1968 Destroy All Monsters Ad Slick

Another great collecting find came in today's mail. A while back, I posted some ad slicks from the 1970's from a series of summer matinees, among them my all-time favorite film, DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. I was lucky enough to score an original ad slick for the film's 1968 U.S. release, scanned below for your enjoyment. My two favorite parts are the top left ad's tagline of a nonsensical 'The MONSTERS are in REVOLT DESTRUCTION!" (whatever that is supposed to mean), and the bottom right, where poor Gorosaurus is identified as "Godzilla" for those not in the know. Oh well, since Godzilla's art for the film's U.S. poster bears little resemblance to his actual features, I guess I should just let it go. Kind of reminds me of a Mexican lobby card I had once (see below), where Godzilla's image was borrowed from a Gamera lobby card, with plates added on his back!

Hilarious Hyundai Label

Well, here's the short version. My buddy has a hatchback-type Hyundai with no backseat to speak of. Herve Villachez couldn't fit in there. Anyway, there's a small label behind the driver's seat reminding you that if you are tall enough to see the driver's headrest, you will be instantly decapitated should the raised trunk be, well, closed...on your head. Oh, and don't let your Spanish-speaking friends crawl back there, either, because unlike everything else in this country, Spanish is notoriously absent. But then again, I suppose it's not a problem in Korea. Or French, for that matter. Or Russian. Or German. Or..............

Jackie Gleason Meets Salvador Dali

Well, I knew about Dali's team-up with Alfred Hitchcock, and I even was lucky enough to see his aborted (and recently finished) collaboration with Disney, but I had no idea about this one. File under "Recent Thrift Store Finds," I recognized the trademark Dali artistry right away. In 1953, Dali painted the cover for Jackie Gleason's "Lonesome Echo" album. He even bothered to explain his concept on the back of the jacket, comments which are pretty interesting at that. Give it a clicky to read them for yourself.

Recent Random Collecting Additions

A few recent additions to my personal archives: a vintage Beany and Cecil Ring Toss game (in excellent condition, and complete, I might add!), something I've always wanted, a Cecil Disguise Kit, also appears to be complete, and very cool too. Finally, and weirdest of all, a 1960's Batman watergun from the time of the 1966 series. You gotta love an oversized Adam West head shooting water from his mouth like a schoolkid!

Rare Godzilla Vs. Megalon Comic Scans!

Another cool item I recently acquired is perhaps the rarest of all American Godzilla comics. This was a theater give-away in 1976 when Godzilla vs. Megalon was released in the U.S. It is newsprint, and magazine-sized. I got an incredibly crisp, dead-mint copy, and I have scanned it here for anyone that's interested, as I've never seen scans of it anywhere on the Internets. A couple of weird points about it...the artwork is a bit schitzophrenic, it goes from really good (page 2's Megalon, for example) to really cheap. The other thing is, a couple of the names are really off. Jet Jaguar is referred to as "Robotman," which I can understand might have been a "placeholder" until they got it confirmed what the character's name was, but Gigan is strangely called BORODAN. I mean, BORODAN? That just makes no sense. Anyway, enjoy! I made a zip file for download, since sometimes Blogger is buggy about displaying full-sized pictures. The link is below.
DOWNLOAD LINK: Godzilla vs.....Baradon?

Space Needle: Seattle, WA

Got to go up in the Space Needle on a visit to Seattle a couple of weeks ago. Very cool, and very nice view of Seattle from 520 feet.

Random Collectible Additions

Some new acquisitions. For the Beany and Cecil fans, complete scans of the character cards from the 1962 "Jumping DJ Game" from Mattel. Also a nifty Spider-Man puzzle from 1980 I found at a thrift shop...amazingly complete! Lastly, an original lobby card from Star Wars that I WISH I had won. I do have an Empire one, though.

New Episode IV Lego Diorama!

