Search Results for “stereo”

Strawberry Alarm Clock – Incense and Peppermints 1967 stereo LP

Offered for sale is an original stereo copy of Incense and Peppermints by the Strawberry Alarm Clock, released in 1967 on Universal City Records.

About this copy: The copy offered for sale is an original stereo pressing, and unlike most copies we see, this one does not have a cutout mark on the cover.

The cover retains its original shrink wrap, though there is an odd blue mark on the front cover that is under the wrap. The cover is M-

The disc is VG++, with a few slight scuffs from the inner sleeve and a couple of faint, but likely inaudible marks.

A beautiful copy of a terrific LP.

Background: Psychedelic music was largely an underground phenomenon, but for a brief time in the mid-1960s, psych hit the pop charts. Incense and Peppermints by the Strawberry Alarm Clock was one of those rare occasions when psych and the top of the charts met, and the title cut from the album reached #1 on the Billboard Charts in late 1967.

The album of the same name, the band’s first, is generally regarded as their best effort and is also their best-selling LP. It’s also a terrific record, and one we’ve had in our collection for many years.

Title track here:

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June Christy – The Intimate Miss Christy 1963 stereo acetate with cue sheet

Offered for sale is an original stereo acetate for the 1963 LP The Intimate Miss Christy by June Christy.

About this copy: This copy of The Intimate Miss Christy is an original 1963 stereo acetate (dated 6-20-63 on the label.) It comes with a plain brown paper sleeve with track listings and timing notations, along with a reference sheet.

The disc is VG++ visually, with some scuffs but no significant marks, though it does play with some noise, as is common with acetates.

Tracks are the same as on the released version of the album:

Spring is Here
Fly Me to the Moon
I Fall in Love Too Easily
Time After Time
The More I See You
Don’t Explain
It Never Entered My Mind
You’re Nearer
Misty
Suddenly It’s Spring
I Get Along Without You Very Well
Ev’ry Time

A beautiful copy of a jazz rarity.

Background: Acetates are the first part of the record production process and are cut individually using a lathe. After cutting an acetate, they are usually plated with metal to make stampers. Early in the production process, they are also used for evaluation purposes by record company personnel. They can be played just like records, though they do not wear well with repeated play.

Acetates rarely come up for sale, as they are often discarded after use.

Allmusic.com gave The Intimate Miss Christy a four star review:

On June Christy’s excellent run of albums for Capitol Records the vocalist was most often backed by Pete Rugolo’s complex orchestral charts or by small, freewheeling jazz groups led by her husband, Bob Cooper. So The Intimate Miss Christy is a special treat for her fans as it finds the cool blonde singer backed only by Al Viola’s guitar and Don Bagley’s bass (though a flutist sits in on a few tracks). This guitar/bass-only approach was first popularized by Julie London and went on to be utilized by many other singers during this era. The backing not only suits the laid-back, cool jazz approach of June Christy perfectly, but it also means that the singer is never forced to strain too hard, as she sometimes did when working with the experimentally inclined Pete Rugolo. And while the vocalist usually put a dark emotional spin on her ballad readings, this album is definitely aimed more toward romantic entanglements than romantic regrets. The Intimate Miss Christy may be a fireside makeout album, but it’s one that merits repeated listens even when the embers die out.

Jonah Jones – Great Instrumental Hits Styled By Jonah Jones 1961 stereo acetate

Offered for sale is an original stereo acetate for the 1961 LP Great Instrumental Hits Styled By Jonah Jones by Jonah Jones. This acetate has tracks in a different playing order than the finished LP.

About this copy: This copy of Great Instrumental Hits Styled By Jonah Jones is an original 1961 stereo acetate (dated 1-19-61 on the label.) It comes with a plain brown paper sleeve.

The disc is VG+ visually, with some scuffs and a couple of small marks, though it does play with some noise, as is common with acetates. The disc also has a “haze” on the playing surface, likely from a chemical reaction with the paper sleeve in which it was found.

