Top 20 Mono Albums
Sixty years after its demise, monophonic sound seems a mere curiosity. Like pre-recorded open-reel tapes, there’s a cut-off after which mono was relegated to niche usage. Today it survives only for archival reissues, and this is for two reasons...
Obviously, all recordings made before the early-1950s were mono. From Enrico Caruso to Bessie Smith to Glenn Miller, every performance was a single-channel event. Aside from early, experimental stereo, often discussed in HFN by Barry Fox, mono is the only way you can hear Fats Waller, Robert Johnson or Hank Williams.
Mix and matchIt’s the second reason that adds to mono’s value. When mono and early stereo LPs required different styli, the record industry had to supply two different pressings. After mono/stereo compatible styli arrived, mono LPs disappeared. Later, though, archivists discovered that many albums had different mixes for the two, so whole catalogues remain available in mono and stereo.
You needn’t play them side-by-side if the music is familiar – you’ll hear immediately a different tonal balance and in some cases whole sounds absent in one mix but vivid in the other. Thus, when both mono and stereo versions exist, they are not mutually exclusive... unless you live by the ‘Back to Mono’ credo of Phil Spector.
Last year, AI extracted perfect stereo from Buddy Holly And The Crickets’ mono master tapes. I was blown away by work far better than on The Beatles’ early tracks. But for purists? One channel will suffice.
The Original Northwest Sound Of Don And The Goodtimes
BeatRocket BR182 2LPs (mono/stereo)
As the title states, Don And The Goodtimes enjoyed fame as part of a regional scene in the USA, members of the gene pool that included Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Sonics, The Kingsmen and others whose influence on American music transcended limited success. This was the hard-rocking, R&B-based core of rock music stateside concurrent with the arrival of The Beatles, the 25 tracks recorded in 1964-1966. It includes ‘Louie Louie’, which all bands of the region had to play – just like all Liverpool bands performed ‘Some Other Guy’. Punchy mono – but use your stereo cartridge! KK
In Session
Jasmine JASCD1179 CD (mono)
Also available from a number of other labels as Buddy’s Buddies, this mainly-for-fans 34-track set contains super-rare recordings on which Buddy Holly was a guest musician. Dating from 1957-8, by which time major labels were heavily invested in stereo, these were mainly recorded in indie studios, so mono it was. Most of the performers were rockabilly artists known only to historians, but also here are (Cricket-under-a-pseudonym) Ivan’s oft-covered ‘Real Wild Child’, Waylon Jennings’ first-ever recordings, Buddy Knox and folk music legend Carolyn Hester, who’s still with us. KK
Sing And Dance With Frank Sinatra
Impex IMP6054-1 2x45rpm 1-Step 180g vinyl LPs (mono)
Having reviewed the SACD [HFN Apr ’21], Covid saw the delay of the release of the vinyl equivalent, but, oh, was it worth it! This has to be the ultimate reissue of Sinatra’s 10in discs from 1950, containing two more cuts than the SACD. Collectors know there are countless editions with alternate content, but this is the sonic spectacular and emphatically supports the need for mono originals to be heard au naturel. The original eight tracks are joined by eight bonus alternate and unreleased recordings, fully annotated in the gorgeous booklet. If you’ve not seen Impex’s other 1-Step releases, then you’ll be blown away by the packaging. KK
Friendly Persuasion/Please Stay
Cherry Red TCT2CD11 2CDs (mono)
From the legendary unreleased ‘Tea Chest Tapes’, these tracks highlight Joe Meek’s ability to create terrific recordings in less-than-ideal conditions. Full of audio trickery, these are slick performances from a fine group, polished covers typical of 1966 and showing them (not to be confused with the US Cryan’ Shames) as deserving of greater success. Unlike Phil Spector, Meek was not anti-stereo, but he died too soon to exploit its potential. KK
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul
Atlantic/Volt RCV1 80138 clear vinyl (mono)
When Atlantic celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023 with select LPs, who knew it would opt for mono for many titles instead of stereo? But this LP from 1965, which some feel was Otis’s best, pops from your system with impressive slam and impact. As this was in the period when the ‘youth market’ bought more singles than albums, and probably heard most of the hits on AM radio, mono is not a deterrent. Hearing ‘Respect’ in full central positioning? An ear opener. KK
Buffalo Springfield Again
Atlantic RCV1 33226M clear vinyl (mono)
Immediate confession: this is my all-time favourite album, even over The Beatles and Buddy Holly. Thanks to the variety of the tracks, using rock, jazz and soul, it was inventive, melodic, aggressive, haunting. Here are Neil Young and Steve Stills in competition, with astonishing results for 1967, eg, ‘Mr Soul’. By the time this, their second album, was being recorded, Stills was all over the mixing desk, so you’ll want it in both mono and stereo. Hey, I have over 15 different copies. KK
Groovy
Craft Recordings CR00719 LP 180g vinyl (mono)
Part of the Original Jazz Classics Series, this stunning recording had me questioning my hearing as the sound was too wide, toao full to conform with expectation. Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in 1957, stereo was available, so I checked and found that the mono master was all that Craft received. But mono doesn’t detract from this stunning jazzy/bluesy piano-centric session, with Paul Chambers on bass and Arthur Taylor on drums. Their ‘Willow Weep For Me’ is heavenly.
