Horace Parlan on BLUE NOTE: Stereo or mono??*

Classic issued two versions, one in Stereo and 200gram, and a Mono 180gram vinyl

Stereo listed at $40
Mono $30

Has anybody compared these two?

or

Does the Stereo version have the depth/soundstage to warrant the extra $10?

or

if people have different artists but have some 200 gram and also some 180 gram records, can you hear any difference in fidelity between 200vs180 gram records?

thank you

 

The under-appreciated Horace Parlan

I don't have the records you mentioned, though I like Horace Parlan, so I appreciate the heads-up. The only difference I've found between 180-gram vinyl and 200-gram vinyl is that the latter is more likely to split a cover seam in shipping, because of the extra weight.

 

What do you think of Stereo Vs Mono on this title?

I have/like my Mono Bluenote Classic reissues, and at one time read here that Mono is the only way to go with Bluenote, since that was how they were issued originally....van gelder was noted for his Mono sound....but if there is a great soundstage....well, that seems to be worth the $10 extra...


live is tough with these pressing decisions to be made.....

 

got this wrong.....


the MONO is $40 and it is 180 gram(Acoustic Sounds)

The STEREO is $30 it is 200 gram(Acoustic Sounds)


now, that IS really confusing.....mono,less weight, cost more??


hmmm, there must be something in the weight difference that gives a difference in sound fidelity

anybody have an opinion?

 

Howdy...you must be referring to his Blue Note album, "On The Spur of the Moment," as it's the only one Classic has reissued.

Sorry, but you still have it wrong.

The 180 gram was the first time Classic issued this. It is OOP, and that's why it costs more. It is in Stereo on this issue. The copy on Acoustic Sounds website, emphasis mine:

Originally released by Blue Note in 1961 in mono only, this rare and highly collectible title has now been cut from the original 2-track stereo masters for an audiophile's dream-come-true. Solid performances from the leader on piano, with front-line support on sax and trumpet from the Turrentine brothers, plus Al Harewood's bass and George Tucker on drums.

The 200 gram version is in print in both Stereo or Mono. I have the 200 gram stereo pressing. It features Rudy's standard semi-wide soundstage with the drums on the right, like most of his Blue Note recordings.

RVG recordings from 1959 and later I usually prefer the stereo mixes. The monos are fold downs after BLP 4003 (Moanin'), generally speaking. But they can still be quite worthwhile...

Case by case basis here...

 

well, I am, and have been and will be confused again....easily...some days more often than others.....and many times multiple times in one day...

That too, is case by case.....

reading the blurb, without the back-story was such a case.


So, you like the sonics and performance on this one?? I just heard a little Horace on XM last night, and this was the lp the cut was from....

or, should I start with some other title?

Thanks

 

Just listened to Side 1...I'd say go for the stereo...it sounds gorgeous. Tommy on the left channel, Stan the Man on the right. They blend their sounds together really well on the heads. And check out Al Harewood's comping behind Stan's solo on the title cut (Track 1). Makes Al's own solo a little anti-climactic.

 

I'd also say this is a fine title to begin listening to Horace with...but be sure to check out his earlier work in Mingus' band.

 

mono is the only way to go on these IMHO.... the stereo mixes are an afterthought.. van gelder and the artists listened to it in mono..it sounds so much more natural in mono.. in stereo its like seeing a band live and the horn is coming at you from your left and the piano and drums from your right..its bizzare.. they are hard pans...

 

I definitly want the Stereo version then........can't get much better than "live"
in your living room


thanks for the assistance

 

I do not agree with Steve Hoffman. Here is no less than the man who recorded (this is from an interview on all about jazz) these sessions and what I based my initial comment on:

AAJ: How did the invention of stereo effect your approach to recording jazz?


