Sorta-Seasick and Sorta-Stereo
Elwood Conway | Frankfort, KY United States | 07/18/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Don't get me wrong, the Jimmie Lunceford recording is a welcome addition to the still largely overlooked post 1958 Billy May recording catalog. But it starts out in stereo and then track 5 goes to mono, 6 in stereo, 7,8 in mono, then back to stereo for good. More painful is that the Sorta-May recording is from (an admittedly quite clean) LP source, that I cannot rate this CD higher than 3 stars. After listening to the first five tunes of Sorta-May (just like the old GNP/Crescendo CD release) with its ever-present WOW in the recording transfer thanks to an off-center LP pressing source, I promptly removed the CD. Even if you can get beyond the warble, the complete lack of higher end frequencies is also a letdown...again I guess it is this was so as to mask any LP imperfections. And my final gripe: The whole reason I bought this CD was to have Sorta-May from the original tape or (at least) a safety copy (I cannot imagine that Capitol Records has neither in their possession). Sadly there is NO indication on the CD anywhere to explain that the original source for Sorta-May is vinyl."
Billy May's best album
Mark Schildberg | Houston, TX USA | 07/17/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The reissue of Billy May's album, "Sorta-May," is always cause for celebration, for this is the album that contained many of the greatest arrangements of his career. The usual dance band personnel was expanded for this record to include more woodwind and percussion instruments (even a harp!), and Billy makes full use of them in his terrific charts of "In a Persian Market," "You're the Top" and even "The Donkey Serenade." These are full-bodied, swinging performances, with new surprises at every turn. No wonder Billy May remains one of the most highly regarded Hollywood arrangers.
The only downside has been the difficulty in remastering these recordings. All CD reissues of this album, including the present one, have had to use LP transfers (presumably the master tapes are lost), and some of the music suffers slightly from wow. But Collectables' edition is far and away the most listenable of all the CD versions to date. Technical issues aside, the musical value of these performances makes this a strongly recommended buy."
