Nice to hear this again. I had a promo copy when it was released but it went as part of a huge box of discs I gave to a local children's home. Hope they appreciated it!
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
The A&M stereo 45 story begins in 1967 with promos, not stocks.
New arrival:
I honestly just picked this up (in a lot of other promo 45s) as a curiosity, but wow, was I ever glad I did. "Live" seems to be identical (or at least very similar) to the stereo LP mix. However, not only is "Time Will Show The Wiser" a unique mix, it has the drums not present on the stereo LP mix. For anyone not familiar, the mono mix has a drum track, but the stereo LP mix does not, which was always something of a curiosity. A few compilations utilized the mono mix for this reason. I think the general assumption was there was some technical reason why the stereo mix couldn't have drums, although even that was unclear (for instance, why would the drums have been the last thing recorded, assuming a "live to mono" overdub?). But clearly this promo stereo mix shows that wasn't the case.
What I find really interesting is that not only does this mix exist, but the only mentions I've seen of the promo 45 before make no mention of a mix difference:
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/message/16671
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/message/16671
http://www.top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5575
Of course, nobody even mentions "Time Will Show The Wiser".
Also interesting - "Live" was clearly the "hit", but the Monarch delta number for it has an X next to it, indicating it was supposed to be the B-side. And the master number (?) is lower for "Time Will Show The Wiser" as well - 1280 vs 1281.
One wonders if there are other unique stereo mixes out there, not only of tracks not otherwise released in stereo, but also of tracks that *were* released in stereo on LP.
One question: did A&M issue normal (mono) promos with pairings that matched the stock copy around this time? All of the non-stereo MGR promos I have feature the same song on both sides.
I've just uncovered one of these - also a Larry Marks production, this time for his own "L.A. Break Down (And Take Me In)" - A&M 969-S. I've also mentioned this in the Rare A&M Singles thread. This one's CSG'ed, styrene, and stereo on both sides.
Harry
Later issued on The A&M Bootleg Album with no CSG:
Only one of two tracks there not in fake ste