Early Stereo Records

On a recent visit to a local thrift shop, I came across a bunch of early stereo records from the late 1950s, including a near mint copy of what is considered to be the very first commercially available stereo LP, released in March, 1958. The album is titled "Johnny Puleo and His Harmonica Gang," on the Audio Fidelity label, catalog number AFSD 5830.

You may not have heard of Audio Fidelity, but they were a major label in the 1950s and 60s, and played a seminal role in the early history of stereo records. The company was founded in New York City in 1954 by Sidney Frey, who had worked for a number of years in the record business. Frey promoted Audio Fidelity as being higher quality than other labels and sold his releases at a higher price than most other albums at the time. Audio Fidelity's output was enormous, with more than a thousand releases across all genres of music, from classical to Dixieland, pop and easy listening to jazz, as well as sound effects and traditional folk music. But more importantly for our story, Frey wanted Audio Fidelity to be the first label to release a stereo record. In November, 1957, he produced a limited edition stereo demonstration disk for distribution only to people in the record industry. The demonstration disk featured the Dukes of Dixieland on Side 1, and railroad and other sound effects on Side 2. Frey also arranged for a public demonstration of the disk in New York in December of 1957. After whetting the appetite of the music industry and the record-buying public, Audio Fidelity released the first commercial stereo LPs in March, 1958. The first four titles were Johnny Puleo and his Harmonica Gang (AFSD 5830), Railroad – Sounds of a Vanishing Era (AFSD 5843), Lionel – Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra (AFSD 5849) and Marching Along with the Dukes of Dixieland Volume 3 (AFSD 5851). 

The other major labels quickly jumped on the stereo bandwagon, and ABC/Paramount was next out of the gate with stereo releases in April, 1958. With stereo records now appearing in the stores, the  consumer electronics industry tooled up to produce stereo gear and began working to convince the record-buying public to update to new stereo sound systems. Many records from the late 50s and early 60s have ads on the dust jackets or back covers promoting stereo sound as well as new stereo turntables, speakers, amps, and consoles. 

Because stereo LPs were more expensive than mono records, (typically, stereo releases sold for a dollar more than mono releases) and because stereo gear was still very expensive, it would take eight years before stereo records began to outsell mono, and ten years before record companies stopped making mono records entirely. It's kind of tidy that in the U.S. mono and stereo LPs overlapped for almost exactly 10 years, from 1958 to 1968. And as a result, collectors will often pay top dollar for popular mono LPs from 1967 and 1968, since that was when mono albums were being phased out by all the labels. By way of historical context, The Beatles' White Album, which came out in November, 1968, was the last Beatles album released in both mono and stereo versions. However, the mono version was not released in the United States, only in the U.K. and a few other countries.

During the first few years of stereo, the record labels came up with a variety of marketing campaigns to promote the wonders of two-channel sound. Some early albums (like one of the original Audio Fidelity releases) featured sound effects like a train moving from one side of the room to the other. It sounds pretty lame today, but at the time must have seemed quite amazing to listeners. Nearly all the labels introduced new names and descriptions for their stereo releases. ABC/Paramount called their albums "Full Frequency Stereo." Columbia Records introduced "Stereo Fidelity" and "360 Sound" stereo. United Artists promised "Wall To Wall Stereo" on its new albums.

Most collectors will certainly be aware of RCA's fabled "Living Stereo" series of records. But RCA also produced a short-lived series of releases under the name "Stereo Action" which was advertised as "The Sound Your Eyes Can Follow." The description on the back of the jackets touted "A new dimension in recorded sound that brings you unmatched fidelity through the full sound spectrum, plus the exciting new illusion of sound in motion. Soloists and entire sections of the orchestra appear to move thrillingly back and forth across the room. Stereo Action is musical movement so real, your eyes will follow the sound." I have a couple of these releases in my collection. They were issued with very thick cardboard jackets that had die-cut front covers to reveal a colorful image from the dust sleeve beneath and create a kind of 3-D look. The backs of the dust sleeves have a lengthy essay describing the technical process of creating "Stereo Action" sound.

London/Decca Records introduced a new label called "Phase 4 Stereo" that promised to use "The most advanced and flexible of all stereo recording techniques."  With a "new custom built 20 channel console mixer," London promised that "the positions of any number of musical instruments, voices, sound effects, percussion or remote signals can each be fixed simultaneously in space with greater precision, definition and presence than possible before. Phase 4 stereo is the ultimate in sophisticated technology." The description was accompanied by an impressive illustration of 20 different signals being routed into the new controller. 

Another popular label created to market stereo (and which you may well have seen in the used records bins) was Command Records. Command Records was founded in 1959 by musician and conductor Enoch Light. He produced records with exaggerated stereo separation and glossy gatefold covers with futuristic, abstract designs to catch the eye. Among the most popular offerings were a series of "Persuasive Percussion" albums with drums moving back and forth to exaggerate the stereo effects. Light also recorded on 35mm magnetic track film as opposed to tape, adding to the reputation for quality in the early days of the label. 

The surprising thing about early stereo albums is how good they still sound today. While much of the music is schlocky - lots of easy listening, movie themes, and bongo drums -- the sound is often fantastic. These were, after all, all-analogue productions recorded by top studio musicians working with legendary producers and engineers all driven by owners and labels anxious to showcase the revolutionary sound of two-channel audio. There are only a handful of audiophile labels making records today that sound as good as these early stereo disks. Since you can find lots of copies of these old stereo albums for a dollar or less, often in very good condition, it's worth picking up a few to get a feel for the excitement surrounding the new technology and to gain a little insight into the history of the early days of stereo.

Enjoy the music!