Mono questions

Odd. I wonder why I have original Capitol issues of "Something Cool" with June Christy, both the mono and stereo versions.  It takes 5 minutes of listening to know that these are two entirely different recording sessions.  She doesn't even attempt to sing the tunes exactly the same on the two versions (at least in most cases).  These are circa 1960 recordings.  Granted, I don't know how common this was, because I don't own enough mono and stereo pairs to judge.  But it certainly must have been done with some regularity, because June Christy was a very successful artist but no Sarah or Ella. Perhaps, as you say, these are admixtures of "different takes from the same session".  That would also explain what I hear, but why choose one take for the mono version and another for the stereo?  Does that not imply that in one case they set up the mikes for mono, etc?  I am not claiming to know the answers to those questions.

The answer is simple , Lew. Mistakes! The guy who is sent to the tape vault to retrieve the master when it is time to press the LP may or may not grab the correct reel for both the mono and stereo pressings. Those kinds of mistakes are more common than you might imagine. The original 7" 45 RPM pressing of Bob Dylan’s "Positively 4th Street" actually contains "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window"---a different song! The 45 was immediately recalled when the mistake was discovered, making it an expensive collectors item. The song "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window" was later released as a 45 on it's own, but the version on that 45 is a different one than the one on the mis-pressing! Dylans band on that song, by the way, is The Hawks, later known as The Band. Great song, with a blistering guitar solo.

BACK TO MONO said the mad genius. Who am I to disagree. Playing mono records on a stereo system? Another way to go is a Tru Mono cable. Google it. It's an ear opener!

onlyqualityhifi, how is the Tru Mono cable different than 2 into 1 connected to 1 into 2 RCA cables which have been available for decades, although for a bit less money?

I suspect that is the same as an "internally strapped" mono cartridge such as Lew mentioned, or most configurations with a stereo/mono switch on a preamp.