What a fascinating journey into the dawn of the audiophile age! Thanks so much for this wonderful video. The covers are just spectacular and the level of detail they contained is just amazing. Even the cat gets a credit. Love it!
Thanks for commenting! I love doing these videos on occasion and I think it shows. It was a short lived series from what I can gather, maybe 12 titles and that was about it. Ferrante and Teicher did one, a couple by Steve and Edie, at least one other Terry Snyder. Great stuff, let me know if you find one!
Yes I could some information on Discogs, so I realize it might not be a complete listing. Do you know where I could find an official discography? The records I found in bargain bins over the years. Its amazing how well the jackets stand up to the abuse of crate diggers!
I’m unfamiliar with this series; thanks for doing this! My goodness, they look immaculate. Gloss and gatefold sleeves in the early sixties, amazing! Guitars, woodwinds AND bongos? I HAD to download this. It’s very light-hearted, typical of the times; that bongo player is really good. I love your delight in those round edges of top-quality records.
Its really something when you hold one of these in your hands. It screams high quality. They even credit the printing company as well the should. I don't think we saw that until Stoughton Pronting started to get credit for Analogue Productions beautiful high gloss gatefold. The Stoughton jackets bear a striking resemblance to this series. This is where it all began!
I really. appreciate you doing these. I know they don't get a lot of views but our history is important. I have many Command, London Phase Four and Mercury Living Presence but I don't think I have even one of these.
Hi Richard! That you discovered Ultra Audio right here on my channel is exactly what I hoped to achieve. I have a few more surprises up my sleeve, but you'll definitely see a Phase 4 segment soon.
@@ThePressingMatters Regarding the Phase 4 series - one rather obscure title I dug up as it were is Dig It! by Shake Keane on flugelhorn, with the Ivor Raymonde Orchestra and Chorus. Never heard of either of them. The copy I found was from Vancouver's CKWX radio station ( written in large letters across the cover no less ). A bit used but quite interesting all the same and to think it was played over the air at one time.
@@ThePressingMatters Stan Kenton Today: Recorded Live In London This one should be on your list of Phase 4 lps. If you don't have it, I highly recommend it. I also have the reel to reel of this and it will knock your socks off. It was recorded a little on the "hot" side.
@@vinylrules4838i believe I have a 2 LP Benny Goodman Today on Phase 4. I think the calmed down as the series went on. The ones I heard tonight were very hot and not too appealing musically.
@@ThePressingMatters That is a great album, and yes it was on the United Artists label. Scott Smith was Ferrante & Teicher's manager and was a friend of mine. He had all of their UA albums on reel to reel tapes, and transferred all of them to digital then burned them on CDs. Thanks Scott for featuring great kind of forgotten labels like UA. PS. If you ever find a copy of their 1960 UA album Latin Pianos, don't hesitate to buy it.
Another very enjoyable and well researched video, Scott. I too am looking forward to the Phase 4 one as I have a number of these on Decca and am always on the lookout for more.
I completely forgot about this UA series! I have a few of these, pressed by Festival Records here in Australia using USA stampers, of which Festival often used which was great. Superb sound. Unfortunately we didn't get the luxurious jackets 😔 Another superb video in those series Scott, cheers !!
Hey Mr Matters. Yea I have maybe 1 or 2 of these in my collection but they def have not been used much over 45 years of collecting. Superlative coverage… I wouldn’t expect anything less from the world renowned Pressing Matters team! Ttyl
Your series of under the radar record label videos have brought together many years of inexplicable vinyl record hunting experiences in the wild. I may have one of the UA UA titles you mentioned, but more often than not I would see these titles in the wild and just pass them by. I would equate them to that not so great commercialized elevator music people listened to back in the day. I do have some UA recordings of motion picture soundtracks, notably three entire Bond film soundtracks. After seeing this video, I sure wish they had been produced in the Ultra Audio format, particularly Goldfinger. Hearing the Goldfinger title track (one of my favorite songs of all time) in the Ultra Audio format would be a real treat. I will definitely keep my eyes open for these UA UA records when record hunting in the future. 👍👍👍
Some of this music does veer towards the elevator music style, so auditioning if possible is a good idea if paying any more than a couple of dollars. These were fun to get at those prices back when I was always crate digging, so if I didn't care for one it was no big loss. Actually it was wise of me to save them all! I had no idea I'd be talking about them years later on my own channel!
