All this recent talk about who did what on different tracks on Loaded has made me re-listen to the alleged mono mix of the album that emerged on the 'Ultimate Mono And Acetates' set last year. Having listened to this again, I'm now fairly sure that it's not a true mono mix as such - it's just a straight stereo fold.
It does sound a little different in places, but the instrument balance, edits and fades are all the same. I think the different sound is more to do with the simple fact that it's coming from 35-year-old acetate rather than the shiny remastered CDs that we're all used to, and also the fact that all the music's coming from one point in the room rather than the hard stereo panning of the original LP. Folding that kind of mix to mono does tend to particularly draw emphasis to stuff that's mixed to the centre, ie normally vocals, bass and drums. They're not 'louder' as such, but sometimes you just notice them more.
So even though it's not a different mix, the fact that it still sounds a little different does bring an interesting slant to some of the tracks - Sweet Jane springs to mind, and in particular, I Found A Reason sounds lovely with all those harmony vocals coming through the same channel.
One of these days I'm going to try and work out what relation the 'Mono And Acetates' version of WL/WH bears to the album, but it's a bit too daunting to address at the moment!
Loaded - 'Ultimate Mono And Acetates' version
Loaded - 'Ultimate Mono And Acetates' version
8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
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lurid_uki
loaded in mono
Dont know if this helps at all, but I can confirm that there was a MONO promo copy of Loaded sold via Goldmine magazine in the early 1990s. I bid for it, but did not win it. That is the only time (in 25 years collecting!) that I have ever seen a "mono" copy offered for sale.....
