Post #807183 by Bam Bam on Wed, Jan 4, 2023 8:09 PM

I concur! As a completionist, I am sometimes only satisfied in my collecting when I have both the mono and stereo release of a given album. (Or, in the case of Le Sacre du Sauvage, as many different formats as I can find!)

Another example of differing sessions between the mono and stereo release is Baxter's African Jazz. Some of the tracks between releases are the same session, while others are different takes entirely - Banana Boy, for instance, where the stereo take is rather sloppy in the percussion intro, the mono take is very much locked to the tempo.

Space Escapade is an interesting example, where the stereo version has a big reverb/delay effect applied, and the mono mix is almost completely dry. Personally, I get distracted by the oversaturated reverb, and actually prefer to listen to the mono mix, since I can more clearly pick out Les's masterful orchestration.

I will say this, if I see any album that has been "Electronically Re-processed for Stereo" or given the "Duophonic" label, I have no problem passing it up, unless it is one I have really been looking for. More often than not, the fake stereo treatment these were given just introduces awkward EQ, delay, and reverb to what had previously been a perfectly good and well mixed mono release. These were a gimmick to re-sell old mono albums to a new stereo loving audience, and in my experience, are best avoided in preference of the original mono release.

[ Edited by Bam Bam on 2023-01-04 20:15:35 ]