DB suggestion: indicate when orig. single is mono
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Category: Top 40 Music On Compact Disc
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URL: https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10358
Printed Date: 10 April 2026 at 12:57pm
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Topic: DB suggestion: indicate when orig. single is mono
Posted By: mjb50
Subject: DB suggestion: indicate when orig. single is mono
Date Posted: 10 April 2026 at 7:15am
PopArchivist made a few threads to talk about stereo reissues:
• https://www.top40musiconcd.com/Forum/mono-vs-stereo_topic8945.html" rel="nofollow - mono vs stereo
• https://www.top40musiconcd.com/Forum/stereo-and-the-1950s-top-40_topic8994.html" rel="nofollow - stereo and the 1950s
• https://www.top40musiconcd.com/Forum/stereo-in-the-1960s_topic9078.html" rel="nofollow - stereo in the 1960s
All are interesting reading, and all matching my perceptions of the state of things, past and present. Following up on that, I have some thoughts.
It seems the "mono sucks" sentiment which reflected and shaped the reissue scene well into '00s also had an effect on the database here. Pat didn't make a note of whether the original single was mono or stereo; if the mix was otherwise a match, it would be called the "45 version". Thus there is no way to know, just by looking at the database, whether the original single was mono or stereo.
For those of us who prefer to distinguish stereo LP/reissue mixes from the original mono single versions, this is unfortunate. Of course, we can make an educated guess based on the year, but it gets tricky for the era when 45s were in transition to stereo, or for the odd mono hits well into the stereo era. Thankfully, many of these 45s have been discussed in the forum, such as in Todd Ireland's "List of mono and Stereo 45s" threads.
I just don't like how the info is buried in the forum, though. It would be nice to have it in the database. So, maybe this is just a question for Aaron, but I am wondering whether the database could begin incorporating information about whether the original single versions were mono?
I'm thinking this wouldn't necessarily need a new dedicated field. For example, the page for The Platters' "Harbor Lights" says, in the Notes section, "the actual 45 running time is (2:48)". Maybe this could be amended to include a mono tag like is used in the listings, e.g.: "the actual 45 (M) running time is (2:48)". Not sure how that would work for entries where there are no notes at all though... maybe "the actual 45 (M) running time is TBD"?
For mono/stereo DJ 45s and edge cases where there were simultaneous mono and stereo 45s, "(M)(S)" would be fine.
Thanks for your time.
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Posted By: aaronk
Date Posted: 10 April 2026 at 8:13am
I agree that there is a lot more information I would like to see absorbed into the searchable database. Updating thousands of entries with mono/stereo info isn't something that I currently have time for, so I'm super grateful that Todd took the time to document this here on the forum.
As a temporary workaround, I can make Todd's threads with all this info a "sticky" that always stays at the top of the forum. Would that make things a little easier?
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Aaron Kannowski
http://www.uptownsound.com" rel="nofollow - Uptown Sound
http://www.919thepeak.com" rel="nofollow - 91.9 The Peak - Classic Hip Hop
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