Here is my latest Lego P.O.W. (piece of work). I watched the cut scenes to the Lego Star Wars game, as well as the opening scenes of the film, and did my best to recreate it in Lego form, something I've been wanting to do since they made the army-builder set of Rebel Troopers. Anyway, I wanted to add an extra something to it, and I was contemplating buying several red lightsaber blades to use as lasers, when lo and behold, I found something that worked out even better. You know those toys that hold hundreds of plastic nails, allowing kids to make a print of their hand or face? I was in my local Wal-Mart, when my eyes landed on one of those, complete with a couple of hundred tiny reddish-pink translucent cylindrical pieces! Problem solved. And I think the Stormtrooper getting shot makes the diorama. Also, I always like to add an extra something when viewed from the other side, so I figured (pun intended), what better scene than Vader choking Captain Antilles? Anyway, here it is...

Boomerang Promotional Disc (Kaleidoscope, 2000)

Here's a neat little item I haven't seen posted anywhere else. In 2000, when Cartoon Network launched Boomerang, I stumbled upon an offer for a free CD on their website, and received one in the mail. It contains 19 tracks of original Hanna-Barbera themes and "sub-themes," and the CD was also enhanced with Web Toons, Icons, and a few games. I have extracted the added material as an added bonus, and all 19 tracks are here for your enjoyment (scans included).

LINK: Boomerang Promotional Disc

Lego Episode 1 Diorama

Here's the very first Lego diorama I ever made. I made this for Uncle Jeff as a present in late 2003, and I even put it in a fancy display case. He was kind enough to bring it over the other night, as I neglected to ever get any decent, finished photos of the thing! I like to do two-sided dioramas, in this case a "before and after" using the same door. I also was happy with the lightsaber digging into the door, and the flourescent orange paint. It's funny how Lego sets that are common-as-cornflakes at the time you make a diorama can end up years later being quite expensive...it's also funny how I have made most of my dioramas so far from my least favorite Star Wars film...

HEY, MR. MARIO, MAN! (Leaping Fox)

Well, I really didn't think there would be a HEY, MR. SPACEMAN volume 9, but this was too good a compilation to leave uncompiled. Not only is this an early history of everyone's favorite iconic plubmer, but also a collection of fascinating versions of arguably the most famous theme music in video game history. Over several years, I have searched far and wide for unique interpretations in a variety of styles and feels, and if you look at this idea as listening to the same song dozens of times, you are missing the boat. I was amazed to see how many ways the Super Mario Bros. theme could be interpreted (and interpolated), and I hope you'll agree it's a very entertaining disc. As a bonus, I also made a medley of various YouTube performances of the song on unusual instruments, including a steel drum band, a theremin, an ocarina, a beat-boxing flute, a marimba, a giant set of sparking electric Tesla coils, a manualist (look it up), a remote-control car striking hundreds of glass bottles, and, believe it or not, a laser cutting machine! Oh, and there's a second disc this time, the soundtrack to the classic game, including a sound-effects section. Enjoy! Artwork is included in the RAR, but it's here for your perusal.

LINK: It's A-Me, Mario!

Original Godzilla Ad Slicks (1976)

Here's a cool item I recently bought from a nice Ebay seller. These are ad slicks, which are/were glossy pages used to reproduce art for newspaper ads, and in some places are still used today. All of these are dated 1976, and are for a children's matinee series from American International Pictures. Full-size, the sheets are 11 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches, and have four ads to a page. They were a bit tricky to scan, but I got the job done. The films I bought ad slicks for are GODZILLA VS. THE THING, GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER, YOG: MONSTER FROM SPACE (not Godzilla, but another Toho classic), and my personal favorite film of all time, DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. I think it's interesting how they changed the art around for the different sizes, and even changed the text to keep it interesting. If you want to download full-size scans of all 16 ads, a link is provided below.

LINK: 1976 Ad Slicks

The Timelords - Doctorin' the TARDIS (1988/1991, TVT Records)

If you know what this is, then you know what this is. I should just say that as an adolescent in the Southern part of America, this still found its way to me way back then. Anyhow, all I will point out here is that there were two releases, a 3" mini-CD single (remember those? Me neither) dated 1988, and a 5" version (remember those?) with more mixes than you need, although the instrumental is cool. Important part is, the 3" contained one mix not on the 5" version, so EVERYTHING is present here for your enjoyment, because I had them both! Oh, I should point out that Gary Glitter exposes himself here...although that's not the best choice of words.(Note: this post is dedicated to the XYZ Cosmonaut of Cosmobells--even though these rips are mine--because I know he shall return!)

