The inconsistency of non-stereo BB tracks on stereo LPs

[Joel Goldenberg]

I've always wondered this. From reading different forums, I've always had the idea that, on a stereo LP in particular in the early to mid-1960s, Capitol would automatically Duophonicize tracks only mixed in mono. They certainly did this with the Beatles, either in Duophonic, EMI's own fake stereo or Capitol's later conventional fake stereo process.
Yet with the Beach Boys, they seemed to go back and forth, sometimes on the same album, for instance:
a) Little Deuce Coupe has 409 in Duo, but A Young Man Is Gone in mono.
b) All of the non-stereo tracks on Shut Down Vol. 2 are mono, IIRC.
c) I Get Around and All Summer Long are Duo on All Summer Long, yet Our Favorite Recording Sessions is mono.
d) And yet Bull Session With the Big Daddy, on Today, also a spoken word track, is Duo like the rest of the Duo album
e) Do It Again is a wholly different type of fake stereo on 20/20.
f) Some tracks previously released in stereo were fake stereo on Best of Vol. 3, from '68.


Anyone have any insight into Capitol's line of thinking here?

[drbeachboy]

As to f, only Frosty The Snowman was ever available in stereo. The other 10 tracks on Volume 3 were only ever available in mono or fake stereo, prior.

[Joel Goldenberg]

As to f, only Frosty The Snowman was ever available in stereo. The other 10 tracks on Volume 3 were only ever available in mono or fake stereo, prior.

Thanks for the clarification. The inclusion of the song in fake stereo is truly bizarre. I guess they wanted consistency of bad sound.