The last recording we looked at was made in 1958 and over a decade of stereo has passed with not a lot of progress in understanding the use of stereo.
Again, listening with headphones will let you know that this was not good for anyone wearing headphones. If you are listening on speakers in a large room, it is not such a big deal.
One interesting comparison is to listen to the instruments in the Della Reese video and notice how much better they were recorded on just 2 tracks.
In other words, more tracks does not mean better recording. Stereo is still the preferred delivery method even today, and knowing how to do it is as critical as ever.
It is not a gimmick, it is the way to go because most human beings have 2 ears. It is how we place sound sources in space and whether it is used for defense from predators or enjoyment of an orchestra, it is how we hear the world.
Surround sound should be merely an extension of stereo, not another commercial gimmick.
And while we are on the subject, dummy head recording is for dummies. All you have to do is listen to it once to hear how misguided that is.
The best stereo sound comes from the proper manipulation of the hardware and software that we use on a daily basis in the recording world.
If it doesn't sound natural, it is not right.
Until next time...