Different mix of Black Magic Woman - what's up with that?

[sharksfan2000]

I'd forgotten that there's an alternate mix of "Black Magic Woman" until I happened to listen to that track on an Aussie compilation CD called The Best of the Original Fleetwood Mac I'd picked up about 10 years ago. The overall sound is not as "full"-sounding as the more familar mix, but the most obvious difference is that there's none of the reverb present on the second part of Green's solo, and his guitar on this second part of the solo comes through different channels (first left, then right, then both).

I knew in the back of my mind that I'd heard this someplace before, and I finally got around to figuring it out - this is the same mix that's on my old English Rose LP, originally released in early 1969! So this goes way back to the '60s, it's not some recent remix. After a little more digging I found a mention in Peter Lewrie's book on Fleetwood Mac recording sessions of a "different mix" of "Black Magic Woman" along with the master (take 7). The book indicates this different mix appears on the Blue Horizon Story CD set, and sure enough it's there. No mention by Mike Vernon of a different mix that I saw in the booklet that came with that set, though.

I also realized that I've never heard the original single of "Black Magic Woman" - I've only heard the track on various compilations LPs and CDs. Were both the original UK and US singles the more familiar version with the reverb in the second part of Green's guitar solo? Or perhaps one of them was the "different" mix?

I'm curious as to why that different mix appeared at all, since to my ears it's clearly inferior-sounding. Why release that different mix on English Rose (the first time "Black Magic Woman" had appeared on an LP) and on some later compilations while keeping the more familiar mix on compilations like Pious Bird of Good Omen, the '71 Fleetwood Mac's Greatest Hits, and The Chain set? (I'm assuming the mix on the original vinyl release of Pious Bird of Good Omen was the same as the one on the disc from the 6-disc Fleetwood Mac Blue Horizon set, which is the only copy of Pious Bird I've got.)

And if I wasn't already confused enough, the liner notes from The Chain say that "Black Magic Woman" on the disc from that set is sourced from English Rose, which, from my LP anyway (which was in a mid-'70s re-release packaged as a 2-LP set of the first Mac album + English Rose), is the "different" mix, not the one that appears on The Chain.

Sorry for the long, rambling post, but to sum things up, I'm now completely confused (which is not unusual :laugh:). Anyone got those original singles of "Black Magic Woman" and can verify which mix in on there? And anyone got the original vinyl of Pious Bird of Good Omen? And anyone got any ideas on why the "different" mix was ever released at all?

[sharksfan2000]

Thought it would help if I attached a couple of mp3 files that show the difference in the two mixes. They're really short clips to fit the 100KB attachment size (contained in the attached zip files) from the second part of the solo.

If anyone wants me to email them a longer clip, send me a PM.

[Dogon]

Anyone got those original singles of "Black Magic Woman" and can verify which mix in on there? And anyone got the original vinyl of Pious Bird of Good Omen? And anyone got any ideas on why the "different" mix was ever released at all?

Hi Sharkfan2000, I've got the "original" CBS release from -68 of "Black Magic Woman" and it has the "familiar" mix. I've also got the original vinyl of "Pious Bird of Good Omen" and it has the same mix as the single, only on the LP the mix is in stereo.
I remember being very surprised, with joy, after I'd got hold of "English Rose" back in June -69 and heard the different mix for the first time. It also was the first time that I'd heard the song in stereo, since at that time most singles were released in mono (at least in Europe) and I did not have "Pious" in my possession yet, and I thought it was great fun with the lead guitar jumping from left to right and back between the choruses and in the second part of the solo. I think that there are two things that differ the two mixes apart; the "ping-pong"-effect on the lead guitar in the "different" mix and the reverb drenched second part of the solo in the "familiar" mix.
As everybody knows, the "English Rose" was a compilation of FM's first two albums and their singles, released for the US market to promote their first 1969-tour over there and back then I thought the different mix was sort of an update of the sound in an attempt to come in line with the sound that had begun overflow the record market during the "psycadelic" that was now a couple of years old.

[sharksfan2000]

Hi Sharkfan2000, I've got the "original" CBS release from -68 of "Black Magic Woman" and it has the "familiar" mix. I've also got the original vinyl of "Pious Bird of Good Omen" and it has the same mix as the single, only on the LP the mix is in stereo.

I remember being very surprised, with joy, after I'd got hold of "English Rose" back in June -69 and heard the different mix for the first time. It also was the first time that I'd heard the song in stereo, since at that time most singles were released in mono (at least in Europe) and I did not have "Pious" in my possession yet, and I thought it was great fun with the lead guitar jumping from left to right and back between the choruses and in the second part of the solo. I think that there are two things that differ the two mixes apart; the "ping-pong"-effect on the lead guitar in the "different" mix and the reverb drenched second part of the solo in the "familiar" mix.

As everybody knows, the "English Rose" was a compilation of FM's first two albums and their singles, released for the US market to promote their first 1969-tour over there and back then I thought the different mix was sort of an update of the sound in an attempt to come in line with the sound that had begun overflow the record market during the "psycadelic" that was now a couple of years old.
Thanks for the great info, Dogon! Wow - I didn't realize that the original single was in mono. Knowing that, your thought about updating the sound to make the stereo more obvious and maybe make it sound more in tune with the times makes a lot of sense.

Personally, I find the guitar part jumping around on different channels just irritates me. It's something I'm sure many of us have run across in other music from that era as well - it just seems to me like producers were making sure everyone knows "hey, we're recording in stereo!". But that's just me, and as I mentioned I much prefer the "familiar" mix. Thanks for confirming that is indeed the mix on the original single, and for the mono/stereo info.