Mike,
I know they were called binaural. What's the difference? They had 2
different tracks that were developed from mics on each side of the music
group being recoreded.
Binaural recordings heard through earphones can give a far more
satisfying image of the sound stage - as long as one does not turn one's
head. In stereo, separation is both reduced and artificial.
Playing Cook or other binaural discs as stereo creates no sound stage -
but it does have sound distribution of a sort in space.