F.A.Q.

Who?
Retired sound engineer who loves music from the 60's & early 70's.

What?
My aim is to make rare stuff publicly available again with the best possible sound quality.

How To Download?
Download guide: here

Donations?
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Monday, August 4, 2014

The Mothers of Invention - Freak Out! (1966) Orig. USA Mono





















CD Quality (16bit/44.1kHz)
High Resolution (24bit/96kHz)
Info
pass: profstoned

73 comments:

  1. Prof you've done it again, wonderful mono music for my analog ears!!!! Zappa, Spirit, Butterfield Blues, plus Dylan, Who, Buffallo and Fleetwood singles. It's Christmas in August! THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL OF YOU WORK AND DEDICATION TO GOOD SOUND.

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  2. Thank you Professor for these wonderful gifts tonight. This is going to be a great week!
    All the best.
    Dave

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  3. Thanks so much Prof. So much great music!!!

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  4. Awesome! Zappa is the best. Downloaded everything posted today. Thanks for the great surprise!

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  5. Wow wow wow. Or Wowie Zowie ! Your rips from today or last night - wonderful !!!! So much great stuff, and all rips will be my go-to rips, I'm sure. Thanks for this hard work. Yours Causinger

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  6. This album is great. Great riffs and music and lyrics to be had. Nothing more to be said here.

    Thanks a lot for offering the definitive version. Now I can finally ditch those 'drops from the D I got 2 years ago, as well as pb's Sussoro I got shortly after (which, safely to say, beats out those Demonoid drops itself).

    -Vic

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  7. Pbthal's version sucks. It's from a worn, noisy copy, and he didn't even bother cleaning it up.

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  8. Best transfer of this masterpiece ! Thank you !

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  9. OH. MY. GOSH. NO WAY. Prof, I have been following you for a very long time, but you have never made me so happy. Zappa is my favorite artist of all time. I cannot WAIT to hear your upgrade to my other transfer. Thank you SO much! I am SO HAPPY!

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  10. JWB, I just did a comparison between pb's and prof's rip, and prof definitely comes on top. Wow, pb's copy is definitely noisy. I can't believe I didn't catch that the first time...

    Also: prof, did you really go outside and take a photo of the gatefold on the street? You guys have beautiful cobbled streets in Europe, I gotta say.

    And I never thought of it before, but that sleeve is definitely pop art. Can't believe that never entered my mind before! Brain police must've kept me down that day.

    -Vic

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  11. It's my balcony. (:

    @Ezra: There may be more coming...

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  12. Thankyou so much for this one! (and to JWB for the cleanup)

    Now we just have to find a nice copy of Absolutely Free for you Prof!

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  13. Pardon me asking, but does a dedicated mono mix actually exist for Absolutely Free? I got the (maybe wrong) impression from lukpac's guide that some of it is a fold-down, and the differences are even less notable here.

    Then again, the next album in the series, WOIIFTM, has tons of varying differences between the mono and the stereo, so I'm not exactly sure here.

    -Vic

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  14. I'm pretty sure that "Absolutely Free" is a dedicated mix. It's just not hugely different. That record was recorded and mixed very quickly, and the multi-tracks were promptly lost by MGM, so there is not much room for variation.

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  15. MGM lost the multis? For real? Somehow I'm not surprised.

    I wonder what mix Zappa (at the time of mixing, not years after) would view as definitive, aka which is "the mix he worked on the most". I'm thinking ahead to Mothermania, how he used stereo mixes for the tracks from AF, but mono mixes for the WOIIFTM trax.

    -Vic

    P.S. I think pbthal also did a rip of the mono LP one time, if I'm not mistaken, but I'm not sure how that sounds...

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  16. This has a fantastic sound. Thank you Prof for this one, plus your other offerings, but this and the Who please me the most. As far as comparing to Pbthal's rip, for me it's apples and oranges. While rippers like Q and the professor strive for as close to the mastertape sound as they can, pbthal's rip reminds me that we are experiencing a vinyl, clean as he could get it, but still a vinyl, and I like both approaches. How many of us back in the day listened to these records, and marveled that, some day in the future, we would be comparing rips of old records and philosophies concerning them in a future digital age. LOL! Enjoy each for what it is, this rip for its perfection, and someone like pbthal's rip in wonder that it survived the 60s, and probably a few rounds of spilled beer.

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  17. My theory about Mothermania is that Frank couldn't use the multi's for WOIIFTM, for whatever reason, perhaps because it was recorded on a rare 12-track machine, and the only tape he had at his disposal that wasn't crossfaded or censored was a mono dub. Absolutely Free couldn't be, or didn't need to be, remixed, and Frank was never happy with the original stereo mix of Freak Out and he attempted to remix certain songs on more than one occasion.

