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Just wondered whether anyone knew if the sound or mix of the original mono version of the Last Will and Testament LP differed in any significant way from the stereo mix we’re all familiar with. A lot of EMI releases of the time had quite major differences between mono and stereo, and indeed as mono was the dominant format in ’67 that was the mix they would often spend more time on (eg certain Beatles and early Pink Floyd albums). If this is the case for Jake – and some of the stereo mixing on that first album is quite crude in places – it’d be interesting to hear the mono variation. Can anyone comment?
No one has any idea on this?
I noticed recently that the 1968 TV performance of The Statues (from the Beryl Reid show), which I’d always assumed to be a mimed performance to the album version, is actually different. The vocal performance isn’t the same, and the backing track (while it seems to be the same performance) has a very different sound, much more dense and echoey. Could this be the mono version?
I might just have to buy the LP and find out…
Well, seeing as it looks like no one else is going to answer this, I’ve answered it myself!
Picked up a very nice original Columbia mono pressing of Last Will via Discogs.com for about a fiver, and I’m halfway through side 2 as I type this. As suspected, it is indeed a significantly different mix. The more heavily orchestrated songs (La di Dah, Black Swan) sound much more balanced and natural, Jake’s voice sitting more comfortably in the mix. There are quite a few parts that are more audible – guitar on La di Dah, double bass on Country Bus, 12 string on The Black Swan and so on. On the whole, a nice alternative to listening to the box set CD version (the only edition I’d previously been exposed to) and well worth seeking out.
Currently in suspense to see if that bloody tambourine on the title track is any less glaring!
Maybe not, but the mono mixes probably work a bit better at least, and the aforementioned tambourine is definitely quieter! (For what it’s worth, I don’t mind the arrangements on that album – while Jake’s obviously better on his own or with sparser backing, those orchestral versions have their own charm in my opinion).
Jake’s Progress was also released in mono, but suspect that won’t be as different as there was less to mix in the first place.
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