LINK: WE OBEY NO ONE!

Lego Jedi Council Diorama

Years ago, Uncle Jeff made me a custom Jedi Council, (and this was long before there was even a Yoda made by Lego) and I had always planned to complete a Jedi Council diorama. I finally got around to it a couple of months ago, and I spent about a week painting, gluing, and struggling with Super Sculpey. Anyhow, I was pleased with the result, and surprised at how I had to put $100 into materials and a case! It's always more expensive than you think it's going to be.

from "Down Memory Lane: The Golden 20's" (Reader's Digest)

When I found this multi-disc set at my local thrift store, I thought I had struck gold. Unfortunately, it turned out to be mostly slicked-up, Lawrence Welky remakes from the 50's, 60's, and later. There was precious little that actually came from the era the title suggests, and the arrangements were more likely to include a bubble machine than a swinging band, if you know what I mean. So, I gave it a solid "Sod this!," gave it away, and kept the few items I liked, which I present here for your perusal.

Al Jolson - I'm Just Wild About Harry
Fats Waller & His Rhythm - Honeysuckle Rose
Harry James & His Orchestra - King Porter Stomp
Louis Armstrong & Dukes of Dixieland - Sweet Georgia Brown
Louis Armstrong & Dukes of Dixieland - Sheik of Araby
The Mills Brothers - Dinah

LINK: "Wonnerful, Wonnerful!"

Wacky Westerns (K-Tel, 1975)

Here's yet another offering from K-Tel records, whose commercials used to be practically omnipresent on television of long ago. What's bizarre is that this album is almost identical to an album they released the following year called "Kooky Toones," all they did was substitute two tracks, and voila, whole new album. Instead of "10 Little Bottles" and "Sgt. Preston of the Yukon" on this collection, they swapped them for Charlie Walker's "Don't Squeeze My Sharmon" and Bill Carlisle's "What Kinda Deal Is This." That's the only difference between the two albums. Otherwise, they even have the same running order.

1) Little Jimmy Dickens - May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose

2) Johnny Bond - Hot Rod Lincoln

3) Roger Miller - Chug-A-Lug

4) Blanchard & Morgan - Tennessee Bird Walk

5) Homer & Jethro - Battle of Kookamonga

6) Little Jimmy Dickens - How To Catch An African Skeeter Alive

7) Fendermen - Mule Skinner Blues

8) Johnny Bond - 10 Little Bottles

9) Murry Kellum - Long Tall Texan

10) Roger Miller - My Uncle Used To Love Me But She Died

11) Ray Stevens - Sgt. Preston of the Yukon

12) Junior Samples - World's Biggest Whopper

13) Leapy Lee - Little Arrows

14) Lonnie Donegan - Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor On the Bedpost Overnight)

15) Homer & Jethro - (How Much Is) That Hound Dog In the Window

16) Roger Miller - You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd

17) Johnny Preston - Running Bear

18) Johnny Bond - Three Sheets In The Wind

19) Tom T. Hall - Monkey That Became President

20) Roger Miller - (And You Had A) Doo-Wacka-Doo

21) Olympics - Western Movies

22) Mel Tillis & Webb Pierce - How Come Your Dog Don't Bite Nobody But Me

23) Johnny Bond - Here Come the Elephants

24) Larry Verne - Mr. Custer

LINK: As Advertised on T.V.!

The Hit Heard 'Round the World (US Army, 2-17-69)

Here we have a (I believe) short-lived radio series, presented by the US Army. The description on the cuesheet says "Top disc jockeys from all over the world playing and talking about the leading records on their local charts," and that in itself is a pretty neat idea, and from this little sample, we can see that it wasn't all a commercially-minded enterprise, as it would be today in this ever-shrinking world, where everybody buys and listens to the same thing (sarcasm here). Anyhow, I bought two of these at my local thrift store, and when I got home I discovered they were the same week of broadcasts, one being the "10 Minute Version" and the other being the "5 Minute Version," which is nothing but an edit of the longer version, playing only the "Hit of the Day," the third song from each show. Anyhow, the cuesheet above will give you all the info you need on each program. I thought it was a pretty neat find.

