Show Notes
Hello Friends! In an episode I teased as coming soon almost a year ago, it's finally time for Mixology to take on The Beach Boys' most unusual offspring, 1967's Smiley Smile. Recorded in the aftermath of Smile's cancellation, this incredibly lofi, yet incredibly intricate little album was only originally issued in mono, getting a couple of stereo mixes for the first time in 2001, and then finally a full LP stereo mix in 2012 for it's issue in Japan - before then being tweaked further before being issued in the rest of the world that same year. Despite this, with only 10 new tracks to look at ('Good Vibrations' was of course covered in my Sounds of Summer episode, but has been pasted in here), this seemed like a quick task. With an episode totaling a hair under an hour later for an LP under 28 mins in length. So, from the odyssey of mixes for 'Heroes & Villain', thru lost ambient sounds, different edit lengths, differing takes, alternate instrumentation, and general mixing tomfoolery, let's dig into the most unique album in The Beach Boys canon, and discover why the mono mix truly has the spook, but the stereo almost manages to be creepier. Happy Listening, Frederick
Patreon
Back to Mono
More from Mixology: The Mono/Stereo Mix Differences Podcast
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
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
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
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
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: