"Since I Lost My Baby" - Temptations ~ Mono v. Stereo Mix

Friends,

Does anyone know why there is such a sonic difference between the clean and well-balanced Mono mix and the phasey-mess that is the Stereo mix? I find the Stereo mix almost unlistenable because of this while the Mono mix sounds very good. I A/B'ed these tracks just a bit ago and I remain baffled as to why the Stereo mix sounds as poorly as it does. The Stereo mix is also very wet as compared to the Mono mix. This is one Motown track where I highly recommend the Mono mix because of sound issues versus the mix differences we usually discuss with regard to Motown. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Bob

 

The only "stereo" version of "Since I Lost My Baby" I've ever heard is fake stereo.
I think that a true stereo mix was done recently and used on a budget Motown release, but it uses an alternate vocal take. Supposedly the vocal track used for the single mix was wiped from the multi-track master by mistake. I haven't heard this alternate mix.

 

Hi Bob

The Stereo mix is actually a psuedo one, there being no genuine stereo mix until the recent new mix issued on the 'Love Songs' cd last year.

The reason it seems that no genuine stereo mix was ever issued was because when HW & co went back to the multitrack to create one, they found that the original lead vocal was not on it but only an alternate which was used on the new mix.

I must say it's wonderful listening to the alternate one, as it seems it was a much earlier take, less polished than the one were are all used, but with Ruffin sounding much more soulful IMH!

The new mix by the way sounds great btw and it's nice to hear it in true stereo after all these years!

Cheers

Paul

 

Hi Bob! There is NO stereo mix of this song. All there is, is a bad rechannelled mono, and honest mono.

I LOVE this song, and is one of my all-time favorite Tempts songs!

See Ya! Gonna try to hunt down a used record store here. One member here gave me a heads up on three or four, but the wife isn't that patient. Oh well...

 

OK, I didn't know there was a new strereo mix there. But, how close is it to the orignal mono single mix?

 

Grant,

Aside form the different vocal, pretty close IIRC.

I'm listening to it now but don't have the single mix here for a direct comparison.

Nice seperation althought the drums are placed in the middle which seems to be quite common on most of the new mixes as mostly I prefer tham panned left or right.

Some might think it sounds a bit too clean and sterile, but I think it sounds just fine.

Nothing like the Supremes No1's for sure!

Btw, this disc also contains a remix of "Two Sides To Love" from the 'With A Lot Of Soul' L.P and this sounds great also!

Cheers

Paul

 

Is there any Motown song before 1972 that is better in stereo than in mono?

 

I've always wondered why that song sounds so shrill compared to other tracks they released during the same period. Wonder what the situation with the master tape is if Ruffin's lead vocal from the "hit" version isn't on the multitrack. Think maybe they just used the track from the master and recorded and mixed the new vocal directly to mono?

 

Guys,

Thanks for the responses. Now, I understand. It all makes sense. BTW, this one of my favorite Temptations' singles.

Bob

 

Two (and the only I can think of) classic Motown songs that I prefer in stereo:
Mercy Mercy Me (full ending instead of early fade)
Just My Imagination (cleaner mix)

 

Apparently there is never going to be a stereo mix for this one that is even close to the mono 45....same with "Jimmy Mack," "Do You Love Me," some others.....just the luck of the draw, I guess.

Some Motown mixes are very good--the Supremes' stuff, on the main, isn't bad at all--but that's not where the money was, so the effort put into them doesn't match the care put into the mono mixes. That was how it worked in the '60s for a lot of pop music, so it isn't just Motown, as we know.

The Motown year-by-year series was a gallant effort, but there, too, not everything could be mixed to stereo. Some tapes just don't exist or are lost, I guess.....

 

What's the name of the comp. that this new re-mix of "Since I Lost My Baby" is on? Thanks to all in advance!

 

I think that answers it, Joe....

 

It's still early for me I guess! Thanks Ed!!! I think!!!

 

I prefer the early Jackson 5 songs in stereo. Does anyone know if the J5 songs on the Hitsville Motown box are fold downs? I remember Bob Ohlsson commenting that by the early 70's. Motown mixed everything in stereo first.

 

Greg,

I pretty certain the earliest of these hits [pre-1971] are dedicated Mono mixes. A/B them to the Stereo mixes and you can hear the differences...

Bob

 

I have never heard of any fold-down from Motown. Some mixes are fairly similar, but that doesn't mean it's a fold-down. I Want You Back rocks more in mono.

One of the last dedicated mono mixes on Motown is probably Papa Was A Rolling Stone, released in September 1972. Not only was it edited down from 12 minutes to 7 minutes. The strings at 5:00 of the mono mix are not on the stereo mix.

 

For Me It's "Love Is Here, And Now You're Gone" by The Supremes

 

I believe that Motown did do quite a few fold downs for singles from about 1968 onwards.

Junior Walkers "What Does It Take To Win Your Love" (I think there was also a Stereo Single of this as well IIRC??) was one of them and I believe the Four Tops "Still Water" was too.

Interesting anyway to hear peoples preferred stereo mixes.

I must say, I quite liked the rare stereo mix of the Marevelettes "I'll Keep On Holding On" which I heard for the first time last year. One of my least favorites would probably be The Temptations "Get Ready"!

Regarding why some version of classic hits have never turned up in stereo, it's seems that quite a few of the multi tracks have the master lead vocal takes missing, and only an alternate left, or in some cases no vocal at all!

According to Harry Weinger, The Contours "Do You Love Me" surviving multi does not have the original lead vocal of the hit sung by Billy Gordon but an unidentified singer (Could it be Berry Gordy Perhaps?). Whilst I've never heard or come across it, I believe that a stereo version with this lead vocal was released on one of the '16 Big Hits' albums in the 60's.

Btw, I do have a stereo mix of the single version of "Jimmy Mack" (albeit unofficial!) courtesy of Motownboy who did one from one of the first batches of Singing Machine Karaoke discs! And yes, the original lead vocal has survived on the multi which makes me wonder why one was never released before?

I've since done my own mix and like Motownboy, I've done several other songs as well. Just gotta get hold of the latest batch so I can do a few more!

Cheers

Paul

 

I also have Motownboy's stereo mix of "Jimmy Mack", and did my own as well. What I did with mine is attempted to copy the sound of the single by adding reverb and a bit of EQ, and compression.

 

Ummm.. I'd like to hear it Grant!

I did pretty much the same on my mix too.

One thing I do like about the backing track mix is that the guitars are well up in the mix. I think they weren't even present on the single.

And talking of guitars, I listened to a sample of 'Get Ready' from one of the latest Singing machine CD's and as I hoped, the blistering guitar that was missing from the orignal stereo is present!

It's amazing how much it adds to this recording!

Cheers

Paul

 

Joe, here it is:

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=6620799&cart=208063429&style=music&Bab=E

Cheers

Paul

 

Thanks, Paul! Now I know, what to look for!

 

I guess I'm in the minority, as I much prefer the Motown stereo (real, not the faux stuff) to most of the mono. I was so angry when I bought the Temtps box set "Emperors of Soul" and found most of the classic songs were in mono...grrrrr.

Most of the Motown hits were mixed specifically for the transistor radio, which were the thing back in the day. However, the albums as a whole were mixed regularly. A few great sounding Motown Lp's (can't speak for any cd versions):

Temptations With a Lot O' Soul & Wish it Would Rain
Marvin Gaye What's Goin' On (original)
Smokey/Miracles Special Occasion

keep listening...