The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds · The Vinyl Guide

Ep534: Celebrating Chess Records with Steve Jordan

February 2, 2026·1 hr 1 min·4 clips

Steve says the Chess room still sounds the same, with the floor, walls, and even Otis Spann's piano preserving the vibe.

1. The Vinyl Guide episode centers on Chess Records and the 75th Vinyl Reissue Series. 2. Nate Goyer hosts, and guest Steve Jordan is a drummer, producer, and Stones member who knows the catalog personally. 3. The episode asks what Chess Records means as a label, a reissue project, and a working studio space. 4. Steve says his first Chess purchases were The Dells, Ramsey Lewis Trio, and Tommy Tucker's 'High Heel Sneakers.' 5. He contrasts Chess with Motown and Stax, and he places those records in the AM and R&B radio dial of his youth. 6. He says his compilation Let's Play Chess was shaped by records he owned and by later research. 7. Steve links that research to his work with the Blues Brothers band, Cadillac Records, and Lightning in a Bottle. 8. He says Chess reissues were done on CD in the 1980s and early 1990s, but not properly for some time. 9. He credits Jamie Krentz and Ken Drucker with alerting Universal to the 75th anniversary opportunity. 10. He says the current campaign covers Chess, Checker, and Argo titles through Acoustic Sounds. 11. Steve notes that some original source material was lost in a fire, but duplicate masters in Europe were recovered. 12. He says Etta James' At Last can cost $400 to $500 as an original copy. 13. He describes recording at Chess in 2010 with Nico Bolas, an API console, and ribbon microphones brought in from Nashville. 14. He recalls placing the drums in the room and later hearing Hubert Sumlin confirm that position. 15. He says the Chess room still has the same walls, floor, and linoleum, and that Otis Spann's piano seemed to resonate during playback. 16. He explains that mastering in the basement was part of the Chess sound and compares it to the role of mastering in his own records. 17. Steve's style is conversational and detail-heavy, with digressions into stereo mixes, label history, and session craft. 18. The interview moves between archival history and first-person studio memory without a formal script. 19. People who collect vinyl, Chess Records, or recording-studio history will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting a short, general-music chat may find the gear and catalog detail heavy.

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