The Stereo Impostor: A Collector's Guide to "Fake Stereo"
You have found a record you have been hunting for. It is an early pressing, but the cover has a banner printed across the top: "Electronically Re-channeled for Stereo." Your first thought might be excitement, a stereo version of a classic mono recording. You should instead feel a deep sense of caution. You are likely holding a sonic counterfeit, a product of a cynical chapter in music history.
This is the world of "fake stereo," and understanding it is crucial in the hunt for honest records.
A Trick of the Ear
In the 1960s, as stereo systems became the new standard, record labels faced a problem. They had massive, valuable back catalogs of mono recordings, but they could charge a premium for stereo LPs. The solution for many was not to create a true stereo mix from the original tapes, but to simulate one from the finished mono recording.
The techniques were crude. An engineer might split the mono signal by frequency, sending all the bass to one channel and all the treble to the other. Sometimes, they would add a slight delay or a heavy wash of reverb to one of the channels. The goal was simply to make the sound come out of two speakers in a slightly different way.
The Sound of a Lie
The result was almost always a disaster. Instead of the focused, powerful punch of the original mono mix, you get a hollow, disembodied sound. A singer's voice might sound like it is echoing from the bottom of a well. A rhythm section that was once a cohesive unit now feels disconnected and weak.
Capitol Records' "Duophonic" process, used on early US pressings of albums by The Beatles and The Beach Boys, is a notorious example. These versions are sonically inferior to the true mono mixes the artists intended. They are not a different interpretation; they are a gimmick, an auditory illusion that collapses the moment you listen closely.
The Real Artifact
When you encounter a record labeled "electronically re-channeled," know that you are not buying a true stereo mix. You are buying a processed mono recording, one that has been manipulated for commercial reasons. It is a fascinating artifact of its time, but it is not the honest sound of the performance. The real art, the powerful and direct statement the musicians made, is almost always on the original mono pressing. Do not be fooled by the impostor.