Hello Friends! After an extended break away from the Fab Five, we return to The Hollies on Mixology with a look at their 1966 album, 'Would You Believe?'. Their first issued in stereo in the UK (almost at the same time), this LP has always had a very curious mix situation, with the stereo being somewhat inventive with it's panning, and the mono being quite muddy for the most part. With this in mind, I dived into this episode hoping to break down why this is, and let me tell you that the answer was somewhat unexpected, but also somewhat creative - if expedient. With a major discovery on our hands here, this episode only further complicates the mono vs stereo debate when it comes to this material, so don't have a Hard Hard Year, let's dig in!

Happy Listening,

Frederick

Hello Friends,

This time on Mixology, we're back with another Mixology Conversation, this time with the delightful Andrew Batt, discussing the fantastic new Cast Your Fate to the Wind: The Complete UK Decca Recordings from Marianne Faithfull. Andrew's care and attention with Marianne's work made this one of my most anticipated reissue campaigns in many years, and with the fantastic results now available, I have to say it comes with my highest recommendation.

However, I was initially left with many questions about the mixes chosen across the set, as while stereo is the defacto choice here, the occasional mono mix surfaces where stereo does in fact exist, and beyond that... why stereo over mono? Your ears will tell you part of the answer, but these make up but a small part of our conversation, which became a delightfully flowing overview of Marianne's 60s career, her evolution from pure folk singer to baroque pop master, and the hurdles and misconceptions that have caused this material to both be overlooked and undervalued both at the time and in the decades since.

Andrew - who was amusingly the fourth guest I have had by this name - was an absolute delight to converse with, and our conversation really opened my eyes to the struggles Marianne faced over the years, both externally and internally, when it came to this material, and I am so glad it is finally being given the presentation it deserves to get the appraisal it deserves.

For listeners on the Patreon, a 10 minute bonus clip from this conversation is also available, discussing the lack of session reels, Mick Jagger's treasures, the mystery of a vinyl box set, and an exploration of the challenges at large with a curated reissue campaign in 2025. In other words - an utterly essential addition that sadly did not fit into the episode proper!

Cast Your Fate to the Wind: The Complete UK Decca Recordings 1964-1969 is out now as a CD box set and a series of LP reissues on Proper Music.

Happy Listening,

Frederick

Patreon

Hello Friends! We're back in Hermits land this month with a look at the only LP issued by the group in true stereo from start to finish, Hold On! (Music from the Original Sound Track). Recorded as such for the titular motion picture, this meant that for the first time we got to hear Herman's Hermits in both mono and true stereo, and it is truly glorious. This is a stereo mix with a lot of care in it's execution, and while the mono likely takes the cake, the stereo is a very enjoyable listen, with a few nice little differences throughout, including muted studio noise, differing fade-outs, and variable vocal echo. A Must to Avoid, this is not!

Happy Listening,

Frederick

Patreon