Stereo promo singles discography?

Nice to hear this again. I had a promo copy when it was released but it went as part of a huge box of discs I gave to a local children's home. Hope they appreciated it!
 
Did you have a mono or stereo promo copy? My experience has been that mono promo issues (at least of Come Ride, Come Ride and 'Til The Day After) are relatively common, while the stereo issues are far more scarce.
 
The A&M stereo 45 story begins in 1967 with promos, not stocks. And AFAIK, A&M's '68 and '69 output was the same: mono stocks, and some mono/stereo Dj singles, but most were still mono-only, which is why there is no stereo mix of "Alice Long," for example. In fact, the majority of A&M promos are mono; stereo seems to have been very selective, unfortunately, which is why we have no stereo for, say, "Lonely Drifter" though I think that was a lease deal to start with, so mono is probably all the label got from Pieces of Eight.

The first A&M commercial stereo 45? Probably "Close to You," but I wouldn't swear to that. "Ticket to Ride" does seem to be the group's only mono-only 45, though, all the others were stereo stocks and mono/stereo promos. As an added note, some scattered 45's were pressed as DJ mono's and DJ stereo's, separate discs; other labels sometimes did this, Atlantic for example; the Stones' "Wild Horses" can be found as a mono or stereo short/long version DJ single, white for mono, blue for stereo. If this sounds confusing well, it is! Which is why I still love collecting, always something new or unusual to be had.

:ed:
 
New arrival:

S-1280.jpg

S-1281.jpg


I honestly just picked this up (in a lot of other promo 45s) as a curiosity, but wow, was I ever glad I did. "Live" seems to be identical (or at least very similar) to the stereo LP mix. However, not only is "Time Will Show The Wiser" a unique mix, it has the drums not present on the stereo LP mix. For anyone not familiar, the mono mix has a drum track, but the stereo LP mix does not, which was always something of a curiosity. A few compilations utilized the mono mix for this reason. I think the general assumption was there was some technical reason why the stereo mix couldn't have drums, although even that was unclear (for instance, why would the drums have been the last thing recorded, assuming a "live to mono" overdub?). But clearly this promo stereo mix shows that wasn't the case.

What I find really interesting is that not only does this mix exist, but the only mentions I've seen of the promo 45 before make no mention of a mix difference:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/message/16671

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/message/16671

http://www.top40musiconcd.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5575


Of course, nobody even mentions "Time Will Show The Wiser".

Also interesting - "Live" was clearly the "hit", but the Monarch delta number for it has an X next to it, indicating it was supposed to be the B-side. And the master number (?) is lower for "Time Will Show The Wiser" as well - 1280 vs 1281.

One wonders if there are other unique stereo mixes out there, not only of tracks not otherwise released in stereo, but also of tracks that *were* released in stereo on LP.

One question: did A&M issue normal (mono) promos with pairings that matched the stock copy around this time? All of the non-stereo MGR promos I have feature the same song on both sides.

And here it is:



Also, to answer one of my own questions, the normal (mono) promos had Live and Time Will Show The Wiser coupled, unlike later (mono) promos where the same song was on both sides.
 
I've just uncovered one of these - also a Larry Marks production, this time for his own "L.A. Break Down (And Take Me In)" - A&M 969-S. I've also mentioned this in the Rare A&M Singles thread. This one's CSG'ed, styrene, and stereo on both sides.



Harry
 
Interesting. 'Til The Day After/Highway was just before that (957 vs 969), and had both songs and no CSG.
 
I just found what is possibly the first stereo single for Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. It's number 840-S and was a promotional 45 issued likely before SOUNDS LIKE. The b-side is also a stereo pressings of "Mexican Road Race" (as featured in LP-119) - that's how it's worded. Probably should have said "(as featured in SP-4119)".

Wade In The Water Stereo.jpg
 
OK, this record (above) is officially cool. It's actually got a slightly different stereo mix than the standard album mix we've all heard for years.

First off, there'a a bit of finger-snapping that's more audible during the quiet opening. It's barely there on the standard album versions, and just slightly more "there" in this mix, sort of to the left side of the stereo.

Next, I notice that this version has a little less reverb on Herb's trumpet than the album version, so it's a bit drier than the SOUNDS LIKE version.

The big, noticeable change though is the placement of the "other" brass. The trombone and the higher-pitched trumpets are more isolated in the left channel, so there's more "movement" in the call-and-answer section that the track finishes with. In the SOUNDS LIKE album version, all of the brass instruments are locked in the center.

In doing a bit of research into this bunch of stereo 45s from 1967, someone else online mentioned a Merry-Go-Round track that was a also a different stereo mix than the standard one on the LPs.
 
Another rare stereo promo 45 for A&M is Ruby and the Romantics doing Hurting Each Other. Stock 45’s were mono, for DJ promos some were mono and some were stereo. If you got it in stereo you are lucky because the song was never on an stereo LP. This is a great version of a future Carpenters hit.
 
Listen for the trombones relocated to the left channel in this mix. Herb's trumpet stays centered, but all of the "alternate brass" are moved to the left.
 
I've just uncovered one of these - also a Larry Marks production, this time for his own "L.A. Break Down (And Take Me In)" - A&M 969-S. I've also mentioned this in the Rare A&M Singles thread. This one's CSG'ed, styrene, and stereo on both sides.



Harry


Later issued on The A&M Bootleg Album with no CSG:



Only one of two tracks there not in fake stereo.
 
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