RVG: That was a problem for everyone and not just me. There was no artistic rush to get into stereo from the people I worked for. They had to get into because they had to get into it. As a matter of fact, for quite awhile Alfred and others too had to be making...this is pretty important that you understand this. They had to make two products from the same session. They had to make a mono release in order to have anyone buy it and they had to make a stereo release to make that available to people who were buying stereo. And then of course when the stereo LP came in there was this question of compatibility. Who wants to buy two albums of the same music? You had to make both available and that became very difficult so what happened was everything that was made in Hackensack was mono. Even towards the very end when we were recording two-track we weren't listening in stereo. We were recording in two-track and we were listening in mono because there was only one speaker in Hackensack in the control room and only one speaker in the studio. So how could you listen in stereo when you only have one speaker? And all the judgments, Alfred's judgments, as to mix and balance, and mine too and the musicians too and how they sounded in relationship to each other, and all that during the creative part of those recordings was done in mono. It couldn't be any other way. Towards the end we were running two-track sessions but no one had ever listened to them. So there was no particular attention or attempt at creating a stereo field at that time.

 

RVG's talking about the Hackensack sessions. Horace Parlan's Blue Note dates were done at the Englewood Cliffs studio.

 

Horace Parlan

I haven't heard this title, so I can't compare. But I have the Happy Frame of Mind CD, and it's a fine, fresh-sounding album.

 

I don't know how this session was recorded, but IMHO the mono pressings do only make sense when taken from seperate mono tapes.

Here's what I know about the mono/stereo situation in the early 60's (please correct any mistake): At that time, many studios used to record sessions to both a mono and and a stereo tape machine, each using a different mix. So the mono mix sounds different from a simple fold down of the stereo mix and is worth hearing even when you prefer the stereo recording.

The "Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane" SACD reissue is a nice example of this, as it has both the stereo and the mono mix.

Later, when stereo became the recording standard, the mono recording was abandonned and the mono pressings made from simple fold downs of the stereo recording. Those would be interesting to mono freaks only.

 

Steve, I agree that there's no point in buying these mono LP's (or the originals which command a hefty price). But RVG did monitor in mono, while recording so you could make the case that he was not thinking of the stereo as the finished product necessarily.

 

No, he isn't. I'm not sure at what point RVG moved studios, but at the Hackensack studio the mono mixes were most if not all dedicated. The fold downs begin with BLP4003.

 

As I wrote in another thread here on the forum:

I asked Blue Note's reissue producer, Michael Cuscuna about this and he replied:

"Art Blakey - Orgy In Rhythm 3/7/57, was the first mono and stereo session. Sabu 4/28/57 was the second. All studio dates from that point on, up to and including Art Blakey - Moanin' 10/30/58, were recorded on both mono and stereo machines.

After that all sessions were recorded in two track and folded down for mono."

FYI, with this info in hand, the first session issued in mono that was actually made from a folded-down stereo master was BLP-4004, Art Blakey's "Holiday For Skins, Vol. 1".

 

Going 'round and 'round, aren't we?

 

??? I don't get what you mean. In the quoted statement, RVG constantly refers to the setup and recording at Hackensack.

 

I re-read the quote, you're right. But, IIRC, the set up at Englewood Cliffs was similar. There was no monitoring in stereo.

Edit: When he says "even towards the very end when we were recording two-track we weren't listening in stereo", I have always taken that to mean the last sessions at Englewood Cliffs.

 

I just asked Michael Cuscuna if he knew when Rudy began monitoring in stereo. He says that he's almost 100% positive that he made the switch when he moved to Englewood Cliffs.

In July of 1959, RVG moved his studio from his parents' house in Hackensack, NJ to a standalone building in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. According to those who have been there, this switch included a switch to stereo monitoring. Even if RVG says he was still monitoring in mono in Englewood Cliffs, I would tend to believe that he's remembering incorrectly. It has been noted that RVG, like almost every one of us, has re-arranged some of his recollections.

The first issued Blue Note LP that was recorded in Englewood Cliffs, was BST-4018 Walter Davis's "Davis Cup".

The Horace Parlan session that is being discussed here, "On the Spur Of The Moment", was recorded on 3/16/61. It was certainly recorded in stereo and most likely monitored in stereo.

FWIW, I think this is a great date. One of my favorite Horace Parlan dates, more for the Turrentine brothers' contribution than the leader's. Stanley blows some mean blues here. Great, relaxed swing - best played at night in a dimly-lit room.

Kevin

 

by the way, both the mono and stereo are available at elusivedisc.com for $29.99 .