Steppenwolf - s/t (1968) [Original USA Dedicated Mono]

 Steppenwolf - Steppenwolf (1968)

Original Dedicated MONO White-Label Promo
Dunhill / ABC Records D-50029
~ThePoodleBites rip in 96 kHz / 24 bit FLAC + hi-res artwork scans~

Because standard US mono copies of the Steppenwolf debut are all a simple stereo fold-down, the dedicated mono mix of the LP was totally unknown to exist until Bob Irwin uncovered a mono tape in the UK, which was reissued on Sundazed in 2019. Following this surprising discovery, it was suggested that the original UK mono release must contain this dedicated mix as well, which surprisingly turns out to be true. I say that it's surprising because there are several late-'60s albums that were only available in stereo stateside, so in foreign countries these albums were folded down to create mono variants (stereo took over a bit later internationally). But in the US, where mono stock copies of Steppenwolf existed and sold prolifically, they were all fold-downs. So why is it that a dedicated mix would be made for foreign markets, but not sold domestically? Certainly ABC/Dunhill realized that their biggest Steppenwolf market was in the US, not the UK?

When I argued this obvious fact on Steve Huffers' Manufactured Forums, I was dismissed as Monsieur Idiotic Poodle by an ignorant English wanker. But I wasn't dissuaded; and for good reason, as it turns out that I was onto something. That dedicated mix actually was released in the good ole USA -- so take that, ya tea-sippin' British plonker! Yes, this mix was apparently released on some (but not all) white-label promo copies, one of which I was quite lucky to score... and another of which I have never seen even offered.

Many thanks to C.F. the Record Phantom for his usual invaluable contributions!

My attempt at photographing the rather worn foil cover from this dedicated mono Steppenwolf LP 

It's really quite curious why this mix was so quickly deleted and replaced by a stereo fold. Perhaps this had something to do with the bump in popularity from Easy Rider, the soundtrack of which used a stereo vinyl rip; or maybe someone felt there was some issue with this mix which wasn't on the stereo version. Also possible is that original mono tapes or stampers had unexpectedly become lost or suffered damage, or became ignored just purely due to logistical issues between different pressing plants... who knows? It surely is a shame, though, that this mix was essentially unheard until over 50 years after its initial release; it's clearly better than the folded-down stereo mix. The hits "Born To Be Wild" and "The Pusher" arguably sound best here -- I like these album mono mixes even more than the mono single versions, which are yet another source of alternate mixes (confused yet?).

Reconstructed front cover scan with monaural & promo stickers

Original UK mono LP, front cover

Original US mono LP, front cover (later fold-down edition)

Back cover of the original US pressing

As I am the first person to discover this particular mono variant, I can report that this dedicated mono mix is now known to exist in at least three places: this original US mono promo, the Sundazed reissue, and the UK mono, in order of sound quality from best to worst. The Sundazed is pretty good, but you can hear severe phase cancellation issues on the inner-groove tracks, possibly from being played back with a stereo head and hastily collapsed to mono, or maybe from generational loss, or even tape damage -- not sure. What is certain is that this original US mono sounds killer from beginning to end, and most listeners will likely consider it an improvement on any other existing version of this album. This original US pressing has a treble roll-off around 16 kHz which is not found on the Sundazed, but even given this, it sounds more realistic to these ears, especially on "Your Wall's Too High" and "The Ostrich."

Promo photo from a teen music magazine.
Back row (L to R): Goldy McJohn, Jerry Edmonton.
Front row: John Kay, Michael Monarch, Rushton Moreve.

Musicians:
- John Kay: lead vocals, guitars, harmonica
- Michael Monarch: guitars, backing vocals
- Goldy McJohn: organ, piano, Wurlitzer electric piano
- Rushton Moreve: bass guitar, backing vocals
- Jerry Edmonton: drums, backing vocals, percussion

Track listing:
1) "Sookie Sookie" -- 3:15
2) "Everybody's Next One" -- 2:56
3) "Berry Rides Again" -- 2:50
4) "Hootchie Kootchie Man" -- 5:12
5) "Born To Be Wild" -- 3:29
6) "Your Wall's Too High" -- 5:45
7) "Desperation" -- 5:46
8) "The Pusher" -- 5:50
9) "A Girl I Knew" -- 2:40
10) "Take What You Need" -- 3:33
11) "The Ostrich" -- 5:46

Vinyl condition: VG (played phenomenally despite the visual
    downgrade, and cleaned up perfectly!)
Dynamic Range: DR 12

Eagles Auditorium, Seattle, WA — 26–28 July 1968
Offset litho poster (design by Chuck Trimble)

Community Concourse, San Diego, CA — 21 December 1968
Supported by local rock group The Brain Police

Equipment / Lineage:
– (brand new!) Audio-Technica VMN40ML stylus on AT150MLx dual moving-magnet cartridge
– Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB direct drive professional turntable (internal stock preamp/ADC removed)
– Pro-Ject Phono Box S2 Ultra preamp with dedicated Zero Zone linear power supply
– Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 MkII (96kHz / 24bit)
– Adobe Audition CC 2024 (recording)
– iZotope RX 11 audio editor (manual declicking, EQ subtraction, additional adjustments)
– Audacity 3.x.x (fades between tracks, split tracks)
– Foobar2000 v2.x.x (tagging, dynamic range analysis)

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Here are a couple interesting articles from some period teen music magazines pertaining to the band. Since these were published a couple years after this debut LP was released, the band's lineup had changed; nonetheless, much of the content itself pertains to the material from, and creation of, this debut album.