Album Reviews

Airplane aficionados have long maintained that the monaural mix of this classic \\'60s album is the best way to hear it, and those lucky enough to own an original mono pressing--issued in the Spring of 1967--will certainly concur. Think about it: we\\'re talking about an album of 36-year-old music that still holds sway over listeners of all ages. How many young listeners in 1967 were grooving to music made in 1931?Airplane aficionados have long maintained that the monaural mix of this classic '60s album is the best way to hear it, and those lucky enough to own an original mono pressing--issued in the Spring of 1967--will certainly concur. Think about it: we're talking about an album of 36-year-old music that still holds sway over listeners of all ages. How many young listeners in 1967 were grooving to music made in 1931? Only those lucky enough to understand that the music of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, et al., was not ancient history, though the primitive recording quality may have made them sound that way.

Engineered by classical music recordist Dave Hassinger at RCA's "Music Center of the World" Hollywood studio, this 36-year-old album sounds nothing like "ancient history." The basic tracks have a clarity and spaciousness uncommon for rock recordings of that (or any) time. Hassinger also manned the boards on The Rolling Stones' Aftermath at the same studio the previous year, and they share the same big, crystalline sound. Nearly four decades later, you'll have to look hard to find more satisfying recordings of acoustic guitars--though they do intentionally sound somewhat distant.

The mono mix is hardly dry; there's a dusting of echo behind the mix, and echo usually skews the tonal balance toward the top end, giving both the original and this reissue a pleasing clarity. For some reason, however, when the tracks were mixed for stereo, gobs more cloudy echo was added, obscuring both the rhythmic thrust of the tunes and the intricacy and delicacy of the stellar fretwork (not to mention the glory of the harmonies). More distracting is that the echo is not "behind" and blended in with the direct recording of the instruments. Instead the instruments and the 'verb appear in opposite channels. Listen to the opening track's drums on the stereo issue. This was not a group of musicians in need of sonic camouflage or distracting sound effects! And of course more echo means more brightness and glaze.

Back in 1995, BMG issued a 24-karat gold "collector's edition" containing both the stereo and mono mixes (RCA 66 598-2) on a single CD. When you see the words "audio restoration" on the credits of any CD, you can usually assume that what really occurred was "audio destruction." That's what happened to the mono mix on that disc. "Restoration" meant, among other things, banishing tape hiss--along with the high frequencies that the hiss "infected." The result is a dull, lifeless mess.

Fortunately, this Sundazed platter serves up Surrealistic Pillow intact. While the original RCA mono issue has more overall energy and drama in the upper midrange (could be Westrex cutter head resonances) and at the frequency extremes, Sundazed's version offers far greater clarity, transparency, and resolution of low-level transient detail--though I'll bet "purists" will say it sounds somewhat muted and lifeless. Turn it up! Problem solved. And if you don't think mono can deliver depth and imaging, this disc will cure you of that! Sit down, turn out the lights, and listen to this mono disk and it will paint as compelling a sonic picture as any stereo release.

Meanwhile, Steve Hoffman's DCC Compact Classic stereo mastering is the only competition, and that's out of print. Hoffman did a great job, but the echo is annoying and it ices over the sound--there was nothing he could do about it. So if you want to hear "Somebody To Love," "White Rabbit," "Embryonic Journey," Marty Balin's exquisite "Comin' Back to Me," and the rest of this classic folk-rock album in all of its pristine glory, Sundazed's 180-gram mono LP is the one to grab. Way to go, Sundazed!