THIS QUESTION IS FOR "THE WHO" FANS ONLY
I went onto iTunes planning to buy the song "My Generation" by The Who. There are two versions.
1) From the US only album "The Who Sings My Generation." It is in mono.
2) From the remastered "My Generation" album, called "My Generation (Deluxe Edition)." It is in stereo. This version strips away the lead guitar from the original.
The stereo version, as expected, sounds better than the mono version. But, for some strange reason, a choice was made to take out the lead guitar when the original album was remastered. In my opinion, the song sounds a lot worse without the lead guitar.
Their actual original studio album, ‘My Generation," is for some reason not available on iTunes at the moment.
Which version should I buy? The original mono version from the US album? Or the remastered "My Generation" version?
I think mid-60′s albums almost universally sound better in mono. In those days, mono players were more common than stereos, so stereo mixes were often an afterthought. By way of example, the first four Beatles albums sound terrible in stereo; vocals on one side, instruments on the other.
I’d get the mono one. Not only does it have the guitar, the mono mix just booms from the speakers.
Incidentally, the reason why "My Generation" is not at iTunes is because the producer, Shel Talmy actually has the rights to that one. He’s been very picky about how it is re-released.
as a fan of live music i have noticed that no two live recordings of any song are the same. if i like them both i would buy both
You could try to get both. Then import both versions into recording software like Audacity which is free. Then do a mixdown of the tracks and you will have the stereo version with the lead guitar in it.
I think you might want to check if they sell the actual CD around where you live. The Who’s CD’s usually are 2 discs. The deluxe stereo version and the original mono version