AF to do Simon & Garfunkel's Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme

or Kevin Gray

 

Agree. If we're having stereo let's have the actual analogue master.

 

Those here that think that Simon & Garfunkel stuff should be heard in stereo -
or remixed stereo - only, owes it to themselves to pick up a few S&G mono 45s
and listen to them.

After I heard 'I Am A Rock' mono on a grey-label reissue 45 recently
I decided that I never wanted to hear it in stereo again. It was terrific!

Admittedly Dylan in mono is more unexpectedly improved than hearing
S&G in mono, but the differences are there.

 

Eh.

I certainly find that mix interesting, but I don't think it blows away the stereo. Just different. Same with just about all of the S&G mono I've heard.

 

That never seems to be a good enough reason for some artists. I thought the same thing for Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass albums...but no!!!

 

I'd like to hear whichever has the best mix barring that just a superior version from a great sounding source.

 

Have you ever heard the mono? Right up front I'll tell you that only 3-4 tracks
were obviously different at first listen. It was a "grower" for me.

 

Same for me but with "Save The Life of My Child"--the mono certainly evokes the atmosphere of freaky holiday much better than the stereo. I'd love to know who the female voices on that track belong to.

 

It may have been a vari-speeded Simon & Garfunkel.

 

Arrgh! The mono 'Bookends' is the one I haven't heard.

Hey, if memory serves, the mono single mix of either 'Cecilia' or 'El Condor Pasa'
was on the S&G 'Greatest Hits' from back-in-the-day. I remember being
startled that the track was in stereo on the 1st cd reissue (in the eighties).

Wish I had the vinyl in front of me - all copies are at the store presently.

I also wondered if this title was the last ever "2-eye" Columbia label.
It came out in June of '72, quite late for that particular graphic.

 

There are no 2-eye US Columbias after 1970.
Let's stay on topic.

PSR&T

 

I'm totally with you, I Am A Rock in mono is a great record, it takes you right back to 1966 hearing it on AM radio. Of course, some folks don't want to be taken back there, I guess, Paul Simon being one. Homeward Bound was also a great AM radio 45, and it too loses something in stereo.

 

Yeah, I definitely don't want to be taken back to AM radio. Very very low fi.

 

Why only 5 tracks? The PSRT album has 6 per side right? Was the UK album different?

 

No Homeward Bound, right? Because it was issued on Sounds of Silence in the UK?

 

There were in Canada, up until '73 I believe.

 

Is it common for an artist to have veto power on something they released and approved decades earlier?

Was this something Simon renegotiated later - like McCartney's ability to holdback later Fabs mono for 25 years.

 

Paul Simon Music has had control over his stuff for years. He signed an agreement with Universal in 2004 but still has control.

http://www.paul-simon.info/PHP/shownews.php?id=93

 

His older stuff is CBS so Universal shouldn't have anything to do with it.

 

No, but Paul Simon Music still controls US publishing rights. check the better link above

"The multi-year deal, which went into effect Jan. 1, calls for UMPG to administer his catalog and new songs worldwide except in North America, where the material will continue to be handled by Paul Simon Music.

Additionally, UMPG will represent Simon's work globally, including the U.S. and Canada, for synchronization opportunities in TV, film and advertising. Simon was previously with Warner/Chappell.

The 300-song catalog includes many modern-day pop classics penned by Simon as part of Simon & Garfunkel and as a solo artist, including "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "The Sounds of Silence," "Still Crazy After All These Years," "Loves Me Like a Rock" and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.""

 

I find it strange when artists don't want to re-release material like mono mixes... in this instance, Paul Simon never objected to the mono LPs upon their intial releases so I wonder what his hang-up is. I mean, why did he create and release them in the first place if he dislikes them so much?

It's not like people are asking for unreleased material, this is stuff that - with the exception of the mono BOOKENDS - is widely available at a dollar bin near you.

 

Who knows how much input he had into the mono mixes? And even if he did, perhaps he has changed his mind or decided to care more over the years.

And if he is really so anti-mono, my guess is he would say "so get the stuff at a dollar bin near you".

 

Or in other words, "to all you hard-core fans who've supported my music over the years and who want digital releases of material I was happy to sell you on vinyl, tough luck."

If these mixes were unreleased I could understand him keeping them back. But with them in circulation, I can't understand why he'd keep his fans from getting them digitally.

 

Do you really believe that Simon and Garfunkel, early in their career in 1966 had that much say about what mixes Columbia Records would and could release? I doubt it... it wasn't until much later when Paul Simon became one of the music elite that he had the power and say so over his music.

Regarding why he wouldn't want Mono mixes released at the current time, is beyond me (if it is true).

 

Is Steve doing the mastering?

I am looking forward to it. I would like some Paul Simon titles as well.