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Rolling Stones Mono Box Set (lp or cd)

I wanted to get the ball rolling. I thought that including both formats here would be beneficial to the entire discussion. I personally have little experience with the Rolling Stones. However, I think I can add an opinion in the form of having heard lots of music from this era and how this box relates to the Beatles Mono Box. I'm currently using my stereo cart. I've listened to the first 5 lps in chronological order.

One thing that has stood out to me is how consistent these 5 lps are in sound quality. ( "Out Of Our Heads", US has more pronounced bass, haven't listened to the UK yet.) This is kind of unusual in my listening experience. Compared to the Beatles Mono box which wasn't as consistent, album to album. I find the detail, the ambient retrieval, and the bass overall to be very good. What bothers me is I feel it is recorded too hot as well as I feel the overall sound seems somewhat very slightly artificial. ( I never felt this way listening to the Beatles Mono box). These last two issues may have to do with the re-mastering chain. It may be the quality of the mics, the recording venue, etc...I don't know. I don't have the originals to compare. There is the dimensional character of the soundstage that is very nice as was the Beatles. The vinyl itself is super quiet but I see that a few of these will need to be flattened. So far, there isn't an pressed "off-center" issue.
astro58go
jafant's avatar
jafant
21,601 posts
 
Yes, on the latest Vinyl set there was digital processing in the mixing.
For you Vinyl hounds, better to seek out and buy the Mono pressings from the 60's.  I will be buying the CD set.
lenmc2964's avatar
lenmc2964
243 posts
 
I have the set on vinyl and while it's not in the same league as The Beatles Mono set by the way they had George Martin producing at around $24.00 a lp it's worth the price. They play quite although as said "hot". But it's the Stones in Mono and as a fan I'll over look the bad and just enjoy the music.
tostadosunidos's avatar
tostadosunidos
1,198 posts
 
The sound of most 60's British band recordings sucks IMO.  It improved as the years went by.  The Beatles had the best of everything, even a producer who had experience recording classical ensembles.  I tend to think it was more the ear of the producers than the equipment but I think the latter mattered to some degree. 
jafant's avatar
jafant
21,601 posts
 
The Beatles had the best of luck having the support of both Brian Epstein and George Martin. The lads would have never journeyed, as far as they did, w/o those (2) gentlemen.

The Rolling Stones did not have such a supporting cast, in that regard.
Moreover, this fueled their competitive spirit that ultimately lead to 1969's
"Let it Bleed". Easily this album was their crowning achievement for the 60's decade.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
jafant
4,208 posts
10-16-2016 2:26pm
"The Beatles had the best of luck having the support of both Brian Epstein and George Martin. The lads would have never journeyed, as far as they did, w/o those (2) gentlemen.

The Rolling Stones did not have such a supporting cast, in that regard.
Moreover, this fueled their competitive spirit that ultimately lead to 1969’s
"Let it Bleed". Easily this album was their crowning achievement for the 60’s decade."

The Stones had the management and musical (mostly piano) support of Ian Stewart (Stu) for a very long time plus they got along for the sake of the band. No wonder the Stones outlasted the Beatles by 50 years. Monkey man piano intro on Let it Bleed was Ian Stewart. Also the piano on Honky Tonk Women. Hel-loo! The piano on Zeppelin's Rock and Roll? Yup, Ian Stewart!

The Rolling Stones played a tribute gig with Rocket 88 in February 1986 at London’s 100 Club, and included a 30-second clip of Stewart playing the blues standard "Key to the Highway" at the end of Dirty Work. When the Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, they requested Stewart’s name be included.


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