2. music
  3. 118833-9176

Etta James - Mono vs. Stereo

I was looking at some early Etta James LPs on the Argo label.  All of her albums in the late 50s and early 60s were released in both Mono and Stereo on the Argo label.  Being they are both pretty expensive, is mono or stereo the superior recording for Etta on the Argo label?  I've listened to some reissues of her and was not impressed.  Any thoughts on Stereo vs. Mono?  
djfst
phasecorrect's avatar
phasecorrect
2,013 posts
 
The 'Tell Mama' complete sessions and the Chessbox both sound good to me (on CD). Anybody chime in about orig Mama Lp quality?
djfst OP
169 posts
 
I didn't like the Chess "Second Time Around", which made me start looking at the originals.  The current reissues are all digital reproductions (Waxtime, Doxo, etc) which makes me dump some serious cash for an original Etta in good condition for an analog LP. 
djfst OP
169 posts
 
Are there any Etta James LP owners that own an Argo stereo LP, such as At Last, Second Time Around, or Sings for Lovers?  Wondering if the stereo is a good quality sound and not compressed.  Any help?
zufan's avatar
zufan
563 posts
 
I have Etta's 'At Last' on Waxtime and it's vile, almost unlistenable. Several songs have a nasty rumble in them also. 
tablejockey
3,911 posts
 
Based on other artists during that period  I have in my collection, the mono always seems to have a  more organic, convincing sound than stereo presses.  Purely subjective otherwise, unless it's that awful hard left/right "stereo"  I always go for the mono copy of any LP, especially late 50's-60's artists. 

The tough part is finding a copy unmolested, for a price you want to pay.
More to discover