LINK: It's the Hit Heard 'Round the World!

Orson Welles - The Begatting of the President (Mediarts, 1969)

This is an oddity, but an amusing one. The great Orson Welles dramatically reading this slightly sacreligious yet scathing pseudo-Scriptural account of the rise of Richard Nixon and the LBJ years. From the jacket, I gather that the book form of this project was written by three people, and probably the entire rest of the budget went to getting Welles, keeping him placated, and feeding him.
I wasn't sure about this one, but the farther I got, the more entertaining it became.

SIDE ONE: L.B. Jenesis / The Defoliation of Eden / Burn, Pharaoh, Burn / The Coming of Richard
SIDE TWO: The Pacification of Goliath / Paradise Bossed / The Raising of Richard / The Book of Hubert / The Ascension

LINK: Begatting of the President

The Early Duke Ellington (Everest Records)

Great stuff, even though there's very little information to be found on the jacket. Just that it includes guest artists Jimmy Dorsey and a couple of tracks well-sung by Una Mae Carlisle. I did a "light" cleaning to the sound, since anything more took away from the upright bass and the piano, and apparently what surface noise there is was on the originals this record was made from. Anyhow, it's primo stuff.

1) Harlem Speaks
2) Tiger Rag
3) I Would Do Anything For You
4) Ain't Misbehavin'
5) I'm Just Wild About Harry
6) Hyde Park
7) I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby
8) St. Louis Blues
9) Chicago
10) Don't Try Your Jive On Me

LINK: Take The A Train!

He-Man & Battle Cat (Kid-Stuff, 1983)

I love read-alongs from my youth, and there are lots of good sites, groups, and blogs full of them. I apologize if one of those fine institutions has already presented this item, but I haven't run across it anywhere, so I snagged it at a flea market a couple of weeks ago, de-noised it, scanned the book, and now present it for your...enjoyment. Read by the great and instantly-recognizable Peter Fernandez. [Note, the book is meant to be read in .CBR format--if you prefer not to, just rename the file extension to .ZIP and it will magically become a ZIP file!]

LINK: I HAVE THE POWER!!!!

Main Street Electrical Parade (1977)

Many apologies for the complete lack of posts, but many, many migraines since then. Anyhow, as we arise from the ashes, here's a thrift-store find that delighted me recently. It's the D*sneyworld MAIN STREET ELECTRICAL PARADE, a 45-sized (yet 33 1/3) picture disc from 1977. If you were lucky enough to actually see the parade (I did, a few times) before the powers that be axed it (gimme back my 20,000 leagues, but that's another story), then you remember what it was like. Also, if you enjoy the Moog goodness of the CLOCKWORK ORANGE soundtrack, then you'll certainly enjoy this. Scans of the inlay card included. Enjoy!

LINK: It's Not Such A Small World, After All

A Helpful Message From Batman

Happy New Year from Snake and Boris! (By the way, this came off of a Reach Toothbrush...)

The Smothers Brothers - Tour De Farce: American History and Other Unrelated Subjects (Mercury, 1964)

Pleased to get one more new find in here before the year ends--is it just me, or are flea market finds getting rarer and rarer? I must have dug through 500 stinky old LP's this past weekend. Anyhow, over at Dr. Forrest's Cheeze Factory recently, some hilarious Smothers Brothers LP's were shared, but this one wasn't one of them! From 1964, here's an LP with a really long name, in stereo no less, featuring the following tracks (I noted Pat Paulsen's name as co-writer on a couple, makes sense!). As always, album declicked and denoised for your listening pleasure!

Siblings
That's My Song
American History IIA
Mediocre Fred
The Measles Song
Since My Canary Died
American History IIB
Eskimo Dog
She's Gone Forever
Life and the Song of Life
Time and the Song of Time

LINK: Mom always liked you best!

