Quote:
Originally Posted by Dogon
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.
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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.