The sleeve on "Paperback Writer" is pretty funny. Like the guy who created it first got a picture of Paul, and then added those for George and John ... and made their guitar orientation match Paul's!
(1) Before 1967 many stereo versions of rock records had too much separation between channels. In those cases the mono was often better. It all depended on the engineer doing the mix and the state of the equipment in the studio. (2) All the record albums I bought in the 1960s (mostly Beatles) were mono, for one compelling reason: lower cost. Back then a typical mono album cost $2.99. Stereo, $3.99 and up. Big difference to a kid on limited allowance!
Some of my favorite albums in mono: The Who - My Generation The Rolling Stones - Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) Small Faces - S/T Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn The Zombies - Begin Here Them - The Angry Young Them The Kinks - Something Else
I would add the first three albums in The Turtles catalog (It Ain’t Me Babe, You Baby and Happy Together). Their stereo counterparts are challenging, to put it most charitably, due to the hard panning (vocals on one channel, instruments on the other).
A lot of those were recorded on two track systems. They laid down the instruments on one track, the vocals on the other, then mixed them down to mono. Then some executive said, but we can charge more for stereo albums, so they took those two tracks and cut them as-is.
That's funny, the very first record I thought of when I saw the video title was The Kinks Face To Face! I love that record in mono, actually I love the way the Pye studios sounded in general. I always tell people I wanted to make a record that sounds like THAT! Also, all Beatles UK mono mixes up to and including Revolver. All of the early Stones records as well. Check out the set called "The Rolling Stones in MONO" and I'm sure you'd agree. Dylan's Blonde On Blonde is great in mono as well. Also, the single mix of Help! in mono seems WAY better than the one on the LP. Hendrix Are You Experienced in mono is a lot different, I don't know if it can be considered better, but it's a nice listen. Great episode, Tom!
@@senatorjimdracula1603 I have both those mono Stones and Dylan box sets on CD. Both are excellent. I always found Lennon’s vocal on the Help mono 45 version sort of distant and disembodied whereas the stereo version he’s up front and center. 😉
When you mentioned the Beatles, I just knew you were going to bring up the Paperback Writer and Rain 45RPM. The ringing guitars, bass and vocals are phenomenal, LOUD and crystal clear. My favorite A & B sides of all time. A true, timeless treasure.
I never really got the mono/stereo thing until I stumbled across a 45 of Paperback Writer in my local. Wow, that blew my head off. NOW I get it. And just yesterday(!) Came across an original mono of Are You Experienced? Crackly, but in mono still listenable and packs a punch!
If an album was mixed in mono to begin with I prefer it that way. Not a fan of mono mixed into stereo down the road. After I got the Beatles mono box I couldn’t listen to their stereo mixes anymore. In fact, It’s kind of shocking how bad the most recent stereo mixes of their catalog was to these ears. Another great video and topic Tom!
Hi Tom, took your advice and got hold of an Aussie copy of the Jumping Jack Flash 45 (mono), it’s funny because I had been thinking of getting it but, you spurred me on, it needed a clean, but sounds fantastic, I am sure the organ at the end is mixed higher in mono, also the bass drum, I had forgotten what an absolutely brilliant song Child Of The Moon is , one of their best, it needs to be better known. Apparently Bill Wyman played the organ on JJF.
@@gerardocarroll1158 That’s awesome you picked up that 45. Child Of The Moon is my all time fave Stones b-side as well as one of my favorite Stones tracks.
The Beatles Get Back/Don’t Let Me Down was the last Beatles single mixed for mono format in the U.K. though the U.S release was in stereo. I think the mono version sounds a lot more punchy! It’s also slightly longer
Hey Tom. Are you listening to monos on a mono cartridge? That’s a game changer in itself. My favorite band in mono is the Mamas & Papas. Their stereo records are horrendous in comparison. Nice album picks! Love the UK Stones monos !
I thought with a lot of the Phil Spector productions of the sixties, if you hear those tracks in stereo, such as the Christmas album, that imaginary Deep Wall Of Sound just isn't there, which is the reason many but not all have only been reissued in mono. But you can hear the individual instruments more, rather than just an overall sound. So some may think the monos are better, others the stereos. But to me, they are just different.
@@tomrobinson5776 That may have been reissued as it was for long deleted. But most of the rarities have since been reissued elsewhere. But I will check on the box. I never bought it, as I had most of it's tracks elsewhere. It was originally on the ABKCO label. But they lost the rights to the Spector productions, and Sony took over, releasing new comps by The Ronnettes, Darlene Love ETC, with mostly the same tracks that ABKCO released by them.