Need any Christmas ideas?

I have been remiss in mentioning two of the best DVD releases of the year, and if you are looking for Christmas ideas for the animation fan in your life, there's still time!

Firstly, the POPEYE THE SAILOR VOLUME 3 is a truly stunning set, and wraps up the Flesicher years very well, even giving us the beginning of the Famous years. There's an excellent documentary on early American animation as well. Unfortunately, the LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION, Volume 6, will apparently be the last, but WB is still promising to keep releasing Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, and the word on the street is that they will be in smaller packages, sort of like how they split the last couple of Popeye sets into 2-disc sets. I can see the idea there, as it's certainly easier (for me, anyway) to pick up a brand new 2-disc set the day it comes out, rather than have to scrimp for a while to get a 4-disc set that may cost upwards of fifty bucks or more. I recently completed my collection of the 1,000 or so WB cartoons, and now I just have to find the time to watch all the ones I've never seen!

Star Wars Music, Both Vintage and Rare

I guess I'm in a Star Wars mood lately, what with the new Clone Wars series and all (which, you probably don't need me to tell you, is quite good). I thought I'd share a few lesser-known Star Wars musical items, all from the vintage era.
Remember the period from 1977 to around 1980, when everybody was dying to cash in on the Star Wars craze? Sure you do, but you may not remember these:
The Electric Moog Orchestra - Theme from Star Wars (1977)

Patrick Gleeson's Star Wars (1977, complete album)

MECO Plays Music from The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
I started to include Meco's runaway debut, "Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk " but I figured it was pretty common. This second SW disc of his, however, is harder to find.

The Bordens - Theme from Star Wars (1980)
Remember "family bands" on private record labels? You don't? Oh. Well, thrift stores are filled with them. Dig this family, jamming on John Williams. Extra points for the little organ middle bit..."there's a place in France, where the naked Jawas dance!"

LINK: Star Wars Hodge-Podge

Star Wars Breakbeats (Suckadelic)

Here's an interesting item I found a couple of years ago. Home-made mashups and techno experiments are a dime a dozen, but few are handled with the skill and attention to detail as this one, where some intrepid soul obviously cared about what he was doing, using isolated music, dialogue, and sound effects from the classic Star Wars trilogy, (no doubt derived from the official DVD's) and even the Holiday Special, to make a thoroughly entertaining, and often quite clever, listen. One of my favorites combines various droid sounds from the films that is sure to turn into a game of "name that droid." Even casual SW fans will enjoy this one, and it thrills the kids when on a long car ride. Enjoy! Complete scans are included in the archive.

LINK: May the Beat Be With You

Mercury Theatre (featuring Orson Welles) - The Immortal Sherlock Holmes (Radiola, 1974)

The Mercury Theatre On the Air is widely known as early examples of the prowess of Orson Welles and John Houseman, among others, and are also known for their famous "War of the Worlds" broadcast, but they did a variety of other projects, and here's one, broadcast September 25, 1938. Complete CBS broadcast, even including bulletins from the European War "situation."

LINK: Elementary!

Hank Snow - The Southern Cannonball (RCA/Camden, 1961)

Another of the greats, enjoy this monaural masterpiece, where Hank sequels himself, answering his previous classic "I'm Movin' On" with "I'm Movin' In."

1) I'm Movin' In
2) Tangled Mind
3) Panamama
4) My Blue Eyed Jane
5) Under the Double Eagle
6) Paving the Highway With Tears
7) The Southern Cannonball
8) Let Me Go, Lover!
9) When Mexican Joe Met Jole Blon
10) Trouble, Trouble, Trouble
11) There Wasn't An Organ At Our Wedding
12) The Boogie Woogie Flying Cloud

LINK: Southern Cannonball

The Return of Roger Miller (Smash Records, 1964)

Second album by the late, great King of the Road, who could do more in a minute-thirty than what most songs today could do in five, or even ten. Punchy mono mix from a nice copy I found, that still had the shrink wrap with a sticker that said "Our Price, $2.98!"....what a deal!

