"Leaving Me" - The Independents

My commercial 45, which is stereo, has both a listed and actual time of (3:20).

Not unless there were two different promo 45s issued for this song back in
early 1973, Todd. My promo 45 includes "Leaving Me", in stereo, on one side
of it, with the same song that's also included on the stock 45's flip ("I Love
You, Yes I Do") on the other side of my promo.

Todd, common sense tells me that a CD engineer wouldn't have folded
down a stereo master to mono, for CD inclusion. I find it always helps me
to put myself in the label's shoes. At the time. It is late 1972. Quite
possibly *the* first year when 50.1% of 45s were issued in stereo, not
mono. Some labels were quicker to switch to stereo stock/promo 45s
than others. This issue was on every label's "table" at the time. And, as we
both already know, via our "yearly mono/stereo 45s threads", in 1972/73,
different labels came to different decisions on what to make available. To
both the public and to radio.

I find it quite plausible that whoever was preparing "Leaving Me" for 45
release initially prepared a mono mix for it. Many labels had already been
issuing promo 45s as mono/stereo. But very few in stereo only. Isn't it
quite likely that this particular engineer created an original, mono
"Leaving Me" master, just assuming that one would be required? But it
never was. So here it was, sitting in some tape vault, unused, all these
years, until someone pulled it and dubbed it off, for a CD licensing
request. My best guess? It was that unused mono mix, making its
worldwide CD debut! Due to simple carelessness.    

More background. Label owner Florence Greenberg, (or someday else at
Scepter/Wand) had made the decision to "freshen up/modernize" their
45s for 1973. 1972 was a major transitional time at her label. Her #1
artist, Dionne Warwick, left to sign with WB. Her #2 artist, B.J. Thomas,
had his last Top 40 for Scepter, in very early '72, and he would soon leave
to sign with Paramount (and later ABC/MCA, Columbia, etc.) By late '72,
the label's future was by far as tenuous as it had been since before the
Shirelles started having hits in 1961.

Just throwing it out there for you, good buddy!

Anyone know if the versions available on iTunes are legit? They run (3:21) or thereabouts and they come from a company called Gusto Records (but they say "original Wand recordings" on the CD JPG image). (I only have the (3:10) version from the Rhino disc.)

Todd, your last sentence has got to be the truest thing you've ever said on
this board!!!! You ask just so many deeply detailed questions, about so many
different songs. You know I always try and help you, as best I can. But in
truth, I usually can't keep up. What vitamins do you take?   :) I've already told
you over the phone, that my nickname for you is "The Inquisitor!" All I know
is that if you worked for the FBI or the CIA, 1) they'd need more staff, and 2)
they'd solve a heck of a lot more crimes!