Interesting and informative video as usual, Scott. Being a long time audiophile myself, I had never heard of Command or the United Artists releases that you reviewed. It's always interesting to see how some of the labels approached the "market place" 40, 50 and even 60 years ago! Thankfully, with the vinyl revival that we have been experiencing the past 10+ years, attention to detail and product quality has certainly improved although I don't know if they could ever surpass some of these "golden era of audio" releases... Cheers!
Hi Micheal Thanks for your comment! Glad you are enjoying the series. I think it’s important to document. Its history! Great observation about the marketing. Audiophiles love this stuff! Still do today!
Excellent series that is helping to hopefully rejuvenate many of these otherwise " lost " albums and the creative effort that went into producing them. I seem to be one of the few so far that have been on the hunt as it were for any of these early audiophile records, Invariably find them at my local Value Village although some are also discovered at record stores as well. No one bothers with them fortunately which is always a plus! There are times when I wonder about the individuals that owned them and that more often than not they likely passed on or unable to look after their records with family or relatives just donating them as I have found quite a few such as Audio Fidelity, Command and Enoch Light's Project 3. Kind of sad in a way considering their cost back then and the smaller niche market but at least for now I have a growing collection and can appreciate even more what they are. I just recently came across one album by Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme " Two On The Aisle " from 1962 in Mono, this is under UA's Deluxe 3500 Series, no gatefold or laminated jacket but the art work is great just the same. I noticed that the Stereo version does have a gatefold though. I wonder if this was a different line in the Wall To Wall Other tiles I have you might want to check out are: Nick Perito and His Orchestra " Blazing Latin Brass - Mono WW 7502 ; " The Jazz Soul Of Porgy & Bess - George Gershwin " WWS 8517 ; Terry Snyder " Footlight Percussion " WWS 8508 and Ferrente & Teicher and Their Orchestra " Love Themes " WWS 8514. I have yet to check online and possibly purchase there but shipping to Canada from the U.S. ( or even within Canada for that matter ) usually prevents me from doing so but at least I do find them locally. Most of the albums are Canadian versions with either burgundy or black labels with silver lettering and most likely not all that common. Looking forward to more gems that others can hopefully discover and appreciate.
When one realizes the possibilities that the then new stereo recording process offered both the record companies and consumer one can understand why more than a few recording engineers and producers were eager to showcase the increased fidelity and dynamics. I found a 2 LP late 1950's Capitol Records release titled Stereo Showcase ( SKA0 1268 ) that is another interesting effort, the jacket has High Fidelity on the front but no indication of stereo except on the back and on the actual label. There is a multipage booklet inside the gatefold that details each selection and the musicians that played it such as Billy May, Les Brown and Nelson Riddle. Interesting that it mentions Made In USA on the album but the records themselves are produced in Canada. The back of the jacket shows a pair of microphones as shown on the early stereo paper inner sleeves. I just love finding such albums accidentally , especially when they are in excellent condition and usually for 2.50 or less.
Thank you so much for contributing this great comment to the thread! I always enjoy your comments! I'm searching out the titles Im missing and may do a follow up. One thing I'm sure I have is the Ultra Audio Sampler, but I haven't located it in the vault. I have a copy of Two On The Aisle headed my way soon!
I always skipped by these lps when I was actively crate digging back in the day. Regret I didn't pick any up. Then again, I don't ever remember seeing any of the Terry Snyder lps. I probably would have grabbed them seeing percussion instruments on the back cover.
Good morning Scott and everyone. Just a quick note on Doc Severinsen. I went to a taping of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. The only people that I really remember are of course Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon, Loni Anderson (I was always a Jan Smithers guy) and the incredible Doc Severensen! That man could PLAY the trumpet! In fact the house band were the top tier compared to anything you see on the crappy TV night shows, all of them.
