Does anyone know if the Tomorrow album has ever been reissued in its original dedicated mono mix? I have both the EMI shell cased CD (1999)and Japanese mini LP card sleeved CD (2001) versions which are both the thin sounding stereo mix dubbed in the 1990s, even though all the bonus tracks are in mono.

The Japs are reissuing it as an SHM mini LP CD again in March but with a new (2013) remaster on the stereo version so I'm hoping that might be an improvement. I have though always wanted to hear the true mono version, which is apparently a lot better but seems only to be available as an original 1968 LP pressing. Have I missed something or has the mono version never been reissued? I have original vinyl copies of both the'Revolution' and 'My White Bicycle' singles and they sound excellent in comparison to the versions on the CDs.

PM

there is a original on ebay but its at £122 at the mo
TOMORROW Featuring KEITH WEST Original 1968 UK MONO LP Earliest Poss Press . EX

I have three reissues of the album. One is on Import records, one is on Decal, and one is on a bootleg Parlophone label. That last one claims so be mono, but, alas, is just another stereo. So as far as I know, to hear the mono you need to track down an original mono. It is a different mix. I know that because a kind RZ'er sent me a CDR of the mono edition. The Spanish Vinilissimo also uses the mono cover but is actually stereo. No mono reissues that I know about.
Speaking of mono, if you have more than $400 there's a Colgems Birds the Bees and the Monkees in mono on eBay as well.

Thanks Phil - it's up to £180 now, not enough pennies in my piggy bank at the moment for that lovely original! Thanks Joe, I didn't think I had ever seen a mono reissue. I wonder why EMI don't reissue it in mono as well?

P

Yes, I would really love to hear a mono version of the Tomorrow album as well seeing as it has long been one of my all time favorite UK psych albums!

The mono original Tomorrow LP sold eventually for £396.65 with 20 bids. Any time someone complains that everything from the 60s worth hearing has been reissued, remind them of this one!

PM

I think I messed up my description of the Tomorrow mono version of "Auntie Mary's Dress Shop". There's some different backing vocals, but in fact there's more harpsichord/piano on the stereo version. It is pretty much only near the beginning of the mono version. I had it backwards.
But the mono version ends up sounding closer to a live performance even though it does have a little of the piano effect. That song was the one where I heard the biggest difference anyway. The drums might be a little heavier on the "...and a giant appears, and a deep noise fills their ears..." in "Three Jolly Little Dwarfs", but I don't hear huge differences in guitar parts or anything instantly noticeable besides the fact that it's mono. I think it's more a question of levels being different than different instrumentation on most of it. There may be a more noticeable reverb on the vocals in "Hallucinations" and the guitar is a bit more prominent in mono.

Someone has kindly offered to send me a cdr of the mono Tomorrow LP so I'll listen out for all that Joe.

Paul

Thanks to Richard Prest, I have now finally been able to listen to the mono version of the Tomorrow album, and I think it's a revelation. I can quite understand Mark Wirtz disowning the commercially reissued stereo version (that he didn't mix incidentally) after hearing this. Everything sounds crisper, sharper and has a lot more presence and clarity. The sitar on 'Real Life Permenant Dream', the keys on 'Shy Boy' and Steve Howe's guitar work on 'Now Your Time Has Come' all stand sharply proud in the mix. Wirtz mixed this as a dedicated mono mix and he did a great job. It's like listening to the album for the first time with a lot of aural fog removed. It really is a shame this version is not commercially available, it fully deserves to be.

PM

Paul, someone sent me a fantastic transfer of the original mono album. If your's sounds good then you have that. If not let me know and I can toss it in drop box for you and anyone who needs it.

I had the album from Mark Wirtz's collection but his was pretty beat up. I was thrilled to get a good transfer because you're right, its great in mono!

Funny thing is that Mark told me that he likes the stereo mixes on the songs that had proper stereo done. I'm baffled by this but I can only think that it highlights things he felt were good in his production. It's possible that Mark is inconsistent on this because I doubt he's really done a detailed comparison.

One track that really stands out in mono is their cover of Strawberry Fields. Normally I'm not that into Beatles covers but they did a great little tight version of that song as a rock band (I believe their intention was to show the Beatles how it should have been recorded!).

Hi Mark, nice to hear from you! Yes, thanks, mine is a very fine quality sounding transfer, like it's come off a clean vinyl copy and remastered, pretty much like you'd expect if it were a commercial reissue from Ace or Repertoire. Whoever did this gets a big slap on the back from me. I don't think I'll be listening to the standard comnmercially re-issued stereo version again having got this mono version, except to remind myself occasionally why I don't listen to it any more! The stereo version has not been re-mastered since 1999 I believe, but later this month there is Japanese mini lp cd reisue of it with a new 2014 remastering, so that may have improved it a bit.

PM

Hey Mark. I don't mean to sound like a freeloader but I would absolutely love a copy of Tomorrow in mono. Tomorrow has always been one of my favorite pop psych bands and to be able to hear their album in mono would be amazing. I just thought I'd raise my hand to your Dropbox offer if it still stands. If not, no worries. Thanks Mark!

Hi Mark,
I would also love a dropbox of the mono Tomorrow if it's no trouble
thanx

I might add the Decal reissue is mono but NOT the true mono mix, only a folddown of the stereo (why?! but there you go...) so potential buyers beware... Doc

Sorry, I'll probably get into trouble for this but you can download an excellent copy in flac of the mono album here http://rutracker.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4212653 It's miles better than the stereo version. I'm doing my bit here to save plastic in the environment:)

Two great albums I've been listening to recently are Nick Garrie's J.B. Stansilas and Del Shannon's Adventures of CHarles Westover. They both consist of short songs and are quite psychy in their own way. The first one's British and the second one is American (but sounds kind of British to my ears). Two really great albums.

