DCC Archive Time and Life AM Gold Collection

I have a beef with the Time and Life AM Gold Collection. The selection of songs is pretty good, but most of the songs are in stereo (what a bummer)! Since these are hit songs that were played over the AM radio during the 1960's, they should be in MONO, not stereo!!!! They do not have the same impact in stereo. Too bad.

 

Ha ha,

Many people would have an even bigger beef about having those tracks in MONO only, on a marketing standpoint (if you think like an average consumer). The labels wouldn't let Time Life do that anyway, I'm sure, and the average folks at home might complain about what they paid for. Don't forget, many times Time Life uses Stereo masters whenever homanly possible while Rhino and the folks there feel the opposite, as Stereo mixes are rarely introduced if there's a choice.

 

uh...on hearing, most average or casual consumers don't know mono from stereo. Also, most people automatically asumme that stereo must be better, so that's why all the stereo.

Of course, in the 60's and early 70's we got mono mixes intended for the radio and 45 RPM buying public. Those mixes did sound powerful. Most of the time the stereo mixes just don't match the mono hit.

It is my belief that these companies know that mostly collectors buy oldies and most of the more outspoken sort are so-called audiophiles who are more concerned with seperation and soundstage than balance and impact.

Skott, I am a collector of mono singles on CD. I KNOW the mono mixes are HARDER to find. And, using the mono button does not work. If you engage the mono button on a stereo mix the balances are thrown off. Also, the stereo mixes are usually missing something, like a background vocal, instrumentation, the fade-out is wrong, it's edited differently, it has a different instrumental or vocal track...

 

I understand why these tracks are in stereo, but I was looking forward to listening to these tracks in mono as I did when I attended "sock-hops" and cruised in my car in the late 60's and early 70's. The stereo versions just don't cut it.

 

Well, in all fairness, if the single was originally released in stereo, it should appear that way on the collection. And vice versa, of course.

 

Steve,

I agree with you. But, all of the singles in the late 60's and early 70's were only released in mono. In fact, a number of albums were available in either mono or stereo.

 

Uh, no Johnny! a LOT os hits were mixed to stereo and some 45's were released in stereo, so sometimes the stereo is the correct version.

Now, if you have a list of songs you are looking for in mono I may have them. If the song was always in stereo, or was the same in stereo as in mono I may be able to help you out.

E-mail me.

 

As Grant stated, that's not true. In the US mono singles were *mostly* phased out by early 1969, with mono albums going bye-bye the year before.

 

Right (Luke). Besides I really think if you want to be that fenatical, which a LOT of us are, it's going to take more collecting than getting one Time Life compilation set. There are a lot of sources for a LOT of those songs (Motown, some singles collections on Rhino from the mid-60's-70's) feature the same stuff on Mono or Stereo depending on where you go. "ABC" by the Jackson 5 has been mastered in stereo a few times with mixed results, then on MONO on the Motown Singles box, if memory serves. Collecting makes you dizzy but that's why it's so much fun. Me, if I like the music so much, I end up seeking out both versions. It makes a nice distraction on a boring Sunday...

The Time Life AM Gold is a nice set anyway Johnnyk. My beef with it isn't enough to put ketchup on it, but that's MHO.

[ September 26, 2001: Message edited by: Sckott ]

 

As I recall from my radio DJ days (before I started doing the news) lot's of 45s had the MONO mix on one side and the STEREO mix on the other...at least from the early 70s until the AM music stations had mostly disappeared. Also, don't forget, when you were listening in your car, you were listening to very early versions of audio processing that made the songs sound different across the air than on your home system with the actual record.

 

I prefer the mono mix of ABC by the Jackson 5 because it has DEEP bass.

Luke, I would put the year for ending mono singles mixes up to 1972 with some straglers in 1973.