Lampie, may you stay forever young!
Mono vs. Stereo;
I'm thinking pretty much like Kyle on this one.
Here's the deal, in addition to what he said:
I DID grow up on the mono 45's, heard them played on radios from 2x2 inch transister radio speakers, to 6X9 speakers mounted in the middle of a car dashboard, heard them booming from big speakers at the bottom of a Wurlitzer Juke Box at the park, bowling alley. heard them over drive-in speakers mounted on your car window , facing into the car. (A Hard Day's Night).
Heard them over "Hi-fidelity (2) speakers in the home. They all sounded great, because they were the Beatles!
When stereo came out, the spacing really opened up the music and, the Beatles took note in the studio.
In the middle of the Hard Day's Night booklet included in the remaster is a 2 page shot of them recording in Abbey Road. They are set up, spaced -out, like they are performing to an audiance. An accurate reproduction of the sound would also have the seperateness and spacing - of course with a common middle. The clearer, stronger bass and drums of the remasters serves as that solid middle - this is why the 87's didn't work, they lacked in bass/drum sound.
With the stereo remasters, in the car and the home, the sounds mix from each side to deliver magic. With head-phones or ear buds, there may be too much seperateness on a track here or there, mostly in the 1st or second album.
Running with headphones today, showed ,most of the time the sound was positioned to be seemingly streaming from both eyes and my nose - perfect. A couple early tracks were too far apart, and only in my ears. I do have about 3 Monos, as a result of the Past Master remaster and they sound good, better than the several poor early stereo songs but not as good as good stereo remaster songs. From I Want To Hold Your Hand, onward, I think the stereo ones are as good (or better) - it then becomes a matter of opinion or preference.
I am interested in a couple monos because they are different enough sounding, Sgt. Pepper for example.
RED ALBUM: I recall, had 2 or 3 monos, but were mostly "stereo," varied from US VS. Brittish versions, I think the method and invention of "stereo" sound was quite varied, as well.
Anyway I am impossibly pleased with how great the remasters are. I read some of the stuff on some of the other websites and the people are so "nerdy" about the technology part of this, it's as if they are talking about a cure for cancer.
Great discussion!
