Mixology: The Mono/Stereo Mix Differences Podcast

Hello Friends! After an extended break away from the Fab Five, we return to The Hollies on Mixology with a look at their 1966 album, 'Would You Believe?'. Their first issued in stereo in the UK (almost at the same time), this LP has always had a very curious mix situation, with the stereo being somewhat inventive with it's panning, and the mono being quite muddy for the most part. With this in mind, I dived into this episode hoping to break down why this is, and let me tell you that the answer was somewhat unexpected, but also somewhat creative - if expedient. With a major discovery on our hands here, this episode only further complicates the mono vs stereo debate when it comes to this material, so don't have a Hard Hard Year, let's dig in! Happy Listening, Frederick

Hello Friends, This time on Mixology, we're back with another Mixology Conversation, this time with the delightful Andrew Batt, discussing the fantastic new Cast Your Fate to the Wind: The Complete UK Decca Recordings from Marianne Faithfull. Andrew's care and attention with Marianne's work made this one of my most anticipated reissue campaigns in many years, and with the fantastic results now available, I have to say it comes with my highest recommendation. However, I was initially left with many questions about the mixes chosen across the set, as while stereo is the defacto choice here, the occasional mono mix surfaces where stereo does in fact exist, and beyond that... why stereo over mono? Your ears will tell you part of the answer, but these make up but a small part of our conversation, which became a delightfully flowing overview of Marianne's 60s career, her evolution from pure folk singer to baroque pop master, and the hurdles and misconceptions that have caused this material to both be overlooked and undervalued both at the time and in the decades since. Andrew - who was amusingly the fourth guest I have had by this name - was an absolute delight to converse with, and our conversation really opened my eyes to the struggles Marianne faced over the years, both externally and internally, when it came to this material, and I am so glad it is finally being given the presentation it deserves to get the appraisal it deserves. For listeners on the Patreon, a 10 minute bonus clip from this conversation is also available, discussing the lack of session reels, Mick Jagger's treasures, the mystery of a vinyl box set, and an exploration of the challenges at large with a curated reissue campaign in 2025. In other words - an utterly essential addition that sadly did not fit into the episode proper! Cast Your Fate to the Wind: The Complete UK Decca Recordings 1964-1969 is out now as a CD box set and a series of LP reissues on Proper Music. Happy Listening, Frederick Patreon  Email  Instagram - @hypnoticfred 

Hello Friends! We're back in Hermits land this month with a look at the only LP issued by the group in true stereo from start to finish, Hold On! (Music from the Original Sound Track). Recorded as such for the titular motion picture, this meant that for the first time we got to hear Herman's Hermits in both mono and true stereo, and it is truly glorious. This is a stereo mix with a lot of care in it's execution, and while the mono likely takes the cake, the stereo is a very enjoyable listen, with a few nice little differences throughout, including muted studio noise, differing fade-outs, and variable vocal echo. A Must to Avoid, this is not!  Happy Listening, Frederick Patreon  Email  Instagram - @hypnoticfred 

Hello Friends! After many months of hoping to cover the DC5 on the main show, this has finally been realised thanks to the 1970 compilation, The Best of The Dave Clark Five. Issued on the Starline label in the UK, this was the first stereo Dave Clark Five material in the UK, and as such saw first time stereo mixes for the vast majority of its 14 tracks, and the other handful had only otherwise been issued in the USA on the 3 1967 LPs issued there. As such, this felt like a perfect contender for the show, but as I dug into these stereo mixes and the currently issued mono mixes, it came to my attention that many of these mono mixes are either alternates or edited versions of the correct mono mix, and in one case we even has multiple mono mixes issued in the 60s. We even had 2 stereo mixes for one track, to my surprise! Along with a few other fade oddities, and some fascinatingly different mixes, we have an episode chock full of goodies today that you do not want to miss! Happy Listening, Frederick Patreon  Email  Instagram - @hypnoticfred 

Hello Mr. Big Shot! After juggling around many ideas for forthcoming Mixology episodes, I landed on our follow-up to our look at Scott only a few months ago with the inevitable companion episode Scott 2. While stylistically very similar to the prior album in a number of ways, the concept feels like it reaches another level on this occasion, and as a result, brings in a few more notable differs than we had in the previous offering, and the case of a couple of tracks, a wildly different experience. Which comes out on top? I'd say it's harder to decide than last time, but let's dive in to find out... A huge thanks as well to Andrew Milton for the artwork for this episode. Happy Listening, Frederick Patreon  Email  Instagram - @hypnoticfred 

