https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/ Copyright (c) 2006-2013 Web Wiz Forums - All Rights Reserved. Sun, 26 Apr 2026 14:00:32 +0000 Mon, 21 Apr 2014 14:45:41 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web Wiz Forums 12.07 360 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/RSS_post_feed.asp?TID=2497 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum//images/Top-40-Music-on-CD-Forum-Logo.png https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/ https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=41176&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#41176 Author: MCT1
Subject: 2497
Posted: 21 April 2014 at 2:45pm

The Both Sides Now web site recently posted a comprehensive history and discography of these short-lived stereo 45s from the late '50s and early '60s, as well as other stereo 7-inch oddities like Columbia Records' 7-inch 33 1/3 rpm stereo singles and various types of stereo 7-inch singles and EPs intended for jukeboxes.

It looks like there is a planned article on the "Re-introduction of stereo on 45s (1968-1972)", but it hasn't been posted yet.      ]]> Mon, 21 Apr 2014 14:45:41 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=41176&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#41176 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=14734&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#14734 Author: Paul Haney
Subject: 2497
Posted: 29 February 2008 at 7:47am

Beginning with the Hot 100 chart of 5/18/1959, Billboard showed which singles were issued in stereo and there were quite a few. By 1961 there was just a handful and the feature was totally dropped from the chart on 8/17/1963.]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:47:43 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=14734&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#14734 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=14733&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#14733 Author: MCT1
Subject: 2497
Posted: 29 February 2008 at 6:31am

Around 1959-60, several U.S. record labels briefly experimented with stereo 45s, issuing select titles in a second, parallel, more expensive stereo line. These were sold in addition to, not in place of, regular mono 45s (similar to the way mono and stereo LPs were marketed). The stereo 45s did not sell well and did not stay on the market for long. I have no first-hand information about the Chipmunks titles under discussion, but some singles from this period definitely do exist in stereo variants, as Yah Shure's Fleetwoods 45 illustrates. The best-documented examples are probably the four Elvis Presley singles issued in stereo by RCA around this time ("Stuck On You", "It's Now Or Never", "Are You Lonesome Tonight", and "Surrender"). All of the Elvis titles are much scarcer, and much more valuable, than their garden-variety mono counterparts. RCA's stereo 45s have the prefix 61 before the catalog number instead of the 47 found on normal mono releases from that era.

It's not hard to see why these didn't sell. When stereo LPs first came on the market (around 1958), upgrading to stereo meant a significant expense. For this reason, stereo LPs caught on quicker among fans of more highbrow, audiophile-oriented music styles like jazz and classical. Fans of those styles of music tended to be heavy LP buyers in the first place. It took longer for stereo to gain widespread popularity with fans of more 45-oriented styles like pop and rock. In the end, the people who had upgraded to stereo didn't have much interest in buying 45s, and the people who bought the bulk of 45s generally didn't have the means or the interest to upgrade to stereo. I don't know whether the labels thought there might be a jukebox market for these that just didn't materilaize.
      

Edited by MCT1]]> Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:31:11 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=14733&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#14733 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=14730&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#14730 Author: Yah Shure
Subject: 2497
Posted: 28 February 2008 at 9:39pm

I have one of these Liberty first generation commercial stereo 45s: 77188, "Come Softly To Me" by The Fleetwoods, released in 1959.

As was the case with some other labels with the 1959-60 stereo 45s, Liberty used a different catalog number series (77xxx) to distinguish these from their mono counterparts (55xxx.) In Liberty's case, the last three digits were the same; the mono Fleetwoods on Liberty is 55188. The mono version reached #1 on Dolphin 1.

]]> Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:39:06 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=14730&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#14730 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=14729&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#14729 Author: Pat Downey
Subject: 2497
Posted: 28 February 2008 at 8:32pm

Let's see if we can get Paul Haney to comment on this series of mysterious stereo 45's on Liberty.]]> Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:32:46 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=14729&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#14729 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=14721&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#14721 Author: Robert
Subject: 2497
Posted: 28 February 2008 at 1:32pm

Pat, I'm inclined to agree with davidclark, since there is also a stereo 45 of "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" (Liberty S-77200); the difference being a different mix of the FX gunshots in the middle; also the dialog is inserted differently. I don't know the story on these stereo versions but they were definitely 45's. Maybe a jukebox issue? "Harmonica" came out before "Ragtime," yet the numbers would indicate the opposite. Perhaps they were all released as a group, along with others. Can anybody fill in the releases with the other numbers? There might be a whole bunch of stereo stuff out there.]]> Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:32:20 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=14721&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#14721 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=14707&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#14707 Author: Pat Downey
Subject: 2497
Posted: 27 February 2008 at 9:09pm

I am still not convinced that there was a stereo US 45 issue of this song but there is definitely a difference between the stereo LP version and the mono 45 version. I have yet to track down a mono LP to see which version appears on there.

Edited by Pat Downey]]> Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:09:23 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=14707&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#14707 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=11637&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#11637 Author: jono
Subject: 2497
Posted: 26 September 2007 at 8:44pm

My 45 is Liberty 55179, with a time of 2:39 listed. The flip is "Mediocre" by "The Music of David Seville". It's the dark bluish-green color that Liberty used then (at least they used it on a couple other Liberty 45's I have). I bought this at a used shop in Milwaukee about 20-25 years ago. This is the 45 I was referring to in my original comments.]]> Wed, 26 Sep 2007 20:44:08 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=11637&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#11637 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=11630&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#11630 Author: davidclark
Subject: 2497
Posted: 26 September 2007 at 4:59pm

I found this at a friend's here in Canada who has 1,000s of singles (that need a proper sort btw). Next time I'm over there, I'll have a look for it again.]]> Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:59:42 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=11630&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#11630 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=11622&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#11622 Author: Pat Downey
Subject: 2497
Posted: 26 September 2007 at 2:53pm

Whitburn does not list a catalog number of 77250 for this single so I am wondering if you have a Canadian pressing with the stereo 45 version.]]> Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:53:10 +0000 https://top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2497&PID=11622&title=chipmunks-alvins-harmonica#11622