Call me cynical--If the decision to go mono-only was strictly an artistic one, that's fine (again, I'm not clear on why it might be a result of techinical/audio limitations) but I have a sneaking suspicion that the long-range marketing plans for this title include an eventual single-disc, stereo edition.

Surely you meant to say RCA gold disc.

Doh!

You're right. RCA also did a Harry Nillsson gold disc as well as a Lou Reed one. They all sound okay but none are definitive.

Saying I'm "trying to drum up support" makes me sound a lot more contentious than I really am. We're just having a discussion here, no need to make it adversarial.

I was just curious who was correct about what a majority of listeners would prefer. I thought Hoffman would be a good place to poll because I know there's hordes of Brianistas over there. So far it appears you were right, as "mono" is in the lead, although not by an overwhelming margin.

No one's being adversarial here. Relax.
I'm just surprised you really thought most people would want this in stereo.

Whew--I was worried that without Phil to keep me posted, I would have no idea about what kind of drama was going on over at the Hoffman site.

Not cynical -- iconic.

FWIW, "stereo" has pulled ahead and is now in the lead in my little poll over at Hoffman. It's not a huge lead though (60 votes to 52). Assuming there isn't some dramatic change in the voting pattern, the results suggest that Beach Boys fandom is pretty evenly divided between those who are glad this was issued in mono and those who wish it had been in stereo.

I can only speak for myself here, but I suspect WE ALL GET IT: Some people would prefer mono, some would prefer stereo, and some would prefer both. To cover all bases, I suppose we should also acknowledge that some would prefer neither, but of course they're not part of the discussion.

But this is all just personal preference, and everyone should face the fact that they can have one opinion while others can hold differing ones without making theirs any less valid.

Move on!

It's all right, let him crow about his poll and have his moment. I don't mind...

Two reasons:

1 - historical accuracy. A 1967 Smile would have been mono (and, unfortunately, DuoPhonic)

2 - some of the tracks, notably "GV", only exist in mono form.

I understand this concern. And frankly I'm OK having CD1 in mono (it sounds great) and grateful for the number of stereo mixes they did make available ("H&V", "Vege-Tables", "Wind Chimes", "Surf's Up", "You're Welcome", and the material available on CDs 2-4). But having a mixed stereo/mono release, while clearly not what Brian was likely to do in 1967, would not have been unusual for the era. I can think of a few "stereo" releases offhand that contain one or more mono tracks (VU & NICO, ODESSEY & ORACLE, etc.), including some of the pre-1965 Beach Boys "stereo" releases.

While I'm not buying the box....it does look wonderful packaging wise.

Hmmm… I'm really intrigued by the idea of what it coulda/woulda/shoulda been.

I’m coming to this music with reasonably fresh ears and feel like making some comments following a few days of listening. Some of my terms will be ambiguous, but hopefully the meaning will come through. Just my opinion. Nothing more.

My assumptions for the purpose of this exercise are that the first 19 tracks represent the pool from which the final tracking listing would have been pulled and that this would have been a single lp.

First of all, this is (would have been) a great album. But it feels a little bloated in it’s current presentation. I understand the modular nature of the vision and recording process, but it feels too disjointed, especially the first half. Maybe the shorter pieces would have been combined into something more resembling songs. Maybe they would have been abandoned altogether.

Here are my reactions and my ideas for “tightening up” the album. Mostly I would cut the shorter or instrumental pieces.

Our Prayer/Gee/Heroes and Villains - Great opening salvo!
Do You Like Worms - Good song.

I’m in Great Shape/Barnyard/My Only Sunshine - Cut these.Barnyard almost got to stay, as it says “Brian Wilson” to me, but it’s too slight.

Cabin Essence - Good song

Wonderful - Not my favorite, but can’t imagine cutting such a pretty piece.

Look - This is just too long. I can’t cut this great riff out completely, but it needs to be edited or combined with Child Is Father to the Man.

Child is Father to the Man - Good song.

Surf’s Up - Great song

I Wanna Be Around/Workshop - I wouldn’t mind if the beginning instrumental got used elsewhere. It is very pretty, but the Workshop part needs to go.

Vega-Tables - Silly song, but I guess it has to stay.

Holidays - Dump it.

Wind Chimes - Very nice.

The Elements - This piece feels like art and as such is almost certainly essential to the vision Brian had in his head. However, at the risk of playing Cruiser to Brian’s Eddie, this piece is an oddity at best and needs to be removed from the album proper.

Love to say Dada - Nice. And a great lead in to…

Good Vibrations - !!!

So there you have it, a 12-13 track album running just under 40 minutes (still a bit long for 1967, but not unthinkable).

Thanks for your time and attention.

Vince

As musical enjoyment is purely subjective, let me just say that for me, Cabin Essence is more than "good". One of my favorite Beach Boys songs and really just one of those songs that moves me every time I hear it.

How can it be moving if it's not in stereo?

Thank you, I'll be here all week.

I have played this set a lot and I personally feel having the 1st CD in Stereo as well would have improved this sonically a hell of a lot. I know there isn't available stereo tracks for every song but I'm sure with today's technology it is possible to mix in stereo and even 5.1 as Pet Sounds was eventually done in.

Please tell me Address of BEACH BOY'S BAND so I can write and send them letter telling them the name of my favorite Vege Table like they say I should do it to make me feel better.

I've always wondered if anyone actually did that.

For the unboxing fans out there, I did a video for my website, Biff Bam Pop.

http://biffbampop.com/2011/11/12/biff-b ... -sessions/

I can tell you, the packaging is as gorgeous as the music. Really well done.

I can't be the only one here geeky enough to get the Cars reference, can I?