The Stereo Singles Project, Part 4
Chess & Related Labels Stereo 45s (1968-70)

By Mike Callahan, Dave Edwards, Patrice Eyries, Randy Watts, and Tim Neely
Last update: February 6, 2016



The Chess Labels...

Chess, along with its subsidiaries Cadet and Cadet Concept, as well as its distributed label Aries, started putting out compatible mono/stereo records in 1969. These were billed as "Recorded in CONCEPT 12 - Playable Stereo & Mono." In late 1970, they ditched the Concept 12 for a simple "STEREO" on the labels.

Promos were generally the same as the commercial copies in terms of stereo content.

We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is an information web page. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have no association with any of these record labels. Should you be interested in acquiring the 45s listed in this discography (which are all out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and follow the instructions found there. This story and discography are copyright 2015, 2016 by Mike Callahan.




CHESS & RELATED LABELS STEREO SINGLES DISCOGRAPHY (1968-70):

Label Scan


Number - Release Date - Artist - Songs


CHESS

Chess stereo singles started by just having the notation on the label, "Recorded In CONCEPT 12 Playable Stereo & Mono". These singles began appearing in early 1969, with Chess 2066 (Chess 2065 was mono). Later, the singles just said "STEREO" on the label.

2066 - 3/69 - Radiants - Ida Mae Foster/Choo Choo
2067 - 2/69? - Buddy Guy - Buddy's Groove/She Suits Me To A Tee [see note 1]
2068 - 4/69 - Laura Lee - Love More Than Pride/Mama's Got A Good Thing
2078 - 11/69 - Radiants - Book Of Love/Another Mule Is Kicking In Your Stall
2080 - 1/70 - Billy Stewart - We'll Always Be Together/By The Time I Get To Phoenix
2081 - 2/70 - Howlin' Wolf - Mary Sue/Hard Luck
2084 - 3/70 - Zeet Band - Moogie Boogie/Piggie Woogie (Pigs Gotta Boogie Too)
2087 - 3/70 - Pigmeat Markham - Who Got The Number/Pig's Popcorn
2089 - 5/70 - Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds - The Yolk/The Funky Yolk
2090 - 8/70 - Chuck Berry - Tulane/Have Mercy Judge
2091 - 9/70 - Walter Webb & The Highlighters - Your Time Is Gonna Come/Lulu
2097 - 10/70 - Jo Ann Garrett - Unforgettable/We Can Learn Together
2099 - 12/70 - Baby Washington - Is It Worth It/Happy Birthday
2100 - 12/70 - Etta James - The Love Of My Man/Nothing From Nothing Leaves Nothing
2101 - 12/70 - Lenox Avenue - Little Drummer Boy/Sunshine

Chess Notes:
1. The promo copy of 2067 is stereo; we have not seen a commercial copy to verify it is stereo, also.




CADET

Cadet stereo singles used the "fading blue" label. Cadet began issuing stereo singles in December, 1968, with 5632, which they numbered "S-5632". The next single, 5633, was numbered "-5633," as if the "S" was deleted at the last minute and the dash was left. After that, just the regular numbers were used. Stereo singles before August, 1970, have a note on the label: "Recorded in CONCEPT 12 - Playable Stereo as well as Mono".

Most of the releases after December, 1969, were stereo, but during the period from July to November, 1970, a series of five singles were released in mono. Starting with Cadet 5679 in November, 1970, the labels no longer had the "Concept 12", notation, but just said "STEREO."

