Search Results for “mono”

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.

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.”

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Country of origin:	U.S.
Size:	12″
Record Label:	Decca
Catalog Number:	DL 74892
Year of Release:	1967
Format:	Stereo
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Bob Dylan – Another Side of Bob Dylan sealed 1965 stereo LP

Offered for sale is a sealed stereo copy of Bob Dylan’s fourth LP, Another Side of Bob Dylan, with the record still sealed in the plastic inner sleeve.

About this copy: This copy of Another Side of Bob Dylan is a still sealed 1965 stereo pressing of an album that was originally released in August, 1964. This copy has a label that has the words “360° Stereo” in white, rather than the black lettering used on the original (and fairly rare) 1964 issue.

While the seal on the shrinkwrap has been broken, the record is still sealed in the original perforated polyethylene inner sleeve; it is presumably new and unplayed. The cover retains its original shrink wrap. The wrap is fully intact with no rips, tears or holes, and the cover has no cutout marks, saw marks, holes, or bends.

If you’re looking for a really nice early stereo pressing of this iconic LP, this is as nice a copy as you’re ever likely to find.

Background: Bob Dylan’s fourth album, the 1964 LP Another Side of Bob Dylan, contains some of his best known songs: All I Really Want to Do, It Ain’t Me, Babe, Chimes of Freedom, and My Back Pages among them. While failing to chart as highly as his previous two albums, it did sell well at the time of release. As was common in the 1960s, this LP was released in both mono and stereo, with mono pressings being phased out in early 1968.

While the album was released in both formats, pressings from the 1960s are far more common in mono than they are in stereo, as most records sold at the time were mono pressings. We’d guess that mono copies of early issues of this album outsold their stereo counterparts by a ratio of at least 5:1, making early stereo pressings relatively rare.

AllMusic gave Another Side of Bob Dylan a 5 star review:

The other side of Bob Dylan referred to in the title is presumably his romantic, absurdist, and whimsical one — anything that wasn’t featured on the staunchly folky, protest-heavy Times They Are a-Changin’, really. Because of this, Another Side of Bob Dylan is a more varied record and it’s more successful, too, since it captures Dylan expanding his music, turning in imaginative, poetic performances on love songs and protest tunes alike. … The result is one of his very best records, a lovely intimate affair.

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. 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 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 (with her father in the photo) 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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James Brown – Showtime sealed 1964 stereo LP

Offered for sale is a still sealed original pressing of Showtime by James Brown, released by Smash Records in 1964.

About this copy: This copy of Showtime is an original still sealed stereo pressing on the Smash label, released in 1964. While the shrink wrap has been removed from the cover, the disc is still sealed in its original polyethylene sleeve and is presumably new and unplayed. Stereo copies are much harder to find than their mono counterparts, as most copies sold when this album was new were in mono.

The cover is VG++, with a tiny bit of wear at the edges. It’s hard to find any James Brown LPs from the 1960s in good condition, and it will be hard to find a nicer copy of Showtime than this one.

Background: James Brown was not only a good entertainer, but he was a smart businessman, too. Due to a loophole in his contract with King Records, Brown found a way to record simultaneously for Smash Records, though his titles for Smash didn’t generate the hits that his King LPs did.

Showtime, released in 1964, presents itself as a live album, though the cover never claims that it’s a live album. It’s not; it’s a “fake” live album consisting of new studio recordings with an overdubbed audience.

AllMusic.com gave Showtime this review:

A transition album. James Brown’s contract with King Records had a few more legs, and the Godfather of Soul was handicapped in what he could wax for Smash Records, his new label. Hence, an album of remakes enhanced — or marred — by overdubbed applause. Some apparently don’t have a problem with overdubbed applause, judging from the lofty prices record collectors ask and get for a copy. Brown does his best retooling on Louis Jordan’s “Caledonia,” “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens,” and “Somebody Changed the Lock on My Door.”

Miss Toni Fisher – The Big Hurt sealed 1960 stereo LP

Offered for sale is an original, still sealed copy of the 1960 LP, The Big Hurt by Miss Toni Fisher.

About this copy: The copy of The Big Hurt offered for sale is a still sealed “stereomonic” pressing, with the cover fully sealed in a loose poly bag, as was the custom at the time of its manufacture. The record is presumably new and unplayed.

A beautiful copy of a scarce pop album and the only copy of this album, sealed or otherwise, that we’ve ever seen.

Background: Toni Fisher, credited as Miss Toni Fisher on this LP, had a couple of chart hits, but she’s best remembered for her 1959 song, “The Big Hurt.” That tune went to #3 on the Billboard charts, and was distinctive as being the first hit record ever to use the special effect known as “flanging” in the recording process.

This resulted in an odd, sweeping “whoosh” sort of sound that could be heard throughout the entire record.

