[78-L] Beach Boys 78s

[Mark Bardenwerper]

On 4/18/2011 8:45, David Lewis wrote:
> Mr. Lennick asked:
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> Were any Beach Boys recordings ever actually mixed in real stereo?
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> Yes, certainly. After 1971, Brian Wilson's contact with the band in the studio becomes more of an intermittent thing, and Bruce Johnston and Mike Love step up more from the songwriting and production end, with mixed results, I feel. But all of those recordings, including the very late "Kokomo" -- made in 1988 -- are true stereo recordings. The mono orientation of earlier Beach Boys recordings was partly to accommodate Brian's disability, but remember that even The Beatles were mixing mainly to mono first, at least through 1968, as it really was the standard for pop singles in that time. The stereo mixes of Beatles material were afterthoughts, looked at as mere obligation by the band itself, and Capitol didn't even use them, preferring to send the mono tapes through Duophonic or some other artificial stereo process. And Brian Wilson's musical world was one conceived in mono.
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> Cary Ginnell wrote:
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> Beach Boys records are better in mono - Brian Wilson was savvy enough to mix them so that they could be best received on an automobile AM radio. The stereo mixes I've heard have all the voices on one side and instruments on the other. Yecch.

Of course. The target audience in those days listened to AM radio and 
played 45's on little portable phonos. Dad had the big HI-Fi unit 
downstairs and he would not allow that "crap" to play on his equipment. 
Ask me. I was there.

-- 
Mark L. Bardenwerper, Sr. #:?)
Technology, thoughtfully, responsibly.
Visit me at http://www.candokaraoke.com