NOTE: The playing order on this acetate is different from the released version, as the first track on the acetate is “Third Man Theme,” but that track appears at the end of side one on the released version of the album. In all likelihood, the 12 songs on the acetate are the same songs as those on the released LP, but simply in a different order.

A beautiful copy of a jazz rarity.

Jonah Jones was a jazz trumpeter who created concise versions of jazz and swing and jazz standards that appealed to a mass audience. Great Instrumental Hits Styled By Jonah Jones was his 12th album for Capitol and his 13th album overall. This album, as the title implies, is an album of covers of tunes made famous by other artists.

Martinon/LSO – Dvorak – Slavonic Dances 1960 RCA Living Stereo LP 1s

Offered for sale is an original 1960 RCA Living Stereo pressing of Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances, performed by Jean Martinon and the London Symphony Orchestra.

About this copy: This copy of Slavonic Dances is an original 1960 RCA Living Stereo pressing, complete with 1s stampers on both sides and the letter “I” in the dead wax, indicating that it was pressed at RCA’s Indianapolis, Indiana, pressing plant.

The cover is M- and is still almost pure white. It does have a minor dent in one corner.

The disc is M-, and aside from a couple of very faint sleeve scuffs, looks to be virtually unplayed. The disc does have a bit of surface noise, as is common on many older RCA titles.

Background: This original pressing of Slavonic Dances includes Dvorak’s first group of compositions under that title, also referred to collectively as Opus 46, as well as one track from the later Opus 72:

No. 1 in D (Presto)
No. 2 in E minor (Allegretto scherzando)
No. 3 in A? major (Poco allegro)
No. 4 in F major (Tempo di Minuetto)
No. 5 in A major (Allegro vivace)
No. 6 in D major (Allegretto scherzando)
No. 7 in C minor (Allegro assai)
No. 8 in G minor (Presto)
No. 7 in C – (Allegro vivace) (Opus 72)

This recording is one of the better recordings that RCA released during their 1958-1963 Living Stereo heyday. Classic Records reissued the recording in the 1990s.

Tom Jones – It’s Not Unusual 1965 U.S. stereo LP with withdrawn cover

Tom Jones - It's Not Unusual 1965 stereo LP with withdrawn cover

Offered for sale is a stereo pressing of the 1965 LP It’s Not Unusual by Tom Jones, featuring the withdrawn cover depicting a live shot of Tom and his band.

About this copy: This copy of It’s Not Unusual is a 1965 U.S. stereo pressing on the Parrot label.

This cover variation was issued only in stereo; there are no mono copies.

The cover is VG+, with a small amount of ring wear at the bottom of the cover and a bit of staining on the back. There are otherwise no tears, splits, holes, cut corners or saw marks on the cover.

The record is VG+, with a few small hairline marks and a few sleeve scuffs. It’s been well cared for and clearly hasn’t had a lot of play.

A nice copy of a terrific Tom Jones rarity, and a pretty good album, too.

Background: It’s Not Unusual (titled Along Came Jones in the UK) was the debut album by Tom Jones. Released in 1965, the album only reached #54 on the U.S. album charts, but the title track did reach the Top 10 (and reached #1 in the UK.)

The original American pressings of the album featured a cover with a live shot of Jones performing with his band. After the single became a success, Parrot records changed the cover to one with a more subdued photo of Jones leaning against a tree.

The original pressings with the live photo are quite rare; we’ve only seen three or four of them in the past 40 years.

The buyer of the last copy we had was the daughter of the saxophone player in Jones’ band, and she was completely unaware that the cover even existed.

You can listen to the title track here:

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Country of origin:	U.S.
Size:	12″
Record Label:	Parrot
Catalog Number:	PAS 71004
Year of Release:	1965
Format:	Stereo
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Simon and Garfunkel – Bookends UK stereo LP

Offered for sale is an early stereo UK pressing of Bookends by Simon and Garfunkel.

About this copy: This copy of Bookends is a stereo pressing from the UK on the solid orange CBS label.

The cover is a laminated mono cover with a stereo sticker on the back. The cover is VG+ with a small amount of ring wear on the back cover and a bit of wear at the edges and corners.

