Records, CDs and Music:

Good things come to those who wait – or so they say.

As for me I have to say this year has turned out to be one of my best years so far for vinyl purchases and it’s only 16 days old!

Today I received a package containing a Venezuelan pressing of The Monkees fifth album “The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees” and to top it off this particular pressing is in MONO! True, glorious mono!!!

If you read this blog at all you’ll know that the true mono mix of “The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees” album on vinyl is supremely rare and very difficult to find. The true mono mix was of course first issued in the United States but there were several other countries that also released this particular mix.

(Note: Countries that issued the true mono mix of “The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees” include: Australia, El Salvador, India, Israel, Mexico, Philippines, Puerto Rico, South Africa, USA and Venezuela – this list comes from the superb Monkees Website Monkee45s.net)

The several countries like the UK and Canada that did issue a mono mix of “The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees” album didn’t use the true mono mix but instead used a fold down of the stereo mix. While this version sounds fine it’s missing all of the unique mixes that make the true mono USA mix sound so special.

I’ve had a couple of those fold down versions and while they’re decent listens they’re nothing like listening to the actual mono mix which is my preferred way of hearing this album.

As far as the songs go the two most radically different sounding mixes are for “Auntie’s Municipal Court” and “Tapioca Tundra” as they both sound far superior to their stereo counterparts with a snap to the guitars and vocals that’s not present in stereo.

Many of the other songs have subtler differences like more echo or a better blend of the instruments and overall the sound of this mono version comes across as a bit grittier and a bit more psychedelic sounding than the regular stereo mix that most people have know for decades. 

And trust me, it’s nearly next to impossible to locate a mono Colgems pressing of “The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees” in the wild as I’ve searched for over forty years and never found one. I do see online people finding them at antique stores or yard sales but I’ve personally never found one.

Of course I could always have paid a fortune for a USA mono mix on ebay but the hunt for a decent copy at a decent price has always been one of my favorite pastimes and lo and behold the day after my last birthday, January 14th, this gem landed in my mailbox. Happy birthday to me.

There has been a reissue on Rhino Records in 2009 of the true mono mix that was taken from a vinyl copy of a foreign mono pressing of this album and while that version is decent there’s no comparison to a true mono pressing which has a sparkle and vibrancy that’s missing on any other version.

For some reason the the mono transfer from that 2009 3 CD box set of “The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees” just sounds lackluster compared to a 1968 mono vinyl copy. Don’t get me wrong it’s a decent transfer but this Venezuelan vinyl copy just blows away the sound of the version on the 3 CD set for sure.

Until the mono master tape of “The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees” is found the best way to hear this unique mono mix is a vinyl copy of the album from 1968.

(Note 2: the mono master for “The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees” has been missing in action for decades. There are mono mixes on tape of some of the songs from the album but the entire mono master has yet to be found.)

I do have some of the mono mixes of songs from “The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees” on two Mexican EPs (see a previous blog post in search) and those sound just as exciting as this mono LP that I just received. For anyone who’s never heard the true mono mix from a vinyl source it’s an unbelievably great sounding recording and well worth tracking down if you can find one at a decent price.

Weirdly enough just this past Friday I was looking online at the Discogs Website (a great Website to buy physical media – discogs.com) and stumbled upon a listing for a Venezuelan mono copy for $40.

Of course my eyes nearly popped out of my head and while there were photos of an actual Venezuelan pressing I had the sneaky suspicion that these weren’t photographs of the album that this person was selling. They were the same photos of the mono version from Monkee45s.net.

Because the price was so good I decided I’d go ahead and order it and if I got burned I got burned. The seller said the album cover and the vinyl itself were both in VG condition with ink marks on the back of the cover and a few tape marks on the front and back of the cover as well.

After receiving the album yesterday and playing it I am happy to state that the covers really in pretty decent shape except for the marker on the back (truly in VG condition) which doesn’t matter to me as the vinyl inside I would say is VG++. And it does indeed play the rare true mono mix!

In fact I can honestly say this is probably the best sounding vinyl copy of any Monkees foreign pressing  I’ve ever purchased! Not a hint of crack or pop and it looks like it’s been super well cared for and in great shape.

Needless to say I couldn’t be more pleased and after all these years having tried to hunt down the true mono mix on vinyl all I can say is it was well worth the wait.

So there you have it. Happy 2025 and may the rest of this year bring such good luck in physical media pursuits!

As usual you can see photos above of this groovy mono copy of “The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees”.

Until next time be happy and well and see you soon!