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  18. That's a very intriguing theory. Certainly, the stereo of AF is a bit more thought-out than the hard left-center-right placement of FO!. Perhaps the multiple edits on WOIIFTM were maybe also too difficult to replicate so easily in time for the comp? I just realized, the loss of the multis probably explains why Big Leg Emma and WDDMR have remained in mono and never been remixed to stereo to this day.

    Don't have a mono rip at my disposal now, but do you know what variations do exist on AF, and if Side 1 really is a "fold" like a user in the lukpac FAQ said? Also, while I'm at it, do you know anything about the "tape problems" on "America Drinks"? I know about (and can hear) the problem with the intro on "Plastic People" but can't hear anything for "America Drinks".

    -Vic

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  19. I've never compared the mono and stereo mixes of Absolutely Free, so I don't really know. I have never seen or heard solid evidence that the mono AF is a folddown...just claims made by random people. I don't see why it would be.

    I don't know of any tape problems on America Drinks, but there is a weird stereo panning effect that seems to dumbfound some people.

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  20. Oh...you mean the first track on Side Two. There is indeed a dropout/tape warble in one spot. I'd have to dig it out to check.

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  21. Thanks a lot for all this discussion, JWB. You may not remember it, but a long while ago, on HRM, you helped me out with Greasy Love Songs and the 1995 CD of WOIIFTM by convincing me to get them. I'm still thankful for the info you brought in that thread, but I'm sad to see your account's apparently been deactivated there.

    I guess while we're talking Zappa... should I pull the trigger on an original 1984 EMI CD of "Boulez Conducts Zappa"? I see a specified copy available for $20 on Amazon, and I also read this is apparently the only place you can get the original vinyl mix. Do you know anything bout this album?

    -Vic

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  22. OK, I didn't want to post again, but I just noticed one error while playing around in Audition: The indexing between Track 13 & 14 is messed up, so the beginning of "Monster Magnet" is appended to the end of "Help I'm A Rock".

    This was on the redbook files, FYI. I'm not sure about the 24/96 files.

    -Vic

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  23. It's not. The first Suzy bit belongs with Help I'm a rock. Check the LP.

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  24. Are you sure about that? That really seems odd. The first sibilant as Frank says "Sssuzy" is definitely cut in half and attached to the end of the previous track. I didn't intentionally look for errors, I also noticed it while putting these tracks on shuffle.

    -Vic

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  25. BTW I know I've been muddying the comment section with my pestering questions the last few days, so I just want to apologize to you (and JWB if he sees this) for doing that...

    -Vic

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  26. Actually, I should have consulted with the good prof on the tracking for this album. After the initial Verve release, FZ separated "It Can't Happen Here" from "Help I'm A Rock". So you've really got 3 tracks on Side 3. The prof's version is tracked like the original LP, which is fine. It just might be confusing to folks who are used to having "It Can't Happen Here" as it's own separate track.

    As for the EMI "Boulez" disc, I would pick it up. The EMI discs are very fine and made from early digital masters. Some of them are irrelevant now thanks to the new remasters, but some are still essential. I held onto Man From Utopia (which mostly matches the original LP) and Does Humor Belong In Music (which was remixed in 1994). I believe the Boulez album is another one that was changed.

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  27. Thx for the feedback JWB. Got the EMI for $20 on Amazon instead of the outrageous $60 listing on Discogs. Hope to share it soon wherever. Crazy that the Man From Utopia EMI still has one track remixed, Moggio. Considering it's I believe a digital recording, it's crazier we have to go to vinyl for that one track. (I like 86ed's rip the most for being the cleanest.) But not to worry, you and prof. did a good job on this album.

    As for the donations, if I donate, will you promise (not) to have lunch with me?

    -Vic

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  28. I believe that most of the EMI Zappa CD's were made from digital tapes that were intended to be used for vinyl cutting only. FZ was very displeased when they used them to make CD's. Of course, the CD's he eventually released himself were far worse.

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  29. For vinyl cutting? That seems... quite odd, honestly. Are you sure about that? I guess that would make some sort of sense. I noticed the vinyl rip I have of Boulez says it's a digital recording, and it's cut via DMM: http://pixhst.com/pictures/2271703 (Though that wouldn't explain the switch to a remix for Moggio on the EMI CD.)

    Regardless, that Boulez disc still sounds great. Somehow, it feels right that it was released on EMI's Angel classical label. I'm not sure how true the "5,000" claim is, but it should surely be more expensive than what I got it for if it was.

    -Vic

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  30. Yes, EMI was issuing a new series of "digitally remastered" LP's at the time and Frank provided them with digital masters to cut from. Lucky for us, they made compact discs as well, but Frank was not happy about it.

