Didier wrote:I am not sure that at the time of the recording of "Sounds of the Shadows" there was still different takes for mono an stereo releases.
In France at this time there was no more separate mono an stereo releases. Since the mid sixties, all albums were in "mono compatible" stereo, called here "gravure universelle" (universal cut).
Didier
Apart from being mono or stereo, the following tracks were different on the original stereo issue as opposed to the original mono issue:
1. "The Shadows": tracks in mono and stereo identical.
2. "Out Of The Shadows": "Perfidia" featured overdubs on the mono version, absent on the stereo version.
3. "Dance With The Shadows": "Blue Shadows" was in mono on both the mono and stereo issue, but the mono mixes differed from each other in 'enhancement', as Malcolm Campbell and Les Woosey described it. "Dakota" fades out at the very end on the mono version, whereas Licorice's harmonica stops at the end of the stereo version. Also, "French Dressing" was in mono on the mono and stereo issues of the album, but in the exact same mix.
4. "The Sound Of The Shadows": tracks in mono and stereo identical.
5. "Shadow Music": "Benno-San" was mismastered on the initial mono pressing of the album, in that Brian's percussion overdubs are not complete, whereas they are on the stereo mix. About three weeks after release, the complete stereo mix was mixed down to mono and subsequent mono pressings featured the 'second mono mix'. "Don't Stop Now" has the same problem with incomplete guitar overdubs on the mono mix, not such a problem on the stereo mix. "March To Drina" in mono has two introductory bars, whereas the stereo version has four.
6. "Jigsaw": "Tennessee Waltz" in mono is over three minutes and features heavy power chords from Hank at the end, while the stereo version fades out much earlier and omits this climax.
7. "From Hank, Bruce, Brian And John": Malcolm and Les disagree with me here (Malcolm and Les, please correct me if I'm wrong!), but in my perception, the lines sung by Hank "I don't care how much money I gotta spend, got to get back to my baby again" are different to my ears in mono, compared to the stereo version. The intonation is different on that passage, while the rest of the song is the same in mono and stereo.