Still wondering But has anyone actually HEARD the new EH remaster on a decent system and done a source and mastering evaluation? (Not talking here about AYE and the rest of the EH catalog).
Why the Hendrix people didn't do the UK version of this LP in MONO is the REAL question. I only have one UK Track Hendrix single (Wind Cries Mary) and IMO it is the best sounding version there is. All analogue, all mono. Remember people, the first 4 Hendrix singles were initially released in the UK only in mono, as was the first LP. (The Japan 1981 re-issue of this, in MONO, is nice too.) AYE was mixed to stereo for US release, as were the singles tracks. From multi-track tapes? I doubt it. SH will know though. That's why AYE in stereo sounds so bad, IMO. The UK stereo release occurred after the US LP AYE release, though when, exactly, is not known to me. Maybe 1968 or so.
AYE MONO Classic Records announced last year they would do AYE in MONO (LP). Anyone here knows if it is going to happen? BC
Peter, how do you think it was mixed to stereo? It's certainly not "mono rechanneled to stereo" (ie treble on one side and bass on the other) there is genuine stereo imaging on the stereo AYE. It has to have been mixed down originally from multitrack masters
The entire US release is definitely mixed from multis (4 track?). No question. I don't have an original British press, but I can't imagine they used rechanneled stereo. AYE in stereo doesn't sound that bad to me, it just is what it is.
You are correct, there is real stereo imaging, it is not re-channeled. However, AYE, in stereo sounds bad, period, vs. Axis which is wonderful in stereo (mono too). Eddie Kramer wrote a letter in response to Fremer's article about Hendrix which appeared in The Tracking Angle in 1996 which addressed the issue, confirming that AYE was first mixed to stereo (as were the singles tracks which were not on the original UK AYE release) for the US AYE release. However, he made no mention of the source tapes. Since then, I have been wondering why AYE in stereo sounds the way it does. It (though I am no expert here) couldn't be just that AYE was recorded on the cheap. I suspect it has something to do with the number of tracks used. Anyway, all this is beside the point. Smash Hits should have been in mono, with the UK track listing. I bought ALL the other Experience Hendrix LP's. I said no to this one.
I'm sure the stereo EH AYE has lots of limiting and maximising, but it still sounds good to me also. I haven't heard a mono Track however. Axis does sound better, but has anyone heard Axis in mono on Classic vinyl?
Yes. The Classic vinyl is good, but my copy is noisy for a new LP and a little warped too. My 34 year old MINT mono original of Axis is, I think, a bit better than the Classic. The mono UK Track AYE sounds muffled and flat when you first start listening to it but improves as the sides progress. I think "Fire" (which starts side 1) just doesn't sound good in mono, but the rest of the LP does. I don't think I get acclimated to MONO as the side progresses because I prefer mono anyway usually. Hope this helps.
I have a decent system and the new Smash Hits. Its kind of a mixed bag. I liked some track more than others. I'd give it C+ grade.