Nat King Cole Collection (Passport)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C     Extras: D     Shorts: B-

 

 

There is so much great footage of Nat King Cole that goes unseen that Passport Video has come up with three basic DVDs of material to date and have now collected it in their Nat King Cole Collection.  We previously looked at two of the DVDs and the reviews can be accessed at the following links:

 

Nat King Cole –Stardust Memories

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2059/Nat+King+Cole+-+Stardust+Memories

 

Unforgettable Nat King Cole

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/835/Unforgettable+Nat+King+Cole+(Music)

 

 

That leaves Encore, the third installment that offers these tracks:

 

1)     It’s Only A Paper Moon

2)     But Not For Me

3)     Just You Just Me

4)     Errand Boy For Rhythm

5)     Where Or When

6)     These Foolish Things

7)     Red Sails On The Sunset

8)     I’m Sitting On Top Of The World

9)     Dream

10)  Ballerina

11)  Dancing On The Ceiling

12)  Anything Goes

13)  Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

14)  There Will Never Be Another You

15)  It’s All In The Game

16)  Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart

17)  Come To Baby, Do

18)  Unforgettable

 

 

Each set runs about 40 minutes and is a pleasure despite quality limits.  Add a title from Kultur and we can say that the quality on all releases (pretty much sourced from his TV series) are even, so the set is just fine, though there are no extras.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is passable on all three discs, though many of the songs were cut in stereo upon release, but the image is often muddy and a few generations down on all three reviewed titles to date and all are in the 1.33 X 1 aspect ratio.  The result is another inexpensive winner fans will want to have until better copies come along, possibly in the digital HD format down the line.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo