When stereo was just beginning to replace hi-fi, often the only stereo albums available in record stores were "percussion" albums (on the Command label). These albums (with names like "Persuasive Percussion" or "Captivating Percussion") featured a left/right channel check at the beginning of each song and utilized the most forced and unnaturally separated stereo recording imaginable - the idea was, "Hey, there are two speakers; let's make that REAL obvious!" So old standards like "The Chatanooga Choo Choo" would begin with a freight train screaming from the left speaker to the right. (My pre-adolescent favorite was "Standing on the Corner (Watching All the Girls Go By)" which had high-heeled shoes clicking back and forth throughout.)
Now that I have a Mac with stereo speakers, I find that I have regressed a bit and want each and every sound my Mac makes to exploit its stereo potential. With that in mind, here are a few sounds that are inspired by those old percussion albums. Hey, there are two speakers; let's make that REAL obvious...