Mellow As Sunshine
Sundazed LP5669 LP (mono)
A companion to Try For The Sun [Sundazed LP5653], Salisbury’s collaboration with Curt Boettcher [HFN Jul ’24], the mono format has to do with these being home recordings from the mid/late-’60s. The decent sound quality attests to Salisbury’s skills with a tape deck. Like Try For The Sun, this is divine sunshine pop, while the liner notes explain why Salisbury didn’t achieve success. One track later appeared on his 1969 solo album, Sandy, but was not issued until 2001. KK
The Tangerine Zoo
Sundazed/Mainstream LP5673 clear green vinyl (mono)
Still kicking myself for letting go of an original stereo copy, this mono reissue perfectly fills the gap. A prime example of the label’s adventurous psychedelic catalogue, Tangerine Zoo were part of Boston’s ‘Bosstown Sound’ and deserved more than belated appreciation. This, their now-rare 1968 debut, kicks off with a wild interpretation of Them’s ‘Gloria’ followed by eight originals, and freak-out buffs will love it. Sundazed has saved us over £100! KK
Don’t Play That Song!
Atlantic/Atco RCV1 142 clear vinyl (mono)
As with Otis Blue and Buffalo Springfield Again [see p31], this was another astute if surprising choice for reissuing in mono when stereo might have been expected. Unlike the tragic Redding, Ben E. King lived a full life and issued over 20 albums – this was his third, first released in 1962. Smoother soul than the gutsier, raw work of Otis, Don’t Play That Song! contains his self-penned hit ‘Stand By Me’, which was easily a match for his earlier classic, 1961’s ‘Spanish Harlem’. KK
Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane
Craft Recordings CR00720 LP 180g vinyl (mono)
From the Original Jazz Classics Series [see Red Garland], this LP from 1958 sounded so wide, I had to check if it was stereo, even contacting Cohearent Audio’s Kevin Gray. Again, expecting stereo at the hands of Rudy Van Gelder, Gray and Craft confirmed the masters were mono. No matter: guitarist Burrell and sax god Coltrane, along with Tommy Flanagan (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Jimmy Cobb (drums), fill the room. KK
A New Tomorrow
New Sounds/Cherry Red CR1NOW59 CD (mono/stereo)
Eagles and Poco fans take note: here are Timothy B. Schmit’s pre-fame recordings with The New Breed and its later incarnation, Glad. His voice dominates, so familiarity is a given. This superb collection contains Glad’s Feelin’ Glad album in stereo, with both groups’ singles in mono. Perfect California pop/rock, it includes ‘Shape Of Things To Come’ and ‘Pickin’ Up The Pieces’, foreshadowing his later role in Poco – but not the same song! KK
Phil Spector Presents The Philles Album Collection
Sony/Legacy 88697927822 7CDs (mono)
This round-up would not be complete without representation for the ultimately incarcerated ‘mad man’ of rock, Phil Spector. He had his reasons for championing mono and/or despising stereo; despite this, he managed to make mono recordings sound massive thanks to his signature ‘Wall Of Sound’. This box set contains six albums in exact mini-card sleeves – three from The Crystals, one each from Bob B Soxx & The Blue Jeans and The Ronettes – plus a hits collection from the label’s artists and a CD of his B-side instrumentals. Call me biased as it contains my first-ever 45, ‘Da Doo Ron Ron’, but this is sublime. KK
In Orbit
Craft/Riverside CR00723 LP 180g vinyl (mono)
