The last LP of The Byrds psych trio. Very often it's placed in the shadow of "Fifth Dimension" and "Younger Than Yesterday", but to my taste this has better songs and seems more elaborated. As a whole it's the most psychedelic of the three. Unfortunately this mono sounds like a fold down. Not all bad, but partly unbalanced. And since it's supposed to be made from the US mono tapes(see the "CL" reference on label) I've concluded that is a fold down too. I never heard the very rare US mono, but there are claims it has a separate mix. Don't know, but looking forward to hear it if I ever get the chance. First UK with structured label and laminated cover. (XYGZ*)
Dude, this is definitely a true mono mix. It's quite different from the stereo in places and was reissued in mono by both Sundazed & MOFI.
SvaraRaderaI just listened to my copy and this UK issue is definitely a reduction and a bad one. It's very unbalanced throughout. A few tracks are muddy and vocals on "Artificial Enery", "Natural Harmony", "Dolphins Smile" and "Space Odyssey" are way too low. No way this is a dedicated separate mix! I have not heard the US mono, but if that is the real thing I will certainly look for one. When CBS UK used the US Columbia mono version they always referred to the CL number and when it was a fold down they had CS. Maybe there is a referring error on label here.
SvaraRaderaI had this and thought it sounded too dark and bassy, but the US is not much different, maybe a little bit more open sounding. The Sundazed vinyl is much brighter and detailed sounding in comparison. Will do a comparison sometime.
SvaraRaderaUK pressings often had more prominent base, wich can make it sound "narrow" and a little darker. On a few I have compared here US
SvaraRaderais brighter and more open.
Hello, my name is Tony from Manchester, England. I've been enjoying your blog for quite a few years now. I am a sixties music obsessive and it has really helped me understand about mono fold-downs and fake stereos, which seem to be particularly prevalent during the psychedelic era that I adore.
SvaraRaderaI bought a copy of this yesterday...I thought it was mind-blowing to hear the mono for the first time. Yes the volume is a bit up and down and the vocals a touch quiet on some tracks, but it's the guitars that make it for me, they're really loud and shine so beautifully. I even enjoyed Space Odyssey for the first time and thought it made more sense in mono. It has the CL catalogue number, that as you know better than me, usually denotes the mono tapes
The stereo is also very good...perfectly balanced and nice and central...not too wide. Anyway, sorry for such a long message.
Best Wishes, Tony.
Don't be sorry Tony! I really like long comments and this was a good one. You're right it sometimes sound a bit up and down, but that's how folds can appear. And sometimes folds can be more rewarding than a troe stereo, You can find more examples on that on this page. Anyway thanks for popping in and making this a better place.
SvaraRadera