Family - Music In A Doll's House [Prof Stoned Master 2021]
16bit/44.1kHz (CD Quality)
01. The Chase
02. Mellowing Grey
03. Never Like This
04. Me My Friend
05. Variation on a Theme of Hey Mr. Policeman
06. Winter
07. Old Songs New Songs
08. Variation on a Theme of the Breeze
09. Hey Mr. Policeman
10. See Through Windows
11. Variation on a Theme of Me My Friend
12. Peace of Mind
13. Voyage
14. The Breeze
15. 3 x Time
16. God save the Queen (uncredited)
Bonus:
A. Me My Friend (Single Version)
B. Hey Mr. Policeman (Single Version)
All tracks Mono
All of these mixes are officially unavailable on CD.
Produced: Dave Mason (except Jimmy Miller Tr. 12 & 14)
Engineers: Eddie kramer w/ George Chkiantz
Location: Olympic Studios, London, January-April, 1968
Hardware:
- Technics 1210mk2
- Jelco SA-750D Tonearm (w/ JAC 501 cable)
- Audio Technica AT33PTG MC
- Pro-Ject Tube Box SE-2
- Yamaha CA-1010
- RME ADI-2 A/D Interface
Software:
- Audition 3.0 used for adjusting DC bias, editing, (incl. manual removal of clicks
and pops), adding gain and making the cue points.
- Click Repair 3.4.1 used with setting Cl: 20, Cr: 0
- CueListTool v1.7 & Mediaval CueSplitter used for generating the .cue's & .m3u's.
Transfer & Restoration by Prof. Stoned
v1.0: 23-02-2014
v2.0: 16-12-2021 (same rip and restoration, HD file remastered -v1.0 was flat- and single tracks added)
[N.B.: If interested, v1.0 can be heard here: youtu.be/p1BhDoRzfYY ]
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Note:
I never liked the sound of the original mono LP; I think it sounds dull as dishwater. At least part of that seems to have been caused due to poor mastering: nearly all songs were crossfaded and thus one tape generation had to be sacrificed to achieve this. But unlike the more experimental stereo mix, the process seems to have affected the sound quality of the mono master badly, as the 45 versions of two songs -same mixes without the crossfades- sound much better. Until now. I have carefully remastered the LP from my 2013 rip and I believe it has been brought up to the standard of the stereo LP and -more importantly- the 1968 single (which I have included here without further remastering, straight from vinyl). Everything was done with one setting, so the sonic signature differences would be maintained.
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Original note from 2014:
Here's another rarity in the series "essential in mono but not available on cd".
I've been wanting to do this one for a long time. It's one of my all-time favorite British psych albums and this seldom heard mono mix is a delight. I could fill a whole page about how innovative, brilliant and catchy this album still sounds to me after all these years, but you should hear for yourself.
It's a pity that the band did not consider (or find room) to include this in the 14 CD box from last year, because this dedicated mono mix is more than just an interesting oddity. It differs substantially from the stereo version by being more straightforward and less experimental. Quite why it has never seen a re-release on any format is unclear, although the following blurb from an interview with Guitarist John Whitney in 1973 seems to indicate the band had mixed feelings about it:
Q: "Now, wasn't that album the first to be released in stereo only?"
A: "No. I think there was a mono version, but it had to be pulled out because it was so bad. It kept jumping the grooves, so they withdrew it. There was some interesting things on the mono version, because in those days when you did the final overdubs to a song, since it was only four tracks you had to do your final overdubs--- say a few bars of guitar --- while they were actually mixing. So the guitar bits were different from mono to stereo, and some of it was much better on the mono mix. I think it was
on 'The Chase'."
Indeed, UK mono copies of Music in a Doll's House are scarce. Unlike the mono White album, only a handful of decent copies appear on ebay over a year. These don't necessarily command the same high prices as a mono White Album top copy, but they are remarkably difficult to find for a pop record from this era that sold reasonably. I've searched for 2 and a half years, before settling on a copy in near excellent condition. On top of that, the grooves of this cutting are notoriously difficult to track
and prone to wear. So, finding a copy that did not sound worn was a challenge of its own.
Enjoy!
