Listening to Now in MONO. Blasphemy!

[Quad Linda]

So you think you're having good times with the grill that you just met...too much sun will burn.

 

[rusinurbe]

Well, in this instance--and the album in the US was originally packaged and issued as HEAVEN IS IN YOUR MIND, then retitled MR. FANTASY with the same (and different from the UK) cover--the "Paper Sun" 45 played a part in that decision. And made its first stereo appearance anywhere (AFAIK) on this album. One can argue with the way it was done--an early fade of "Paper Sun" opens the album, the rest of the UK single is heard under the title "We're a Fade, You Missed This"--but it's still a fun album for what it is and of course any fan wants the original UK Lp as issued, too (and do check out the mono edition of this one as well).

And as Neil has mentioned The Clash..there is a logic to the US edition as well. Simply put, they were a UK phenomenon that the US label [Columbia/Epic] had no interest in right away. But after the Sex Pistols generated that interest in UK punk, a logical decision was made to include UK single sides for the US release to give a more rounded overview of what the band was about. Since the UK debut Lp was its own great entity, and fans there knew the 45's, it made sense for Epic to do a little fiddling, since they had all these sides available to them but were unsure if there was a fanbase for them here. It turned out there was, and in its way, the US THE CLASH is a nice listen, though it in no way replaces that original UK album. Columbia should also be given credit here for putting out the album at all, given that the group was not generally well known, and many UK 'punk' acts never got a US single (let alone album) release on these shores. I had to travel to Boston to collect all the key UK punk 45's, where that music was popular enough for record stores in that town to stock them regularly. Just FYI.

ED

Then there is the first Jimi Hendrix album first Pink Floyd album may early Beatles albums the list I am afraid goes on

 

[Quad Linda]

I have the first Hendrix album in UK mono. This is one of the few where I prefer the US, since it has Purple Haze. Although, I prefer the expanded US CD with ALL the US & UK tracks.

'Scuse me while I kiss the sky...

 

[fredblue]

We've Only Just Begun - Songs of Roger Nichols & Paul Williams (demos) SHM-CD Japan mono

View attachment 10073

.. but oh, if oh, if oh, if only somebody somewhere could release decent remasters of Paul Williams' A&M albums...

The "East Central One" (some UK label..!?) remasters I bought about 5 years ago of "Just An Old Fashioned Love Song", "Life Goes On" and "Here Comes Inspiration" are not great.. with boosted bass and no life in the treble to them at all.

 

[Q8]

'Scuse me while I kiss the sky...

'Scuse me, while I kiss this guy...

 

[Quad Linda]

Try the Japanese. I think they sound great:





While you're at it, check out Japan-only Back to Love album from a few years ago on Pioneer:


ALL these albums are stereo only.

Now, back to the blasphemous Mono-only thread.

.. but oh, if oh, if oh, if only somebody somewhere could release decent remasters of Paul Williams' A&M albums...

The "East Central One" (some UK label..!?) remasters I bought about 5 years ago of "Just An Old Fashioned Love Song", "Life Goes On" and "Here Comes Inspiration" are not great.. with boosted bass and no life in the treble to them at all.

 

[EMB]

Well, it's all commercially driven. But at least we got a lot of tracks back in '64 and '65 that were relegated in the UK to 45's or EP's only. And we also got some stereo where the UK only got mono (at least at first). Personally as a collector I didn't mind any of this; what bothered me later on was the sonic futzing that occasionally went on, most obviously with the Beatles' 1964 catalog.

Now back to our blasphemous mono-only thread. Some I've spinned in the last day or two beyond dozens of 45's:

Sandy Stewart: My Coloring Book ('63, Colpix)
Bobby Darin: If I Were a Carpenter ('66, Atlantic)
Ray Charles: What'd I Say ('59, Atlantic, 1p black label)
The Youngbloods s/t ('67, RCA Vic)
Chuck Berry's GH ('64, Chess, orig. blue label press. This one was later rechanneled, though "Nadine" was recorded in stereo)

ED

 

[Quad Linda]

Tampa Red, IMHO the best bluesman ever.



Don't Tampa with the blues.

 

[Quad Linda]

Electric Music for the Mind and Body - Country Joe & the Fish UK 2CD deluxe w/mono mix

 

[The Bushmaster]

Here ya go Linda... There is nary a scratch of any kind on this record. In fact, I would grade it Near Mint.

 

[EMB]

Originally Posted by Quad Linda
Electric Music for the Mind and Body - Country Joe & the Fish UK 2CD deluxe w/mono mix

Essential listening, as it were. And IMO, so is this great 1968 pop hit. The mono edition of the Lp is so uncommon as to almost be *rare* by this old collector's standards, but the 45--US or Canada--is in the original mono mix (and you will well hear the difference, esp. in the mixing down of the horns in mono compared to the 'standard' stereo Lp mix most remember) and I have both editions, though this scan is from eBay, where finding this million-seller is common enough:



ED

 

[Odys]

Smashing Pumpkins - Adore
Pink Floyd - Piper At the Gates of Dawn

 

[The Bushmaster]

Aaah...It's good to see that "mono" is still alive and well. Not sure why though.

 

[EMB]

For collectors, it's vital because those were, generally, the mixes made first--singles for radio, and of course for the mono edition of the album. That, and some mono mixes are not only *the* hit mixes, but those mixes are superior to the stereo versions (depending on where your leanings are at, natch).

