More mono finds!

Got a $2.95 clearance CD today that contains the mono mix of Connie Francis' "My Happiness." I've been searching for the mono mix of this forever. It sounds great! The drums are sure louder and more punchy on the mono version. It's on a Netherlands import called "World Star Gala Volume 1," on the Arcade label, 01 6751 61. It's not a boot -- all the tracks are fully licensed from various labels, among them Polydor, which would have licensed the Connie track.

Also, I was curious to buy another volume of the "Soundtrack" series I mentioned in the other thread, this time "1966 - The Soundtrack." I was pleased to find it contains SSgt. Barry Sadler's "Ballad of the Green Berets" in dead-center mono, from tape, licensed from BMG, according to the liner notes. It sounds excellent. The CD is a two-disc set from Castle Music, a label of Sanctuary Records, catalog # CMEDD 705.

Tony Watson over on BSN has noted that the mono 45 mix of "Good Timin'," referenced above, has an extra guitar overdub that is not on any stereo version. It's very subtle, and I had to listen about ten times before I could hear it, but he's right. It's most noticeable at about 00:26, right after the line, "lyin' there on the ground (yeah yeah)." Right after the "yeah yeah," you can definitely hear guitar strings being strummed. I listened really hard to the Eric stereo mix, and I don't hear it there.

It's EXACTLY in sync with the piano (I guess that's a piano, anyway), so it virtually disappears in the mix. You can hear it if you listen closely, though.

Tony also says most European compilations, including the two-disc Jimmy Jones "The Anthology" from Castle UK (CMEDD 336), use the mono mix.

Edited by Brian W.

Brian: Great work on those mono 45 versions - that is hard work. I am ecstatic to hear that "I'm A Believer", "Last Train To Clarksville", etc. is finally gonna appear in mono. Maybe we'll even get some Lovin' Spoonful mono 45 versions sometime soon! Hope springs eternal. :)

Brian, just FYI, I had previously answered this exact query for you, which you'd asked back in February. As I indicated back then, my commercial 45 has a listed time of (2:44), but an actual time of (3:05). And a nice job by you, Brian - keep huntin' down those hard-to-find mono versions on CD!

FYI, Boyce & Hart's hit "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" is mono on their CD album of the same title as reissued by Hip-O Select. The whole thing is mono... they used the mono album master. I just myself ordered one. It's also on MusicGiants for those that just want the hit song.

Edited by Brian W.