Hearing this after the Garland and Burrell/Coltrane LPs in the Original Jazz Classics series, I again wondered if my hearing was shot – the sound was so full I recalled a colleague’s dislike for early, hole-in-the-middle stereo. This dates from 1958, Terry’s magnificent quartet finding him on flugelhorn, Monk on piano, with bassist Sam Jones and drum deity Philly Joe Jones. An important jazz masterwork. KK
Little Games
Sundazed SC8269 CD (mono)
What’s so intriguing about this – the original lineup’s final LP – is it may be one of the last rock albums issued in mono and stereo: it dates from 1967, surely near the end for mono. The two sound different enough to warrant owning both, but curiosity value is enhanced by the rarity of original mono copies and the label’s error in supplying some stereo pressings in mono sleeves. This has been reissued a few times, but Sundazed’s CD is worth seeking out. If you’re as big a fan as I am, check out the Japanese SHMCD [Parlophone WPCR15411/2 2CDs] with both mono and stereo albums for comparison, plus bonus tracks. KK
The Original Mono Recordings
Columbia 88697761042 9CDs (mono)
As with The Beatles [see below], Dylan’s catalogue was ‘dual inventory’, but he released only eight albums in mono. This contains them all, including Blonde On Blonde on two CDs, the differences occupying Dylanologists with much justification. Here is his eponymous acoustic debut of 1962 – stereo adds little – up to 1967’s John Wesley Harding, which would be followed by a gap that ended with 1969’s stereo-only Nashville Skyline. KK
I Want My Woman
Beat Rocket BR183 white vinyl (mono)
From 1964, this anthology from the Californian local heroes gathers all their mono-only indie label output, rare singles and unissued tracks which surf/garage/Nuggets band devotees have long coveted. Their bleached-blond hair gimmick recalls Hull’s The Hullaballoos, but that’s where the resemblance ends: this is the stuff for which AM radio was made. Punchy, rough-edged rockers, The Emperors were sophisticated enough to cover a Zombies track. KK
Ruth Brown
Mobile Fidelity MFSL1-548 LP (mono)
Ruth Brown was as important a pioneer of rock ’n’ roll (and inspiration to female singers) as Louis Jordan and Joe Turner. Subtitled ‘Rock & Roll’ and released on Atlantic in 1957, this was actually a collection of Brown’s earlier recordings from 1949-1956, her debut album for the label. This isn’t just a fabulous slice of gutsy R&B, but a tutorial showing how it merged with pop to help create – yes – rock ’n’ roll. Kudos, too, goes to Mobile Fidelity for issuing a glorious mono LP. KK
In Mono
Apple 5099969945120 13CDs (mono)
Arguably the most important of the ‘complete mono catalogue’ reissues, this has added resonance because The Beatles (at least early on) were hands-on in the mono releases. The mono mixes are different enough to have had fans debating them for decades, and so were reissued post-break-up as a vinyl box set in 1982 before this definitive collection came out in 2009. Note that it lacks Abbey Road and Let It Be, which were stereo-only releases save for dubious pirate versions. KK
Ornithology: The Best Of Bird
Craft/Savoy CR00752
We must leave it to the legions of Parker scholars as to what constitutes his ‘best’ – opinions will vary – but this killer 11-track study from 1947-1953 is as fine an introduction as one could desire. Examples of him in concert, classics such as ‘Ko-Ko’ and ‘Billie’s Bounce’ – this set is hard to fault. But in the context of this round-up? It’s as inarguable a defence of mono as one can cite. Will Bird’s work ever be ‘stereo-fied’ by AI? Listen to this collection and you’ll ask, ‘Why bother?’. KK
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