“This is in no sense a  stunt record. Let the record speak for itself.”

Says that right here on the back. Of course the record starts with the sound of a train, moving from left speaker to right.

“In spite of the high
degree of perfection
reached hitherto in the art of commercial disc recording, especially
since the advent of the long-playing record, the  monaural or one-channel system has certain limitations. The listener is deprived of any real sense of perspective in the sound.”

 

But wait, there is something astonishingly beautiful and perfect about some monaural mixes: and that beauty is called “clarity.”  To my weary, tinnitus-filled ears, the mono mix of the Zombies’ Odessey and Oracle is perfection, even in headphones. There’s separation. The piano, the organ, the harpsichord, the guitars, drums, the vocals, the reverb … it’s all there sounding just about what you would like these things to sound like, without the sugar-coated, frosty-haze of full frequency stereophonic sound creeping into your left and right ears, ping-ponging one at a time!  Another great psyche classic, Pink Floyd’s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn also benefits from a mono mix,  as it was originally released in mono. There is something distracting about the gamesmanship of  “The Piper” stereo mix. That’s right … the gamesmanship.

Coincidentally, (then again, like I’ve written here before,
there are no coincidences …) according to the Pink Floyd
official website, the 40th anniversary edition will be
released on September 4th, 2007, as both a two CD set
and a three CD box set and with both the stereo and mono
versions. Unfortunately The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
has been “newly re-mastered.”

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CBS Fox Video 4771

AMOEBLOG:  How'd you end up working at Amoeba and what exactly is your job there?

PAUL VASQUEZ:  I started working at Amoeba in March of 2006, a year and a half ago. I was fed up with the record store I used to work for, so I spoke to a friend of a friend, and the rest is history. I work in the World Music section, helping our customers and maintaining the section.

 
AMOEBLOG: What makes working at Amoeba unique compared to previous jobs?

PAUL VASQUEZ:   Working at Amoeba has been a huge thrill for me. I've never had a job that I look forward to every day. I know that as soon as I walk in the building, I'm among friends...no, scratch that: among family. I feel like the employees are respected and valued for their contributions to the store. The owners and managers have created a mellow and open environment where we feel that we are taken care of. Being an Amoeba employee has changed my life in so many positive ways; it's hard to imagine not having the support structure the store and it's employees provide.
 

AMOEBLOG: What are the Top Three Items at Amoeba this week that people are seeking out?

PAUL VASQUEZ: 
    M.I.A. - Kala
    Buika -    A Spanish singer recently profiled on NPR.
   The Fania Reissue Series - The classic Salsa label finally gets a proper
                                                       reissue.

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Alfred Peet, entrepreneur and the founder of  Peet's Coffee & Tea, who opened his first store in Berkeley over 40 years ago and is credited with spawning our insatiable appetite for gourmet coffee has died at his home in Ashland, Ore. He was 87.

He was born in Alkmaar, Holland in 1920 where
his father ran a coffee roastery business.  After the Second World War, Peet left Europe and in 1955 immigrated to San Francisco working for E.A. Johnson & Co, importing coffee.

Peet set up his first shop in 1966, opening a small store in Berkeley at 2124 Vine Street, near the UC campus. To set himself and his coffee apart, he personally hand roasted high-quality beans, soon he opened new stores in Oakland and Menlo Park.

The founders of Starbucks, such as Jerry  Baldwin,  were among his early customers and
found their inspiration in Peet's business plan.
Early on, before Starbucks became the
gargantuan enterprise it is today, they purchased their roasted coffee from Peet’s, until Peet could no longer keep up with the supply demands of the chain.

After Alfred Peet retired in 1983, Baldwin and his partners purchased Peet's Coffee for $4 million.

I can’t emphasis how important a great cup of java is to me. Back in the old days, before internet time itself, whenever a friend of mine traveled up to the Bay Area, I would beg them to bring back a couple bags of Peet’s coffee.

I salute you Alfred Peet! You've made my life richer!