Do you prefer to listen to the Beach Boys in mono or stereo?

[DrZombi]

On iTunes, I bought a version of Smiley Smile that contains both the stereo and mono mixes of the songs. When I compared songs side by side, it was almost like listening to two different albums. The mono version was creepier and more distorted sounding, while the stereo version made the songs sound more cinematic, like songs Pixar would use if they ever made a horror movie.

Then I went back to the other albums. Pet Sounds needs to be in Stereo for everything to be heard. Same with Smile. Surfer Girl actually sounded phenomenal in Stereo, especially "Your Summer Dream".

The other 60s albums sounded good enough in mono.

[Niko]

Depends on the song.

Heroes and Villains - Stereo all the way
California Girls - Mono

Gotta hear em all in both to know 

[DrZombi]

Depends on the song.

Heroes and Villains - Stereo all the way

Yeah, H&V is way too muddy in mono

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

SMILE mono vinyl sounds fantastic but the CD's and files sound like crap, to my ears......

[halblaineisgood]

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[sockittome]

I generally prefer stereo, unless it's really wanky sounding.  Example:  The Lonely Sea, one of the few Beach Boys songs that sounds worlds better in mono than stereo, IMO.

[ppk700]

I prefer Wild Honey and anything before it to be in mono, and from Friends onward in stereo. That being said, I would love to hear Friends and 20/20 in mono...

[zachrwolfe]

‍

[Disney Boy (1985)]

Usually I prefer Mono.

Stereo can have a slightly 'tinny', stale sound that i don't care for, whereas Mono is so much more full.

Listen to both versions of Please Let Me Wonder and you'll (possibly) see what i mean. Likewise, Catch a Wave sounds so much more full of life in Mono.

[Phoenix]

Stereo, in most cases

[alf wiedersehen]

I prefer Wild Honey and anything before it to be in mono, and from Friends onward in stereo.

Hmm....

[ThyRavenAscend]

I didn't realize until recently how much of a difference there was between some mono/stereo mixes.  I much prefer nearly all of PS in stereo and probably stereo mixes when I have them, but I think I'd have to take it track-by-track.

[Jim Rockford]

I like both. The modern stereo mixes intrigue me, but I kinda lean more towards mono.

[Al Jardine: Pick Up Artist]

Oh man, varies wildly from song to song.

I seem to be the only person on this board who liked the first PLMW stereo mix, I don't care for the one one the 2012 Today!

Fun, Fun, Fun in stereo is just wimpy compared to mono.

Stereo California Girls is so, so, so good.

It may be blasphemous, but I prefer stereo Pet Sounds.

It's really kind of up in the air. I tend to prefer stereo, but not always.

[Cabinessenceking]

Generally stereo, but I do understand speakers that cannot play stereo should always have a mono record playing if possible.

[halblaineisgood]

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[Alex]

Duophonic!!!

[Jim V.]

Honestly, I didn't really used to care. But then after learning more, I've come to prefer the music the way it came out originally. That means, for stuff like Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) and Pet Sounds I go to the mono most of the time. However, I gotta say, something like the stereo mix of "Salt Lake City" really opens the song up.

[halblaineisgood]

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[Joel Goldenberg]

I think the more complex productions, Today, Summer Days, Pet Sounds, Smile, would have been preferable in stereo, but stereo done at the time. On CD at least, I always found some tracks on Today to sound rather flat in mono. And hearing Kiss Me Baby in stereo on the first pressing of Endless Harmony was a revelation. I wish the rest of the 2012 stereo Today was mixed as well as that track originally was

[halblaineisgood]

.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I prefer Wild Honey and anything before it to be in mono, and from Friends onward in stereo. That being said, I would love to hear Friends and 20/20 in mono...

There is a torrent of what claims to be a rare mono mix of Friends on the internet. I once had it but I deleted it as the released stereo mix was way better.

Not rare at all - was released on a 1990s GH album. And as a 45.  

[halblaineisgood]

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[ppk700]

I prefer Wild Honey and anything before it to be in mono, and from Friends onward in stereo.

Hmm....

I'm a pretty radical guy... I live dangerously, I know.

[Mikie]

Stereo. Without reservation. I like binaural too - the binaural mix of Surfer Girl. Too bad there can never be a complete true stereo Wild Honey album, but I'll take what Linett mixed and let the fan mixers fill the gaps. Do we have a true stereo Smiley Smile yet? And the Today and Summer Days albums. Are we almost there or are we there already? And we can never have true stereo versions of the Deuce Coupe album and much of the Shut Down album 'cause the multi-tracks are missing. How much of All Summer Long tracks do we have stereo versions of? And though there are some great stereo mixes of Good Vibrations, there can never be a true stereo version. Guess I'll go to my grave never hearing that.....

Stereo's where it's at, baby! I remember when I first heard Pet Sounds in stereo in '96. I completely rediscovered that album for about a year or two.