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

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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

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Many thanks to Jaenes / Q Records for his in-depth history on the group.

Hello Friends! We're kicking 2025 off with a bang today, with something relatively obscure to listeners today. Released in 1968, the 2nd LP by Paul & Barry Ryan, and their 1st on MGM, was issued only in the UK in both mono and stereo. Simply titled Paul & Barry Ryan, these original pressings remain the only issues of the material to this day, and all signs sadly indicate that the masters for this material has long since vanished. As a result, all our audio today has been taken from two great copies of this somewhat hard to find LP, and for many listeners this will likely be their first taste of this material.

But why am I covering such an album? Well, late in 2024 Andrew from Parlogram brought this material to my attention, promising two mixes that varied so greatly that they would make for a fantastic episode. And I must say, he was completely on the money with that statement. These mixes, for the most part, vary wildly in all the best ways. Heavy echo differences, wild balance variations, alternate vocals, and many elements missing in one or the other mix. This is the sort of album Mixology was made for investigating, and combined with the great music within, this episode will be a treat for all listeners, whether you are familiar with the album or not.

As such, I want to give a huge thank you to Andrew for his assistance with today's episode. I heartily suggest you check out his YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@Parlogram - after listening to today's episode (if you are not already following along). You won't be disappointed.

As a bonus for Patrons, I do will be covering the mono LP in a Longplayers in Mono episode soon, as I feel the music deserves a conversation aside from the mix differences themselves, so head on over to the Back to Mono Radio Patreon to sign up and listen if you haven't already at https://www.patreon.com/backtomono

Happy listening,

Frederick

Patreon

Hello Friends! We're rounding out Mixology for the year today with a look back over everything we covered this year, including a couple of corrections and updates, as well as a look at a bunch of interesting emails I received through the year. 2024 has been an amazing year for the show that I am incredibly proud of, and while I can't imagine I can really follow-up on some of the highest highs I managed this year, I've got some wonderful things lined up for 2025 I've teased in this episode.

Happy Listening, and see you in 2025,

Frederick

(Except if you head over to the Patreon, where I'll see you next week for Back to Mono 100! Find it at www.patreon.com/backtomono)

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Hello Friends! As we move into episode 101 we bring you something quite special to follow-up the unfollowable. During my time working on Blonde on Blonde, I was approached by noted reissue producer and historian Andrew Sandoval to investigate a recent acquisition of a large number of Beach Boys 45s, both stock and promo, from across the Brother/Reprise years, and a number of anomalies present in his initial listening to these, most notably in the mono presentations on the promo copies, though the stereo was not without interest. Thus, today I present to you an episode in two parts:

Our first half features a discussion between me and Andrew, both about the discs themselves and how he came to acquire the copies you'll be hearing samples from today, as well as a brief run-down and discussion of my findings. This was a wonderful discussion, and with many suitable tangents into the worlds of both record collecting and The Beach Boys, and proved a learning experience for us both.

The second half of the episode, and the main bulk, is a slightly different take on the Mixology format, working through the singles from 1970 thru 1974 one by one, both in stock and promo, and comparing these to their regular LP presentations where applicable, to discover what had been modified for each release, and where modifications had been made, if these were consistent with current CD and Digital releases of these tracks. Believe it or not, we have a few mixes here today that have never been accurately represented in the digital domain, and remain unissued in authentic representations since these original 45s, while some did receive special processing for both stock and promo release that has not since been replicated, for reasons that are evident when listening.

As a result, today's episode was an absolute joy to research, compile and record, and I want to thank Andrew again for reaching out with this opportunity for the show, and graciously surrendering a portion of his time for the conversation. Hopefully this slightly fresh take on the Mixology format delights you, the listener, and helps you to Add Some Music to Your Day.

Happy Listening,

Frederick

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Hello Friends! Well, it's finally time for the big one - and not just that today marks Episode 100 of the show. After 6 months of planning, work, and research, we have arrived at what will surely be the peak of the Mixology format, our extensive look at Bob Dylan's 1966 classic Blonde on Blonde. Issued in both mono and stereo as a 14-track double LP, the album was subject to a partially revised stereo mix, issued as soon as 1966 in some countries (Australia never got the initial stereo mix for example), while the UK & Canada got a stack of exclusive mono mixes (more in the latter), and even France got a handful too. Many of the singles from the album were also heavily edited, and in the case of one, remixed too. This gives us a total of 52 vintage mixes and edits from the 60s period for this album - but the fun doesn't stop there...

From the dawn of the CD era, this album has only been issued in remixed form, with new mixes being issued in 1987, 1992, and 1999, the latter of which is the mix you'll find available today. A number of the original and revised mixes have thankfully slipped out on compilations through the years, but for the most part these remain exclusive to the vinyl issues of these albums. Regardless, these remixed albums increase our mix look to a whopping 94 unique mixes and edits for this episode.