In the past ten years quite a few mono albums have been included in box sets and reissues because there is a demand for them if they exist. CJ & the Fish's debut is one example, and of course the Beatles and Dylan mono box sets. Once you've heard them you'll know why they're worth owning.

Here's the Springfield's only track from their three albums that was never mixed to stereo (who knows why). Their second single, and one of their best. Just pulled out my old 45, but here's a clip from You Tubey:[video=youtube;gxgDrGzlUBU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxgDrGzlUBU[/video]

ED

 

[Quad Linda]

Many late "mono" album mixes, generally from '68 on, are "foldover" mixes, tantamount from hitting the mono button on a 2ch system. The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let it Be from the UK mono LP boxes are classic examples of this. It was an easy way to create a mono disc where no dedicated mono mix existed.

Some mono mixes have things that aren't present on stereo mixes, and vice versa. Occasionally, a different take is used, or it fades earlier or later, like Beatles' Helter Skelter which has no "I got blisters on my fingers!"

 

[Doug G.]

There were some green label "Classical Gas" 45s, I'm sure (or I'm all wet). I used to have one but darned if I can find it now.

I know there was some theft at my old apartment by the maintenance guy who had a whole room full of boxes of LPs. I used to have an original 3D "Satanic Majesty's" which is gone and a few others too. I guess he was looking to fill out his collection.

Doug

 

[EMB]

Many late "mono" album mixes, generally from '68 on, are "foldover" mixes, tantamount from hitting the mono button on a 2ch system. The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let it Be from the UK mono LP boxes are classic examples of this. It was an easy way to create a mono disc where no dedicated mono mix existed.

1968 was, of course, the 'designated' year all the U.S. majors began phasing out the 'mono inventory' although many labels, including Atlantic (about half the year), RCA Victor (into the fall) and Columbia (beginning in spring, off and on, but they did press uncommon mono until the end of the year) and Decca didn't toss mono out as fast as others like Mercury (which had already experimented in putting 'compatible' stereo albums in mono covers early in '67), Elektra (Jac Holzman was one of the main forces behind the 'single inventory' concept) and Capitol (which pressed very limited numbers of mono copies for albums beginning in the fall of '67 but kept doing so into the spring). In the UK and other countries, this process took longer; hell, in 1971 Decca UK was still pressing separate mono/stereo's for selected compilations. As for 'fold downs' that was often done for many '60s pop and jazz albums, depending on the artist. With rock music and any hits-oriented material, the tendency was to mix 'dedicated' mono for AM and albums assumed to have teens as the primary listeners. As the WHITE ALBUM (late '68) and the "Get Back" (UK) 45 indicate, however, mono mixing died hard, although the practice for 45's went on for several years to come, even when confined only to DJ singles. Any Three Dog Night fan will tell you about their many hits for which there are no practical stereo masters beyond the Lp versions, which often lack something or were otherwise significantly changed on their trip to mono (ironically, 3 Dog never had a dedicated mono Lp, but you could have made a nifty hits compilation out of all the 45 sides that were).

Some mono mixes have things that aren't present on stereo mixes, and vice versa. Occasionally, a different take is used, or it fades earlier or later, like Beatles' Helter Skelter which has no "I got blisters on my fingers!"

The WHITE ALBUM is the last great dedicated mono mix of original material for Lp by any major artist in that time; a pity that was, really, all the more because it was released only in stereo in the US and Canada, and in fact became only commonly available in the '70s via import copies that became more readily available on repressings.

There were some green label "Classical Gas" 45s, I'm sure (or I'm all wet). I used to have one but darned if I can find it now.

The U.S. stock single was on the green W7 label; the pic I posted was the Canadian 45. WB of Canada used that label until eventually it went to an orange W7 (their Reprise label was the brown/orange used in the states from late '64 until early '68; Canada 45's used it at least until the spring of 1970).

 

[Quad Linda]

Mr. Tambourine Man - Byrds SACD


Original album tracks are in mono.
Bonus tracks are in 2ch.

Baby, I'm Yours - Barbara Lewis LP

 

[atlantasteve]

I play mono cd's through an oppo 103 and nad receiver. What is the best audio setting to get the true mono sound?

 

[Quad Linda]

2 ch stereo might be the best setting on a surround receiver, preferably where it sends that through both the fronts and rears. Most old 2ch receivers and preamps had a mono position. I can't recall any 5.1 gear offering a mono position. For a mono source, a mono position isn't necessary, since a mono source will send the same signal into both channels anyway.

A Mono position would be necessary for FM, so the stereo (multiplex) decoder could be turned off, thus resulting in less noise from poor signals. BTW, an FM stereo (multiplex) decoder uses the same basic technology as CD-4, except CD-4 does it x2. CD-4 also incorporates ANRS (Automatic Noise Reduction System), technology similar to Dolby NR.

Although I rarely used those positions, I had a Philips 2ch Preamp and a Sony 2ch receiver which had Reverse (channel swap), Stereo, L&R (mono), L, and R positions. L&R could make 2ch into mono. The L, as well as R positions would route only the Left or Right channels into both channels. It's great for concentrating on a particular soloist who is predominantly on one channel.

I play mono cd's through an oppo 103 and nad receiver. What is the best audio setting to get the true mono sound?