@@kingofallmediums2123 I’m with you, especially Hendrix. That CD reissue of Are You Experienced from the Hendrix Estate on the Legacy imprint from 2010 is outstanding. Never heard a more powerful version.
Great stuff! We could talk about mono vs. stereo mixes forever. For example, Satisfaction is way better in mono, IMHO. Some of the stereo mixes I’ve heard are terrible.
Another great subject No doubt The Who , The Kinks , Bestles and Stones would be part of the conversation Surprised and happy with inclusion of Fairport Im going just a little further back Dave Brubeck s Time Out and Time Further Out the mono version are much more cohesive Check your Brubeck and make sure its Mono
Hey , Its still Brubeck ! But when out and about check Brubeck in the bins This is one case where i think Mono mix is far superior Im not sure about other Jazz but i wouldn’t be surprised Happy 4th
What a great topic and kind of a rabbit hole! I had the “electronically rechanneled for stereo” version of Donovan’s Sunshine Superman (1966) and was startled at how much better the mono version sounded. But in this case it wasn’t true stereo either. Many examples of that, don’t know if that was an Epic thing or if other labels used fake stereo during the transitional era.
Interesting episode! I've converted vinyl to mp3 files on my computer, and I've amped up the bass on tracks like "Paperback Writer." I guess it's a subjective matter, but my amped-up mp3 version really rocks, as I'm out driving. Same for "Jumpin' Jack Flash." I knew it was originally recorded through a cassette player via amps by Keith Richards, but I guess I never knew the 45 was recorded in mono. I've downloaded it from Apple iTunes, and apparently that is a bit of an amped-up version. I really like the Stones 45 follow-up, "Street Fighting Man," even more, especially the outro with the psychedelic keyboards and sitar sound, and think about the late Brian Jones.
@@kso808 Yes indeed, always loved that odd raw production of Street Fighting Man. I love everything the Stones did in ‘68. Child Of The Moon is their greatest b-side. Brilliant.
You highlighted some real favorites of mine. Thanks! I also like a few select mono songs from Simon and Garfunkel. I remember when mono reprocessed for stereo was a big thing too. that was rubbish!
Pet sounds, better in mono, also I have an Australian mono Satanic Majesties Request, very punchy, also the Dandelion/ We Love You single, great in mono. Sgt Pepper, Revolver, Magical Mystery Tour, also great in mono.
Thanks Tom. Another great vid! I dont have any favs per se. A friend of mine is convinced that flawed LPs with some scuffs and scratches are much more forgiving in their mono form. I think he may be right. Have you noticed this?
Hey Tom, how about a top ten list of Album cuts over radio edits. Sugarloafs album version of Green Eyed Lady over the radio edit is far superior. Same with Crimson and Clover by Tommy James. Also throw in 25 or 6 to 4 from Chicago. Love to see you come up with a top ten. There are many more to choose From.Dan
I have the Stones mono box set and Keith's solo on Sympathy is more pronounced than on the stereo version, its so different that its like listening to the song for the first time. I prefer all of their earlier recordings on mono. Using a mono cartridge is the best way to listen to mono recordings.
I preferred the Mono versions of songs that were later "Reprocessed for Stereo". I grew up on Mono, only got into Stereo after I returned from VietNam with a world-class stereo system! The Righteous Brothers hits work better in Mono, because Phil Spector produced several of them, and Phil was committed to Mono (until he was committed to prison). All the Stones' '60s singles sound better in Mono (listen to the Mono version of Between the Buttons, for the unreleased Miss Amanda Jones), especially Satisfaction, Paint It Black, Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, and Jumping Jack Flash. Face to Face benefits from the attention to the Mono mix. The Stereo version was made for the emerging US market, and was done on the fly, still using 1965 (the Age of Fake Stereo) metrics. The Beatles put the same kind of effort into their Mono mixes, until Sgt Pepper's, so the singles through Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby pop more than their later counterparts. By Get Back, singles were released in Stereo, without even making Mono mixes. The end of an era. By the end of 1969, Mono LPs were already a rarity.
Speaking of Beatles: The mono 'White Album' is a must! Sure, Helter Skelter is truncated there (no Ringo at the end) but in most of the songs the balances are startling different and there are a number of different takes in the songs. A whole different and rewarding experience!!
