Judy Collins - "Both Sides Now"

Both my promo 45 and all 4 of my original stock 45s say "STEREO, also playable on mono phonographs." Problem is, all 5 45s are in MONO. I'll bet, during the CD era, no one at Elektra has ever played that 45 to confirm that it actually IS stereo, 'cause it ain't! I also believe this typo may have led CD tape librarians to pull a stereo master, to get what they believe to be the true "45" version. My guess is they have only 2 stereo master options; the "Wildflowers" LP version, and the done-long-after-the-fact "Colors Of The Day" version. My ear is suspect, but I believe Judy's vocal take on the mono 45 is different than either of the stereo versions. All my 45s have a listed time of (3:14), but actually run (3:11). My promo deadwax: EK 45639A-MON-1. Stock 45s appeared on both the red/black/white (deadwax EKM-45639A-CP-1) and the gold/black/white Elektra labels (deadwax EK 45639A-SP). Despite different deadwaxes, all sound (to me), and time out the same. May I request that the Board's audio experts give this 45 another listen? I'm just not 100% sure that what's currently in the db is accurate.

Jim, I only have "Both Sides Now" on 45 (like yours - states stereo, plays mono) and a promo copy of the vinyl LP Colors Of The Day. There's also a downloaded mp3 or two on the hard drive, but I do not have it on CD.

I may have been disappointed to have found the 45 was actually mono back in 1968, but today, I'm grateful that it was. To my ears (or what's left of them) none of the stereo versions I've heard captures the essence of that original single, and that's why I opted for a rip of the 45 for everyday listening.     

need some help here....i have cdr copy of "both sides now"
and need to know what, if anything, is the most notable
difference between the rerecorded version and the original
version....i don't know which cd i dubbed it from and it
sounds pretty close to the vinyl 45 i have, aside form the
mono/stereo differences....

I recently did a synch-test on this one to verify the
"Wildflowers" LP version / "Forever" Anthology do indeed
match the 45. They do.
The main difference tho is the 45 version is sped up
quite a bit from the LP, and the 45 has more reverb than
the LP, a common difference in the 60's.

Ed, the easiest way to spot the re-recorded vocal version
that appeared on the vinyl "Colors Of The Day, Best Of"
and the FIRST issue of that CD is in the 2nd or 3rd
chorus she says "...from give and take..."
In the hit version she only says "win and lose" on both
choruses.
Hope that helps.

I need to double-check something about this 45. I have 2
reference dubs from different people and they run
different speeds.
One runs 3:11, matches the database listed time and has
the deadwax# EK-45639A-SP.

The other runs MUCH faster in pitch, yet fades at the
same point and therefore only runs 3:09. The deadwax
info provided is EKM 45639A-CP-1.

Jim, since one of your 45's has that deadwax#, can you
double check the run time on that one pressing? If it
comes out 3:11, then I'll know this other dub I have was
dubbed at the wrong speed.
MM