Rolling Stones Mono

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Joey_Corleone, Sep 21, 2014.

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  1. Joey_Corleone

    Joey_Corleone Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Rockford, MI
    like many of us, I have been greatly enjoying the new beatles mono box over the past week. After I finished that, I decided to play some similar era stones, so I pulled out my DSD remaster vinyl of aftermath UK. While I enjoyed the record, all I could think about through the whole thing is "I am probably missing out....the mono is probably the definitive" .... Yet they are not easily accessible.

    I am not a stones guy, but some brief research reveals that their stuff pre aftermath was mono or fake stereo, with aftermath being the first dedicated stereo mix.

    It would make sense for them to put out a nice box set of all the UK mono, similar to what the beatles are doing. Seems like such a shame we don't have these.

    I know there was the 1964-1969 box, but it is OOP and not very affordable to find used. For those of us that just got into vinyl fairly recently, are originals really the only way we can hear the true Rolling Stones?
     
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  2. James_S888

    James_S888 Forum Resident

    Aftermath - the stereo is dedicated.
    The mono is nice but the stereo is great.

    Before Aftermath, well, it's complicated...
     
  3. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off

    Unfortunately the Stones catalogue is and always has been a bit of a mess. But, yes, absolutely I wish theyd do a mono set!

    The best are still the Deccas. And second pressings are very good. Sometimes better. There were also some 80s reissues of the early albums that are excellent. May take some patience and hunting though.
     
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  4. Joey_Corleone

    Joey_Corleone Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Rockford, MI
    Given the success of their contemporaries putting out mono boxes, it would be the perfect time to cash in on it too : )
     
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  5. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    I was lucky enough to buy the 64-69 Stones box before it went OOP and it's really a great collection. I own NM mono copies Beggar's Banquet and Let It Bleed and although they are fold-downs, with the exception of Sympathy For Devil, they sound great IMO. There were long running discussions on whether or not these were fold-downs and I think that attest to how good they sound.
     
  6. DrBeatle

    DrBeatle The Rock and Roll Chemist

    Location:
    Midwest via Boston
    The thing is, the production and mixing on Beatles albums was MILES better than how their peer's records sounded, even with Abbey Road/EMI's studio limitations (they were always behind everyone else when it came to getting more tracks). A testament to George Martin and the staff there, as you listen to a Beatles album from '65 or '66 and then a Who or Stones album from that era and it's shocking how much worse the latter two sound. The field didn't catch up to the Fabs in terms of production and mix quality until the end of the decade, IMO.
     
  7. rrbbkk

    rrbbkk Forum Resident

    Finding the correct masters might be an issue. It was said ABKCO searched the world to assemble the best sources for their 2002 SACD reissue and apparently had to compromise in some cases. That said a dedicated Stones MONO series would be nice as the riginal vinyl sells for a pretty penny even in rough shape.

    Most of the versions on the LONDON YEARS box set are mono.
     
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  8. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off

    Some of the Chess stuff sounds pretty good.
     
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  9. DrBeatle

    DrBeatle The Rock and Roll Chemist

    Location:
    Midwest via Boston
    True, it does!
     
  10. Adam9

    Adam9 Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй.

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    And all stereo. The mono are not dedicated mixes.
     
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  11. The Good Guy

    The Good Guy Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    That muffled scratchy sound quality the Stones seemed to have in the 1960s is strangely appealing. The weird thing is certain bootlegs like the Black Box & 2120 av recordings sound clear as a bell. By pure coincidence I am playing all 1960s Stones 7in singles through my y cables . Not only its keeping me fit I am enjoying it. So far I'm on We Love You
     
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  12. James_S888

    James_S888 Forum Resident

    The Chess stuff - from 1964 - is better than anything Abbey road could do until around 1969/1970.
    As pointed out, it was all stereo too, the mono versions on the early LPs are fold downs of the stereo.
    the olympic studios comes next which was really good, then regent, then the disaster that is the RCA recordings.
    Then again AFtermath was recorded at RCA and for that one they really got it right, that is one great sounding record.
    The problem is that the Stones recorded at so many different studios, whatever took their fancy at the time, so songs on the same early LPs sound different. Some great sonically, some catastrophic. The Beatles recorded all their stuff at the same place so its nice and consistent.
    with any Stones release of 60s material, done right, its going to involve some difficult choices. You're going to get both stereo and mono on the same LP, with no rhyme or reason, so no hitting the mono button or putting on your Y-front or whatever it is. You cannot get this stuff sounding consistent, because its not.

