man who knows the pain of losing love.
The story unfolds in brief snapshots of the unnamed main character's struggle with his wife's leaving and though the music and words tell the story, Sinatra's voice has a way of filling in the emotional blanks, redefining the story in a way that could never be replicated by someone else's vocal cords.
"Watertown" is sadness in its most raw and uniquely human state. You really should hear this album. |
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| "A Favorite Sinatra" | |
| - Reviewed By An Amazon User from Kent,, WA USA |
I discovered this album about a year ago and after listening to it several times in that year it has become one of my favorite Sinatra recordings. This is not like the great Nelson Riddle and Billy May albums that can be put on in the background while paying cards with the neighbors, or the Only The Lonely that I love but take in small doses, it is an album that I find I usually play through when I have a quiet hour. Imagine sitting across the table from the person you love, they are quietly telling you goodbye; after they leave you write but get no answer, you tell then about the children, you wait for them to return. That's the essence of the story and Sinatra makes you feel it.
If you are a Sinatra fan this is a must buy.
Richard
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