Why The Beatles Sgt Pepper Mono Mix Is Better Than The Stereo Mix

Mono vs Stereo

[chrismcgovern]

I still think the stereo mix of "She's Leaving Home" is my preferred mix. To me, it's more natural and perhaps it sounds sadder this way, but I like it much more than the mono mix.

[philharding]

I grew up with the 87 mix so getting the 2014 mono was a real relevation. I love hearing these works in new ways, whether it's mono or stereo or Giles's remixes.

[tonygatos]

Thank you for posting this very informative video. It takes some getting used to listening to the mono version, but i also understand that mono is how the Beatles intended it to be.

[Pizzapartydad]

I don’t have a copy of the 2014 LP mono remaster, but I do have the 2009 mono on CD and I was just listening to it. I love the way She’s Leaving Home sounds in mono, and I also agree about Good Morning!

[dgross]

I have an old beat up copy of the mono and also the 2014 version in my mono box set. I only have one Giles Martin Beatles remix and it is SP which I play frequently. This gives the best of both worlds since it's stereo and remixed based on the mono version.

[Onteo]

Growing up all I had was my mono copy I bought a few weeks after it came out. Never heard a stereo version until I picked up a new apple pressing in the early 70s. I still play the original, but have the 82 Red Japanese copy and it sounds great. I just spun the uhqr version and am not impressed. A really nice version is the 78 Canadian colored version. I agree with the differences in the intro and outro of the reprise, it adds something. I prefer the mono overall

[farrellmcnulty]

7:12 - I loved it when you touched on the differences between the mono and stereo Sgt Pepper reprise. First, I'll always love that rooster cluck at the end of Good Morning Good Morning on the mono mix. Lots of people, and the band, have had complaints about that vs the stereo mix, but I think mono's better. The stereo mix of the rooster cluck sounds like it skips. The mono version of the Sgt pepper reprise is a great laugh for me as Lennon mumbles something unintelligible, then somebody switches on a tape playing sounds of applause and then he says "bye" - as Paul is counting in the background and John is mischievous and doesn't want Paul to know he's talking into the microphone 😅. Never gets old, never will. Just as someone said about the Piper at the Gates of Dawn in stereo sounding like a cup of tea in comparison to the mono mix, it's like that here with Pepper as well. One good thing I appreciate about the stereo mix is how it opens and expands the fairground noises in Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite. because of the separation, you can switch from ear to ear to hear different tracks of sound effects, but the 2017 remix really packs a punch when you get that echo when it winds down to a stop. Great side finale.

[denniswood]

Another great presentation! For just basic listening, I prefer the mono Sgt. Pepper. The stereo version is still a mind blower on headphones.

[squallywally]

Love your Lux starburst clock. I have one just like it.

[farrellmcnulty]

12:20 - Tinting differences - it's like that on the stereo and mono Capitol mixes, too.

[nickelias]

I love to have both mono, stereo and the remix as well as a 1983(?)Australian audiophile version (needle drop) as well so that whatever mood I’m in or system I might be using, I have the mix for the occasion 😁but I agree: for a harder rocking one, the mono. For more clarity and headphone listening, stereo. And in the car it’s mono all the way ! One thing about the mono that bugs me though is how the transition between the chicken clucking and guitar leading to the reprise is not as smooth as the stereo and I always loved that bit .

[stevelang]

Love both of them...but yes mono has the edge I think. The recent stereo remix is interesting too but a bit loud and compressed for my liking

[buppie]

I grew up with the original Capitol 1967 mono. When I finally heard a stereo copy years later I was surprised how flimsy it sounded. Sgt Pepper reprise mono has so much more muscle. Giles did a pretty good job. His stereo feels very mono inspired.

[dumpwoodhere]

I picked up a mint stereo first pressing today and it sounds fantastic. Both the 67 mono and stereo covers have the identical flaps and the colours are toned down unlike the gaudy releases of late. I dont have the mono 2014 but i rekon they recreated the colour pallet of the 67 cover.
Without a doubt i have to agree that mono is the best version. In fact, every album sounds best in mono except the white album which sounds equally good in both formats.

[MusicradioNetwork]

I don’t have any versions of this album, but my copy is the Capitol US release from 1967 and it was the original stereo mix, and it sounds phenomenal than the later mixes.

[SethRomano]

I agree the mono version is better, certainly more balanced, etc. EXCEPT there is one thing that drives me a little nuts; the transition from “good morning” to “Pepper reprise” sounds like there is a tape playback error (sounds gargled and choppy) when the rooster meets the note on the guitar. It’s seamless on the stereo version which seems a lot cooler because it almost sounds like one continuous sound and you almost can’t tell the difference between the rooster and the guitar.

[arzabael]

When you have multiple speakers around you it’s nice to have a stereo mix with instruments as harshly panned as the Beatles albums because different things are coming out of different speakers so obviously and it feels much more like band is around you, but you made great points about the levels being weaker on stereo. I say if it’s headphones or two speakers left and right it has to be mono but if you have an asymmetrical speaker set up like me the stereo versions literally kick ass all day

[seno]

Thank you for the video, I can really relate to your points 👍👍. But one thing: The flipbacks are not a distinctive mono feature - they were also prominent on stereo pressings up to the 70s.

[drums]

I think all the Beatle albums sound better in mono. It's incredible what they attained with just a 4 track machine, especially with Pepper. It's a shame Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane didn't make the lp. Love the flip-backs too ! My original UK mono has a darker hue than the 2014 . Thanks for another fine video, Brian.

[WilG]

I honestly really like the remix cos it’s kind of a stereo version of the mono mix. What are your thoughts on that?