The disc is VG++, with only a few light scuffs and a few spindle marks on the label. It’s close to M-.

Stampers are A4/B3.

A nice copy of a terrific album.

A nice copy of a terrific record and our favorite Simon and Garfunkel album.

Background: Bookends was the fourth album by Simon and Garfunkel, released in April, 1968. Featuring the singles “A Hazy Shade of Winter” and “Mrs. Robinson,” the album reached #1 on the Billboard album charts.

Early pressings of Bookends are quite desirable, as the master tapes for the Bookends have reportedly been lost, which is why we’ve never seen a high quality audiophile reissue of the album. All recent reissues have been made from tapes that are copies of copies.

The sound on early pressings, both U.S. and those from the UK is exceptional.

Allmusic.com gave Bookends a rare 5 star review:

Simon & Garfunkel quietly slipped Bookends, their fourth album, into the bins with a whisper in March 1968. They are equal collaborators with producer/engineer Roy Halee in a multivalently layered song cycle observing the confusion of those seeking an elusive American Dream, wistfully reflecting on innocence lost forever to the cold winds of change. … Bookends’ problematic, disillusioned themes, sometimes disguised in wry humor, striking arrangements, and augmented orchestral instrumentation, portray the sounds of people in an American life that they no longer understand, or understands them. Simon & Garfunkel never overstate; instead they observe, almost journalistically, enormous life and cultural questions in the process of them being asked. In just over 29 minutes, Bookends is stunning in its vision of a bewildered America in search of itself.

Country of origin:	UK
Size:	12″
Record Label:	CBS
Catalog Number:	S 63101
Year of Release:	1968
Format:	Stereo
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Chet Atkins – Best of Chet Atkins original German 1963 stereo LP

Offered for sale is an original German stereo pressing of The Best of Chet Atkins by Chet Atkins.

About this copy: This copy of The Best of Chet Atkins is an original German stereo copy, with tracks in both stereo and mono. The cover is VG+, with some ring wear on the back cover and a very small tear on the front cover in the upper right hand corner.

The disc is VG++ and very close to M-. It has a few scuffs caused by removal from the inner sleeve, but clearly has had little play.

A nice copy of a terrific record, and in true stereo, too.

Background: Chet Atkins was a popular guitarist and record producer who enjoyed his greatest commercial success in the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1963, RCA records released a compilation LP, The Best of Chet Atkins, in both mono and stereo. As Atkins’ first 8 albums had been recorded in mono, RCA elected to release the stereo version of the album in reprocessed stereo. Original pressings said “stereo effect reprocessed from monophonic” on the cover.

RCA was one of many labels that attempted to lure in stereo record buyers with mono material that had been “enhanced” for stereo, either by panning the material from side to side, adding a slight delay from one channel to the other, or by adding reverb and echo. The results were usually horrible, and for albums released this way, collectors and audiophiles generally prefer the mono pressings over the fake “stereo” versions.

The German pressings of The Best of Chet Atkins are different, as the mono tracks are in mono and the stereo tracks are in true stereo, making this record a good choice for a Chet Atkins fan.

Chet Atkins – Chet Atkins Workshop RCA stereo 1961 LP

Offered for sale is an original stereo pressing of Chet Atkins’ Workshop by Chet Atkins, issued in 1961 in the RCA “Living Stereo” series.

About this copy: This copy of Chet Atkins’ Workshop is an original stereo issue, on the original RCA Living Stereo label in use at the time.

The cover is VG++, with a small amount of ring wear at the bottom of the front cover.

The disc is VG+, with some sleeve scuffs and a few light marks. The record clearly hasn’t had much play. Stamper numbers are 14S/15S.

Background: Chet Atkins was a longtime performer, producer and arranger in Nashville, and his records sold well for decades. They’ve also long been highly regarded by audiophiles, as they’re all terrific recordings. The best sounding of his LPs were released in the late 1950s and early 1960s, prior to RCA’s introduction of their flawed “Dynagroove” process in 1964.

