Mixology: The Mono/Stereo Mix Differences Podcast

• Marianne Faithfull on Decca: A Conversation with Andrew Batt

  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 

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• Hold On! by Herman's Hermits

  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 

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• The Best of The Dave Clark Five (UK, 1970) by The Dave Clark Five

  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 

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• Scott 2 by Scott Walker

  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 

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• The Beach Boys Today! by The Beach Boys

  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 

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