Hello Friends! It's time to head back to California as I feel it's time to cover a huge fan-favourite in The Beach Boys' catalogue, The Beach Boys Today!. Released in 1965, this album was only originally issued in mono and duophonic, but starting with the release of the Endless Harmony Soundtrack in 1998, the 11 songs from the album were slowly remixed into stereo, with the last few gathered up with the 2012 mono/stereo wave of releases. However, multiple tracks got multiple remixes in this time, and a couple of those 2012 remixes received modifications in the years since, making this a bit of a muddle tracing down what's what. How does this album fare in stereo? It's a mixed bag for sure, and I would love a fresh remix from the final 3-track masters akin to All Summer Long's stereo mix, but that doesn't mean there aren't some shining gems here too. I do want to note that the remixes completed for the 2022 Sounds of Summer: Expanded Edition will not be covered today, as these can be found in my episode covering that release. Have a jump back through your feed to 2022 to have a listen. With that out the way, get ready for a Bull Session with Big Daddy Fred, as we ask that fateful question - Do You Wanna Mono? Happy Listening, Frederick Patreon  Email  Instagram - @hypnoticfred 

Hello Friends! We've got something a little different on the show today. A few months ago I became very curious about a few stereo mixes I had used in my episode on the Zombies LP Begin Here, where a few tracks had turned up in poor SQ. At that point I assumed this was likely baked into the mix, until I put out a call regarding The World of The Zombies featuring these tracks, only to discover that I was in fact, incorrect. This sent me on a whirlwind of a journey picking up copies of The Zombies, Early Days, The World of The Zombies, Rock Roots & The Collection, in addition to my CD copies of The Singles A's and B's and Greatest Hits (on Audio Fidelity), but came away with only more questions than answers. Why are some tracks mono on some compilations and stereo on others? Why do some discs have studio chatter and some don't? Where did all these later stereo mixes come from that aren't on the '69 & '70 discs? And what is the best source for all of these now they are out of print? After listening to many Zombies LPs and CDs later, as well as a few more, I feel I can confidently give you the definitive answer to all of these questions, as well as the best guide on where to find them, as despite later CD issues, many of these are best heard by far on those original LPs. And for listeners over on the Patreon, I have included my working notes below for each tracklist for this episode. Huge thanks too to Ethan Alexanian for this episode's flatlay artwork. Happy Listening, Frederick Patreon  Email  Instagram - @hypnoticfred 

Hello Friends! After many months of promising a new edition of Mixology Conversations, the time has finally arrived for our discussion with the wonderful Andrew from Parlogram. Best known today for the fantastic series of videos on YouTube under the Parlogram name, Andrew got his start in this world selling records online for many years, and has naturally been very deep down the rabbit hole of collecting records of all shapes, sizes, and more importantly - mixes - from around the world. Thus, today felt like the perfect opportunity to look back on how the world of collecting has evolved over the last decade, the sonic value of the humble 45, navigating the creation of content in the realm of 60s music, why some of the best stereo mixes existed prior to the best mono mixes, why settling for a reissue is more than acceptable, and of course - sheep theft. So buckle up for two British men many miles from their homeland inevitably discussing the inescapable music made there. Happy Listening, Frederick Parlogram on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Parlogram Patreon  Email  Instagram - @hypnoticfred 

Hello Friends! We're finally giving the inimitable Scott Walker a spotlight on the show today, with a look at his debut solo LP from 1967, Scott. Issued unchanged in the US under the title Aloner, to say I was surprised by how different these mixes are would be an understatement. From my experience with label mate Dusty’s catalogue on Philips, I assumed Scott’s would similarly be close sonically between mixes, but as soon as I queued up the mono alongside the stereo mix, the vast difference in vocal echo was immediately apparent. True for many tracks across the album, the mono results in a much darker listening experience, retaining the ‘spook’ the stereo often lacks, but this is also inversely true at times. Balancing also differs on numerous occasions, highlighting different parts on the backing track to allow impact to vary in subtle ways that make all the difference. I hope you'll agree that regardless of mix, this is a wonderful record, but one mix to me really brings the production home. Happy Listening, Frederick Patreon  Email    Instagram - @hypnoticfred 

Hello Friends! In today's episode we're heading out with a downright Australian classic, The Loved One's Magic Box. Issue in October 1967 as a collection of 10 of the group's previously released tracks and two warmup covers, this album is home today to classics such as 'The Loved One', 'Ever Lovin' man' and 'Sad Dark Eyes', but despite being issued in mono and stereo, the last 40 years have not been kind to the state of this LP. As of 1985, all issues of this album comprise of a faulty master created from an isolation of the left channel of the stereo mix summed to mono (with one exception), meaning many elements panned to the right are now lost, providing a listening experience not representative of either mix. Today I'll be breaking down what makes the two different mixes both unique and similar, but also tracks where the current digital issue is both a little closer to the intended experience than others, as well as where it truly neuters the experience. Regardless of it all, this album contains some incredible performances, so it back in your loverly car, and let's dive into The Loved Ones' Magic Box. Happy Listening, Frederick Patreon  Email    Instagram - @hypnoticfred    Many thanks to Jaenes / Q Records for his in-depth history on the group.