Great comment! I have a handful of his Command LPs we’ll get to eventually. So glad you found the video interesting. Support for these is important to me, so hearing from everyone that enjoys them makes me happy to continue!
'Tis the season (almost), and I remember as a much younger man watching Doc and the Tonight Show Orchestra perform The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting...). He beautifully played the melody and then took it up an octave for the second time through. I was young - but was still blown away. I would love to have a recording of that. That memory (but not ONLY that memory) certainly increases my interest in these pressings.
8:50 I had a Sauter Finnegan RCA 45rpm album from the early '50s. Totally agree with you. Not for me but even that sounded terrific. Love those first 45s
@@ThePressingMatters Well.........I bought it through Discogs for $17.91. Supposedly the record is NM and the cover is VG+. It was the best copy listed, so I'm hoping for the best. I guess an album for under $20. is a decent deal? $5. might be more appropriate. Rockin' Records doesn't list it and for Terry Snyder it says to go to Enoch Light.
I think that is a fair price for a nice copy. The best copies are going to be around that price. Its fun when you find one for $5 bucks but who knows how it will play. I'm looking for some of the other titles and am seeing prices like that. You have to be crate digging to find a cheap copy.
@@ThePressingMatters There is antique shop in town here with a room that has big untidy piles of used LPs, I never delved into the whole of it, just skimmed the surface due to most sitting on the floor. Maybe I will return there soon. Funny thing was they had a couple of boxes outside on the porch, that was where I found a nice private press LP, pretty rare and priced for $1...figured I wont top that inside the bldg.
Have you heard of Ryco Analogue? I recently picked up a 1988 release "King Sunny Ade And His African Beats - Live Live Juju" it was clear vinyl and sounded much better than most releases.
Well well well Scott, these records look like something I would flip right past at the Goodwill or Salvation Army! But I am somewhat astonished as I have Zero recall of a UA "wall of sound Ultra Audio series" so that makes these LPs very interesting and Cool as Stereo landmark pressings. Great find and now I know something new I won't flip past next time (well if the disc isn't beat to hell).
If you see Steve and Edie in good shape, grab it. And if you see it again grab one for me! Its called Two On The Aisle. This was a small series - I could only find a dozen or so releases in Discogs.
@@ThePressingMatters Ok, we'll keep an eye out for them. I have a couple of the RCA Sauter-Finegan records which are in mono I think. Maybe one is from my Grandad's old collection, at least I remember he had one with a very odd & spooky looking illustration in caricature of them, the kind of thing that little kids don't forget! If not mistaken the title was "Inside Sauter-Finegan" Anyway, that is a title I would be particularly interested to acquire from this UA catalog.
@@ThePressingMatters True, and generally people who kept the jacket looking smart were also adept at handling their discs. But i haven't found that to always be the case. PLUS The record doesn't have to be peppered with the visible evidence that the owner was so fond of it that is was "loved to death" to be near useless, no, one long, deep gouge will sufficiently wound an otherwise clean LP to the level of being un-listenable..don't ask me how I know.
Thanks for doing these videos. Not sure why you don't get more views. I don't have any you've mentioned but I'm interested in hearing about them and I like your particular presentation. Some of the titles are on cd on eBay. Not the same, I know.
What a fascinating journey into the dawn of the audiophile age! Thanks so much for this wonderful video. The covers are just spectacular and the level of detail they contained is just amazing. Even the cat gets a credit. Love it!
Thanks for commenting! I love doing these videos on occasion and I think it shows. It was a short lived series from what I can gather, maybe 12 titles and that was about it. Ferrante and Teicher did one, a couple by Steve and Edie, at least one other Terry Snyder.
Great stuff, let me know if you find one!
@ i’m assuming you found these on Discogs?
Yes I could some information on Discogs, so I realize it might not be a complete listing. Do you know where I could find an official discography?
The records I found in bargain bins over the years. Its amazing how well the jackets stand up to the abuse of crate diggers!
I’m unfamiliar with this series; thanks for doing this! My goodness, they look immaculate. Gloss and gatefold sleeves in the early sixties, amazing!
