- First ever reissue of the glorious, dedicated MONO mix!
- Pressed on clear vinyl at RTI!
- A stunning reproduction of the silver foil jacket!
Heavy mono thunder!
You couldn't go anywhere in the blazing summer of '68 without hearing "Born To Be Wild" blaring, and its inclusion in the iconic film Easy Rider cemented it as a rallying cry for bikers and countless other counterculture miscreants.
On their debut LP, Steppenwolf (fronted by the rasp of John Kay) defined future heaviness, ripping through a set of originals and attitude-filled covers, simultaneously forging a name for the sounds of an emerging genre with Kay's growl of "heavy metal thunder!"
And –you've never heard it sound this good. We feel the original DEDICATED MONO master presented here is jaw-dropping in comparison to all other versions – it's a full-on sonic assault that features unique mixes & textures,
often much different than its more common stereo counterpart!
Pressed at clear vinyl at RTI!
This unique and stunning mono edition (transferred from the long thought to be lost 1/4" dedicated mono master tape) was mastered by Joe Lizzi, here are his notes and observations when he compared this master to the US mono pressing.
Side A:
A1 Sookie Sookie
our mix is close to the LP...ours is more defined in the high end
A2 Everybody's Next One
unaccompanied piano intro is louder in ours, vocal is slightly louder in ours
A3 Berry Rides Again
ours is punchier and brighter...our guitar and vocal are slightly louder
A4 Hootchie Kootchie Man
BOTH GUITARS ARE MUCH DRYER ON OURS, the lead guitar is louder on ours.
A5 Born To Be Wild
AT 2:08 coming out of the gtr/organ break, THERE IS A FLANGER ON THE SNARE HIT--this is not on the mono LP or on my Dunhill stereo LP...very cool! Ours sounds much clearer--all the parts come through with more definition and sound more natural
A6 Your Wall's Too High
BOTH GUITARS ARE MUCH DRYER ON OURS and the piano is much lower in ours
Side B:
B1 Desperation
our vocal is slightly wetter and slightly warmer
B2 The Pusher
ours sounds much clearer--all the parts come through with much more definition and sound more natural
B3 A Girl I Knew
THE LEAD VOCAL IS DOUBLED IN THE VERSES...this is not on the mono LP or on my stereo LP. the vocals in the intro and choruses do match.
The 2 vocals sound like they flange a bit at 1:00-1:01...maybe this is evidence that they used tape delay rather than a vocal overdub--I'm not 100% sure. (Obviously, I can't say for sure that this doubled vocal doesn't exist on any other pressing but it's not on the versions I have access to.
B4 Take What You Need
our piano is louder, our vocal and guitars are crisper and much clearer
B5 The Ostrich
OURS IS MISSING A DISTORTED GTR IN THE INTRO. After the intro, the guitar parts match but ours are MUCH louder than on the mono LP. THE CACOPHONOUS OUTRO SECTION STARTING AROUND 5:00 IS MIXED DIFFERENTLY...our rhythm section fades out later, so we hear ~2 seconds more of it, and the guitars are balanced differently.
Includes: Sookie Sookie • Everybody's Next One • Berry Rides Again • Hootchie Kootchie Man • Born To Be Wild • Your Wall's Too High • Desperation • The Pusher • A Girl I Knew • Take What You Need • The Ostrich