THE LITTLE THUMPERS (pseud. of Dick Schory's New Percussion Ensemble), "BAIA" C/W "BUCK DANCE,' RCA-VICTOR LIVING STEREO 61-7440 (REL. 1/1959)

 

By 1955, RCA-Victor began to release stereo recordings on reel-to-reel tape. Though they’d explored binaural sound on record since the 1930s, the concept had to wait for technology to catch up with it. At first confined to the label’s classical music releases, Living Stereo on records was made feasible in 1958, when a twin-head stereo record lathe was perfected. A stylus to match was required, and after much tinkering, the first LPs and 45s in this process hit record-store racks that year. Non-classical artists entered the refined world of Living Stereo. Much of this was bland pop material not made much better by its expanded sound.

Its jazz recordings, some forays into rock ‘n’ roll and rhythm and blues, country and what is now known as Space Age Pop—eccentric orchestral music neither jazz nor classical, with elements of world music in its unpredictable mix—set a high bar for the music industry. Living Stereo releases into the early 1960s deliver remarkable sound and depth—best heard via early pressings. Whenever I find a Living Stereo LP, my first stop is to inspect the information stamped into the runout grooves. I look for a number followed by an S. If It’s over 3, I’m less likely to pick it up. There’s a domino-effect of fidelity loss with each generation of stampers—the S in this code. Million-selling albums could go into the dozens, stamper-wise, with a muffling effect on the music due to being a copy of a copy of a copy, ad infinutum-ish.

Victor got stereo 45s onto the market. Those are riskier than the LPs—most of them were played on mono equipment. At this time, a stereo Victrola could play mono records without issues. Put an early stereo record on a mono-only turntable and its coarser stylus can damage the groove walls as it scrapes away at musical information it’s not designed to navigate. After a few such plays, a Living Stereo 45 sounds horrible; its grooves are compromised and beyond repair.

It’s hard to determine such damage on sight. I’ve taken risks on other Living Stereo 45s and learned this user-error problem the hard way. Because these were stereo recordings of live performances—no overdubbing—the Living Stereo recordings up to 1963 are the best of them all. (In 1963, RCA introduced its thinner Dynagroove process, which resulted in the easiest-to-warp records manufactured and dulled the glorious sound of the late ‘50s discs. Living Stereo died that year.)

Some of these early Living Stereo 45s—all with a 61- prefix as their catalogue numbers—are quite scarce. I have a few examples that I appear to have the only documented copies of, including a four-track EP of Henry Mancini’s crime-jazz music for the Peter Gunn TV series. That album—one of the Living Stereo masterpieces—sold in the millions, as did a mono EP of those four performances, but the Living Stereo edition appears to have been pressed as an experiment. I estimate 100 copies exist.

Among Victor’s most attention-getting Living Stereo releases of 1958 was this record:

With its gaudy cover and Technicolor typography, Dick Schory’s LP uses only percussive instruments to make delightful music. Some of it is borderline squaresville, but these Chicago recordings, which make use of the incredible acoustics of its Orchestra Hall, are great listening. The album sold well and it made sense to put out a teaser 45 during its debut in late 1958.

Perhaps ‘Dick Schory’s New Percussion Ensemble’ didn’t sound right to an RCA exec. Thus, two tracks from this milestone LP were issued, without ballyhoo, as by ‘The Little Thumpers.’ Okay. Sure. Great way to promote an album—not. (To further muddy the waters, RCA seems to have issued a simultaneous mono version of this single; no copies are reported, though they must exist.)

The nonsense of record executives must be shrugged off. Due to the larger grooves of the seven-inch record, these two selections sound a bit better than their LP counterparts. Stereo is a rare event here, so enjoy this twin-speaker sound…

“Baia” teems with exotic percussion instruments and creates an irresistible (if laid-back) ‘bongo fury’ which increases in intensity as its lovely melody continues. It’s a masterful study in sound dynamics that this seven-inch disc delivers with startling clarity.

Hear it >>>>> HERE. <<<<<

“Buck Dance,” on the flip, is a public-domain piece with fluid stereo movement that anticipates RCA’s legendary Stereo Action LP series—the baroque apex of first-generation stereo sound and separation. Listen as instruments and tapping feet skate from one speaker to another. Almost 70 years hasn’t dimmed the impact of this effect. The music is trite, but the sound is, like, wild, baby!

Hear it >>>>> HERE. <<<<<

This record, unpromoted, went without notice upon its January 1959 issue. RCA, once again, issues something of note and does nothing to call attention to it. Perhaps they considered publicity rude!

Stereo singles would be standard-issue by the end of the 1960s, but in 1959 they were a special item, and I usually pick them up when I find them—unless their music is so dull that stereo wouldn’t help. (That is, sad to say, true of most of them.)

Tomorrow: bayou blues with Lonesome Sundown, via an Excello single from 1958.