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RCA Victor Pre-Recorded Red Seal 2-Track "Stacked" or "In-Line"
STEREO-Orthophonic / Stereophonic Reel-to-Reel tapes 1954-56
TCS-1 / ECS-1 Fritz Reiner - Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Richard Strauss in High Fidelity: Also sprach Zarathustra (September 1954)
 
New York, May 22: The imminent issuance of a high fidelity batch of pre-recorded tapes by RCA Victor [...]
will include [...] a collection of Red Seal disk items transferred to magnetic tape. One of the last named
reels will be a binaural offering featuring Fritz Reiner conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra playing
Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (The Billboard, May 29, 1954). Original 1954 tape box depicted above.
New York, July 3: [...] RCA Victor has ascerted its distributors to be certain that its first stereophonic tape,
to be released in September, be played on the machine it is designed for. Two alternate tapes will be issued
for machines with "in line" heads and those with "displaced" heads. The first Victor stereophonic
tape is a recording of the Richard Strauss tone poem "Also Sprach Zarathustra" played by
Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. (The Billboard, July 10, 1954).
Recorded March 8, 1954, Orchestra Hall, Chicago, John Weicher on solo violin. Early version of 1957 edition tape box with
revised artwork and still with nationally advertised price printed on the upper left-hand corner depicted above. This was also
released in MONO as LM-1806 by RCA Victor records. It was later re-released as Red Seal LSC-1806 in Living Stereo in 1958.
FCS-2 Fritz Reiner - Chicago Symphony Orchestra
R Strauss: Ein Heldenleben (June 1955)
Recorded March 6, 1954, Orchestra Hall, Chicago, John Weicher on solo violin.
Note: The recording date, 2 days prior to ECS-1, makes this the earliest known stereo recording issued by RCA!
"Ein Heldenleben" was originally released in 1954 as LM-1807 by RCA Victor. No original stereo issue on disc.
1957 edition tape box with revised artwork and liner notes depicted above. From Matt Fisher's collection.
ECS-3 Fritz Reiner - Chicago Symphony Orchestra - The Sauter Finegan Orchestra
Liebermann: Concerto for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra / R Strauss: Don Juan (June 1955)
Recorded December 6, 1954, Orchestra Hall, Chicago
Note: This was also released in MONO as LM-1888 by RCA Victor records.
ECS-4 Fritz Reiner - Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Jascha Heifetz, violin
Brahms: Violin Concerto (June 1955)
Recorded February 21-22, 1955, Orchestra Hall, Chicago.
Note: This was also released in MONO as LM-1903 by RCA Victor. Original 1955 artwork and
revised 1957 editions depicted. It was also re-released as LSC-1903 in Living Stereo in 1958.
1957 edition tape box with revised artwork and liner notes depicted above. From Matt Fisher's collection.
The Billboard, February 25, 1956
[...] In April, Victor will release six new stereo reels, featuring some of its top artists
and classical disk repertoire, to add to its token of four stereo sets issued earlier.
But by the end of the year the number of Victor stereo reels on the market
will number 50, according to the present release blueprint.
The diskery-tapery is putting its best foot forward for its April stereo release. Upcoming are
stereo tape versions of recent recordings by the Boston Symphony, with Charles Munch
and Pierre Monteux, and Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony. Also due is a stereo
treatment of the best-selling Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto with Emil Gilels.
GCS-5 Pierre Monteux - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Tchaikovsky: Pathétique, Symphony No 6 in B minor, Op 74 (April 1956)
Recorded January 26, 1955, Boston Symphony Hall. This was also released in MONO
as LM-1901 by RCA Victor records. It was later re-released as LSC-1901 in Living Stereo in 1958.
Early version of 1957 edition tape box with revised artwork and still with
nationally advertised price printed on the upper left-hand corner depicted above.
GCS-6 Charles Munch - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Berlioz: Symphony Fantastique, Op 14 (April 1956)
Recorded November 14, 1954, Boston Symphony Hall.
Note: This was also released in MONO as LM-1900 by RCA Victor records.
The short-lived 1st LP edition with the Jane Sinnickson art cover to the right.
1957 edition tape box with revised artwork and liner notes depicted above. From Matt Fisher's collection.
ECS-7 Charles Munch - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Beethoven: Symphony No 5 (April 1956)
Recorded May 2, 1955, Boston Symphony Hall.
Note: This had originally been released as LM-1923 in 1955 in MONO by RCA Victor records.
ECS-8 Fritz Reiner - Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Emil Gilels, piano
Tchaikovsky: Concerto No 1 in B-flat Minor, Op 23 (April 1956)
Recorded October 29, 1955, Orchestra Hall, Chicago.
Note: This was also released in MONO as LM-1969 by RCA Victor records.
Early version of 1957 edition tape box with revised artwork and still with
nationally advertised price printed on the upper left-hand corner depicted above.