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  31. Thanks for the quick reply JWB! I guess when providing the digital remasters, Frank decided to (unfortunately) take the time to remix Moggio. Luckily, I don't think he remixed anything else.

    BTW have you heard the 2013 Uncle Meat released last year on vinyl? Does it hold up to the original? Still bugs me they haven't released the original mix on CD yet...

    -Vic

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  32. I have not heard the "Uncle Meat" vinyl but the word is that it's very good. The CD release is probably being saved for a deluxe set of some sort.

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  33. Thanks alot for these latest batch of tunes!

    -Clampdown-

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  34. As for me, I may never again listen to the stereo version. (I just love this MONO icepick to the forehead!)

    I passed the dl links onto someone, and here is the NOTE to Professor Stoned he wrote:

    Note to Professor Stoned: The Mothers MONO transfer is really great. I opted for the 24/96 version, which is HUGE, but well worth the bandwidth. Nicely done! Without stereo panning and remastering fuckery, this works on levels that are modest yet powerful: the bassy compressed doo-wop vibe gone all curdly at the edges, and the psycho-acoustical fact that this nestles right in the very centre of your cranium makes this as insurgent as it was meant to be. This transfer is spacious enough to let all the nuances rise and fall in the MONO mix in a way that sounds like it's balanced as it should be. It's the crusty object that Frank would have wanted it to be...just the kind of sound-thing to infiltrate every LA bowling alley jukebox and every burger hop. Wow. I really miss dedication to this kind of idea that used to exist. That Bunk Gardner and Don Preston would hook up with Roy Estrada and Frank and Jimmy, in what almost seems like a Sun Ra kind of cult, to make this stuff that didn't exist yet seems hard to comprehend in today's pre-fab monoculture. This is a treasure. Thanks.

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  35. thanks, i was there and still am here (mostly)..had the mono version of sgt peppers at one time (well played)..saw zappa a lot in nyc back in another century

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  36. Hello Professor Stoned,
    I just found you via a hot tip in a 'comments' section. I am quite pleased to see you love mono vinyl records. Your affection is obvious in the high quality of your conversions. I have been marveling at the Simon and Garfunkel records you ripped. I can't believe the absolute contrast between the stereo and mono mixes. It is certainly mysterious that the entire mono genre was betrayed by the industry. But, I'm beginning to think we've never been told the truth about its demise. First of all, it takes a supreme discipline to mix in mono. MOST producers AND artists just don't have the ability/capacity. BUT, isn't there something inherently unique about 'distinct' images. Stereo images can NEVER be distinct without headphones. BUT, mono images sound the same from any vantage point AND undoubtedly so when sourced from a SINGLE speaker playback. Music that is split between two 'half-images' keep the brain in a constant state of 'mixing' the two(or APPRECIATING that there are two images to be sorted/processed). Thus, the focus of the music is already being distracted from. Many will debate this. However, 'entertainment' industry isn't owned or managed by 'entertainers' so, if music were ever used as a control device...it would be much more effective in stereo. Stereo induces a pseudo-hypnotic state by forcing the brain to work while it listens. Conversely, mono can be felt/heard directly in a way that may have caused alarm in psychological strategizing...of 'product' where the aim is to contol/comfort. Thankfully, people speak in mono...and not 5.1.
    Anyway, I love your work. Nice selections.
    Thank you(for now)
    Kwai Chang

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  37. Ever seen this beautiful commercial?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCzi75bhOcI

    Stereo was a logical reaction to the original 1 channel format. It just took time, and more than 4 channels on the multitrack recorders before stereo became uh.. less distracting. When it comes to pop and rock in the 60's, most everything sounds better when it was mixed to mono, IMO.

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  38. In Nature, no creature 'speaks' in stereo...the fact that most creatures hear in stereo is for survival. I think this is why mono has a directness not found in stereo. (I'm speaking in terms of external stimuli.
    Thanks for the reply and the link(I haven't watched yet)

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  39. 'Video not available in your country"
    No big deal...I don't need convincing. I just think that Hot Rod logic(more cubic inches) somehow became speaker-industry credo...'more speakers'. At that point, the paradigm shifted from Music----to---->Art. And, it's been a blurry mess ever since!
    Peace, brother!
    KC

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  40. No, it was more comical than educational value. Too bad, I can't find a working link anywhere. Oh well... Enjoy the tunez!

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  41. Hello Prof. Stoned,

    just wanted to say that I visited (and still do) your site very often and for what you do in providing the people for free (!!!) with this great music, doing it with such an affection and true love for the music itself and the people who love it too, I pull my hat.

    Also I'm pretty sure the universe will appreciate this whole thing of putting good music into peoples systems and stimulating their minds with it. Like everything, this thing you do also will never get lost and will remain forever, if you know what I mean (...I guess you do).