S-5632 - 12/68 - Brother Jack McDuff - Win, Lose Or Draw/Black Is!
-5633 - 1/69 - Soulful Strings - I Wish It Would Rain/Listen Here
5634 - 2/69 - Woody Herman - Light My Fire/Hush
5636 - 2/69 - Dells - Hallways Of My Mind/I Can't Do Enough
5639 - 4/69 - Ray Bryant - Quizas, Quizas, Quizas/After Hours
5640 - 4/69 - Ramsey Lewis - Do What You Wanna/Julia
5641 - 5/69 - Dells - I Can Sing a Rainbow-Love Is Blue/Hallelujah Baby
5645 - 6/69 - Ramsey Lewis Trio - If You've Got It-Flaunt It (Part I)/Wanderin' Rose
5649 - 7/69 - Dells - Oh, What a Night/Believe Me
5650 - 8/69 - Marlena Shaw - Woman Of The Ghetto/I'm Satisfied
5651 - 8/69 - The Happy Return - To Give Your Lovin'/I Thought I Loved Her
5652 - 9/69 - Fugi - Mary Don't Take Me On No Bad Trip/Mary-Trip Two
5654 - 9/69 - Soulful Strings - Zambezi/A Love Song
5655 - 9/69 - Etta James - Miss Pitiful/Bobby Is His Name
5656 - 9/69 - Marlena Shaw - Looking Through The Eyes Of Love/California Soul
5657 - 10/69 - Shades Of Brown - Ho Hum World/Little Girl
5658 - 10/69 - Dells - On The Dock Of The Bay/When I'm In Your Arms
5659 - 11/69 - Woody Herman - I Can't Get Next To You/It's Your Thing
5662 - 12/69 - Ramsey Lewis Trio - My Cherie Amour/Mary's Boy Child
5663 - 1/70 - Dells - Oh What A Day/The Change We Go Thru (For Love)
5664 - 1/70 - Etta James - Tighten Up Your Own Thing/What Fools We Mortals Be
5665 - 2/70 - Fuji - Revelations-Part 1/Revelations-Part 2
5666 - 3/70 - Shades Of Brown - Man's Worst Enemy/Little Girl
5667 - 3/70 - Dells - Open Up My Heart/Nadine
5668 - 4/70 - Ramsey Lewis - Everybody's Talkin'/The Love I Feel For You
5669 - 5/70 - Woody Herman - My Cherie Amour/The Hut
5670 - 5/70 - Odell Brown - Look Out Cleveland/Sign Of The Ram
5671 - 6/70 - Etta James - When I Stop Dreaming/Sound Of Love
5672 - 7/70 - Dells - Long Lonely Nights/A Little Understanding
5673 - 7/70 - Shades Of Brown - Girl, I'm Coming Home/Garbage man
5674-78 - [See note 4 below]
5679 - 11/70 - Dells - The Glory Of Love/A Whiter Shade Of Pale
5680 - 12/70 - Eddie Fisher Quintet - The Third Cup-Part I/The Third Cup-Part II
5681 - 12/70 - Ramsey Lewis - Candida/Love On Now

Cadet Notes:
1. Cadet 5631 [Dells - Does Anyone Know I'm Here/Make Sure (You Have Someone To Love You)] was issued in mono, but there are some reports of copies that play stereo.
2. Cadet used a "-S" at the end of the master numbers on S-5632 and 5633. After that, even though stereo masters were used, the "-S" was omitted.
3. Cadet 5635, 5642, 5644, 5653 were mono. We have not seen copies of 5637, 5638, 5643, 5646, 5647, 5648, 5660 to check for stereo, although many of these may be stereo. 5661 was not released.
4. After Cadet 5673, the singles no longer had the "Concept 12" denotation. Cadet 5674-5678 had no designation, but were mono. Starting with 5679, stereo singles just said "STEREO."




CADET CONCEPT

Cadet Concept stereo singles started by just having the notation on the label, "Recorded In CONCEPT 12 Playable Stereo & Mono". These singles began appearing in September, 1969, with Cadet Concept 7007. Cadet Concept 7027 did not have the "Concept 12" blurb, but simply said "STEREO." just said "STEREO" on the label.