ECS-9 Fritz Reiner - Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra (April 1956)
Recorded October 22, 1955, Orchestra Hall, Chicago.
Note: This was also released in MONO as LM-1934 by RCA Victor
records. It was later re-released as LSC-1934 in Living Stereo in 1958.
DCS-10 Fritz Reiner - Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Mozart: Symphony No 41 ("Jupiter") (April 1956)
Recorded April 26, 1954, Orchestra Hall, Chicago.
Note: This recording was also released in MONO on the double album LM-6035 by
RCA Victor records and re-released in 1957 with revised artwork as LM-2114.
ECS-11 Fritz Reiner - Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Beethoven: Symphony No 7 (1956)
Recorded October 24, 1955, Orchestra Hall, Chicago.
Note: This was also released in MONO as LM-1991 by RCA Victor. The cover unfolds to display
'La Primavera' by Boticelli. Re-released 1958 in Living Stereo as LSC-1991 with revised artwork.
CCS-12 Pierre Monteux - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Debussy: Nocturnes (1956)
Note: Not originally issued in any other format.
CCS-13 Charles Munch - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Schubert: Symphony No 8 in B-minor ("Unfinished") (1956)
Recorded May 2, 1955, Boston Symphony Hall. Originally released in MONO as LM-1923 in 1955 (same as ECS-7 above).
1957 edition tape box with revised artwork and liner notes depicted above.
FCS-14 Charles Munch - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Brahms: Symphony No 2 in D, Op 73 (1956)
Recorded December 15, 1955, Boston Symphony Hall. Originally released in MONO as LM-1959 by RCA Victor records.
1957 edition tape box with revised artwork and liner notes depicted above.
ECS-15 Arthur Fiedler - Boston Pops Orchestra
Offenbach: Gaîté Parisienne (1956)
Recorded in June 1954, Symphony Hall, Boston.
Note: Originally released 1954 in MONO as LM-1817 by RCA Victor records. It was later re-releasedas LSC-1817
in Living Stereo in 1958. The MONO (DC-14) version was recorded with a single condenser microphone approximately 16
feet above the conductor's podium. The stereophonic recording was done in parallell with other microphones.
1957 edition tape box with revised artwork and liner notes depicted above.
CCS-16 Charles Munch - Boston Symphony Orchestra - David Oistrach, violin
Chausson: Poème / Saint-Saëns: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1956)
Recorded December 14, 1955, Symphony Hall, Boston. Originally released in MONO as LM-1988 by RCA Victor records.
ECS-17 Arthur Fiedler - Boston Pops Orchestra
Grofé: Grand Canyon Suite (1956)
Originally released 1955 in MONO as LM-1928 by RCA Victor records. Both original 1956 tape box and
1957 edition with revised artwork and nationally advertised price printed on the upper left-hand corner depicted.
DCS-18 Leopold Stokowski - members of the NBC Symphony Orchestra
Prokofieff: Romeo and Juliet - excerpts from suites nos 1, 2 and 3 (1956)
Recorded October 5 and 7, 1954 at Manhattan Center, NYC. Also released in MONO on
LM-2117 in 1957. The album cover design is by the American artist Eugene Karlin.
1957 edition tape box with revised artwork and liner notes depicted above. From Matt Fisher's collection.
ECS-19 Fritz Reiner - Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Artur Rubinstein, piano
Rachmaninoff: Concerto No 2, in C Minor, Op 18 (1956)
Recorded January 9, 1956, Orchestra Hall, Chicago.
Both original 1956 and 1957 edition tape box with revised artwork depicted.
In 1957, RCA Victor records also released this in MONO as LM-2068.
CCS-20 Fritz Reiner - Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Artur Rubinstein, piano
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, Op 43 (1956)
Recorded January 16, 1956, Orchestra Hall, Chicago. Also released in 1957 in MONO on LM-2087.
CCS-21 Charles Munch - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Debussy - Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun / Ravel: Bolero (1956)
Recorded January 23, 1956, Symphony Hall, Boston. Also released in MONO on LM-1984.
Rare 1956 edition and early 1957 tape box with nationally advertised price printed on the upper left-hand corner.
BCS-22 Charles Munch - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet (Overture-Fantasia) (1956)
Recorded March 12, 1956, Symphony Hall, Boston. Also released in MONO on LM-2043.
Original 1956 (text) and 1957 (color and duotone) editions tape boxes plus Long Play album depicted.
Note: the 2nd edition color tape box erraneously claims that "Francesca da Rimini" (DCS-51) is included.
6T3563 and 6T3585 The Newest Sensations in Sound by RCA Victor
- Stereophonic Sound Demonstration Tape for use on "Victrola" Stereotape Players and
- An introduction to recorded entertainment on Tape Recorders and Pre-Recorded Tapes (1956)
5" reels with musical excerpts from RCA Victor stereophoic library and from
RCA Victor's vast library of recorded music. Narration by Vaughn Monroe.
Comments or questions?
Please e-mail: john@boija.com
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