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.
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. | |
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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. | |
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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. | |
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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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