Mixology: The Mono/Stereo Mix Differences Podcast

River Deep-Mountain High by Ike & Tina Turner

Mixology: The Mono/Stereo Mix Differences Podcast

Show Notes

Hello Friends! The time is finally here for the epic journey that is our Mixology exploration of the 1966 classic from Ike & Tina Turner, River Deep-Mountain High. Of note due to it's 5 Phil Spector productions (including the title cut), and 7 killer Ike Turner originals, this is a 12 track album of wall to wall bangers that didn't see release in American until 1969. Naturally, the album was issued in 1966 in both dedicated mono and stereo mixes, but unacknowledged until now was fully remixed into stereo in 1969 for the worldwide A&M reissue of the album, giving us 3 unique mixes of the 11 tracks carried across the 3 releases, plus 2 for 'You're So Fine', the track unique to the 1966 LP.

However, the fun doesn't stop there, as discussed recently in my breakdown of the mix exploration for this album (free to all over at the Patreon), 3 of the tracks were issued in seemingly unique mono mixes on the 1991 Back to Mono box set, and the mono LP and 45 presentations of the title cut are vastly different sonically - but are they differing mixes? We have a lot to dig into today, and to help me cover the deep dive taken for this is Patron, Assistant and Friend Andy, who joins me for a chat about the various pressings, cuttings, LPs, 45s and CDs we explored to cover all the bases of this seemingly innocuous album, and who is also responsible for this episode's flatlay.

This is the most excited I've been for a Mixology episode in a long time, and I hope you'll have a blast discovering these mixes (and maybe even this album) with me today on this epic journey. And to top it off, there's some great differences between these mixes too. So grab that tambourine in hand, get the echo unit ready to roll, and let's sail on down the river and climb that mountain - no matter how deep or how high!

Happy Listening,

Frederick

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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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