Simon & Garfunkel: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme MONO CL 2563

I played this album on the podcast a few weeks ago, but it really deserves to be shared. There isn't much more that can be said about S&G's majestic 3rd LP. The album finds them at their most psychedelic, with songs like the Indian flavored "Patterns" and the marijuana anthem "Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine", but also at their most serene with sparkling folk ballads "For Emily" and "The Dangling Conversation". However, Simon's sharp pop sensibilities remain though with tunes like "Cloudy", "Homeward Bound" and "59th Street Bridge Song".

The version I am presenting here is an original mono LP that is very hard to find despite it being released in 1966 when mono LPs were still being pressed in numbers comparable to their stereo counterparts. The mono mix of this record I believe is superior to the stereo format, mostly because the instrumentation, mainly the rhythm section, spring to life in ways the stereo mix can't replicate. Particularly on "Cloudy", the brushed drums and the high organ tones seem much more in the pocket alongside S&G's vocal harmonies. The complexity of the instrumentation in "59th Street Bridge Song" becomes much more apparent in the mono version as well.

Ripped to HQ .mp3 @ 320vbr using EAC's .WAV editor and dbpoweramp w/ LAME 3.97. Flat transfers, no pop removal, surface noise reduction or EQ changes.

Get the album HERE

The Way Podcast 11/1/2012: Simon & Garfunkel "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme" MONO MIX, plus rare Cyrkle Tracks

On tonight's show I played my vintage, rare vinyl record of Simon & Garfunkel's majestic 1966 folk-pop LP Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, in it's original mono format. The mix is significantly different from the more circulated stereo mix, the complexity of the instrumentation is more noticeable, the vocal harmonies are tighter and the bass levels are higher. All in all, it makes for a much better listening experience in my opinion, yet another record that benefits from that "punchiness" that only mono sound can provide. I played the entirety of the album, and I think most of you will be impressed with the sound quality as the vinyl copy I found is exceptionally clean.

I played some rare singles and B-Sides from the soft-pop group The Cyrkle after I finished playing the Simon & Garfunkel record. Not sure if any of these off-album singles had any chart success or if they were intended for a follow-up record to Neon but they are great songs. The link is below to stream the podcast, or right-click on the link and hit "save as..." to download as an .mp3. Enjoy.

The Way 11/1/2012

The Way Podcast: 10/26/2012 Return To Form; Jangle, Bubblegum, Garage and Psych

Tonight's episode was a welcome return to the original format of the show, playing my favorite obscurities from the Psychedelic Pop era of the 1960s. Tonight's set leaned heavily on jangly bubblegum acts like the Monkees' Headquarters (presented here in mono sourced from original vinyl), Every Mother's Son and early Grass Roots, Chicago garage-popsters like New Colony Six and the Cryan' Shames, and more psych oriented stuff from the Five American's Progressions. Links to download and stream the podcast are below the pics. Enjoy!

Part 1

Part 2

The Cyrkle: Neon (1967) MONO CL 2632

Folk Pop band The Cyrkle hit it big in 1966 with the Paul Simon penned "Red Rubber Ball" and also had a minor hit with another tune, "Turn Down Day". The band's first album featured those two singles and a mix of more jangly folk pop tunes and frat rock. It was a bit of a mixed bag as only a handful of tracks really stand out.

But they really improved the quality of their material on their second and final album Neon, released on Columbia records in 1967. The folk pop sound is still there, but the sunshiney-ness of their debut record is now replaced with darker, slightly psychedelic undertones, especially on the hypnotic psych-folk tunes "I Wish You Could Be Here" and "Don't Cry, No Fears..." and the gorgeously mellow, bossanova inflected "The Visit". But, songs like the band original "Weight of Your Words" and their cover of the Beatle's "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You" still retain that jangle that made the band a hit a year prior to this. There's a great rendition of a Burt Bacharach tune "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", originally performed by Ricky Nelson, but the Cyrkle turn in a more subtle and grooving version of this great jazzy folk song. The highlight of the album for me is the final track, "I'm Not Sure What I Wanna Do", a bouncy little psych-pop tune with great farfisa organ work and a galloping rhythm track. A really fun album and one of the better lost psych-pop records from the era.

The version I'm presenting you with here is the rare mono mix, ripped by me from an original vinyl copy pressed in '67. The mono mix is pretty different from the stereo mix in that it offers substantially more clarity and the rhythm section is much more prominent in the mix, giving it that classic mono punch. Since the mono version has been out of print for years, I figured I'd share it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?iq265xjhmr4c8ma

Converted from the .WAV files by dbpoweramp using LAME 3.97 into 320 VBR. Enjoy.

-Casey