1) (And You Had a) Do-Wacka-Do
2) Atta Boy Girl
3) Reincarnation
4) That's the Way It's Always Been
5) As Long As There's A Shadow
6) Hard Headed Me
7) Ain't That Fine
8) King of the Road
9) You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd
10) Our Hearts Will Play the Music
11) Love Is Not For Me
12) In the Summertime (You Don't Want My Love)
13) There I Go Dreamin'

LINK: But You Can Be Happy If You've a Mind To!

The Amos 'n' Andy Show (Radiola, 1977)

The drought is over, at least for now. Thrift store rarity discoveries have been few and far between lately, but it seems to strangely reflect the rest of the world. Anyhow, here is a gem from the Radiola label, which I suspect was a mail-order club-type operation, that issued classic uncut OTR in vinyl format. If you are keeping score, this is their 74th release, and the 36th in their "Comedy" category. Here are two complete episodes of the classic AMOS 'n' ANDY for your enjoyment. I grew up listening to cassettes of this and other classic shows from the "Radio Reruns" label (apparently similar to Radiola), and they are part of my psyche as if I were there "back in the day," gathered around the radio at night with the family, waiting for war updates.

SIDE ONE: "The Secret Melody" (October 31, 1948)
SIDE TWO: "The Deputy Dirt Commissioner" (April 3, 1949)

This is about as Halloween-themed as it's going to get, I'm afraid, but hey, the first episode was broadcast on Hallow's Eve! Makes me glad it's on a Friday this year.

As a postscript, the two talents behind the show, Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll, later tried to re-invent the show as a de-racialized animated series called "Calvin and the Colonel," which ran in 1961, and not much farther, unfortunately lost to the sands of the desert of television history. Let me put in my plug for the series here--about a Southern pair of animals who are always getting into major trouble--and, for those devoted seekers, let me also point out that the EIGHT episodes that circulate are at your local Wal-Mart--right this minute--in a set of 600 "public domain" cartoons that will set you back no more than $10! What a country!

LINK: Sponsored by Rinso!

Lunchables Clone Wars Card Game

With the new Clone Wars series beginning this Friday night, here are all four "Clone Wars Conquest" card sheets, currently found on Lunchables, so you can cut, print, and play.

"How To Play: Cut & fold cards, then line 'em up so your characters are hidden. To battle, each player picks a new card, showing them at the same time. Compare colors to see who wins and give cards to the winner (tied battles are discarded). Game is over when all the cards are played--winner is whoever has the most collected cards!"

More of Chris' Art!

I have been meaning to post the rest of the photos I took of Chris' art (see Steampunk Fish Sculpture below), including Snake and Boris' favorite super hero, Spazoman!

One Last Bonzo Blast!

I regret to say I've reached the end of my Bonzo boots, BUT the good news is, you're getting two here, NORMAL HAWAIIANS and MEET THE BONZOS. The two discs have quite a bit of overlap, and one was definitely higher quality than the other, so I've deleted all the duplication, and included a few bonus tracks for your perusal. Oh, artwork is included as well. Enjoy! And, if anybody has any further stuff, I'll be glad to share it here, just drop me a line.

VIVIAN STANSHALL:

BIG GRUNT BBC SESSION - 11 Mustachioed Daughters / Blind Date / The Strain / Cyborg Signal

SOLO SINGLES:

Suspicion (Vivian Stanshall's Gargantuan Chums)

Blind Date (with Big Grunt)

The Young Ones (with Kilgaroon)

Drop Out!

Paper Round (with the Sean Head Band and Eric Clapton)

Are Ya Havin' Any Fun? (with Kilgaroon)

NEIL INNES:

from WORLD - LUCKY PLANET - Come Out Into the Open / 9 to 5 Pollution Blues / Sail Away / Lead Us

Oo-Chuck-A-Mao-Mao

What Noise Annoys A Noisy Oyster

ROGER RUSKIN SPEAR:

Mattress Man / Dr. Rock / Please Release Me / Trouser Press

LEGS LARRY SMITH:

I've Got A Braun New Girl

George Harrison - His Name Is Legs (Ladies and Gentlemen)