Allmusic.com gave Chet Atkins’ Workshop a 4 star review:

Chet Atkins, the country boy whose catholic tastes deserve some of the credit (or blame) for pushing country music toward the pop mainstream in the ’60s, serves up exclusively pop and jazz material on his 1961 album Chet Atkins’ Workshop. “Whispering” and “Lullaby of Birdland” are two of the jazz standards, while instrumental renditions of the Debbie Reynolds hit “Tammy” and Doris Day’s “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, WIll Be)” are pure pop. Atkins’ relaxed fingerpicking works the material into a smooth consistency that sometimes belies the complexity of his technique, but the album is an engaging listen and an effortless-sounding intersection of diverse styles. Atkins was an album artist, and Chet Atkins’ Workshop, though failing to produce a charting single, made the Top Ten and became his best-selling LP.

Hour Glass (Allman Brothers) – The Hour Glass sealed 1967 stereo LP

(Allman Brothers) Hour Glass - The Hour Glass sealed 1967 stereo LP

Offered for sale is a sealed stereo copy of the 1967 LP The Hour Glass, featuring Duane and Gregg Allman.

About this copy: This copy of The Hour Glass is an original, still sealed stereo pressing of the 1967 LP on the Liberty Records label. As the record is still sealed, the record is presumably mint and unplayed.

This copy is in exceptionally nice condition, with no cut corner, saw mark, punch hole or any other cutout mark. The wrap is fully intact except for a small (1/2″ or so) piece of the wrap that’s missing from the center of the cover on the front.

A beautiful copy of a record that has become quite hard to find. Pretty good album, too.

Background: The first album by The Hour Glass is a mixed bag; it features the talents of Duane and Gregg Allman as well as three other members who went on to work as session musicians at the famed Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama. That would seem to insure greatness, but while they were all talented musicians, their record label, Liberty Records, didn’t really know what to do with them.

The label rejected all of the group’s self-written material and had them record material from songwriters the label had under contract instead. It’s not a bad album, and is actually a pretty good example of soul-infused, late 1960s pop, but it’s an album that doesn’t sound a whole lot like the Allman Brothers Band.

Here’s a track from the album, “Cast Off All My Fears,” written by Jackson Browne (who wasn’t famous yet, either):

Who – Happy Jack sealed 1967 U.S. stereo LP

Offered for sale is a still sealed U.S. stereo pressing of the second album by The Who, Happy Jack.

About this copy: This copy of Happy Jack is a 1967 U.S. stereo pressing on the Decca label.

As the album is sealed, the record is presumably new and unplayed.

There is a punch hole in the upper left hand corner of the cover. Aside from that and a very small (1/2″ or so) tear in the wrap near the lower right hand corner, the wrap is fully intact.

This is a second pressing of the LP; the Decca “Full Stereo” banner does not appear on the back cover.

A nice copy of a terrific record that is usually found with cover wear.

Background: The second album by The Who was a bit different from the first, My Generation, due to the record company’s insistence that the album include songs written by all four band members. That led to the inclusion of the odd “Cobwebs and Strange” by Keith Moon, but it also made for a more varied album.

Released in the UK as A Quick One, the album was titled Happy Jack for the U.S. release, as it included that track, which had been released as a prior single while deleting “Heat Wave,” which had been included on the UK release.

Happy Jack was released in December, 1966 in both stereo and mono, and went out of print in the early 1970s, though it was later reissued as part of a double album along with My Generation.

Allmusic.com gave A Quick One a 4 1/2 star review:

The Who’s second album is a less impressive outing than their debut, primarily because, at the urging of their managers, all four members penned original material (though Pete Townshend wrote more than anyone else). The pure adrenaline of My Generation also subsided somewhat as the band began to grapple with more complex melodic and lyrical themes, especially on the erratic mini-opera “A Quick One While He’s Away.”

Country of origin:	U.S.
Size:	12″
Record Label:	Decca
Catalog Number:	DL 74892
Year of Release:	1967
Format:	Stereo
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