This disc, narrated by James Stewart and Curt Gowdy was first released as an album (Fleetwood Records FCLP 3036) in 1969, in cooperation with Major League Baseball.
Stewart begins the album and covers baseball’s first fifty years, from 1869 through the end of the 1920’s. His section takes about 16:25 of the album’s total time of 52:12. At the end of his section, Stewart introduces Curt Gowdy, who then covers the 1930’s through 1969.
Two different EP’s of this material were also issued. There are several minor jacket and label variations between the two. The first (Fleetwood Records FSM 6) featured a color cardboard sleeve and was made for All-Star Record Club:
The EP, or compact size album as it was referred to here, was sold via the following ad placed in various magazines:
A second EP (Fleetwood Records FMS 6; the paper sleeve carried the release number as FM-6) was also issued. This one came in a black-and-white sleeve and was issued as part of a “Baseball Card Collecting Kit” marketed by Collector’s Marketing Corporation.
The content of both EPs is the same. The 52:12 album time has been edited down to 31:11 for the EP. Stewart lost the most time due to editing, with it now taking only 5:51 to cover the first 50 years of baseball. The recording credits include:
Writer: Sam Miller
Producer: Larry Miller
Music Arranger: Bob Way
Engineering Master Tape: Steve Waldman
Mastering: Ray Hagerty
Editing: Charles Dreyer
Cover Design: Bob Peak
The album was also issued on an 8-track tape (FCLP3036).
We had not seen any 8-track versions until the beginning of 2016 when they suddenly began showing up with regularity. It’s possible that someone found a box, or boxes, of them in a warehouse and decided to flood the market with them.
Finally, the original album has also been issued as a CD:
This CD is available at the Fleetwood Sounds website:
Purchase a copy of Professional Baseball – The First 100 Years
Because the recording remains available, we won’t put the entire side one of the album here for you to listen to. Instead, we’re including the edited version of Mr. Stewart’s comments from the EP:
