Mono -vs- (new) Stereo

[GhostyTMRS]

I wonder what your thoughts are about this. When I first heard the stereo remix of Pet Sounds I never looked back. It made an already great album a mind-blowing listening experience. Similarly, the Hawthorne CA stereo remix of "Cotton-Fields" was so good I could never go back to the original mono. The same can be said for the 2012 stereo remix of  "Do It Again" (I've slotted these two remixes into my own version of 20/20 and it improves the album dramatically to these ears). The stereo extraction mixes, on the other hand, are hit or miss for me. Most of the time, they just sound odd.

The funny thing is, I'm usually a stickler for hearing the music exactly as an artist intended. The historian in me is ashamed of myself.  

[DonnyL]

I definitely prefer the original mono (or stereo) mixes to the newer ones. The new ones are cool in the way that Stack-O-Tracks is cool, but you can't beat how gelled together and magical those '60s mixes are. No way anyone in the world could recreate the vibe of the '60s originals.

[barto]

I prefer to listen to pet sounds in stereo. I know this is blasphemy for many but the instruments breathe better in the stereo mixes so much more. especially accordions, tack piano, woodwinds

Earlier stuff I do mono...the stereo mixes are not done well enough to achieve such an effect. it usually sounds weird and hollow to me. e.g., I get around.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I prefer to listen to pet sounds in stereo. I know this is blasphemy for many but the instruments breathe better in the stereo mixes so much more. especially accordions, tack piano, woodwinds

Earlier stuff I do mono...the stereo mixes are not done well enough to achieve such an effect. it usually sounds weird and hollow to me. e.g., I get around.

i'm with you...the exception for  me is "I'm Waiting For the Day", which to me sounds better in mono. The rest? Stereo all the way.

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

Bought PS in my senior in high school. My parents had a stereo console so I was familiar with the sound. To be quite honest, I was a bit disappointed that it was not released in FDS but loved it nonetheless. It was similar to throwing a fairly heavy blanket over the speakers creating a muffled effect. Then good old duophonic came along which basically added echo and a bit of clarity. I know I played the duophonic a lot more than the mono for sure. Hearing it thirty years later in glorious stereo was like hearing it for the first time. I was completely blown away and so damn thankful having waited three decades to play it on a good system. I probably will never hear it played in mono again, but it did make me appreciate the stereo even more when it came out. Anyone else have any stories about the experience?

[Shane]

I bought a scratchy mono LP copy of Pet Sounds at a yard sale in early 1997.  It was my first copy of the album, and that 50 cent purchase changed my life.  Aside from the obvious hit songs with which I was already familiar, to my ears the album sounded strange, psychedelic, and the mastering made the music sound distant.  I distinctly remember hearing "Don't Talk" for the first time and thinking, "What the heck am I listening to?"  It sounded like the music was happening behind a closed door.  Gradually the album grew on me. 

I bought the PS boxed set in December of that year with some Christmas money.  With the stereo mix, I couldn't believe how the complexities of the music came to life.  I hearing all sorts of little parts that were completely buried in the mono mix. 

As Brian said, "More of what was there, is there."

[CenturyDeprived]

Even though I'm generally against any sort of alteration to an original piece of art (see George Lucas for the best example, who mutilated his art in a super lame way, and also made the originals unavailable), I have to say that the vast majority of The BBs' stereo mixes have been done very tastefully, and true to the original vision of the songs, IMO. Even if some reverb is added here and there, it's not usually anything that to me sticks out like a sore thumb or detracts.

For those reasons, I break with my typical reaction to not liking altered pieces of art, and I'll say that I LOVE listening to this band in stereo, and if that means remixes, then so be it.

I have nothing against mono per se, and I still cherish mono-only tunes like Phil Spector's Back to Mono box set. But once stereo (well done with care) remixes become available, it's harder to *want* to listen to the mono versions. It's interesting to hear them, to figure out the subtle differences... but the stereo versions typically become the go-to versions when I'm in the mood to hear a given BB song.

And despite the fact that it is basically a vastly reimagined version, I also love Sail Plane Song (the MIC remixed version) simply because it's a fascinating foray into what could have been. As long as the original version of that song (and others) are still available, I have no problem with changes being made.

Side question, I wonder whose idea it was for Sail Plane Song to get that treatment. How did that reimagining come about?

[HeyJude]

I won't go into intense details because I've on at length about this before, but I think the stereo remixes have been a mixed bag.

Now, I'm not a purist. I'm for colorization and stereo remixes in most cases, especially so long as the original versions remain available. Rejiggered versions aren't always better, but it's a cool alternate way to hear/see things. Apart from a weird glitch or two, I "love" the "Yellow Submarine Songtrack" album of remixes for instance.

I think the 1996 PS remix is great, probably still the best stereo remix jobs done to anything in their catalog. I think the couple of  "Endless Harmony Soundtrack" stereo remixes are great (either versions, though I prefer the original 1998 Andrew Sandoval stereo remixes). The stuff on "Hawthorne" was generally okay.

But starting there, but moreso with projects like the "Warmth of the Sun" compilation, I feel the stereo remixes were WAAAAY too wet and reverb-laden. Listen to the stereo remixes of "Please Let Me Wonder" or "You're So Good to Me" and then go back to the mono versions. Way, way, way too much reverb, like someone hit the "opera house" setting on a digital receiver. Some stuff is more egregious than others, and perhaps it's Brian asking for more reverb/echo. But it really hurts some of those mixes.