I can post it up to dropbox if folks don't have luck with that link. Best sounding version I've ever heard... like Paul said.

You need to register on rutracker before you can see the post.

Hey guys. I'm having trouble with that link. Is there a way to set the language to English? I'm finding it difficult figuring out how to register since I don't speak or read Russian. I don't know, I may be a bit slow.

Mark, if it's not too much trouble, it may be easier(for me at least!)just to Dropbox it. Just thought I'd ask.

Thanks a lot!

If anyone, like Richard wants to hear the mono edition of the Tomorrow album, I have uploaded it to my Dropbox account as well, so as long as you have Dropbox (it's free to download) I can send you an invite link for it if you send me your email address in the body of the email.

PM

Hi there,

Would it be possible for someone to please send me a dropbox invite for this. Have set up an account but for some reason - after trying for the past few days with Paul Martin - bless him..!! - we seem to have encountered a major problem in receiving the links - for some reason I never get them - neither of us can figure out why. There is no problem with exchanging emails - but for some reason the emails with links never reach me. It is baffling for both of us...!!

Can one or more kind souls help out please..??!!

Am also wanting to get my hands on:
Rainbow Chasers 1+2
Pop Cycles Vols. 09-12

Many thanks in advance if anyone can help..!!

Hi Mark if a dropbox is still possible I'd like very much to listen this mono version! Thanks a lot
Gianpaolo

bloody brilliant paul; thanks for that

Thanks to Painterman for the dropbox link

Just been given a mono CDR of the album. Thanks for the recommendation on this particular disc. Apparently there is a likelihood that the original EMI mono master tapes of this album may have been destroyed or erased.

Nice new paper sleeve Japanese 2014 remaster of thes tereo version. Bonus tracks differ a bit from the UK EMI issue as well:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2014-REMASTER-TOMORROW-ST-Steve-Howe-JAPAN-MINI-LP-SHM-CD-BONUS-TRACK-/301147592451?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item461dcb9703#ht_2133wt_1063

PM

Seen the mono mix on Jap SHM CD

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/WPCR-15553

Also the review for this version on Amazon also says it's the mono

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tomorrow/dp/B00HPZYC3O/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_h__5?ie=UTF8&refRID=1Y0WGMMY05691FJ4X5Q4

Thanks Painterman.This CD was issued about a year ago. Maybe it says it's in mono somewhere in Japanese, but there's nothing to say it's in mono in English in the ads I've seen or on the Obi. The only clue is that it says in the lyric book insert 'tracks 17-22 in stereo' suggesting the 1-16 are mono I suppose. I've got the older stereo Jap mini LP CD (not SHM disc) and it has the same repro mini LP card sleeve packaging. It's really nice. Anyone considering buying this mono edition, it is worth the money if you like the art side of things. It has a flip back sleeve not a photocopied one like European reisseus. Very good attention to detail. The mono version of this album is way better than the bothed up stereo version in my opinion. You don't realise it until you compare the two, but I can only listen to the mono version now. I'll be getting this now I know it's mono to upgrade my CDR rip. Thanks for the head's up Painterman.

PM

My trigger finger's itching on this but it's gonna have to wait a few weeks.

S'funny tho...theres a 6 page thread on Steve Hoffman forum called 'Tomorrow, Keith West & the Teenage Opera' with a lot of input from Mark Frumento who surely must be the ultimate authority and his last comment on the subject of the mono was that he reckoned the tapes must be lost or wiped...
Anyway the guys down at SH have done all their usual forensic tests and it's def.
the real thing...
You'll be wanting to hang on to your 1999 EMI CD for the bonus material though as they say that although the album proper sounds like a straight transfer on the Jap, the bonus tracks are all squashed with compression and sound better on the
'99 EMI CD

Yes, the Japs usually do really good work with remastering / transfers. I can't imagine them dubbing from a mono LP, they'd want the actual tapes. I can easily envisage the Japs having a mono tape / mix down that was not available or discovered at the time of the 1999 re-issue. Odd about the extras though. Maybe they are the same ones used on the stereo issue and sound even more compressed when heard against the actual album in mono. Anyway, I've got the old shell cased stereo issue on EMI and the Jap mini LP CD stereo issue. When I press the 'buy' button on the mono copy (like you Painterman, having to wait a while), I'll compare them. Right about Mark Frumento, he is the Wirtz man to go to for sure.

PM

As an LP who's stature keep climbing over time, and official mono re-release really needs to happen sometime.

You can see a more detailed view of the Jap mono issue at downbeat, a very fast and reliable Japanese seller.:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301147592451?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

2 copies left, if you want to buy one, I just ordered one, couldn't resist! It says nothing about being in mono in the ad / offer, but I google translated the Japanese script on the CD Japan website and that does mention it is the mono version and remastered last year from master tapes.

PM

Bought it now, thanks!

Got this today. It is a Jap 2014 remaster of the mono mix on a 'Special High Material' (SHM) disc. This, like the CDR of the mono version a kind RZer sent me last year and did the rounds accordingly, I prefer to the stereo version. Being a Jap re-master (of which I am a fan) and being on SHM disc, it sounds good, but initially, these can often be heard as if the treble or top end has been over-emphasised. To my ears, once you ajust to that, it just sounds 'clean' rather than 'trebly'. Maybe this is what Mark Frumento meant by some of the bonus tracks sounding compressed? Then again maybe it depends what you listen to it on.

Anyway, I think this mono version has a lot more presence and sounds more 'real' than the stereo version. The mix of mono and stereo bonus tracks affords an even greater opportunity for comparison, but in these I think both do well; the actual LP though for me is best in mono. A high quality vinyl edition of the mono mix would be great as well.

PM