Doors strange days mono vinyl reissue April 2015

Where'd you snag it?

 

The whole mono album is on YouTube and I've listened to it fairly closely. Clearly some tracks ARE just fold-downs of the same stereo mix, whilst the singles have different mixes. However some tracks appear to be a mix of fold-down and original mono mix and it's hard to pin it down. One thing I noticed and I've not heard or read anyone mention this but the vocals sound different to me on some tracks - I don't simply mean mixed differently either; they sound like different vocal takes?

Overall though the prospect of acquiring SD in mono doesn't really set me on fire even though it could be my favourite Doors album. I've listened to the debut all of once in mono and retired it to the shelf. That album is a different beast in mono and ALL different all the way through. Nevertheless the stereo rules. If I want a mix to really sound different I'll take the 40th Anniversary remixes.

 

Say what??

 

I mean to listen to some of the tracks they sound very similar to the stereo mix but simply folded and yet then small details appear that make you question that aspect ie. they could be an entirely new mix. Who knows? I'm sure it has been said that the entire album sans singles is a fold down.

 

See recent post #51 by our host: "The entire album is a dedicated mono mix. There are no folds."

 

In that case it's very very similar to the stereo mix folded when heard on YouTube. Check it out.

 

I have an original mono, and the sound is consistently the most 3 dimensional mono I've ever heard on the whole disc (that is my recall of listening to it anyway).
Something about the soundstage is very magical with the keyboards and guitar. FWIW I have only played it on a Grado so far and they excel in midrange depth and presentation which may have enhanced this 'effect'.
I mentioned my copy earlier, it's condition is very yin yang as it has these 3 concentric (to the grooves) scars, one is on trk2 side1 and two are on trk 2 side2. Someone apparently needle dropped a needleless cantilever onto the surface in those spots, or something like that, it warbles in those spots briefly -it's all playable and the side one mark is just a brief bit of noise, but the marks on side 2 really muf up the second track for about 5 seconds. Side two also has a light scratch along the end of the last track that makes repeated tics.
Other than that it's amazing with nice gloss and not overplayed or scuffed up at all, my guess is the damage was done to it early on, so it was not something the original owner wanted to play after that.
I rescued it from a garage sale for a dollar, so I really have no complaints.

 

Bought one on eBay, haven't gotten it yet. I never go to RSD. Hate it.

 

I think the first album mono is a better mix than the stereo except my copy sounds fuzzy. I guess that's just the way it was cut unfortunately

 

Never been to it either.

Haven't seen video of it or know of anyone personally that's attended, but it sounds like one of those things where it started off tolerable and eventually turned into Portlandia.

F that S.

But, I too am looking forward to picking up the SD mono reissue via the same avenue you have.

 

I hope this sounds better than the RSD first album in mono. Yuck.

 

After seeing that a Canadian seller is selling this RSD product online for $99.99, and that an Italian seller has been selling them for around $22, I would think RSD complaints are as appropriate here as anywhere.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Doors-S...520?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3f4a7ba7d0

 

Maybe a bunch of us should get together and "mock buy" all the stuff on ebay for RSD 2015 (but not actually pay for it) so that we tie up the sellers inventory until after RSD.

 

Absolutely will TRY TO purchase this!

 

Hopefully, I have a copy reserved for me at a local - which I requested.

 

Anyone read "Professor Stone's blog"? He clearly states most of the album is nothing but a fold down of the stereo?

 

The "logbook proves otherwise" comment was a response to what comment exactly? In the context of both isolated quotes from Steve above on the own, it is a little confusing!

Steve, if you're reading this, in 2015 do you still maintain the belief that the ENTIRE album is an entirely separate and fresh mix? As I suspect many readers will know there are countless debates all over the websphere about this and not a few people have concluded that at least SOME tracks on the album are simple fold-downs with some "clever EQing".

Either way I hope for the sake of those buying this it sounds a lot better than the mono debut which is absolutely atrocious. Does anyone know why that sounds as bad as it does?

 

Not so. He said the UK mono was a fold, but not the US. In fact his notes include a plea to rhino to reissue this mix on vinyl.

 

I heard on this very forum that the source for the reissue of the mono debut was a poorly-done needle-drop. Is that the consensus?

 

That might explain how poor it is. Mind you they'd still need to get the most trashed copy of it available and then play it on a cheap deck with a faulty stylus and over loaded cart fed through a broken amp to sound as bad as it does. Maybe they really wanted the vintage car speaker sound?

So what will be the source of Strange Days mono vinyl? Hopefully not the same.

 

The original Strange Days mono sounds amazing -I never believed it could be a fold even going back to when Steve and others were convinced that it was. Mainly because it sounds so good and does have some obvious differences in the mix. FWIW, I think it was cut with a stereo cutting head because it sounds fine played with a stereo cart.
I never gave it enough thought except to pull it out but once a year ago to compare the stereo vs mono in a brief listening session (I listened to both sides of each once) and it confirmed that there was definitely more to whatever story there is out there because it does have some obvious differences and it sounds great.
I figured that what with all the real experts out there, I don't need to take notes and do an in depth analysis.
I suppose that having one to check and reading that it is indeed a dedicated mix makes it less of a large scale issue for me.
I do know that it does make me vary curious as to what this new pressing will sound like.
I also feel that the stereo version sounds just fine.
The logbook comment is good enough for me, I mean that comes from someone who works in that business and was just recently in that vault...
A fold just wouldn't sound as good as it does, which is to say it has a fresh pressed from the 1at tape sound -not a mixdown to mono copy tape sound.

 

I thought the mono Strange Days master was MIA some years ago when they couldn't release it with the debut as part of the Rhino box? Has it been unearthed recently?

 

How the hell anyone could think a mono mix of anything could sound good is beyond my understanding.

Mono, to me, sound horrible

 

Lots of surpring statements in this thread. Of course there are tons of great recordings in mono that sound wonderful. In most cases they don't exist in stereo like all the early jazz records. But it is hard for me to understand that anyone would trash the Beatles albums in mono,

I am also surprised that the issue of Strange Days being a fold or not is still not settled. I will have to listen closely.