The album, released on the tiny Los Angeles-based Signet Records, was hard to find even when released in 1960.

It’s also quite hard to find in playable condition today, as the record label opted not to press records in both stereo and mono, as was standard practice, but to release them in stereo only. The cover claimed that the recording was “stereomonic,” and that it could be played on both mono and stereo players, but that wasn’t true.

You could play it on stereo players, but if you played it on a mono phonograph, the wider and less flexible mono stylus would damage the grooves. Since most people at the time had mono players, most of the copies of this album were damaged from play and are in pretty rough condition today, if you can find one at all.

We’re not sure about the actual stereo content of the album; it may or may not be in true stereo.

You can listen to The Big Hurt here:

Cream – Fresh Cream sealed 1966 U.S. Atco stereo LP

Cream - Fresh Cream sealed 1966 Atco stereo LP

Offered for sale is a still sealed copy of the original first pressing of Cream’s 1966 debut, Fresh Cream.

About this copy: The copy offered for sale is a 1966 U.S. pressing on the Atco label.

As the album is sealed, the record is presumably new and unplayed. The track listing includes “I Feel Free,” rather than “Spoonful,” which is consistent with first pressings.

Since the record is still sealed, we cannot confirm whether the label is the early purple and brown label or the later yellow one. However, the pressing feels quite thick and weighs about the same as the pressing in our personal collection on the purple and brown label, so there’s a good chance that this is a first pressing.

The record is new and sealed, though there is a saw mark on the spine of the cover. Aside from a small tear near the saw mark on the spine, the wrap is complete and fully intact.

A beautiful copy of a classic album that will be very difficult to improve upon.

Background: Fresh Cream, released in 1966, was the first album by the so-called “supergroup.” The album reached #6 in the UK, where the band members were better-known, and #39 in the U.S., though the album was later certified gold by the RIAA.

Allmusic.com gave Fresh Cream a 4 star review:

Fresh Cream represents so many different firsts, it’s difficult to keep count. Cream, of course, was the first supergroup, but their first album not only gave birth to the power trio, it also was instrumental in the birth of heavy metal and the birth of jam rock. That’s a lot of weight for one record and, like a lot of pioneering records, Fresh Cream doesn’t seem quite as mighty as what would come later, both from the group and its acolytes.

Fresh Cream, their 1966 debut, included the tracks “I Feel Free,” “Toad,” and “I’m So Glad.” The album was originally released in both stereo and mono, and later pressings replaced “I Feel Free” with “Spoonful.”

Brigitte Bardot – Special Bardot sealed promo-only 1968 soundtrack LP

Offered for sale is a still sealed copy of the promo-only soundtrack to Brigitte Bardot’s 1968 television special, Special Bardot.

About this copy: The mono LP is still sealed, and aside from a tiny push on one corner, is nearly perfect. There are no rips or tears in the wrap, and no cutout holes or cut corners. This is as nice a copy of this relatively scarce LP as you’re ever likely to see.

It has a terrific cover photo, too.

Background: On December 3, 1968, Brigitte Bardot appeared in a one-hour television special, entitled Special Bardot, that aired on the NBC network. The soundtrack, which featured Ms. Bardot singing and also featured French singers Sacha Distel and Serge Gainsbourg on two tracks each, was released through program sponsor Burlington Industries as a promotional item only.

We’ve seen this LP on two different, but related labels: Burlington Cameo and Burlington Industries. Aside from the catalog number, we’re unaware of any differences between the two versions. This is the Burlington Industries version, with the “BI” prefix in the catalog number.

Shadows – Out of the Shadows 1962 UK stereo LP

Offered for sale is an original UK stereo pressing of the Shadows second album, Out of the Shadows, issued in 1962 by Columbia Records.

About this copy: This is fairly early stereo pressing; stampers are RM on side one and RR on side two.

Condition on the cover is VG+; condition of the disc is VG. There are a number of small marks on the disc, but it plays well.

Background: Stereo issues of UK LPs from the early 1960s are rather scarce; mono copies typically outnumbered stereo pressings by a ratio of 50:1 or more.

Dave Gardner – Did You Ever? sealed 1962 stereo comedy LP

Offered for sale is a still sealed stereo copy of Dave Gardner’s 1962 comedy album, Did You Ever? released by RCA Records as LSP-2498.

About this copy: The record is sealed in loose bag-style wrap applied by the retailer when the record was new. A price tag is attached to the cover under the wrap. The record is presumably new and unplayed.

A nice copy of a hard to find 1960s comedy artifact.

Background: Dave Gardner was a popular “adult” comedian whose career was halted by a drug bust in the early 1960s. This LP is an original 1962 stereo pressing, presumably on the RCA black label with the dog at the top. Stereo copies are scarcer than mono pressings for this title, as most comedy records sold in the early 1960s were in mono.