Mono vs. Stereo

For some years now, the debate has raged as to the respective merits of mono and stereo mixes. Personally I prefer mono for a number of reasons: generally speaking, mono mixes are more likely to have had more time spent on them, and crucially some kind of band involvement [even the Beatles left their stereo mixes to Abbey Road engineers], even after stereo became the preferred format in the 2nd half of the 60s; secondly, a mono mix doesn't rely on the layout of your speakers to be effective, and they usually pack more of a sonic punch, being tight and compressed ['The Velvet Underground & Nico', 'Piper At The Gates Of Dawn' and 'The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators' all spring to mind as vastly superior mono mixes against their more commonplace stereo counterparts]. The mono format also lends itself very well to the 45rpm format - think how great all those old Beatles & Stones singles must've sounded, blaring out of one weedy little speaker on your radiogram!!