    That said, if a Stones box set done AAA like the Beatles using the most original source availyble, mono and stereo, I'd buy it in a minute.
     
  13. Driver 8

    Driver 8 Senior Member

    As James noted, this simply isn't true. Satanic Majesties, with Glyn Johns at the controls, sounds at least as good as Pepper, if not better, and is overall probably less compressed/phased/futzed with than Pepper. As noted, the Stones' earlier material had variable sound quality due it being recorded in different studios, whereas the Beatles always recorded in Abbey Road, but not all of it is poor-sounding.
     
  14. marcb

    marcb Senior Member

    Location:
    DC area
    I think I have 4 or 5 mono Decca Aftermath pressings and they all sound like crap on my rig.

    I don't know if it's just that I have 4 or 5 bad copies (possible but not likely) OR that this particular record just presents a challenge to my tonearm/cart OR the length of the record presents issues OR it just sounds like crap.
     
  15. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    On any rig.
     
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  16. marcb

    marcb Senior Member

    Location:
    DC area
    That's reassuring...I guess.
     
  17. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Accept it for what it is, great music.
     
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  18. MickAvory

    MickAvory Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    I just listened to the London Aftermath in mono a few nights ago. I've got my mono switch box engaged and it sounded decent. My copy isn't mint, but falls somewhere close to or a bump above VG+.

    I know Steve just said that the Decca version won't sound great on any rig. Again.. I didn't say my mono Aftermath was sublime or anything, but I had a nice time listening.

    My question: do we really expect the Stones material to sound great? Are we supposed to compare it to the Beatles?

    The Chess recorded stuff is nice.. but, the Stones aren't some audiophiles in the studio trying to capture the perfect sound. There is no Brian Wilson in the Stones. No George Martin producing...

    I think we ask too much of the Stones to sound fantastic. They were and still are rough, musically and personally. They weren't the kind of guys you want to take home to meet your mother. Maybe that's just image, I don't know. I enjoy them and they are a great deal of fun. There are many Stones songs that I absolutely love. But, I'm not expecting them to be Steely Dan records.
     
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  19. marcb

    marcb Senior Member

    Location:
    DC area
    I don't mean that the record sounds crappy because the mix is awful or the sound is over compressed or badly eq'd. Going on memory here because I haven't played a copy in years, but I remember several songs (or maybe more) suffering from distortion and/or sibilance on every copy.
     
  20. Sax-son

    Sax-son Forum Resident

    Location:
    Three Rivers, CA
    I have most of the original Stones catalog in mono, Not all of it is good, but there are some that are superb. 12X 5, Now, Out of Our Heads, Rolling Stones #2 (UK) are really good. England's Newest Hit makers sounds weak and fuzzy to me. Decembers Children sound better in mono than stereo version.

    Aftermath has to be stereo for me, I have heard it in mono and I am not that impressed. It's such an incredible stereo recording, who would want to hear it any other way.
     
  21. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    You had it right the first time, the recording is terrible. Music tracks (with their crucial drums and cymbals) filtered at 5k to cut down on tape noise, weird, wide wimpy sounding instruments with too much chamber echo. Just how the engineer liked it. He also liked that sound on other songs he recorded like WHITE RABBIT, SOMEBODY TO LOVE, etc. and many other songs by other groups who just happened to record at RCA/Hollywood.

    Such is life..

    AFTERMATH is one of my favorite albums of all time.
     
  22. SpinningInfinity

    SpinningInfinity Forum Resident

    The Stones
    immediately came to my mind also listening to the Beatles mono...will read on as this thread develops to get more informed...I was a HUGE Stones fan for years...I did lose touch with them in the later 80's...but their catalog up to Tattoo You I always enjoyed tremendously and I'd love some Ultimate Collection of their work.
     
    Last edited: Sep 21, 2014
  23. MickAvory

    MickAvory Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    Maybe distortion, not necessarily sibilance on my London Aftermath. I don't know enough about EQ and compression, but I'd venture to say a great deal of their early catalog was designed to be played on teenage suitcase record players and AM radio.
     
  24. ShockControl

    ShockControl Bon Vivant and Raconteur!

    Location:
    Lotus Land
    Is it true that the US London mono Aftermath is a fold of the stereo, while the UK mono Aftermath is a dedicated mono mix?
     
  25. MickAvory

    MickAvory Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    Now that you say this Steve.. I can hear how those two Airplane tracks have a similar sound to parts of Aftermath. That same big echo sound where the instruments sound tinny with little bass or depth to them.
     
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