Hi Eric:
I've posted these links before. The Sound and the Story film includes a very interesting tour of
RCA's famed Indianapolis pressing plant. The How To Listen film is also interesting because I think
the Grand Canyon would be played live on a stereo system during the showing. It might have been a
dealer film, or meant for RCA's press or dealer-meeting demonstrations.
Based on articles and record-company literature and catalogs of the time, RCA and Mercury were the
first bigger companies to really embrace stereo. Columbia was very conservative with their
evolution, and Capitol was ready to get into stereo but got in after RCA and Mercury stepped with
both feet. Smaller companies were also in early and fast, but their catalog offerings were often
forgettable. RCA and Mercury (and later Columbia) could move right in with long-established artists
and reputations for good-sounding mono.
Given that mono LPs way out-sold stereo until they were taken off the shelves (this from an AES
Journal article by John Eargle), I am not sure stereo would have lived to dominate if RCA hadn't
been so enthusiastic. They led the way in forcing standardization on the Westrex system (see AES
Journal and AES Convention writings by Roys of RCA and Haddy of Decca). They continually raised the
bar on stereo cutting and pressing, and they very quickly got in the market with a large assortment
of stereo offerings. RCA went as far as to put out two fantastic multi-album "user's guides to
stereo," called "Stereo For The Joy Of It." One album for classical and one for pop/jazz. The
classical is chock full of early-stamper Living Stereo LPs.
Bottom line, RCA's importance in the introduction and spread of stereo LPs cannot be over-stated.
They provided corporate muscle and economies of scale that moved the more conservative players into
the age of stereophony, net-net to listeners' benefit but it took everyone a while to figure out
stereo for small-group jazz, pop and rock.
-- Tom Fine
----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric Nagamine" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 04, 2014 2:03 AM
Subject: [ARSCLIST] 50's RCA films
> Don't know if these have been mentioned here. The Boston Symphony posted a
> link to the first video today and I found the rest at the Internet archives
> site.
>
>
>
> The following are some films produced by RCA on how records are made, an
> introduction to stereophonic sound, & Living stereo.
>
>
>
> How records are made.including some footage of the BSO under Munch,
> presumably recording Tchaikovsky's Romeo & Juliet.
>
>
>
> https://archive.org/details/0530_Sound_and_the_Story_The_M03876_11_35_52_00
>
>
>
> Must have been used as a demo for stereo at hifi shows. The end presumably
> is meant to be synched with a stereo recording Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite.
>
>
>
> https://archive.org/details/HowtoLis1957
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>
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> An introduction to stereo & "Living stereo"
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> https://archive.org/details/LivingSt1958
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>
> --------------------------
>
> Eric Nagamine
>
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