The video you posted titled "Alternate Version" sounds like a Frankenstein audio creation to me. It sounds like someone took the vocal from one of the takes on that nine-minute tape and sync-ed it with the familiar backing track. The giveaway is the tone of the vocal, which sounds electronically altered (probably because it was slowed by speed but not pitch). By the way, that nine-minute rehearsal tape was on YouTube over a decade ago, but got removed. I recorded the audio and made an MP3, assuming that bootleg Frank Sinatra material was going to be deleted sooner or later.
“The Complete Lyrics of Johnny Mercer,” p. 328, includes the second verse sung by Como in a section labeled “Early Version.” It follows a verse that no one has sung.
I'm glad the officially released take was the officially released take. This earlier take, he's clearly still getting comfortable with his phrasing, melodic alterations, etc. You can actually *hear* (well, almost) him saying to himself, "that was a mistake, let's learn from that" at key moments.
Take 2 also had “stroke your hair”. However, it was not a complete take. I think with take 5, he tried to reach too hard. Take 7 is much more relaxed throughout. I’m thinking I might have heard “stroke your hair” in concert recordings at times, over the year.
The video you posted titled "Alternate Version" sounds like a Frankenstein audio creation to me. It sounds like someone took the vocal from one of the takes on that nine-minute tape and sync-ed it with the familiar backing track. The giveaway is the tone of the vocal, which sounds electronically altered (probably because it was slowed by speed but not pitch). By the way, that nine-minute rehearsal tape was on YouTube over a decade ago, but got removed. I recorded the audio and made an MP3, assuming that bootleg Frank Sinatra material was going to be deleted sooner or later.
“The Complete Lyrics of Johnny Mercer,” p. 328, includes the second verse sung by Como in a section labeled “Early Version.” It follows a verse that no one has sung.
I'm glad the officially released take was the officially released take. This earlier take, he's clearly still getting comfortable with his phrasing, melodic alterations, etc. You can actually *hear* (well, almost) him saying to himself, "that was a mistake, let's learn from that" at key moments.
Are there non-English recordings of songs by Hans Bradtke that you’d recommend?
Take 2 also had “stroke your hair”. However, it was not a complete take. I think with take 5, he tried to reach too hard. Take 7 is much more relaxed throughout. I’m thinking I might have heard “stroke your hair” in concert recordings at times, over the year.
Grethe Ingmann's version in the YouTube clip is in Danish (Sommervind). She recorded also a version in German: Der Sommerwind.
I’ve got that French album.