technically speaking, what is 'fake' stereo? (Duophonic, Electronically Re-processed, etc.)*

Well, that being the case, my earlier post was in error.

Here's an odd one with respect to fake stereo: the Shirelles' "Sing the Golden Hits" was issued in stereo *I believe* after mono was discontinued. The only "stereo" copies I've seen have a "stereo" sticker attached to the jacket and the label reads "stereomonic," which would lead you to believe it's fake stereo. Thing is, though, it's genuine stereo. I've always wondered what happened with that release.

 

Stereomonic

My memory fails me on "stereomonic", was that not an LP that contained stereo album tracks and mono single versions, or an album that was compatible on stereo and mono turntables?

 

Stereomonic

Steve, you said in the Bing Crosby Christmas album post that MCA tried to convince you to use fake stereo to remaster the CD. How did they justify continuing such butchery?

 

Fake stereo origins

Oops, sorry about leaving the "stereomonic" subject in the last post.

I was always under the impression that the Elvis fake stereo LPs were the first put out, as RCA touted themselves as the "originators of electronically reprocessed stereo" (now we know who to blame!), those LPs were copyrighted 1962 and you'd figure they'd start with their best selling artist. So when was the first fake stereo record made, who made it and on which label?

Anybody know?

 

Re: Stereomonic

I always thought that "stereomonic" was a term used by Scepter to denote "stereo" the same way that Capitol, for example, used "duophonic" [or something like that] to denote "stereo"--in each case *artificial* stereo [although compatible with mono playback systems].

 

Rontokyo, you are right about "stereomonic" and "duophonic."

 

I always thought Scepter's use of the term "stereomonic" was just their way of saying their stereo records could be played on both mono and stereo phonographs. Most record companies had some sort of similar blurb on their covers (after they stopped making mono Lps in 1968) to let the record buyer know it was now OK to play a stereo record on a modern mono record player.

 

So imagine my surprise when I listened to the stereomonic version of the Shirelles' "Sing Golden Hits" LP and discover that *all* songs are genuine stereo.

 

I thought I'd heard (maybe Steve can confirm?) that some of RCA's fake stereo was accomplished through use of comb filters; this gave that phasey, bass on one side/treble on the other phony stereo that gave a person a headache. One of the worst offenders I have is a "Spike Jones Is Murdering The Classics" LP. It not only had some of the phasey crap, someone was panning different sound effects left and right. Thing is, they were *too bloody slow*!!! So a good crash of pots and pans would start out in the middle and all of a sudden "jerk" to one side.

Interestingly, when I was trying to find a true mono copy of Belafonte's "Calypso", it took me some looking to find one that wasn't the "electronically reprocessed" version. RCA seemed hell-bent on eliminating mono once they put their minds to it.

 

Well, all the labels did it, and all of them sucked. It was merely a way to get an extra dollar per album out of the consumer, thats all. God Forbid they went back and remixed the albums into real stereo.

 

Here's a quote from the back cover of an import Link Wray lp (Union Pacific UP002) in reference to "Stereo Panned Mono". It kinda/sorta sounds OK, but I have to balance a little to the right for it to sound best.

"The stereo 'panned mono' technique applied to these recordings should not be connected with the fake electronically rechannelled or processed 'stereo' in which many record companies indulge.
Our method derives from a 15 speed Revox tape system incorporating self 'sync' and variable speed. By recording the original mono track onto channels 1/2 of the recorder utilising self sync so that during stereo playback both mono signals are 'panned' to each channel spreading across speakers/headphones, losing nothing of the original source, thus benefiting the listener with a wider sound spectrum."

 

"I thought I heard the story about the Timmy Thomas song, why it's not in stereo. But all I *think* I recall is that it was from an independent label and the multitracks were lost. All that was left was a mono mix. Can anyone help here?"

I'm not totally sure, but I think I heard somewhere that the released song was a demo recording, and that it was determined it sounded fine as is.

The two most ridiculous examples of fake stereo I ever heard, not for the technique but for the circumstances: The songs on Best of the Beach Boys Vol. 3 that had been released in stereo before, and James Brown's Hey America on a compilation LP. It's from 1970, for God's sake! Oh, and also from 1970, Herman's Hermits' Years May Come, Years May Go.

 

One fake stereo track that fools a lot of people is Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour." They can't tell if it's rechannelled or just sloppy, narrow stereo. It's actually the former. What really ticked me off in the vinyl days was when an LP was issued in "stereo" without indicating that any of the contents weren't in true stereo. Incidentally, the first stereo LP I can recall that contained fake stereo was Carlton STLP-107 by Jack Scott. "My True Love" and "Leroy" were intentionally out-of-phase, with bass/treble shifts. It was issued this way in 1959. Many albums recorded in mono didn't get the rechannelled treatment until after the mono issues were on the market for awhile.

Watch out too, for early Columbia CDs like Doris Day's Greatest Hits and Johnny's Greatest Hits (Mathis). These were sourced from the fake stereo master tapes mixed back to mono! Why CBS didn't just pull the mono LP masters for the CD reissues is beyone me. To add insult to injury, "Everybody Loves a Lover" by Doris Day and "Chances Are" by Johnny Mathis have both appeared on CD in true stereo!

 

Hi Tom,

You are talking about the "Stereo" [quotes intentional] mix right? It always sounded more like a "work part" to me. I am fine with the Mono mix of this track...

Bob

 

Well, the mono LP, Carlton LP-107 didn't have any separation and had mono grooves, so there wouldn't have been any phase-shift or bass/treble monkeying. Mono is always preferable to fake stereo, and in a lot of cases it's preferable to true stereo as well. I'm not a fan of 2-track stereo mixes, preferring centered vocals and separated backing tracks.

 

Tom,

Sorry, I was not more clear. I was speaking of "In The Midnight Hour" by Wilson Pickett by way of my post...

Bob

 

The fake stereo mix of Three Dog Night's "Shambala" sort of fooled me the first time I heard it on the original LP...

 

technically speaking..

'Fecal matter' .

 

"Stereomonic"

I've always known that the equivalent to "stereomonic" is "compatible stereo." Scepter used that term to merely signify that their stereo records could be played on "modern" monophonic record players without the risk of accelerated wear.

 

What did it matter to people with Magnavox consoles with the flip-over stylus set to read "78?" I would recoil in horror when I'd visit friends, only to find this was the case with their playing gear!

 

Ah yes! Certainly I was referring to the "stereo" issue, which unfortunately appeared on the Atlantic Soul Classics CD. Give me the straight mono mix anytime (kudos to Bill Inglot for reissuing it).

 

It shows that the "hi-fi" craze did not last and that most people never cared that much about sound quality which we already knew.