    I never write in blogs or forums but I wanted to write this here just once.

    Greetings from cold (weather, hearts and minds) Germany
    Chris

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  42. I can't add anymore that's been already mentioned. The best mono rip of Freak Out. It's out of sight. Amazing. Thanks Prof.

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  43. I LOVE this mix and your rip is, as always, flawless. Thanks!

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  44. Prof., have you heard this?:

    http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/frank-zappa-mothers-the-alternate-freak-out-original-1966-aborted-mix.773785/

    It sounds incredible. (HRM)

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  45. Thank you for providing these mono mixes. I have a stereo CD of this one but have never heard the mono mix before and look forward to comparing them. One suggestion: I've had a lot of problems with the download server of choice here. Even on a fast connection the server on the other end seems to kick me off frequently and it has been impossible to get some of these. Is it possible to consider a different download service that works a bit better? Thanks.

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  46. Thanks for sharing.

    All the best to you

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  47. Great job, Prof, Thanks!

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  48. Hello Prof... Just wanted to say thanks for the BEST SOUNDING mono Freak Out rip I have ever heard. All the other rips (and indeed original vinyls) of FO in mono I have ever heard were just blown out or shredded from crappy radio station turntables or Walgreens kiddie record players. Your copy was great for starters and your transfer is magnificent. Thanks so much & keep it up! -Mike

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  49. Hi Prof
    Compelled to drop you a thank you note for MONO Freak Out ... This was my first introduction to The Mothers Of Invention, via my sisters old boyfriend, as well as it being my 1st Zappa album in my collection, via an album trade I made with a childhood friend.
    Years later when Rykodisc release FZ on CD I was excited to get Freak Out but wound up never enjoying it as much as my original MONO copy due to the variations in the mix. Even with the FZ approved and later the 4 CD MOFO (which was a nice look inside the making of Freak Out) never quite satisfied the need to listen to the album as I knew it.

    Then I stumbled across your site a few years ago and well .. What can I say?

    You, through you hard work as well as dedication to using quality versions of vinyl source, gave me back the listening pleasure that I first experienced back in the 60s and for this I "thank you".

    I have since downloaded all you have offered and your versions are THE ONES I listen to exclusively because of your care and attention to detail. Even when the labels try to better what you've already done (case in point, The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation
    Society in 2018), yours delivers the best listening pleasure.

    Again, "Thank You" for all you've done.

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  50. Firstly, I have to say how much I hold your skills in awe and amazement and this old head can't express his gratitude enough for your works, your attitude and your presence on the planet.
    Thing is, I downloaded the 24/96 folder of MI Freak Out and thought it sounded a bit odd, so I viewed some tracks with goldwave and see it's way, way too LOUD! The 16/44 version is perfect but I couldn't see anyone else drawing your attention to the 24/96 one, so I hope my comment won't annoy you.
    Anyway, hope you are fine and happy and in your own good time, that you will bless the Universe with more amazing rips.
    Love & Peace from Steve in London, UK.

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  51. Thank you very much for this! I just listened to this and it completely blew my mind! Your work is amazing and professional, keep it up! Cheers from México.

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  52. Amazing audio from a pristine vinyl source of the only FZ album I like. Many thanks for the HQ rip of the great mono mix and for sharing!

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  53. After all this time, I still don't think I fully understand the mono vs. stereo preference thing, but I'm pretty sure I have never heard this record in mono, and because it's Frank, that's enough for me. I look forward to making an A/B comparison. Thank you very much.

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  54. This is fantastic! Thanks so much--I've heard some of your other work from torrents, but only just discovered the blog. Dear god how will I get any work done now... :) Thanks again--wonderful work.

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  55. This is a whole new experience for me! Obvious that you put a lot of love into this. Much appreciated!

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  56. First time in this blog. Great work. I can only say thank you !!!

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  57. Thank you for the high res version of this.
    I have at least 3 or 4 versions of this album on LP and cd. This 1966 original mono has always been my favorite. Now I don't have to haul out my LP to hear it.

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  58. Thank you for your service. Your reputation precedes you :)

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  59. Thanks, professor. This is great.

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  60. Thank you for another incredible job, this is amazing!

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  61. This is just so great 😀 I am just amazed by this blog! Thanks a million!

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  62. thank you so much for my favorite!!

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  63. This is the best I've heard this mix sound! Thank you so much! I can now get rid of my other rips and CD-Rs. Once again, Prof saves the day!

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  64. Thanks so much! I have never heard the mono version of Freak Out before…I love it! The quality of your work is amazing!

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  65. Professor, thank you kindly for all of the hard work and effort you put into sharing your hobby with the rest of us. Your skilled work certainly does not go unappreciated.

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