Buffalo Springfield debut released 50 years ago today

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by JoeRockhead, Dec 5, 2016.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Mono.:righton:
     
  2. Raunchnroll

    Raunchnroll Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    I've trended towards to the original release. Its kind of nice not having the ubiquitous hit on the album. Makes the original fresh sounding. Mono of course.
     
    ssmith3046 likes this.
  3. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    I like both versions of the album. FWIW has a special memories for me. Me and best friend would get together every week at his house or mine to watch the Monkees. I was 14 then. When we were at his house his big brother would be playing the single of FWIW constantly. It really got my attention and I loved it. Quite a contrast from what the Monkees were playing.
     
  4. TheDailyBuzzherd

    TheDailyBuzzherd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeast USA

    No doubt. It was probably word of mouth that songwriters/performers
    could be hustled in the same way software engineers were in The '90s.
     
  5. Beattles

    Beattles Senior Member

    Location:
    Florence, SC
    Does anyone know if the UK Atlantic Masters reissue of the Buffalo Springfield fist album is true Mono or a fold down?
     
  6. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    It's actually stereo, not as falsely claimed on the label to be MONO.

    Atlantic Masters reissue of S/T LP:


    I prefer the MONO vinyl over the stereo (ATCO original pressings)...it just has way more punch and a crisper sound over the stereo to my ears.
    Still have my original with "For What It's Worth" (which would be the 1967 second pressing I believe).


    "Young and Stills have long maintained that their own mono mix was superior to the stereo mix engineered by Greene and Stone." -wiki

    The stereo mix of "For What It's Worth" is a bit annoying to my ears, with the repeated guitar riff too much in the forefront, whereas guitar in the MONO mix is pushed back a bit, allowing the whole band to shine. Punchy!


    Buffalo Springfield - The Beginning

    I found this one in a used bin...(bought it just for the cover montage) which has the photo sessions I think from the Last Time Around era, but with Bruce instead of Messina in keeping with the first LP's members. It says it is MONO on the vinyl label but is obviously stereo. It has a cool write-up anyway and is a clean stereo copy. It also says "Atlantic Masters"---really from the master tapes? I wonder.

    But seeing it on an Atlantic label instead of ATCO is kinda cool, and a bit strange, as I have had the original ATCO since 1967.


    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Mar 12, 2018
    Matthew Tate likes this.
  7. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    My Atlantic Masters vinyl 1973 is definitely STEREO, not MONO as mistakenly indicated on the label.

    See post Above.
     
  8. 0476pearljam

    0476pearljam Forum Resident

    Location:
    Belgium
    This one is also a good example of how the record companies don't want to make money. : it's obvious a mono reissue done AAA by chris bellman like he did the Neil Young ones would sell in big quantities...
     
    Matthew Tate likes this.
  9. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    For What It's Worth--for comparison. You need your own vinyl for a real at home test, but MONO rules here.

    MONO


    Stereo
    For What It's Worth
     
    fr in sc likes this.
  10. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    I'd much rather have a proper stereo/mono twofer CD that includes everything: the stereo Baby Don't Scold Me (not available since 1967) and the mono For What It's Worth.
     
  11. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    Would that be a proper stereo remix, not the one by Greene & Stone? That one is awful.

    The MONO mix was mixed by Stills and Young and the band? That is what I surmise when they say their (Stills and Young) mix is better than the Greene & Stone stereo mix.
     
    Lightworker likes this.
  12. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    The original mix. It's not any more awful than the mono mix.
     
    Matthew Tate likes this.
  13. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    So what is the Greene and Stone stereo mix that Stills and Young refer to and dislike so? School me please.
     
  14. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    The same one. There's one stereo mix.
     
  15. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    Thanks, Lukpac.

    I have both of those and I find the MONO to be a much better listen than the Stereo mix..on my modest system (see profile if interested) and to my ears (ol' ears now, but have always thought so ...and agreed with Stills & Young).

    I also never got the beef with the production. Since it's all we've ever had, it sounds just fine to me.
     
  16. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    I have both and I prefer the stereo mix. Also, Richie Furay and John Einarson tell a different story:

    "The five members were embarrassed by the final stereo mix. Balances were off from track to track, the fidelity was flat, the bass sound lost, and harmonies buried. Overall, the album lacked presence or definition. "We got a two-sided master dub of the album," Dickie continues, "and charged over to Steve Saunders' house, where there was the best sound equipment we knew about. Saunders was working for The Mamas and The Papas then, and John Phillips was there when we arrived. We put the dub on the record player, and I could have hidden for shame. Levels were so far off from one track to the next, it sounded like they were from two different albums. It was terrible."

    The group begged Atco to let them redo it, even going as far as to suggest Barry Friedman be recruited to assist in re-recording several tracks. Atco refused both requests but did relent in allowing Stephen and Neil to mix the mono version, though the difference is negligible. "I would have loved to have recorded them," responds Barry, "but they never called me. The songs were there, the music was there, and the guys played well but the production was bad." "Who knows what may have happened had we had someone like George Martin to mix the pot together?" Richie postulates. "Who knows?""

    There are a few things I would change about the stereo mix, but for the most part 1) I still find it enjoyable and 2) the problems seem to mostly be in the recording, not the mixing. The bad sounding tracks sound bad in both mono and stereo.
     
    fr in sc and Man at C&A like this.
  17. lemonade kid

    lemonade kid Forever Changing

    Right. The differences are negligible but for some reason the MONO is my go-to vinyl. But we all have slightly different "ears"...what makes the world go round!

    Cheers!
    lk

    :tiphat:
     
  18. fr in sc

    fr in sc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hanahan, SC
    Hear, hear! And ditto for BS Again; they could throw in the single of "Bluebird" b/w "Mr. Soul" to make it even sweeter.
     
    lukpac likes this.
  19. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
     
    fr in sc likes this.
  20. fr in sc

    fr in sc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hanahan, SC
    They "managed" Sonny & Cher and probably watched Sonny in the control room so they could claim to future victims, er, clients (The Springfield, The Cake) that they knew how to produce records. I'm sure they told them that they were the real reason for S&C's success on record.
     
    TheDailyBuzzherd likes this.
  21. 0476pearljam

    0476pearljam Forum Resident

    Location:
    Belgium
    Don't we already have the 4 cd long box from 15 years ago on cd ?
     
  22. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    The box set only has mono mixes from the first album; the stereo mix of Baby Don't Scold me remains unreleased digitally.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine