Re: Elvis vinyl related discussion
Posted: October 7th, 2025, 11:19 am
MBM put out some very classy vinyl for sure 
Have the UK Elvis Country with bonus photo in my collection, never saw this French compilation before. Label is simular to this well-known French release: https://www.discogs.com/release/4433603 ... is-Presley and is apperently a budget label. Anymore releases on that label?AfoolSuchAsI. wrote: October 7th, 2025, 4:22 am 17598287472185461528002895462070.jpg17598287808265804470633998076084.jpg
Great lp s one frome France and Elvis Country UK original.
Bilbobaggins probably is right that RCA would sent mixed 2nd generation tapes to production facilities worldwide. From Elvis In Memphis was never mixed as a MONO album in the US so in this case the UK lacquer cutter had to "fold-down" the STEREO tape for a MONO record. I was really in awe when I first played the MONO record last week. JohnnyByeBye is so right: you can still make a hell of a difference in mastering as the Brits did. It's an excellent listening experience.Bilbobaggins wrote: October 7th, 2025, 7:16 amThank for the analysis!JohnnyByeBye wrote: October 7th, 2025, 6:59 amBilbo, I thought about this a bit. I don't think that the UK pressings can have different mixes of anything.Bilbobaggins wrote: October 6th, 2025, 7:35 am On the subject of mono mixes, if my information is solid... (So please correct me if I am wrong).
Period of real dedicated mono mixes
1954 - 1968:
RCA made monomixes of (all?) Elvis recordings until about the end of 1968.This means that the mono versions were not simply "fold-downs" (stereo merged into mono), but mixed versions with sometimes noticeable differences in balance, EQ, dynamics etc.
Before 1969 or so,the final mix was done during recording session. My guess is that in the Elvis world,recording systems with more than 3 tracks were used in the Memphis -69 sessions for the first time.
Up until then the systems were basically 3 tracks:
1.
2&3: the rest of the musicians mixed to 2 tracks, which were used as left and right channel and therefore created a stereo image.
In the fifties,everything was mixed during the session,even Elvis's vocal. So you could not separate it from the band after the session. And Let's leave the binaural backup tapes out of this discussion...
In order to "mix" these afterwards, it would mean that you would need the multrack 3-track tapes and even then you can only mix the balance of Elvis vs. Rest of the instruments and vocals.
And I'm pretty sure that RCA did not send the original 3-track session tapes or even copies of them to the UK for remixing
So, the mono and stereo releases could have had different mastering. That means that the equalization,limiting and compression settings could have been different. For a listener it might seem like a certain instrument is heard differently,but that's because every instrument (and vocal) is produced with certain frequenzies and if those frequenzies are emphazised in the mastering process, the instruments/vocals in those frequenzies are heard louder. And vice versa.
You are very right. In my post about the mono mixes I was referring to the mixes made in the US. And these mixes were sent out to pressing plants in the rest of the world. The tapes sent were 2nd generation copies at best. In the UK, they were definitely remastered to the "UK taste" in sound. At least in the 50's and early 60's.
