Fumando Espero (Di Sarli)

[UKDancer]

My music collection includes several discs with significant overlaps of content, and I having copied the lot to my iTunes libray, I am eliminating the duplications, and trying to judge which version has the best fidelity.

One oddity I have come across is Di Sarli's version of Fumando Espero, which the todotango discography (http://www.todotango.com/english/biblioteca/discografias/cdisarli2.html) suggests was recorded in Feb 1956 with singer Argentino Ledesma.

In theory, I have it twice: once on RCA's Inolvidables (20 Grand Exitos) timed at 4:01 & again on RCA's 100 Anos Carlos Di Sarli timed at 4:03. Except that the latter version isn't 4:03 at all (although that's what the sleeve notes say), but is just 1:54 long and it doesn't sound like the same singer, either. Does anyone happen to know what I've got here? The discography makes no mention of a second version, and I'm puzzled.

I took a look at Spotify, and there is a version attributed to Roberto Florio at 1:55, and while the sound quality is very different in the two versions, I'd wager a modest sum that they are the same performance. Anyone?

 

[dchester]

According to tango.info, you are correct.

http://www.tango.info/00743218749025

 

[UKDancer]

I found this, too on Michael Lavocah's site (http://www.milonga.co.uk/index.shtml), which I hope he doesn't mind me quoting:

This disc contains some rarities - where else can you hear Milonguero Viejo? - but the rarest of them is a real surprise, even for BMG, because Track 9, Fumando Espero, is not quite what it says it is. The cover declares the version sung by Argentino Ledesma which was a big hit at the time. But Di Sarli had just snatched Ledesma from the orchestra of Héctor Varela. Columbia sued and Di Sarli recorded a back-up vocal with Roberto Florio, just in case. In the event Columbia and RCA settled out of court and the version with Florio was never released.
For this release BMG have put out the version with Roberto Florio. It must have been an accident because it has not been joined with the instrumental introduction and runs at just under two minutes.