Guitars, woodwinds AND bongos? I HAD to download this. It’s very light-hearted, typical of the times; that bongo player is really good.
I love your delight in those round edges of top-quality records.
Its really something when you hold one of these in your hands. It screams high quality. They even credit the printing company as well the should. I don't think we saw that until Stoughton Pronting started to get credit for Analogue Productions beautiful high gloss gatefold. The Stoughton jackets bear a striking resemblance to this series. This is where it all began!
I really. appreciate you doing these. I know they don't get a lot of views but our history is important. I have many Command, London Phase Four and Mercury Living Presence but I don't think I have even one of these.
Hi Richard!
That you discovered Ultra Audio right here on my channel is exactly what I hoped to achieve. I have a few more surprises up my sleeve, but you'll definitely see a Phase 4 segment soon.
Thanks Scott, very interesting series, looking forward to Phase 4.
Thank you for watching Andrew. I'm prepping the Phase 4 choices and getting that ready for release.
@@ThePressingMatters Regarding the Phase 4 series - one rather obscure title I dug up as it were is Dig It! by Shake Keane on flugelhorn, with the Ivor Raymonde Orchestra and Chorus. Never heard of either of them. The copy I found was from Vancouver's CKWX radio station ( written in large letters across the cover no less ). A bit used but quite interesting all the same and to think it was played over the air at one time.
Can hardly wait for the Phase 4 reviews. Thanks.
It will be worth the wait. Its a lot of work and extra photography. Its going to be a fun one! Thanks for coming along for the ride!
@@ThePressingMatters Stan Kenton Today: Recorded Live In London
This one should be on your list of Phase 4 lps. If you don't have it, I highly recommend it. I also have the reel to reel of this and it will knock your socks off. It was recorded a little on the "hot" side.
@@vinylrules4838i believe I have a 2 LP Benny Goodman Today on Phase 4. I think the calmed down as the series went on. The ones I heard tonight were very hot and not too appealing musically.
Well done sir! You are on a roll!!!
Lots of fun doing these special videos. Fun listening too!
The piano duo Ferrante & Teicher recorded many wonderful instrumental albums for United Artists. Pianos In Paradise is one of my favorites.
Yes! They did at least one for this series, and many on the regular label. As I recall Pianos in paradise had a nice cover.
@@ThePressingMatters Yes it did. Many of their United Artists albums had stunning covers.
I have a wintery looking album from them, maybe titled Snowbound? Not sure if it was on UA but it did have a nice painting on the cover.
@@ThePressingMatters That is a great album, and yes it was on the United Artists label. Scott Smith was Ferrante & Teicher's manager and was a friend of mine. He had all of their UA albums on reel to reel tapes, and transferred all of them to digital then burned them on CDs. Thanks Scott for featuring great kind of forgotten labels like UA.
PS. If you ever find a copy of their 1960 UA album Latin Pianos, don't hesitate to buy it.
Thanks for the tip on Latin Pianos!
Another very enjoyable and well researched video, Scott. I too am looking forward to the Phase 4 one as I have a number of these on Decca and am always on the lookout for more.
Just acquiring a few more to round out the selection. Coming soon!
I completely forgot about this UA series! I have a few of these, pressed by Festival Records here in Australia using USA stampers, of which Festival often used which was great. Superb sound. Unfortunately we didn't get the luxurious jackets 😔 Another superb video in those series Scott, cheers !!
Hey Mr Matters.
Yea I have maybe 1 or 2 of these in my collection but they def have not been used much over 45 years of collecting. Superlative coverage… I wouldn’t expect anything less from the world renowned Pressing Matters team!
Ttyl
Your series of under the radar record label videos have brought together many years of inexplicable vinyl record hunting experiences in the wild. I may have one of the UA UA titles you mentioned, but more often than not I would see these titles in the wild and just pass them by. I would equate them to that not so great commercialized elevator music people listened to back in the day. I do have some UA recordings of motion picture soundtracks, notably three entire Bond film soundtracks. After seeing this video, I sure wish they had been produced in the Ultra Audio format, particularly Goldfinger. Hearing the Goldfinger title track (one of my favorite songs of all time) in the Ultra Audio format would be a real treat. I will definitely keep my eyes open for these UA UA records when record hunting in the future. 👍👍👍
Some of this music does veer towards the elevator music style, so auditioning if possible is a good idea if paying any more than a couple of dollars. These were fun to get at those prices back when I was always crate digging, so if I didn't care for one it was no big loss. Actually it was wise of me to save them all! I had no idea I'd be talking about them years later on my own channel!
