So..i have been experimenting with LCR

Well if you pan two identical tracks hard L and R then they're going to collapse to mono, or if they're out of phase they're going to kill each other to some extent. But this happens if you pan them +50/-50 as well. To me LCR is about clearing up space in the center for your important elements like kick, snare, bass and vocal. I have been trying it recently and it works very well to add clarity and width to your mix, but you really have to think about what you're doing to avoid that hard panning sounding too "extreme." I do things like pan an instrument to one side and pan it's mono reverb to the other. 
 
I guess if you're panning a vocal part hard left and right then you have to take mono compatibility into account the same as you would if you were soft panning them.  If you're going for vocal width in the chorus then there are a number of ways you can achieve that through specialist stereo widening plugins and other "DIY" techniques like the Haas effect, stereo flange or chorus, subtle pitch shifting etc. Or double tracking.  Recently I've been experimenting with sending a little of the chorus vocal to a stereo bus with the Waves Metaflanger on it. It really opens up the sound and provides contrast. 
 
With LCR mixing I find it helps to use all mono instruments and maybe one or two stereo parts at most. 

Just remember that the sonics associated with hearing a live band on stage are different than the sonics associated with hearing a band come out of two speakers. So while it's tempting to try to recreate the naturally "panning" of a live band, that might not work in a mix. Bass frequencies generally sound better in the center, although I've certainly heard examples of panned bass that worked.

Also consider that the perceived "panning" of live musicians changes depending on where you're standing. The further back you are, the more that stereo image approaches mono. So in terms of creating a "natural" sounding stereo image in a mix, you have to ask yourself what that natural stereo image really is.

Personally I would lean toward making your mix sound the best it can from two speakers, rather than trying to recreate a live sounding image. And that may lead you to try things that aren't "natural" compared to a live band, like hard panning your hi hats or toms, for example.

I think LCR is better as a starting point and guiding principle than as a dogma. If the verse works hard-panned, but the chorus doesn't, then move some stuff when the chorus hits. And if the LCR mix doesn't work at all in mono, and you care about mono, don't LCR.
 
I pan fairly decisively. But I think there are maybe five positions rather than three. And for the most part, I don't care about mono. It's 2015.