What a surprise!

[JLawry]

Hey, over the weekend, I listened to Tony Bennet’s album If I Ruled the World. You’re right that “Fly Me to the Moon” is the standout track - very unique (I LOVE it when they sing the verse), but I found the whole album to be a good recording. And definitely - YES, I never would have thought this to be anything much more than standard pop. I found each song to have a unique personality, not only musically (arrangement, etc.), but also how it was recorded. I read that “Sweet Lorraine” was dedicated to Nat King Cole, who had died a few months earlier. Many of NKC’s albums are definitely in the audiophile realm. Joe Marsala’s clarinet work in that song is quite good. One thing I really noticed on this album is great attention to soundstage. I am a very active listener to recordings from around that time (see the High Definition Tape Transfers topic in the forum); some recordings from that period might have been a little guilty of overdoing the stereo effect, but sometimes in overdoing it a little, got it right. The final track “Two By Two” really nailed it in my opinion. Thanks for the suggestion.