2003 JUNE 13 #164
Mike Wallace - The Zenith 2G Micro-Touch Tonearm
What better way to unwind after a hard work
day than in an easy chair with a cool drink, strolling
mandolins, and MIKE WALLACE extolling the virtues of your
new Zenith stereo! In 1965, my grandfather bought one
of these Zenith stereos. He was not above trying to finagle
a free record from the dealer, and this was the record
the dealer gave him.
Although Mike Wallace's distinguished broadcasting career
began as long ago as 1939, he was yet to find the niche
that would define him when this demonstration record was
made. This LP contains eighteen tracks of easy-listening
music, every one of them with a voiceover by Wallace illuminating
a different aspect of the stereo "for those who want
the finest". He may not have been a household name
in 1964, but his style is already fully formed. Authoritative,
well-informed, razor-sharp, cut-the-crap-and-get-to-the-point.
I have many fond memories of Grandpa Nemo (1901-1983),
and this record brings back a very sweet one for me. He
used to play stacks of his favorite records on that changer:
Highlights from "Carmen", Johnny Mathis, Sergio
Franchi, My Fair Lady, Man of La Mancha, Julie London,
and the Zenith demonstration record was always in there
somewhere! The voice-overs became part of the music for
me, and I memorized them from hearing them so frequently.
In the late 1980's, I finally heard one of the original
tracks without the voiceover. It just was not the same,
and I dragged out the Zenith album and played it from
start to finish, with a tall brewed iced tea in my hand!
MMMmmmmmmmmm!
- Stormy Hunter, http://tstormhunter.iuma.com/
TT-3:02 / 3.6MB / 160kbps 44.1khz
From "Zenith Stereophonic FM Radio and Stereophonic
High Fidelity Demonstration Record" Columbia Special
Products XSV 86099 (1964)
Max Swanson writes:
Too bad Zenith wasn't still extolling the virtues of
the CobraMatic Tone Arm. I was sooo looking forward
to hearing Mike Wallace talk about the two little snake
eyes on its top surface.
(Images courtesy of Stormy Hunter)