Have to do a re-write on this peculiar mono issue. Now I'm giving it all I got, but if anyone knows more or better - don't hesitate to comment and tell. One of my all time favorite albums. From the beginning a soundtrack to a UK TV programme with plot co-written by Ray Davies and playwriter Julian Mitchell. However the broadcast was cancelled and the LP mainly recieved as a concept album in the same vein as "Village Green". Favored by critics on both sides of the Atlantic, but didn't sell at all in England and only reached #105 on Billboard. Although there are exemples of double issues in UK up till the end of 1970, most late monos were reductions of some kind. This is one of the last having separate mixes. It first reached the shops in both formats October 1969, but due to initial low sales the mono was withdrawn and already missing in the early 1970 Pye catalog. For a monolover like me it's one of the most interesting. Side one has stamped matrix no. ( NPL 18317 A-1 *T) and sounds a lot like what you get when you push the mono button on the stereo with only a few differences, but at least some of the tracks have slightly other mixes. In any case it sounds very good - clear with perfect balance all through. Side two has stamped matrix no. (NPL 18317 B-2 *T STEREO). Here "Shangri La" and "She's Bought A Hat Like Princess Marina" definitely have separate mono mixes. "Young And Innocent Days" and "Nothing To Say" are fold downs, sounding inferior to the rest - damp and unbalanced. "Mr Churchill Says" and "Arthur" doesn't differ much from the stereo, but sounds good so they could be either way. Now to the matrix no.s. "T" says the cutting engineer was Tony Bridge and the * indicates what kind of cutting tools were used - in this case Scully lathe and Westrex mono cutting amp. Why "B-2" on first press? My guess is they cut a fold down that for some reason didn't work out and remade it with already mixed '45 track monos for a second matrix. And why on earth stamp "STEREO" on a matrix that actually has true mono versions? Never seen that on any other UK sixties mono press. I had a long discussion with a producer friend about it and we could find no logical explanation other than it originally was done for some kind of indoor test press, but then used as it was. I'm not going into the jungle of re-issues that's been ever since. One CD issue had this mix of SBAHLPM as bunus track - presented as "previously unreleased" - and one later "mono" vinyl press I heard didn't have those separate mixes, but was fold down all through. Would like to recommend some later CD or LP version, but need help to verify wich ones are true. (Late addition: Just found a nice link on Steve Hoffmans Music forum with a more thurough comparison between CD mono and stereo plus mentioning different re-issues with true mono) http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/the-kinks-arthur-cd-comparison.150260/ (KYX*)(YMÖ*)(RÖKÖ*) (PÖY*)
Been listening to this tonight.
SvaraRaderaThe only difference I can hear are on side 1. The audio quality on side 2 is less good, and there's distortion that is absent from the stereo mix, especially on those two tracks you think are dedicated mixes.
Keeping the odd matrices in mind, I'd say Side 2 is a fold.
I don't have the UK 1:st stereo anymore, but remember at least the mono's Shangri-La and SBAHLPM are different, while YAID and NTS definately are folds. My best guess is side two is a fold with a few '45 mono mixes pitched in. It wouldn't be the first time on a UK mono album and could also explain the "STEREO" matrix.
Radera