Elvis mono mix revelation

On a mix CD, I heard what I believe is the mono single mix of Elvis' 1962 hit Return to Sender. What a great sound! It's akin to the great unfutzed with sound on the original UK mono single of Ask Me Why, which is fantastic- even on the MP3 provided on this board!

Anyone else hear this or similar good Elvis mixes?

BTW, according to Elvis lore, he always hated it when his voice was mixed too far front. On the mono mix of Bossa Nova Baby (another great, detailed mix), it sounds like his wish was respected, far more than the stereo mixes.

 

Hi Joel. I could be wrong, but I thought all of Elvis' 60's tracks were mixed to stereo and folded down for mono singles and albums. Can anyone else confirm or deny this?

 

Yes! I believe Steve said that the MONOs were no different than the STEREO mixes.

 

Some songs sound a lot drier, no reverb. "Suspicious Minds" has a reprise edited out of the stereo mix. I'm not so sure that all of them were mixdowns.

 

...and Suspicious Minds wasn't available in stereo for a long time after it charted; it was one of the elusive "where the heck is the stereo for that one???" songs...

 

... until Elvis Greatest Hits Vol. 1 (1981), that is.