As a result, our extensive run-time today comes as no surprise, and is well deserving of placement as episode 100 of Mixology. I hope you're sitting comfortably, with your Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat on tight, because we're in for one heck of a ride.

I also want to give a huge thank you to two people whose assistance proved invaluable in the research of this episode. When it came to CD sources for the vintage mixes, James Messina came to me having done the majority of the dirty work, locating discs from all over the world as reference to ensure we had the best sources at hand for comparison. Without him this episode could not be as analytically sound as it is.

Even moreso though I must thank Roger Ford from electricdylan.net, an essential resource for the 1965-66 period of Dylan's career. Much of what you'll hear me cover today comes from the extensive notes present on Roger’s website, and I certainly could never have known the true extent of the mix mountain for the album without his research. Roger has also kindly been extremely helpful along the way in pointing me in the correct direction of sources I needed to pickup for the episode, and without him, this episode could not have been as comprehensive and complete as the final result has become.

And now, it's time for you to all become a part of it. The world - not the album - that is the Thin, Wild, Mercury Sound of Blonde on Blonde.

Happy Listening,

Frederick

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Hello Friends! Here we are, at episode 99, and what better way to hit the end of double digits with than The Kinks curio of a live album from 1967/68 [US/UK], Live at Kelvin Hall. Notorious for its overbearing loop of screams edited into the mixdown, the album is nothing if not an exciting listen. But what of the two mixes available for this sonic experience? Well, between the Stage Front of the Mono and the Hall Rear of the stereo, they couldn't be more different, including heavy echo usage in stereo only, entirely different guitar overdubs throughout in each mix, and a generally different balance and track edits in each. All-in-all, a vastly different experience that can be hard to initially quantify. So come on now - Batman wants answers!

Happy Listening,

Frederick

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Hello Friends! It's Beatle time here on the show again, as we finally round out our look at all the catalog LPs in the Beatles canon with a look at 1963's With the Beatles. Originally issued in mono and stereo, this twin-track recording seems like a simple comparison on the surface - and yes, many of the tracks are - but there's some real hidden secrets in these mixes that demand your attention, including unique overdubs in each mix, alternate edit pieces used, and a couple of odd balance moments independent of each other. We also have a couple of curious international variations, one with some extraneous session sounds, and the other the fault of a tape machine. Of course, MONEY makes a completely worthy climax to this knock-out programme. Hope it doesn't leave you too breathless to flip back to Side One for a repeat-play session WITH THE BEATLES.

Happy Listening,

Frederick

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Hello Cabbages! This week on the show we're taking our first full-length look at Chad & Jeremy, addressed here by their full names, and their 1967 statement piece Of Cabbages and Kings. A tale of two sides, this takes an already very progressive baroque-folk set of songs on Side 1 and pairs it with The Progress Suite on Side 2 - a 5 part, most instrumental look at the rise and fall of society and the politics surrounding it. It's a grand, Gary Usher produced statement of an album that lands for the most part, but how do it's two mixes stand up? Well, for the most part the mono and the stereo are equally strong, especially over speakers, and I never truly feel left wanting from the mixes, but there's plenty of little details that make each unique. So with these two LPs in hand, and a 45 edit/mix of opening cut 'Rest in Piece' trailing behind, let's dig into this album to deep which is the Cabbage, and which is the King.

I've also got to once again give a huge thanks to Ethan Alexanian from the Fans on the Run podcast for his work on the flatlay artwork for today's episode.

Oh, and I want a word with whoever decided to put my name on a gravestone at the start of the album. I'm a little suss now...

Happy Listening,

Frederick

P.S. If you want more Chad & Jeremy, we looked at 'Paxton Quigley...' b/w/ 'You Need Feet: last month over at the Patreon on Mixology on 45. 

Hello Friends! We're moving into the land down under this month on the show, with a look at the fantastic 2nd LP from Australia's own The Twilight, Once Upon a Twilight. Issued in 1968 in mono and stereo exclusively in Oz, the album has since been reissued on CD, including a Mono/Stereo issue by Aztec. Sadly, this uses a fold-down of the stereo for the mono presentation, while the original LP is wonderfully a dedicated mono affair, complete with drier vocals, and some wildly different use of effects throughout this very 'studio' production. This is a wonderful piece of late 60s Pop-Psych, and if you're a fan of The Beatles' 1967 efforts, or The Hollies' Butterfly, you'll love this album. Not convinced? What a silly thing to do! Be Mr. Nice and Take Action - the Blue Roundabout is waiting!

Happy Listening,

Frederick

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