NAT KING COLE - Love is the Thing

Analogue Productions' Blue Note and Nat "King" Cole Reissues WIN A Positive Feedback 2010 Brutus Award!

Love is the theme for twelve ballads of heavenly strings orchestrated by the distinctive Gordon Jenkins, sympathetically backing the intimately expressive and supremely musical voice of the incomparable Nat "King" Cole. Featuring such legendary classics as "Stardust" and "When I Fall In Love," Love Is The Thing topped the charts upon its release, is among its era's finest, most stylistically defining recordings of popular music and continues to enchant listeners to this day.

Using the original 3-track session tapes from Capitol's vaults and all-analogue systems including custom headstacks, 3-track preview heads, console and monitoring chain installed at AcousTech specially for these releases, mastering engineers Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman realize the stunning wide-range potential and beauty of these recordings in this 45-RPM 180-gram vinyl edition. Included with this deluxe reissue is a striking six-panel booklet complete with rare photos, a 2,800-word essay by Chris Hall on the album and a 1,200-word essay by Michael Fremer about the remastering process. This truly is a no-expenses-spared project, resulting in the ultimate version of this title and a historic reissue.

Originally released in 1957.

Included with this deluxe reissue is a striking six-panel booklet complete with rare photos, a 4,600-word essay by Chris Hall on the album and a 1,200-word essay by Michael Fremer about the remastering process. This truly is a no-expenses-spared project, resulting in the ultimate version of this title.

"...in terms of sound, the originals are a distant second to these 45rpm LPs. Cole's voice is up front, and the accompaniment, especially the massed strings, has a colorful vividness. After Midnight was recorded in mono, and it is among the very best 1.0-channel reissues. Played with a mono cartridge, it displays intimacy and tonal purity that must be heard to be believed." - Marc Mickelson, The Audio Beat, September 2010

"...if you haven't picked up every one of the Blue Note and Nat King Cole reissues from Chad Kassem and company at Acoustic Sounds, you're really missing out!" - David W. Robinson, Positive Feedback, Issue 52

"...this is one of my favorite record purchases in a long time. Close to perfection in many areas, I consider it one of the MOST TRANSPARENT AND DYNAMIC TAPE TO VINYL TRANSFERS I'VE EVER HEARD. TOP 5 ALL TIME JAZZ/CROONER RECORDING FOR MUSIC AND SOUND." - soundevaluations, October 2010

"The double 45rpm cut results in cleaner transients and greater cut-to-cut consistency as the cut never comes close to the smaller inner groove area radii. If you already own the DCC, should you make the investment in this reissue? I'd say yes. It's as good as you will ever hear this classic album and while today we think of every new reissue as always being available, don't count on it! Get this while you can." - Michael Fremer, www.musicangle.com, Music 10/10, Sound 10/10

Read Michael Fremer's Essay on the Nat King Cole Mastering Efforts

"...More than your typical reissue, Acoustech's efforts with these 3-channel work tapes might almost be described as a restoration project...The results are stunning." - Wayne Garcia, The Absolute Sound, September 2010

Features:

• 180g 45rpm Double Vinyl

• Mastered by Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman at Acoustech

• Includes six-panel booklet with rare photos and essays by Chris Hall and Michael Fremer

Selections:

1. When I Fall in Love

2. Stardust

3. Stay as Sweet as You Are

4. Where Can I Go Without You?

5. Maybe It's Because I Love You Too Much (mono only)

6. Love Letters (mono only)

7. Ain't Misbehavin'

8. I Thought About Marie (studio chatter, falst start on 45rpm LP only)

9. At Last

10. It's All in the Game

11. When Sunny Gets Blue

12. Love Is the Thing