7007 - 9/68 - Rotary Connection - Paper Castle/Teach Me How To Fly
7008 - 11/68 - Rotary Connection - Aladdin/Magical World
7009 - 11/68 - Rotary Connection - Silent Night Chant/Peace At Last
7012 - 2/69 - Jeannie Piersol - The Nest/Your Sweet Inner Self
7013 - 4/69 - Howlin' Wolf - Evil/Tail Dragger
7014 - 6/69 - Rotary Connection - The Weight/Respect
7018 - 12/69 - Rotary Connection - Want You To Know/Memory Band
7021 - 3/70 - Rotary Connection - Love Me Now/May Our Amens Be True
7027 - 10/70 - Rotary Connection - Teach Me How To Fly/Stormy Monday Blues






CHECKER

Checker, a longtime subsidiary of Chess, had both the Gospel Series and the Pop/R&B Series, and both issued stereo singles starting in 1969. The early stereo singles had "Recorded in CONCEPT 12 - Playable stereo & Mono" on them, but starting in October, 1970, the singles just said "STEREO."

Gospel Series:
5058 - 1969 - Salem Travelers - Tell It Like It Is/Thank You, Lord
5059 - 1969 - Ernest Franklin - Lift The Saviour/Running For Jesus
5060 - 1969 - Rev. "Singing" Sammy Smith - Jesus The Waymeker/Only What You Do For Christ Will Last
CK 5065 - 1969 - Violinaires - I'm Satisfied With Jesus/I Will Be Over (After While)
5066 - 1969 - Soul Stirrers - It's A Wonder God Loves Us/A Few More Days
5067 - 1969 - Salem Travelers - I Found The Lord/Summertime

Pop/R&B Series:
1214 - 1/69 - Andre Williams - Do The Popcorn/It's Gonna Be Fine In '69
1217 - 4/69 - Little Milton - Just A Little Bit/Spring
1218 - 5/69 - Maurice & Mac - Lay It On Me/What Am I Gonna Do
1221 - 9/69 - Little Milton - Poor Man/So Blue (Without You)
1225 - 7/69 - Little Milton - Let's Get Together/I'll Always Love You
1226 - 12/69 - Little Milton - If Walls Could Talk/Loving You
1227 - 3/70 - Little Milton - Baby I Love You/Don't Talk Back
1230 - 6/70 - Gene Graham - My Goodness, Baby/You Can't Change Me
1234 - 12/70 - Ray Scott - The Prayer/Lily White Mama, Jet Black Dad
1236 - 10/70 - Little Milton Campbell - Many Rivers To Cross/A Mother's Love




ALL PLATINUM

All Platinum was a New Jersey-based label founded by Joe and Sylvia Robinson. The label is included here on this page because in 1975 they purchased what was left of Chess from GRT. They had no connection with Chess during the 1968-70 time frame.

We found no stereo singles, either commercial or promotional, for All Platinum during 1968-70. They began mono/stereo promos in 1973, and routinely issued stereo commercial singles starting in 1976.



A & I

A & I was distributed by All Platinum. They apparently only released one single, "Message from a Black Man" by the Whatnauts, issued in January, 1970. That single was mono.



ARIES

Aries was distributed by Chess. They started releasing stereo singles when Chess did in 1969. The label states, "Playable Stereo & Mono."

2076 - 10/69 - Tenison Stephens & Voices of The Operation Breadbasket Choir - Hurry Change (If You're Coming)/Baby, I'm A Fool For You




NEPTUNE

Neptune, subtitled "The Sound of Philadelphia," was a Gamble-Huff operation out of Philly and distributed by Chess. It operated until mid-1970 and morphed into the Philadelphia International label, distributed by Columbia, the next year.

Neptune apparently did not release any commercial stereo singles, although they did issue a mono/stereo promotional disc.

Promotional mono/stereo single:
N-20 - 12/69 - O'Jays - Christmas Ain't Christmas New Year's Ain't New Year's Without The One You Love (M/S)




RARE BULLET

Rare Bullet was distributed by All Platinum, They released one single in October, 1970, which was mono.



STANG

Stang was a subsidiary of All Platinum Records, and is listed on this page for the same reason All Platinum is, i.e., they would be part of the same company in 1975, although in 1968-70, Stang was not related to Chess. Stang was best known as the label for The Moments.

We found no stereo singles, either commercial or promotional, during 1968-70. Stang began routinely issuing commercial stereo singles in November, 1975.






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