Interesting and informative video as usual, Scott. Being a long time audiophile myself, I had never heard of Command or the United Artists releases that you reviewed. It's always interesting to see how some of the labels approached the "market place" 40, 50 and even 60 years ago! Thankfully, with the vinyl revival that we have been experiencing the past 10+ years, attention to detail and product quality has certainly improved although I don't know if they could ever surpass some of these "golden era of audio" releases... Cheers!
Hi Micheal
Thanks for your comment! Glad you are enjoying the series. I think it’s important to document. Its history! Great observation about the marketing. Audiophiles love this stuff! Still do today!
I have the Steve and Eydie. -NM for a dollar. Now I have to play it.
If you don't care for it let me know. I'm searching for copies.
Excellent series that is helping to hopefully rejuvenate many of these otherwise " lost " albums and the creative effort that went into producing them. I seem to be one of the few so far that have been on the hunt as it were for any of these early audiophile records, Invariably find them at my local Value Village although some are also discovered at record stores as well. No one bothers with them fortunately which is always a plus!
There are times when I wonder about the individuals that owned them and that more often than not they likely passed on or unable to look after their records with family or relatives just donating them as I have found quite a few such as Audio Fidelity, Command and Enoch Light's Project 3. Kind of sad in a way considering their cost back then and the smaller niche market but at least for now I have a growing collection and can appreciate even more what they are.
I just recently came across one album by Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme " Two On The Aisle " from 1962 in Mono, this is under UA's Deluxe 3500 Series, no gatefold or laminated jacket but the art work is great just the same. I noticed that the Stereo version does have a gatefold though. I wonder if this was a different line in the Wall To Wall
Other tiles I have you might want to check out are: Nick Perito and His Orchestra " Blazing Latin Brass - Mono WW 7502 ; " The Jazz Soul Of Porgy & Bess - George Gershwin " WWS 8517 ; Terry Snyder " Footlight Percussion " WWS 8508 and Ferrente & Teicher and Their Orchestra " Love Themes " WWS 8514.
I have yet to check online and possibly purchase there but shipping to Canada from the U.S. ( or even within Canada for that matter ) usually prevents me from doing so but at least I do find them locally.
Most of the albums are Canadian versions with either burgundy or black labels with silver lettering and most likely not all that common. Looking forward to more gems that others can hopefully discover and appreciate.
When one realizes the possibilities that the then new stereo recording process offered both the record companies and consumer one can understand why more than a few recording engineers and producers were eager to showcase the increased fidelity and dynamics.
I found a 2 LP late 1950's Capitol Records release titled Stereo Showcase ( SKA0 1268 ) that is another interesting effort, the jacket has High Fidelity on the front but no indication of stereo except on the back and on the actual label. There is a multipage booklet inside the gatefold that details each selection and the musicians that played it such as Billy May, Les Brown and Nelson Riddle. Interesting that it mentions Made In USA on the album but the records themselves are produced in Canada. The back of the jacket shows a pair of microphones as shown on the early stereo paper inner sleeves.
I just love finding such albums accidentally , especially when they are in excellent condition and usually for 2.50 or less.
Thank you so much for contributing this great comment to the thread! I always enjoy your comments! I'm searching out the titles Im missing and may do a follow up. One thing I'm sure I have is the Ultra Audio Sampler, but I haven't located it in the vault. I have a copy of Two On The Aisle headed my way soon!
I always skipped by these lps when I was actively crate digging back in the day. Regret I didn't pick any up. Then again, I don't ever remember seeing any of the Terry Snyder lps. I probably would have grabbed them seeing percussion instruments on the back cover.
