Introducing the Golden Age of Sound
Here are a couple of articles and and advertisements that introduce the Golden Age of Sound.

Victor All-Out on ‘Best Buy’ Pitch¹
“New Golden Age of Sound” 1959 “Best Buy” program has been introduced by the label’s execs… The “Best Buy” program includes 24 albums, 12 each of pop and Red Seal, to be promoted under the theme of “RCA Victor Presents the New Golden Age of Sound Albums.” All packages are available both stero and monaural, with the exception of the historic 1943 Carnegie Hall performance of the Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1 by Horowitz, Toscanini and the NBC Symphony.

The RCA Victor program will be supported by the very powerful advertising and promotion drive. It was estimated that the cost of the promotional drive will be in excess of three-quarter million dollars, a figure which includes the outlay on the part of John H. Breck, Inc., outstanding hair preparations firm….

Promotion centers on a “New Golden Age of Sound’ preview album with selections from six pop and six Red Seal “Best Buys” albums. This is available in stereo for $1.25 plus a Breck box top, label or facsimile; for $1 in monaural, with box top, [label or facsimile].

“Golden Age of Sound” theme reflects two lines of thought..: the consumer response to Living Stereo, and … the introduction of RCA Victor’s static-less “Miracle Surface” sticker.

Among artists represented in the “Best Buys” program are Elvis Presley, Harry Belafonte, Perez Prado, Pat Suzuki, Melachrino, George Beverly Shea, Jim Reeves, Arthur Fiedler, Morton Gould, Jascha Heifetz, Fritz Reiner, Mario Lanza, Horowitz and Toscaninin. Packages have a special gold foil band around the album covers, outlining the Breck offer and explain in the theme. Foil was furnished by ALCOA.

Victor-Breck Tie-In Offers Premium Album²
… RCA Victor kicks off the “Best Buy” campaign with a full page in Life ..

The Album Release of the Year!³
24 brand-new albums on regular L.P. and Living stereo with New “Miracle Surface” by the World’s Greatest Artists in finish High Fidelity. Your best-sellers for fall! … “Beautiful Hair Breck” tie-in: A preview L.P. containing 12 selections form “New Golden Age of Sound” Albums will be distributed via a million-dollar promotion which includes 60-second TV commercials …; magazine ads …; 100,000 powerful full-color displays in beauty parlors, supermarkets, drug stores, department stores and wherever Breck preparations are sold.

RCA VICTOR presents THE NEW GOLDEN AGE OF SOUND ALBUMS⁴
Featuring New “Miracle Surface” on Living Stereo Records

24 New Albums on Regular L.P. and Living Stereo by the World’s Greatest Artists!
“Miracle Surface” records contain the new, revolutionary anti-static ingredient 317X, which repels dust, helps prevent surface noise, helps insure faithful sound reproduction on Living Stereo records.

Popular albums from $3.98, Red Seal from $4.98, Stereo only $1.00 extra (mfr.’s nationally advertised prices). Today at your RCA Victor dealer!

PREVIEW “NEW GOLDEN AGE OF SOUND” ALBUMS
Special offer! Get details of this PREVIEW L.P., containing six complete popular and six complete classical selections, all in one album. Offered now by BEAUTIFUL HAIR BRECK in beauty parlors, drug stores, supermarkets, department stores … wherever Breck preparations are sold! This PREVIEW L.P. is available in Living Stereo or regular L.P.

 

New Golden Age of Sound Albums

The complete list of the 24 25 albums available in both the Living Stereo and regular L.P. formats.

