DONOVAN/SUNSHINE SUPERMAN US MONO vs.UK MONO LN24217/NPL18181 (-66/-67)

Original 10 track version released in US autumn -66, but due to copyright problems not issued in UK. Eight months later an album with the same name had a UK 12 track release, on Pye label with different cover and choosen tracks from the two US LP:s "Sunshine Superman" and "Mellow Yellow". Common for UK and US issues are title song, "Legend Of A Girl child Linda", "Three King Fishers", "Berts blues", "Season Of the Witch", "Guinevere" and "Celeste". It seems they are exactly the same takes, US is a little louder and balance sometimes alter a bit - vocals on title track appears a little higher in the mix on US - but all that can be explained by different handling of EQ or varied engraving. Early US had label like this and thick paper cover. First UK had label as shown here and laminated flip/back cover. (SYSÖ*) (YZÄ*) (TÖW*) (ÖXCÅ*) (CPYC*) (PÖY*)

BEE GEES/HORIZONTAL 582020 (-68) UK MONO

Mixed separately in mono and stereo. I find this mono mix superior and a must for this album. Bee Gees sixties monos are essential. Let me quote directly from Joseph Brennan on http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/67.html. "At this time mono was still the primary format in Britain, so mono mixes were made first and given somewhat more care and attention. The mono mix was used for singles and for radio play.(...) When a song was chosen for LP release, then and only then it was mixed to stereo. Engineers report that as late as 1968 the stereo mixes of Bee Gees songs were made quickly and almost as an afterthought. Ironically it was only those stereo mixes that were available after 1969 and into the CD era. The mono mixes that everyone spent so much time on were rarities until reissue in 2006 on The Studio Albums 1967-1968." (Please also check my post on their "Odessa" album.)(BÅXÅ*)

HEP STARS ON STAGE LPO 02 (-65) MONO SWEDEN

It's hard to find a well sounding rock live album from the sixties. There wasn't equipment good enough to make it work for the band or the recording crew. Some are OK, but never near later masterpieces as "Colosseum Live" or "Roxy and Elsewhere". This however is a good one. Long considered a Swedish domestic affair, but since a few decades back hailed by garage fans world wide. (US Bomp magazine have called it "one of the best ever"). Made from two concerts, one on each side of the LP. There was an after-mix, but no later overdubs, so it's pretty much as it was. Audio's not perfect, but as good as it could get from the circumstances. Crowd noise is there, but only as a background. I like the side two concert best - both for the nerve and its slightly better sound quality. Cover picture below is from that tour, showing the gig gear and a very young Benny Andersson at the organ. I was at a concert on this tour back in -65 and can guarantee this recording is pretty close. Second photo below is one I took at the occation with the singer Svenne Hedlund on crouches after falling down from a speaker at an earlier gig. Bad quality as you'd expect from a twelve year old with an Instamatic. Premiere issue with label as shown here and laminated cover. (SCÄ*)(LYBÖ*) (HÄH*)(CCÖ*)(ÄBBÖ*)

KINKS/VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY NPL.18233 (-68) UK MONO

I'm going on and on here how much I like the Kinks and why - catchy melodies, heartfelt lyrics and mostly naked and straight productions. Same procedure here - it's all good and I'm loving it. Period. This is a separate mono mix. Don't have access to the original stereo so I can't compare tracks. Just saying - for me sixties Kinks is mono, stereo mixes may sometimes attract, but mono will always be the solid ground for their early music. First UK press had label as shown here and laminated f/o cover with flips. (KYX*) (PÖY*)

SOMETHING ELSE BY THE KINKS NPL 18193 (-67) UK MONO

My kind of LP. Psych garage with catchy melodies and heart-felt lyrics conveyed by natural audio and studio live feeling. This is a separate mono mix, different and in many ways better than the UK stereo version (I'll get back to that later). It's open and revealing and you can hear both the sincerity and all minor flaws. This is "old school", with hardly any use of compressors, limiters or other sound-distorting equipment. Probably not many overdubs or re-takes either. Just how I like it. First UK with label as shown here and matt flip/back cover. (KYX*) (PÖY*)

KINKS LIVE AT KELVIN HALL NPL 18191 (-67) UK MONO

Apparently two separate mixes were done with later additions to the tapes. Crowd noises were enhanced and one can clearly hear guitar overdubs on "Till the End of the Day" and "You Really Got Me" - the latter having differing solos for stereo and mono. Not much to say about the sound quality - strong and muddy - as most sixties live recordings. Just so You know - label says side one starts with "All Day and All of the Night", but it actually plays "Till the End of the Day" - as stated on the cover. First UK with label as shown here and laminated flip/back cover. (KYX*)(LYBÖ*) (PÖY*)

BEATLES/RUBBER SOUL PMC 1267 (-1/-1) "LOUD CUT"