Good morning Scott and everyone. Just a quick note on Doc Severinsen. I went to a taping of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. The only people that I really remember are of course Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon, Loni Anderson (I was always a Jan Smithers guy) and the incredible Doc Severensen! That man could PLAY the trumpet! In fact the house band were the top tier compared to anything you see on the crappy TV night shows, all of them.
Great comment! I have a handful of his Command LPs we’ll get to eventually. So glad you found the video interesting. Support for these is important to me, so hearing from everyone that enjoys them makes me happy to continue!
'Tis the season (almost), and I remember as a much younger man watching Doc and the Tonight Show Orchestra perform The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting...). He beautifully played the melody and then took it up an octave for the second time through. I was young - but was still blown away. I would love to have a recording of that. That memory (but not ONLY that memory) certainly increases my interest in these pressings.
@@losendos8963 👌
Great memory! I'd love to see or hear it!
8:50 I had a Sauter Finnegan RCA 45rpm album from the early '50s. Totally agree with you. Not for me but even that sounded terrific. Love those first 45s
I think they are an acquired taste, at least for our generation.
OK. You made me buy a copy of "Mister Percussion". LOL
Really?! Cool! I hope you got a good deal!
You shouldn't have to pay a premium for any of these.
@@ThePressingMatters Well.........I bought it through Discogs for $17.91. Supposedly the record is NM and the cover is VG+. It was the best copy listed, so I'm hoping for the best. I guess an album for under $20. is a decent deal? $5. might be more appropriate. Rockin' Records doesn't list it and for Terry Snyder it says to go to Enoch Light.
I think that is a fair price for a nice copy. The best copies are going to be around that price. Its fun when you find one for $5 bucks but who knows how it will play. I'm looking for some of the other titles and am seeing prices like that. You have to be crate digging to find a cheap copy.
@@ThePressingMatters There is antique shop in town here with a room that has big untidy piles of used LPs, I never delved into the whole of it, just skimmed the surface due to most sitting on the floor.
Maybe I will return there soon. Funny thing was they had a couple of boxes outside on the porch, that was where I found a nice private press LP, pretty rare and priced for $1...figured I wont top that inside the bldg.
You'll have Stev & Eydie back in your hands soon. 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀😀
Thank you so much for reaching out to me Dave! I can not wait!
Have you heard of Ryco Analogue? I recently picked up a 1988 release "King Sunny Ade And His African Beats - Live Live Juju" it was clear vinyl and sounded much better than most releases.
Yes I remember Ryko. They did Bowie’s catalog at one time.
Well well well Scott, these records look like something I would flip right past at the Goodwill or Salvation Army!
But I am somewhat astonished as I have Zero recall of a UA "wall of sound Ultra Audio series" so that makes these LPs very interesting and Cool as Stereo landmark pressings. Great find and now I know something new I won't flip past next time (well if the disc isn't beat to hell).
If you see Steve and Edie in good shape, grab it. And if you see it again grab one for me! Its called Two On The Aisle.
This was a small series - I could only find a dozen or so releases in Discogs.
I think people generally took great care of these. The jackets hold up to all but the most extreme mishandling. They still look great.
@@ThePressingMatters Ok, we'll keep an eye out for them. I have a couple of the RCA Sauter-Finegan records which are in mono I think.
Maybe one is from my Grandad's old collection, at least I remember he had one with a very odd & spooky looking illustration in caricature of them, the kind of thing that little kids don't forget! If not mistaken the title was "Inside Sauter-Finegan"
Anyway, that is a title I would be particularly interested to acquire from this UA catalog.
@@ThePressingMatters True, and generally people who kept the jacket looking smart were also adept at handling their discs. But i haven't found that to always be the case. PLUS
The record doesn't have to be peppered with the visible evidence that the owner was so fond of it that is was "loved to death" to be near useless, no, one long, deep gouge will sufficiently wound an otherwise clean LP to the level of being un-listenable..don't ask me how I know.
Thank you
Thanks for doing these videos. Not sure why you don't get more views. I don't have any you've mentioned but I'm interested in hearing about them and I like your particular presentation.
Some of the titles are on cd on eBay. Not the same, I know.
Thanks for watching!