Stereo Re-Recordings
 

I'm a fan of all kinds of music, including music from the '50s and '60s that was originally produced and recorded in mono. There are two methods commonly employed to bring them to modern stereo formats: frequency separation (separating instruments by their frequencies) and re-recording (taking the band back to the studio and recording the songs again). Unfortunately, most decade collections on CD and airplays on the radio use the stereo re-recordings rather than either the original monophonic recording or the frequency separation.

The re-recordings showcase different ages of the band members, so their voices are sometimes far different than in the original recording, and they often play the instruments like they would at a live show, leaving out the original timbre.

Of course, nowadays, you can hunt down the original recording (with enough searching) on iTunes or Rhapsody, but that's not always as easy as it sounds, either.

Does anyone else wish the original recordings were used more often?

I sometimes would like to listen to the originals, but at other times, I feel that my headphone's are going to waste.

On the other hand, though, early stereo albums make me want to find a button to clamp the separation on headphones.

Although I prefer Stereo to Mono, I am a fan of the originals over re-recordings. It's also why I don't like Live performances, aside from the loud sounds of fans cheering.I can't describe it well, but I am definitely not a fan of change. I would prefer to have the original over anything, and maybe a taste of a re-recording a few times. Even if I don't listen to the radio all that much, if I ever see the word "Live" on Pandora, it's skipped without a second thought.

Oh good, I'm not the only person who hates crowds cheering in live versions.

True that. The only time I bother with a live version is with accompanying video.

I prefer the original recordings. They may be in mono, but I feel that just adds to what the song has to offer, somehow.