I agree. I bought a UK version of the White Album back in 1982. It was some type of re-release. It had a cut out on the top. At that time I noticed all the various sonic differences, unaware at the time until later it was a Mono copy.
One I forgot to mention was The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour. In the UK it was a double Ep and missing Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane which was a pre Pepper single. As a single it wasn't mixed to stereo, so Capital made fake stereo versions for the album. In the early 1970's Odeon in Germany did proper stereo mixes (that's the version with the alternate cover). But, unless you had the German version, the US/Canadian mono versions were preferable, IMO. Of course it's since been remixed to stereo,
Heh. Take a drink every time Tom says, "In your face." I really like the mono British version of the first Rolling Stones record -- don't know why, I just go nuts when "Route 66" starts up. Found it in a thrift store many years ago, saw it in a record shop a few weeks ago for $ 75. Crazy.
@@simonagree4070 The price for vinyl these days is absurd. I’ll always dig vinyl for its physical appeal. The whole immersive feel, but I still think CD’s have their attributes. Cheaper, no pops, cleaner sound etc..
Extremely jealous of that Fairport, which I had no idea existed. Here are some I’d add: Jefferson Airplane Surrealist Pillow. Poorly produced and drenched in echo, the mono version minimizes those negatives and adds punch. Grateful Dead s/t. Another poorly produced record that benefits from a tighter mix. The Beach Boys: All albums from Today through Smiley Smile are fake stereo, allegedly due to Brian, who is deaf in one ear, being in charge of the mixing. If you like bubble gum, those Super-K productions are all better in mono, but you have to get the 45s or a promo Lp.
This is my understanding (and I could be wrong): all the 1965 stereo Beach Boys albums were fake stereo (or, as Capitol labeled it, Duophonic). But Pet Sounds was only issued in mono originally. A true stereo version was first created decades later by remixing the multitrack tapes. And the stereo version of Smiley Smile is true stereo. Following the stereo remix of Pet Sounds, true stereo versions of the 1965 albums (Today, Summer Days and Summer Nights and Beach Boys Party) were created, initially for CD release and subsequently for vinyl release. I think those true stereo mixes sound terrific (especially the audiophile vinyl pressings from Analogue Productions.)
@@Nuclearmagenta I was only referring to original versions. Pet Sounds is the only remix I have. My old Goldmine guide lists Smiley Smile as still being fake stereo on original pressings. I've got the DCC mono Pet Sounds but my stereo version was the Capital reissue not the AP.
@@seed_drill7135yes, I didn’t mean to imply that you were not referring to the original versions. But now I just checked my first pressing of the stereo Smiley Smile with the mono pressing from AP and I believe you are correct. It does sound like fake stereo. And if it is not fake stereo, the stereo effect is very very minimal to the point where it practically sounds like mono. I never realized this before.
Are you sure the Fairport Convention LP plays in mono? When Island stopped pressing mono records they still had mono labels left over which they used up on stereo LPs. I've seen Free's second album with mono labels and that never got a mono release. I'm pretty certain that the Liege and Lief LP you have will play stereo. There wasn't a UK mono pressing.😊
The Beatles sound shit in Stereo. Decca Records we’re recorded nice and loud in mono in the 60s and Pye Records also.Listen to The Searchers on Pye how good they were recorded in Mono and The Kinks
What about cheap, broken players that cut out half the song( mix)? Thank you, Jensen speakers. 😸 Hey, ive got 2 ears. BABHome is the only Dylan as far as im concerned.
I think The Kink's "Arthur" sounds so bad in mono because it's probably a folddown - by 1969, if anyone was still releasing mono LPs at all they were never dedicated mixes. But I'll take all the Kink's other albums in mono up to that point. Surely many will not agree, but I actually prefer both of the Jimi Hendrix Experience's first two LPs in mono - much of the stereo panning on each now sounds wonky and gimmicky. But you need the French Barclay mono version of "Are You Experienced" which is easily the best sounding yet released. In this guise, they come off as the most cosmically advanced, musically proficient, and far-seeing garage band ever conceived by anyone.
@@juanvaldez7633 I have a UK Mono of Are You Experienced, but it’s a later pressing. Definitely a different vibe than the stereo mix. The one I prefer the most these days is the 2010 Legacy Experience Hendrix CD version which is sonically the best I’ve ever heard. There are nuances in this mix I’ve never heard before.
