Record companies released stereo demonstration albums that showcased how sound could move from left to right,
creating a sense of movement
'Crazy Eddie' founder Eddie Antar
Many people though Antar was the pitchman, but it was actually radio DJ Jerry Carroll. The company went
bankrupt in 1989, and Antar was indicted on charges of securities fraud and insider trading. He eventually
pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges and served time in prison.
Two ears, two speakers. That’s why quadraphonic sound never took off.
There Goes My Heart--Joni James (1958)
I wonder if Phil Spector is still threatening to shoot people over the issue of stereo recording:
Despite the trend towards multi-channel recording, Spector was vehemently opposed to stereo releases, claiming that it took control of the record’s sound away from the producer in favor of the listener, resulting in an infringement of the Wall of Sound’s carefully balanced combination of sonic textures as they were meant to be heard. Brian Wilson agreed, stating: “I look at sound like a painting, you have a balance and the balance is conceived in your mind. You finish the sound, dub it down, and you’ve stamped out a picture of your balance with the mono dubdown. But in stereo, you leave that dubdown to the listener—to his speaker placement and speaker balance. It just doesn’t seem complete to me.”
Stereo was no different.
Stereos makes it easier to host parties that make people want to dance!
<cue.shiningstar>
Moving in Stereo - The Cars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5oPZFDci80
Two ears, Two speakers.. stereo in HiFi.. makes sense to me
Where’s muh old Victrola? Can I get a retrokit to make it stereo too?
He took us to his house and demonstrated the system he built. He said our jaws would drop, and he was right.
And then came Quadraphonic, which bombed.
For my first stereo circa 1968 I bought a stereo cartridge for an old mono turntable, an amp board from Laffette Radio and a new pair of Pioneer headphones.
Loved the l-r pan in “Hello I Love You”. Still do.
More on my quad era later. Started with the Dynaco hookup and went onto QSD.
The version I heard probably wasn't the version done by the Ames Brothers, but a later version. The record would first play it in mono, then switch it to stereo, so you could hear the difference between the two. I vaguely remember they using a portion of "Victory at Sea" too. I can remember as a teen sitting on the floor in front of that stereo, and listening to music whenever I could. I was the baby of the family. My siblings were all out of school and working, so I had the console all to my self, especially during the summer.
Bfl
I am still astonished, to this day, how well phonographs work. The amount of sound reproduced from a vibrating needle is amazing!
“Fifty watts per channel, babycakes!”
(I think it was from a Fretter commercial)
My dad had a train album he would crank up at 7am on random Saturday mornings he played on his homemade, 8 foot long stereo cabinet, complete with turntable, reel-to-reel tape recorder, microphone and sound gages with plenty of storage for albums, tapes and accessories. I wish I knew what happened to that thing.
He made his own speaker cabinets too, all probably made from popular mechanics plans.
The train album was so cool. It would start out slow with a barely audible rush of air escaping from the braking systems and progressing to full on, loud track noises and train whistles. It sure woke the whole family up nicely.