Mixology: The Mono/Stereo Mix Differences Podcast

Blonde on Blonde by Bob Dylan

Mixology: The Mono/Stereo Mix Differences Podcast

Show Notes

Hello Friends! Well, it's finally time for the big one - and not just that today marks Episode 100 of the show. After 6 months of planning, work, and research, we have arrived at what will surely be the peak of the Mixology format, our extensive look at Bob Dylan's 1966 classic Blonde on Blonde. Issued in both mono and stereo as a 14-track double LP, the album was subject to a partially revised stereo mix, issued as soon as 1966 in some countries (Australia never got the initial stereo mix for example), while the UK & Canada got a stack of exclusive mono mixes (more in the latter), and even France got a handful too. Many of the singles from the album were also heavily edited, and in the case of one, remixed too. This gives us a total of 52 vintage mixes and edits from the 60s period for this album - but the fun doesn't stop there... From the dawn of the CD era, this album has only been issued in remixed form, with new mixes being issued in 1987, 1992, and 1999, the latter of which is the mix you'll find available today. A number of the original and revised mixes have thankfully slipped out on compilations through the years, but for the most part these remain exclusive to the vinyl issues of these albums. Regardless, these remixed albums increase our mix look to a whopping 94 unique mixes and edits for this episode. As a result, our extensive run-time today comes as no surprise, and is well deserving of placement as episode 100 of Mixology. I hope you're sitting comfortably, with your Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat on tight, because we're in for one heck of a ride. I also want to give a huge thank you to two people whose assistance proved invaluable in the research of this episode. When it came to CD sources for the vintage mixes, James Messina came to me having done the majority of the dirty work, locating discs from all over the world as reference to ensure we had the best sources at hand for comparison. Without him this episode could not be as analytically sound as it is. Even moreso though I must thank Roger Ford from electricdylan.net, an essential resource for the 1965-66 period of Dylan's career. Much of what you'll hear me cover today comes from the extensive notes present on Roger’s website, and I certainly could never have known the true extent of the mix mountain for the album without his research. Roger has also kindly been extremely helpful along the way in pointing me in the correct direction of sources I needed to pickup for the episode, and without him, this episode could not have been as comprehensive and complete as the final result has become. And now, it's time for you to all become a part of it. The world - not the album - that is the Thin, Wild, Mercury Sound of Blonde on Blonde. Happy Listening, Frederick Patreon

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More from Mixology: The Mono/Stereo Mix Differences Podcast

Oct 1, 2026

Hello Friends! Today we celebrate the long awaited release of the 2026 Mix of Rubber Soul by doing what we do best, and breaking down every little bit of what makes these mixes tick compared to the previously 'standard' 1987 Stereo Mix, as found on the 2009 Remaster. This is - in my opinion - Giles Martin's best work so far on a full album Beatles Remix, and builds upon the 2023 mixes of 7 of the songs here, 6 of which have been reused. We will also be bringing in the two remixes done in 1999 for the Yellow Submarine Songtrack, and seeing how these mixes informed the decisions made here. If you want to know how the 1987 stereo mixes compare to the 1965 mono and stereo mixes, as well as the clutch of unique US mono and stereo mixes, be sure to check out my episode Rubber Soul (RM2) by The Beatles from 2022, which covered all of these. As always, if you want a stack more Mixology content, check out the Patreon, at www.patreon.com/backtomono Happy Listening, Frederick Patreon Email Instagram - @hypnoticfred

Sep 22, 2026

Hello Friends, Today I am delighted to welcome Andrew Sandoval back to Mixology to discuss the recent publication of The Kinks - All Day and All of The Night: The Day-by-Day Story, 1941-1970 by Doug Hinman and Andrew Sandoval. Published exclusively through Andrew's own imprint Beatland Books, Andrew and I work our way through a causal string of questions and answers, discussing everything from the intimately personal world of Ray Davies' songwriting, why the group were a management nightmare, the bizarre mixing decisions on Something Else by The Kinks, and most importantly - why you should never pass up on the reggae records. In addition to this, this is the very first video edition of the show, which you can find by heading over to the Patreon community. The video is available to all who visit the page, and is not behind the paywall, so please head on over there and add any of your thoughts in the comments. There is more than enough to get discussing in this one! You can find it at www.patreon.com/backtomono If you wish to grab a copy of this fantastic tome for yourself, you can do so by heading over to www.beatlandbooks.com/ - and don't forget to browse Andrew's other wonderful volumes while you're there! Happy Listening (& Watching), Frederick

Aug 11, 2026

Hello Friends! We're back in Holliesland this month on the show, with a look at the group's greatest pure-pop LP, 1966's For Certain Because.... Notable for being the first LP by the group composed entirely of original material, this Clark-Hicks-Nash composed album is chock full of fantastic mid-60s British pop, and even more full of great mix differences between the mono and stereo LPs. So, if additional vocal layers, extra echo, and revealing panning sound like a fun time to you, don't even think about changing! This ain't not peculiar situation, so be a crusader and and listen to this high classed episode. Happy Listening, Frederick Patreon Email Instagram - @hypnoticfred

Jun 30, 2026

Hello Friends! I've gone a little self-indulgent again on the show today, with a look at one of my favourite US-only LPs by The Dave Clark Five, 1967's 5 by 5. Issued with 'Nineteen Days' as the focus tracks, the 10 track 20 minute affair is an absolute blast, if wholly derivative of both the DC5 themselves and the music around them at the time. What is most important though is the fact that this was the first DC5 album to receive a true stereo mix, and as such we have the usual minor differences in echo, but also some pretty major ones too, such as mixed out ad libs and entirely missing layers of instruments and backing vocals, making this an album I absolutely had to cover on the show... when the time was right. But pick up your phone - that time is now! Happy Listening, Frederick Patreon Email

May 26, 2026

Hello Friends! This time on show we're finally returning to the Fold-Down Chronicles, looking at a further three LPs originally issued in both mono and stereo, but with mono mixes that don't entirely deserve that title. With this in mind, today we will be covering the following albums:

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