Oldish Psych and Prog

"Since the original release of this album there has been much confusion over the best version of "The Psychedelic Sounds of..” Generally the mono edition is considered to be the vastly superior mix. However all CD reissues so far have beeen the stereo version. Again there has been much debate as to wheter any of the 19 reissues (to date) have come from an actual tape source or wheter they are simply disc dubs. The nearest known source to the original master is a transfer made in 1976 by ex IA producer Ray Rush for label boss Nobel Ginther. This was used for the very rare Masterphonics repressings in 1977 and presumably the source for all subsequent reissues (except the disastrous Collectables label reissues dubbed from disc.)

Rather than simply reissue this again, Walt Andrus has re-mastered this version from the clearest and strongest alternative mixes. If you compare the version of Rollercoaster on Disc 4 with the mono version and the original stereo mix (not on this anthology) I think you’ll instantly appreciate the difference. The overall feel is less harsh and there is some long lost warmth. I rest my case on the clarity and feel of John Ike’s drumming on this song alone. Finally, great care was taken to ensure that the mono version of the album contained on this is sonically superior to any previous formats. You will find a significantly improved sound quality herein.” 

So this instead of the original (not very well done) stereo mixes from the disastrously poor quality IA vinyl, this is like an alternative stereo version of the album from the best possible sounding sources. I thought it sounded like a weird thing to do until I heard the album. Good stuff!