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Beach Boys stereo albums (early-mid 60s) |
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EdisonLite ![]() Music Fan ![]() Joined: 18 October 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posted: 05 March 2024 at 4:14pm |
What earlier Beach Boys albums were released in stereo (back in the day)? When I look at early recordings in the database, I find:
1962 Surfin' Safari - all early CD releases were only in mono 1963 Surfin' USA - many early CD releases were stereo incl. the CD "Surfin' Safari/Surfin' USA" 1964 Fun Fun Fun - many early CD releases in stereo (some entries list "stereo lp mix", some list "mono lp mix" so obviously this LP was released both ways 1964 I Get Around - all early CD releases were only in mono 1964 Don't Worry Baby - many stereo 1965 Help Me Rhonda - all early CD releases were mono 1965 California Girls - all early CD releases mono except "Endless Harmony" which was a mid '70s comp 1966 Barbara Ann - all early CD releases mono 1966 Sloop John B, Wouldn't It Be Nice, God Only Knows - all early CD releases mono until "Pet Sounds" CD came out in stereo (and I believe "Pet Sounds" was only mixed to stereo in more modern times - '90s or 00s). 1966 Good Vibrations - all early CD releases in mono I'm not referring to any single versions which obviously would be mono. So why do 1963's Surfin' USA and 1964's "Fun Fun Fun" have stereo lp mixes - yet all these later (1965 and 1966) releases only seem to have mono LPs back in the day? And then when did they go back to releasing albums in stereo - 1968? I base this guess based on what I see for 1968's "Friends" and "Do It Again"? |
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PopArchivist ![]() Music Fan ![]() ![]() Joined: 30 June 2018 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 11 |
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I have every Beach Boys album ripped and they did issue (much later) the stereo mixes after the fact on a lot of mid-60's stuff. I much prefer Pet Sounds in stereo. I know they did a lot of deluxe comps recently (1967, 1968) which contain a lot of good material and are highly recommended. I also highly recommend the stereo of Summer Days and Summer Nights, Beach Boys Party! and The Beach Boys Today! from 1965 all in stereo. Even the Christmas Album sounds better in stereo. I don't know the story behind it but maybe this can shed some light... https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/beach-boys-pet-sounds -stereo-mix-question.230063/ Edited by PopArchivist |
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Favorite two expressions to live by on this board: "You can't download vinyl" and "Not everything is available on CD."
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EdisonLite ![]() Music Fan ![]() Joined: 18 October 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0 |
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Thanks for the info, Richie
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AndrewChouffi ![]() Music Fan ![]() Joined: 24 September 2005 Status: Offline Points: 3 |
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The "basic" answer to this excellent question is Capitol, of course, wanted both stereo & mono versions of their LP releases and credited producer Nick Venet delivered. Brian Wilson very quickly became first the defacto producer & arranger. Brian was deaf in one ear, therefore couldn't hear stereo properly. Now officially credited as producer, Capitol seemingly didn't give Brian any real pushback as he was giving the label major hits as well as crafting great songs vrtually daily. Capitol, of course, ran the mono-only tracks through their patented "Duophonic" process so they could still charge the public a buck extra for a (fake) stereo LP. Andy |
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LunarLaugh ![]() Music Fan ![]() Joined: 13 February 2020 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3 |
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There's been modern remixes done through the years (often more than one) of the songs that were previously mono only since the early 2000s. Whenever there's a new
compilation or box set, a few more sneak their way out, sometimes without fanfare. The 2002 Sounds of Summer CD for instance had new mixes of: 1. "California Girls" (the third stereo remix of this following the two different ones on two different pressings of the "Endless Harmony" CD soundtrack) 2. "Shut Down" (more narrow mix) 3. "Dance Dance Dance" (the second stereo remix following the attempt on the "Hawthorne, CA" CD compilation which had more reverb) 4. "Heroes and Villains" (as above, the second stereo remix following the "Hawthorne, CA" CD) Even with extraction and the re-discovery of some vocal tapes, none of the "stereo" mixes of "Good Vibrations" ever sound quite as correct as the mono does. A well- mastered mono mix, even with the inherent distortion, is still the ultimate way to experience this slice of pop genius. |
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EdisonLite ![]() Music Fan ![]() Joined: 18 October 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0 |
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Andy, Are you saying that back in the day, duophonic releases of all Beach Boys early & mid 60s album came out as stereo LPs (along with their mono counterparts)? (Or some strictly in mono)?) in a link Richie shared with me yesterday, I got the impression from what someone said there that as Brian was getting deaf in one ear, he stopped making stereo album mixes. If true, that would explain why the first couple (or so) albums (circa '63-'64) seem to have stereo versions and the '65-'66ish ones never did back in the day. (I'm really only getting into discovering the Beach Boys stereo '60s mixes now, so I'm behind the curve compared to everyone else I'm sure). :) |
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EdisonLite ![]() Music Fan ![]() Joined: 18 October 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0 |
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Thanks for the info Jared. I should probably get that Endless Harmony CD. (Or
are there 2 versions with different stereo mixes each)? |
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EdisonLite ![]() Music Fan ![]() Joined: 18 October 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0 |
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Does anyone here know if anyone has compiled all the different incarnations of
stereo versions of Beach Boys songs that were released, and which CDs they came out on? I wouldn't be surprised if someone on the Steve Hoffman Both Sides Now website - or someone here - has done this. They're one of the most historic groups of the '60s (or any era), so hopefully someone has documented the stereo versions. I'd like to get the best stereo versions of many of their '60s songs, but I'm a bit overwhelmed by all the different versions there probably are, even for any one given song. (And of course, "Best" is subjective.) |
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EdisonLite ![]() Music Fan ![]() Joined: 18 October 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 0 |
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Yesterday, I picked a stereo version of "Good Vibrations" to use for my collection. It sounded quite nice. But after reading your comment, I'm going to take the mono version that I'm sure I have on a few BB CDs and A-B it with the stereo one, to see what I'm missing in the stereo version. I agree this record and song is a slice of pop genius, and I want to listen to all the genius that is contained within it, lol. |
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AndrewChouffi ![]() Music Fan ![]() Joined: 24 September 2005 Status: Offline Points: 3 |
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Yes, 'Surfin' Safari', 'Today', 'Summer Days', 'Party' & 'Pet Sounds' came out in both mono and Duophonic. 'Smiley Smile' & 'Wild Honey' came out in both mono & (fake) stereo. Andy Edited by AndrewChouffi |
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