I've seen a lot of negative things said about this one through the years on different forums - it being too loud, too thin vocals and so on. I beg to differ - to me it sounds beautiful! Listen to earlier UK mono stuff like "With the Beatles" or "A Hard Days Night" and this is the way they are - loud and pushy. Up to -65 Beatles recordings were rather simple without too many overdubs, but with this record things started to get more complicated with effects and more experimenting, still using 4 channels. That made it harder to get a perfect engraving, but by further use of compressors and limiters they could make the sound "smaller", a bit more leveled, and easier to handle during the mother/stamper/engraving phase. I think that's the difference between these two issues. "Loud Cut" is made the old fashion way, while later "official" versions have been tamed by that kind of equipment. If you compare the sound of the UK "With the Beatles" and "Revolver" monos you will get exactly the same difference as between the two Rubber Souls. The trick I use to make both good is using a round stylus and I don´t hear the thin vocals or muddy parts on LC, just a big bursting warm sound. I also finally get the "Michelle" back-ground quire separated from the rest - it almost sounds a little louder in the mix here - and that's worth a lot! (Look for copies with -1/-1 matrix) (BÄ*) (PÖX*) (LGÅ*)

KINKS' SINGLE MIXES ON LP

Finding true versions of Kinks '45 issues on LP can be hard, but necessary since all their UK singles up to "Lola" were released in mono and reissues seldom answer to the originals. I' ve had a great number of collections and many had been tampered with in bad ways - fake stereo, compressed to a limit of no return or drenched in tons of echo, and in a few cases all those at the same time. But not all are like that and following are a couple I recommend with warm heart.

https://monolover.blogspot.com/2012/05/the-kinks-npl-18326-70-uk-mono.html

 https://monolover.blogspot.se/2012/05/well-respected-kinks-mal-612-65sunny.html

 

WELL RESPECTED KINKS MAL 612 (-65)/SUNNY AFTERNOON MAL 716 (-67) UK MONOS

Two budget compilations, mostly with UK non-LP '45 tracks. All original mixes and versions. Sounds big and clear, maybe a little bright at parts, but nothing disturbing. Stereo versions are fake and can be avoided. These mono mixes can also be heard on CD: "Kinks - The Marble Arch Years" (2001) (KYX*) (PÖY*)

THE KINKS NPL 18326 (-70) UK MONO

Released as a two LP set february 1970 in mono only. Also known as "The Black Album". As I see it the best of all Kinks single collections. Originally part of a project, including a book with the story of the bands career - all supervised by Ray Davies. Sadly the book was canceled so all we get is a black f/o cover with Kinks logo and song list in gold print, no further information. Remaining from the project is also the sequence - side 1 kicks of with "You Really Got Me" and then follows the time line till "Days" close side 4. The song mixes are straight on as they were - one can actually hear the recording quality gradually improving side by side. It would have been interesting to see what the canceled book could have offered, but even without it is a top compilation from one of the best period UK bands offering tons of good music conveyed by original audio and so many feeling attached. It doesn't show up in the bins very often, but should You be so lucky to find one at an affordable price - dont hesitate!  (KYX*)(UKÖ*)(PÖP*) (PÖY*)

                                                                                 

                                                                               

                                                                           

                                                                                 

                                                                                

WHAT IS A CATALOG MONO? ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK/WE MADE IT HAPPEN LK 5054 (-70) UK MONO

1968 Decca UK stopped doing separate mixes for new recordings and instead made most stereos compatible. At the same time mono was phasing out quickly in England with the younger "hip" public, but there was a remaining demand with some issues - especially "easy listening" or stuff appealing to an older audience. So up to late 1970 Decca printed both mono and stereo numbers in their catalog to the record dealers and if the order for a certain mono was big enough, they made a straight reduction - though in some cases with addition of already made '45 mixes or slight alterations - and rushed it out to ordering dealers. The Engelbert Humperdinck 1970 mono shown here is one exemple. The last Decca catalog mono and last UK double issue of an original recording was Tom Jones "I Who Have Nothing" LK/SKL 5072 https://monolover.blogspot.com/2012/05/tom-jones-i-who-have-nothing-lk-5072-70.html  . (UKÖ*)(MÖRS*)

WORLD OF BLUES POWER PA-R.14 (-69) UK MONO

Due to some copyright problems only allowed for sale in UK. By this time some of the tracks only existed as mono -"Greeny", "All My Life" and "Blue Coat Man" - and on here are the true versions. Some of the others are fold downs from the stereo tapes. 1969 the US stereo version of the 1966 John Mayall/BluesBreakers LP had been issued in UK and "All Your Love" here is a fold down from this new stereo mix. (WÖF*) (SÄM*) (MÄH*)

WORLD OF BLUES POWER VOL.2 PA 63 (-70) UK MONO

Don't know about how this compilation got mono handeling. Could be cold fold, though to my ears a couple of the tracks sounds slightly different from the folds on the mono LP:s where they first appeared and comes out more like the '45 issues. But however they made it the audio just fine all through - very powerful providing good listening. (SÄM*) (WÖF*)(UKÖ*)