	Artist / Composer	Title	Long Play	Living Stereo
1	Mario Lanza	For the First Time	LM-2338	LSC-2338
2	Rodgers	Slaughter on the 10th Avenue	LM-2294	LSC-2294
3	Harry Belefonte	Belafonte at Carnegie hall	LOC-6006	LSO-6006
4	The Melchrino Strings and Orchestra	Rendezvous in Rome	LPM-1955	LSP-1955
5	Morton Gould	Doubling in Brass	LM-2308	LSC-2308
6	Pat Suzuki	Miss Pony Tail	LPM-2030	LSP-2030
7	Chicago Symphony/Reiner	Rossini Overtures	LM-2318	LSC-2318
8	Xavier Cugat and his Orchestra	Chile Con Cugie	LPM-1987	LSP-1987
9	Fiedler and Boston Pops Orchestra	Song of India	LM-2320	LSC-2330
10	Perez Prado	Pops and Prado	LPM-2028	LSP-2028
11	Kiril Kondrashin	Tchaikovsky Capric. Italienne	LM-2323	LSC-2323
12	Buddy Morrow	Big Band Guitar	LPM-2018	LSP-2018
13a	Elvis Presley	A Date With Elvis	LPM-2011
13b	Chet Atkins	Hummm and Strum Along	LPM-2025	LSP-2025
14	NBC Symphony Orchestra / Arturo Toscanini	Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1	LM-2319
15	Heifetz Munch Boston Symphony	Mendelssohn Prokofieff Concertos	LM-2314	LSC-2314
16	Hugo Winterhalter	Two Sides of Winterhalter	LPM-1905	LSP-1905
17	Gogi Grant, Howard Keel, Anne Jeffreys	Kiss Me Kate	LPM-1884	LSP-1984
18	Monteux Vienna Philharmonic	Pastral: The 6th Symphony of beethoven	LM-2316	LSC-2316
19	Martinon, Paris Conservative Orchestra	Prokofieff Symphony No. 5	LM-2272	LSC-2272
20	George Beverly Shea	Blessed Assurance	LPM-1967	LSP-1967
21	Shorty Rogers and his Orchestra	The Wizard of Oz and other Harold Arlen Songs	LPM-1997	LSP-1997
22	Esquivel and his Orchestra	Strings Aflame	LPM-1988	LSP-1988
23	Jim Reeves	Songs to Warm the heart	LPM-2001	LSP-2001
24	London Proms Symphony, Charles MacKerras	Finlandia	LM-2336	LSC-2336

The Preview Albums
These are examples of the Long Play and Living Stereo preview albums, released by RCA Victor as part of the Breck and the “New Golden Age of Sound Albums” promotion. What is interesting is that the original promotion as detailed in July 1959 indicates that of the 24 featured albums, only the Tchaikovsky Concerto No. 1 by Horowitz, Toscanini and the NBC Symphony would be released in regular L.P. (LM-2319) or long play monaural format, then continues to list Elvis Presley as being part of the promotion. Additional promotional material featured in Billboard and Life, as referenced above, depict Elvis Presley’s A Date with Elvis (LPM-2011) as part of the promotion. This Elvis release would make it a second regular release L.P. Having discovered two different cover backs for the long play monaural format, one with Elvis Presley’s A Date with Elvis (LPM-2011) in the upper left corner and another Chet Atkins’ Hummm and Strum Along with Chet Atkins (LPM-2025) and in living stereo Chet Atkins’ Hummm and Strum Along with Chet Atkins (LSP-2025), I believe that Elvis Presley was replaced with Chet Atkins from the New Golden Age of Sound Albums promotion.

SP-33-50 Beautiful Hair Breck Introduces the RCA Victor New Golden Age of Sound Albums
A “New Orthophonic” High Fidelity Recording

Cover Front: Printed on Gold Alcoa Wrap. Featuring the 12 album covers of the artists featured on this LP.
Cover Back: Printed on Gold Alcoa Wrap. Featuring the other 12 album covers that are available as part of the New Golden Age of Sound promotion. There are two versions of the back. The first back features Elvis Presley’s A Date With Elvis LPM-2011. It was replaced with Chet Atkins’ Hummm and Strum Along with Chet Atkins LPM-2025.

Disc: Black label. Dog on top. Long Play on bottom. / Red label. Dog on Top. Long Play on bottom.

Matrix numbers
Side 1: K2NP-3794-3S A1 / Side 2: K2NP-3795-3S B3 (Rockaway pressing)
Side 1: K2NP-3794-4S B1 / Side 2: K2NP-3795-4S B1 (Rockaway pressing)

SPS-33-50 Beautiful Hair Breck Introduces the RCA Victor New Golden Age of Sound Albums featuring new “Miracle Surface” on Living Stereo Records
LIVING STEREO

Cover Front: Printed on Gold Alcoa Wrap. Featuring the 12 album covers of the artists featured on this LP.
Cover Back: Printed on Gold Alcoa Wrap. Featuring the other 12 album covers that are available as part of the New Golden Age of Sound promotion. There are two versions of the back. The first back features Elvis Presley’s A Date With Elvis LPM-2011⁵. It was replaced with Chet Atkins’ Hummm and Strum Along with Chet Atkins LSP-2025.

Disc: Black label. Dog on top. LIVING STEREO on bottom. / Red label. Dog on Top. LIVING STEREO on bottom.

Matrix numbers
Side 1: K2NY-3794-4S / Side 2: K2NY-3795-3S B3 (Rockaway pressing? RM)