Bob Dylan's "Blonde On Blonde" in mono:

[chet]

Is this:
Better
Worse
Same
as the stereo version? I've seen it in mono in vinyl recently and want a good copy.

[byrdbrain]

I bought a heavy vinyl reissue for my nephew a couple of years ago. I think
it was stereo, and it sounded absolutely terrific.
Last year I got him the deluxe 3 LP version of Village Green Preservation Society.
He's very into vinyl, and I have to maintain the standard of his collection.

[chet]

What does the Kink's album have on it that's extra?

I saw a used copy a few months ago I should've picked up.

[byrdbrain]

It has both the mono and stereo version, plus odd ditties like
the instrumental "Mick Avory's Underpants". No, really.
I love that album.
Edit: It's not simply mono and stereo version plus extras.
Here the track listing:
LP One
1. The Village Green Preservation Society
2. Do You Remember Walter
3. Picture Book
4. Johnny Thunder
5. Last Of The Steam Powered Trains
6. Big Sky
7. Sitting By The Riverside
8. Animal Farm
9. Village Green
10. Starstruck
11. Phenominal Cat
12. All Of My Friends Were There
13. Wicked Annabella
14. Monica
15. People Take Pictures Of Each Other

LP Two
1. Days - single mix, mono
2. Mr Songbird - mono mix
3. Polly - single mix, mono
4. Wonderboy - single mix, mono
5. Berkeley Mews - single mix, mono
6. Village Green - with alternate doubled vocals
7. Village Green - instrumental mix
8. Misty Water - stereo mix
9. Berkeley Mews - stereo mix
10. Easy Come, There You Went - stereo Mix
11. Polly - stereo mix
12. Animal Farm - alternate stereo mix
13. Phenomenal Cat - instrumental mix
14. Johnny Thunder - stereo mix

LP Three
1. Did You See His Name - mono mix
2. Mick Avory's Underpants
3. Lavender Hill
4. Rosemary's Rose
5. Wonderboy - stereo mix
6. Spotty Grotty Anna
7. Where Did My Spring Go
8. Groovy Movies
9. Creeping Jean - stereo mix
10. King Kong
11. Misty Water - mono mix
12. Do You remember Walter - BBC remix
13. Animal Farm - BBC remix
14. Days - BBC remix

[Oster]

The mono gatefold has the so-called 'women pictures'. Sounds about the same as the stereo to me.

[chet]

Yeah, I saw the women pictures in an Ebay ad. Who were they and why aren't they in the later copies of the album? They weren't in the stereo album I had in the seventies.

[chet]

I'd like to get that version of the Kink's "VGPS". I haven't seen it over here but maybe i wasn't looking in the right place.

[Doug Ferguson]

Can't speak for the mono version of BOB, or the vinyl either (my vinyl copies were in stereo). However I d have the CD of Pet Sounds in both mono and stereo, and I like the mono version better. It's fuller sounding. Not surprising, though, given that Brian can't hear in stereo.

[Oster]

Originally Posted by chet

Yeah, I saw the women pictures in an Ebay ad. Who were they and why aren't they in the later copies of the album? They weren't in the stereo album I had in the seventies.

Not sure who they are or what the story is but IMO they added much to the visuals (especially given the lyric tone of that record).

It's such a dense, cluttered, funky and words-driven record that stereo or mono doesn't make much difference to my ears.

[vjf1968]

The infamous "woman pictures" that are only in the first pressing of "Blonde On Blonde" are of Italian actress/model Claudia Cardinale and another unnamed female. They were either used without permission or someone changed their mind and told Columbia they couldn't use the pictures so an alternate was made. The "woman pictures" are very rare and can fetch a lot in collector's circles for either mono or stereo versions.

The mono mix was actually mixed with Bob's participation and is a lttle more trebely than the stereo which was done by a Columbia engineer. The mono version of the vinyl has been available from Sundazed for some time as well as the previous Dylan albums prior to B.O.B.

A little off topic there are also vinyl versions of the Byrds studio albums in mono from Sundazed. I know Terry Melcher liked to speed up the mono mixes for radio and really compress the track so they would sound differnt from the stereo versions. As for the later albums after Gene Clark left, I can't say there is much of a difference.

[Oster]

Originally Posted by vjf1968

A little off topic there are also vinyl versions of the Byrds studio albums in mono from Sundazed. I know Terry Melcher liked to speed up the mono mixes for radio and really compress the track so they would sound differnt from the stereo versions. As for the later albums after Gene Clark left, I can't say there is much of a difference.

My copy of 'Younger Than Yesterday' is original mono and 'Everybody's Been Burned' has a slightly different mix but over the course of the whole LP the differences are slight.

[chet]

Finally bought the mono version today of "Blonde On Blonde".







I had a stereo version in the '70s but I'm quite blown away by how great this version is! There's a lot of separation and great sound!

I recommend anyone getting this if they haven't heard it before. Maybe the best double album I've ever heard end to end.

[chet]