"Four Tops - By The Time I Get To Phoenix" Motown for Obsessive-Compulsive Listeners

This is probably one of the saddest and most moving performances the Four Tops ever turned in.

The reason I titled this "Motown for Obsessive-Compulsive Listeners" is because I'm presenting this in three modes: in it's stereo mix, but afterward- and ONLY if you're as obsessive about these things as I am, you'll hear this song twice more, but with a single channel being played in mono. You might be surprised at what you hear when you listen to a single channel of these stereo mixes. With both channels, you get the full treatment, but separated, one channel reveals a quieter, more reflective listening experience, while another channel may give you a much funkier, grittier listening experience.

One thing you'll notice when listening to the channels separately is that there are two sets of backing vocals, if not three. I'm not sure if the Tops recorded two sets and the Andantes another set, or if this is just the Tops doing all the backing vocals. I'll leave that up to you to discern.

When I was a kid, I guess I was VERY obsessed with hearing everything I could in the music. I'd listen to it from both speakers, but then I'd sit in front of the left speaker, listen to that channel and then move over to the right speaker. Many people aren't fans of 60s "coast-to-coast" stereo mixes with their severe panning of elements left or right, but I loved it. Being an absolute nut for music, these stereo mixes were like a drug to me because it was like you'd get three distinctly different listening experiences when I'd move around from speaker to speaker. So if you're as obsessive-compulsive about these things, enjoy this.

By The Time I Get To Phoenix (Jim Webb) published Johnny Rivers
Four Tops; recorded Hitsville-GW, completed 26-Feb-68 ; produced by R. Dean Taylor"

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