Mono recordings - two questions...

Glad to hear you are getting interested in Mono and the Julie London disc is a good place to start. However one of the great things about Mono is that you do not have to be restricted to re-issues and instead you can go and dig in a wealth of dirt cheap 50s and early 60s material

There is a ton of depth and imaging in a good Mono recording although all in one dimension of course. Reproduced well you can place all of the instruments in relative position to one another

One of the other benefits of mono is actually wider frequency range (i.e. more and cleaner high frequencies) than stereo. The reason for this is that it is easier to design a mono cutting head, it weighs less and can cut the high frequencies more accurately than the corresponding stereo. This is one of the reasons why mono versions of discs that exist in both mono and stereo may be better sounding (and of course the mixes are different)

Anyway on to recommendations.

• One of my favorite "guilty pleasures" is anything by the Chordettes -- superb small ensemble harmony and cute arrangements -- one of Ken Kessler’s go to discs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaHS1K3H66c
  
• While I only have her work on CD I’d look for anything by Fern Jones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjCVZNm4Prs (seems she only released one LP, but the recent compilation is all in mono and is cheap, 
• You should get into classical -- this is where the real mono magic (and the mega big bucks recordings) is -- maybe start with the original Dieskau/Moore Winterreise https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKkqqL0O9lc
• And then move on to Johanna Martzy (watch out for your check book, don’t ask what this repressing costs) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKkqqL0O9lc

Anyway good luck!

You are only afforded one question regarding all things mono.

Julie London "Julie is her Name" 
1955 blue label first press

This album is one of my desert island records. I play it every few months. Mono recordings from the 50-60's are superior to just about anything. 

Of course this is just my opinion.

Seek these to start-
Ella Fitzgerald:Let no Man Write my Epitaph
Clap Hands, here comes Charlie
Look for Verve, pre MGM press

Billie Holliday-All or Nothing at All
Body and Soul
Lady Sings the Blues
Look for Verve, pre MGM press

Nancy Wilson: Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderly
Nancy Wilson/George Shearing:Swingins Mutual
Rainbow label press


These albums are so great, I can almost  do without my Beatles/Stones/Zep...

Thanks for the recommendations... especially Tablejockey and Folkfreak  :).

Yes I fully realize modern day artists would never be recorded in mono. I am simply seeking recommendations from the ’golden age of mono’ in the musical genres (jazz, vocals, pop) I like to listen to.

@Raymonda - I am duly chastised LOL

jjss49, I’ll share a few thoughts in the hope some of it might be helpful.

Stereo LPs were introduced in late 1957, early 1958. For about a decade afterward most labels released both mono and stereo versions of given recordings. Among some jazz lovers the mono LPs are preferred for sonic reasons. They lacked the artificial "hole in the center of the soundstage" of many early stereo recordings (which exaggerated the stereo separation with hard left and right mixing) and they often had better bass impact. Some of those LPs command more $ today used than their stereo siblings. Non-jazz mono LPs are generally less sought after and so can be cheaper on the used market, particularly classical.

There is much debate about the best way to play back mono LPs. At the very least you should have a mono switch on your receiver or preamp. There are ways around that you can do a search for if you don’t have one. Many listeners prefer mono cartridges too, but there can be a question of what constitutes a "true" mono cartridge. The importance here is that mono LPs are cut with information only in the lateral plane while stereo LPs utilize both lateral and vertical motion to pick up information from the V groove. Mono cartridges can be quieter for background since they don’t read vertical information from the groove.

With the resurgence of interest in vinyl over the past 10+ years there has been significant reissuing of classic and popular recordings. Some of those will be mono. However few if any mono cutter heads remain so these new monos are actually cut with stereo cutter heads. I believe this is why you will find newly produced mono cartridges with various elliptical styli, rather than conical which was common with older mono cartridges.

So if you are buying and playing mainly reissued mono LPs, a modern mono cartridge should be fine. Depending on how many mono LPs you have and how particular you are, your regular stereo cartridge with the suggested mono switch may be all you need.

But if you already have a collection of earlier mono LPs (1948 through the late ’60s), or you want to search out and collect originals, then you may want to set up a mono cartridge. ’48 to about ’57 LPs are best played with a 1.0 mil conical stylus. ’58 to late ’60s era monos are best with a 0.7 mil conical stylus. That reflects a change in cutter heads at the time.

With all this I’ve not touched on EQ. Many folks assume once the RIAA curve was approved around 1955 every label adopted it. Not true, some continued with their own chosen EQ into the ’60s.

All this just depends on how many mono records you own, when they were produced, and how particular you may be about accurate playback. Have fun!