Lee's Traveller
The Official Weekly Newsletter for the
Lee High Classes of
1964-1965-1966
December 4, 2023
Tommy Towery - Editor
For a Few Dollars (Actually One) More
Tommy Towery
LHS '64
I was listening to Golden Oldies as I did my daily walk and heard a song which reminded me of something that I did back in my Lee HIgh School days. The Meet the Beatles album had just been released and everyone was hurrying to buy one. I went to the record department in Montgomery-Wards out at the Parkway Mall to get mine. I found there were two options for the album: (1) Monaural and (2) Stereo. Even though I had a stereo (future story on how it came to be) I found the monaural one was about $1.00 cheaper than the stereo version. I can't remember now what the prices were, but I do remember the mono was cheaper. In those days my spending power was limited and I elected to buy the mono version and save the $1.00
On the back cover of the album was a paragraph that read, "This monophonic microgrove recording is playable on monophonic and stereo phonographs. It cannot become obsolete. It will continue to be a source of outstanding sound reproduction providing the finest monophonic performance from any phonograph." Basically, it was a method of recording where all the sounds come from the same speaker.
In contrast "Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration of two loudspeakers (or stereo headphones) in such a way as to create the impression of sound heard from various directions, as in natural hearing."
In November 1957, the small Audio Fidelity Records label released the first mass-produced stereophonic disc. When Audio Fidelity released its stereophonic demonstration disc, there was no affordable magnetic cartridge on the market capable of playing it. After the release of other demonstration discs and the respective libraries from which they were culled, the other spur to the popularity of stereo discs was the reduction in price of a stereo cartridge, for playing the discs–from $250 to $29.95 in June 1958.
Although both monaural as well as stereo LP records were manufactured for the first ten years of stereo on disc, the major record labels issued their last monaural albums in 1968, relegating the format to 45 RPM singles
The Wayback Machine
Tommy Towery
LHS '64
I asked The Wayback Machine to play one of the lesser-heard songs from the Meet the Beatles album. It came up with this one..."All My Loving." I always loved this song. In fact I listened to Meet the Beatles so many times that I memorized which songs followed the one currently playing - on both sides of the album.
We had a few late arrival comments on American Bandstand which I share with you this issue. Please feel free to continue to make any comments you wish on subjects we have covered in the past.
Last Week's Questions, Answers,
And Comments
Dianne McClure, LHS ‘64, "Didn't get this in last week. I watched American Bandstand every afternoon. Sometimes we would have a girls get- together and dance the afternoons away. We had some good times at our American Bandstand gatherings.
David Mullins, LHS ‘64, 'Firstly Tommy, I want to apologize for not commenting on American Bandstand. Like you and Jimmy I loved the program and watched every time I could. So many memories of it. The regulars were awesome and all seemed to be able to dance like crazy. I was jealous as I had a difficult time walking straight much less dancing. Jimmy's memories are awesome since they are so personal and genuinely heartfelt. Of course, one would not expect anything else from Jimmy. Seems I remember American Bandstand introducing me to Wilson Pickett. The guests were always awesome. I loved Dick Clark too! I am thankful for knowing you and Jimmy and of course all my LEE GENERALS for about 60 years. GOD BLESS!"
Linda Kinkle Cianci, LHS ‘66, "We loved watching American Bandstand. Looking back, I'm kind of surprised, because our parents weren't real fond of Rock 'n Roll. Maybe they tolerated it because they liked Dick Clark, or maybe because it was broadcast out of Philadelphia, reminding everyone of "home" - NJ, having just migrated to Huntsville in 1957. I read that the first national broadcast after changing the program's name from Bandstand to American Bandstand on August 5, 1957, was filmed in Wildwood, NJ, not far from our home in southern NJ, and a beach we went to occasionally. I do vividly remember wishing for "home" every time it came on in the early days of the program. On a trip back to NJ around age 15, I was allowed to attend a dance, Bandstand-style, with an old friend. That night had several "firsts" for me. The friend, being 17, drove us; the dance was in a different town, a fact not revealed to my parents; it was a very large, crowded dance, and it was my first time seeing two or more girls dancing together when they didn't have a male dance partner. My friend eventually convinced me to dance with her crowd. I think I remember seeing that on Bandstand too - never remember seeing it in Huntsville, though. Many years later it became pretty common for a group of girls to dance together when teens started going to dances in groups and with friends instead of dates."