Top Of The World (mono mix)

Harry

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This video showcases the mono version of "Top Of The World" by Carpenters, taken from a promo 45.



Listen to it carefully, maybe with headphones, to hear the subtle reverb on Karen's lead vocal. Compare that to the single version (1973) found elsewhere (not the 91 remix) and you'll hear the difference.

Also listen to the final two chords on the steel guitar. They are unlike that on any other version.

Harry
 
Great find! Yes, I could hear the reverb on Karen's voice. I assume the reason for a mono mix was to optimize playback for AM radio stations?
 
Nice to hear this copy, so very clean !
I do have this 45-promo-single, one of my favorites !
 
Great find! Yes, I could hear the reverb on Karen's voice. I assume the reason for a mono mix was to optimize playback for AM radio stations?

Correct. Dedicated mono mixes were common throughout the sixties and into the seventies. They were often made to punch through the noise floor on AM radio and make the record sound its best. Many times they are compressed and EQ'ed to do just that.
 
Wonderful hearing this! I would also like to hear other "A" sides in mono as clear as that video! ......... I had been curious about the B-side and discovered this on Wikipedia -
from Wikipedia on Johnny Pearson:
"In October 1971, Johnny Pearson helped produce the BBC Television special, Carpenters: Live at the BBC, featuring the American musical duo of Karen and Richard Carpenter. It was broadcast the following month on British TV and elsewhere. In early 1973, Pearson was again contacted by Richard Carpenter to ask permission to use one of his songs, on the then forthcoming Carpenters LP, Now & Then. This track, originally titled "Autumn Reverie", first appeared on the 1968 KPM album, Gentle Sounds, and was retitled "Heather" by producer John Bettis in the Carpenters' version. Richard Carpenter apparently first heard the track as background music for a commercial for the US health food supplement maker, Geritol, and loved it straight away.[5] "Autumn Reverie" would also feature again on the 1974 Johnny Pearson LP Touch Me in the Morning and as background music on the British television series, All Creatures Great and Small (1978–90)."
 
One of these days I'd love to do a transfer off of the Looking for Love/I'll Be Yours Magic Lamp single of Karen's. I only pull that thing out once every third blue moon, but it could happen. Nothing like the sound straight off of the ol' analog :phones:
 
One of these days I'd love to do a transfer off of the Looking for Love/I'll Be Yours Magic Lamp single of Karen's. I only pull that thing out once every third blue moon, but it could happen. Nothing like the sound straight off of the ol' analog :phones:
Is the one from your profile picture yours? It looks pristine.
 
Watching the video again, I'm a bit troubled by the way he's handling the discs. Won't this scratch them? Or am I just being too neurotic? :laugh:

Also, there's a 45 RPM mono mix of Superstar on the same channel:

 
Watching the video again, I'm a bit troubled by the way he's handling the discs. Won't this scratch them? Or am I just being too neurotic? :laugh:

He's not the most delicate of record handlers, that's for sure. Many of the records he has in his collection came from WABC New York and were already used - and abused - on air.
 
I think a lot of the difference we are hearing is the heavy compression and touch of reverb applied by the youtube poster that mimics what AM stations like WABC Radio did back then to liven up the sound.
 
I don't think the last chords are different. To my ears the heavy compression makes it clearer, louder, and longer sustaining. Listen to the single pedal steel note just before the ending chord... very loud compared to other versions.
 
I have to disagree with both motownboy and Joe P. ^^
I have that mono 45 of Top Of The World and I would have to agree with Harry, the final 2 chords on that steel guitar at the end are different than any other version. I only hear that sound on the mono 45, it's short but very noticeable especially when comparing it to all other version out there. I also don't feel that the person who uploaded that mono 45 touched it by adding reverb or compression. I know with you tube you can't always trust what you hear is true but if you own a turntable and this mono 45 and listen to it yourself with your own ears you will hear the difference.
 
I have to disagree with both motownboy and Joe P. ^^
I have that mono 45 of Top Of The World and I would have to agree with Harry, the final 2 chords on that steel guitar at the end are different than any other version. I only hear that sound on the mono 45, it's short but very noticeable especially when comparing it to all other version out there. I also don't feel that the person who uploaded that mono 45 touched it by adding reverb or compression. I know with you tube you can't always trust what you hear is true but if you own a turntable and this mono 45 and listen to it yourself with your own ears you will hear the difference.

Actually what you're hearing is a separate guitar track that IS in the other mixes you hear, however the pedal steel guitar is usually more prominent, creating a tighter blend of the two. Here you hear the subtle electric guitar track pushed up in the mix, and the pedal steel pulled down, laying back a bit in the mix. This is not a perspective most ears are used to, since it's always been the other way around with regard to mixing those final two chords. Again, goes to show how much is actually going on with regard to those masters that most don't realize we're hearing when it's all blended together. Hope that all made sense. :D
 
I guess my point is that I don't feel the 45 in the video above was tampered with, the sound you hear is what is on that mono 45. The final chords have been mixed differently and to me it creates a different sound on this 45.
 
Our point is that the 45 mono mix IS DIFFERENT, and therefore a dedicated mono mix.
 
Correct. Dedicated mono mixes were common throughout the sixties and into the seventies. They were often made to punch through the noise floor on AM radio and make the record sound its best. Many times they are compressed and EQ'ed to do just that.

Any idea when they stopped making mono mixes just for AM radio? I've got a promo copy of "Make Believe It's Your First Time" by the Carpenters with a mono mix from 1983, which is definitely after the 70's. I know that nowadays most AM stations are news talk radio stations, so not a lot of need for mono mixes, except for commercials.
 
Sometime around the mid-80's, A&M began putting two stereo copies of songs on their promo singles. In some cases, they'd have a shorter version or an edit on one side and a longer full version on the other. It was designed so that hit stations that wanted to maximize their time with more songs could play the short version, while an FM station that was more free-form might opt for a long version. By then, most AM stations that were still playing music might have even adopted one of the AM stereo broadcasting options, eliminating the need for mono.
 
Any idea when they stopped making mono mixes just for AM radio? I've got a promo copy of "Make Believe It's Your First Time" by the Carpenters with a mono mix from 1983, which is definitely after the 70's. I know that nowadays most AM stations are news talk radio stations, so not a lot of need for mono mixes, except for commercials.
I wasn't aware that Make Believe was issued in mono. I have an promo copy as well but I could have sworn both sides are stereo, will check it out tonight.

Tom, any chance you could upload a close up pic of the label showing the mono label?
 
I just checked my promotional copy of "Make Believe It's Your First Time" which contains the same song on both sides and both labels indicate stereo and there is no marking in the run in that would indicate either side is mono. I also can't see any mention on discogs site that there ever was a mono issue for this single, so yeah I would be really curious to see that label if it's possible Tom. :)
 
Yeah, I saw this little discussion and checked my promo copy too, which is stereo on both sides.
 
I don't think the last chords are different. To my ears the heavy compression makes it clearer, louder, and longer sustaining. Listen to the single pedal steel note just before the ending chord... very loud compared to other versions.

Exactly!... Well stated.
 
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