Elton John - I Think I'm Gonna Kill Myself (features Legs tap dancing)

BONZO DOG BAND

(Peel Session 7-29-69)

We're Going To Bring It On Home / Monster Mash / Sofa Head / Tent

(Apparent further BBC radio tracks)

Ready Mades / The Brain Opera / The Bride Stripped Bare By Bachelors

(1992 reunion single)

No Matter Who You Vote For, The Government Always Gets In / Them

THE RUTLES (bonus tracks from Japanese version of ARCHAEOLOGY)

Angelina / Lullaby / My Little Ukulele / Baby, S'il Vous Plait

LINK: Bonzo Blast!

ZEP CLASSICS (unknown)

Well, as I've already typed this a couple of times and lost it, here goes....One detour before our last blast of Bonzos. This is a disc I received about 8 years ago, no art, no idea who made it, but luckily I saved the track listing. It chronicles songs that Led Zeppelin covered/borrowed/stole/appropriated, depending on your point of view. Zep scholars will probably understand the inclusion of some of the stranger tracks (I'll admit some of these elude me), while amateur musicologists (of which I am one) will delight in the rare and historical gems presented here. The level of thievery/allusion/homage (again depending on your point of view) is surprising on some of these tracks. The maker also included two fun bonuses (or "bonii" as one of my highschool teachers used to say), the latter of which I upgraded with a less-crackly one from my own collection. Enjoy!

1) Johnny Burnette and the Rock'n'Roll Trio - The Train Kept A-Rollin'
2) Jake Holmes - Dazed and Confused
3) Garnet Mimms - As Long As I Have You
4) Joan Baez - Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You
5) Muddy Waters - You Shook Me
6) Robert Johnson - Stones In My Passway
7) Bert Jansch - Black Water Side
8) Otis Rush - I Can't Quit You Baby
9) Howlin' Wolf - How Many More Years
10) Albert King - The Hunter
11) Muddy Waters - You Need Love
12) Howlin' Wolf - Killing Floor
13) Robert Johnson - Traveling Riverside Blues
14) Sonny Boy Williamson II - Bring It On Home
15) John Lee Hooker - Boogie Chillun
16) Elvis Presley - That's Alright, Mama
17) Eddie Cochran - Something Else
18) Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth
19) Leadbelly - Gallows Pole (The Gallis Pole)
20) Little Richard - Keep A-Knockin'
21) Memphis Minnie - When the Levee Breaks
22) Bukka White - Shake 'Em On Down
23) Blind Willie Johnson - In My Time of Dying (Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed)
24) The Meters - Cissy Strut
25) Blind Willie Johnson - Nobody's Fault But Mine
26) Rolf Harris - Stairway to Heaven
27) Little Roger and the Goosebumps - Stairway to Gilligan's Island

LINK:
"Immature poets borrow; mature poets steal." --T.S. Eliot

Signed By The King!

Went to a comic convention Saturday, and on the second time passing a large, hardcover book in a slipcover box, I asked the extremely nice guys at the table exactly what it was. When they told me, my jaw dropped, and so did $100. This is an extremely amazing book from 1992 called THE ART OF JACK KIRBY, limited to an edition of 1,000 and published by The Blue Rose Press. Not only did Kirby do special artwork for the box (just look, Orion and Captain America together! Darkseid and Doom! Gasp!), but on the endpages is a lithograph hand-numbered....followed by a rice paper page....wait for it.....SIGNED BY JACK KIRBY! Words cannot express my joy.

Bonzo Dog Band - Colour Me Pop (speed-corrected) 12-21-68

And here is the remainder of the URBAN SPACEMEN DO EXIST! boot, the Bonzos on UK TV's "Colour Me Pop." This recording always bugged me, and it comes from an off-line source (like a reel-to-reel recorder), but although I can't fix that, I did discover it ran pretty slow, with a 7% lag (no wonder!). Anyhow, I fixed all that now, and God bless the fellow who preserved it for us, because it supposedly no longer exists. However, a pristine "Canyons of Your Mind" popped up on the COMPLETE BBC SESSIONS disc, which I have substituted here. I went ahead and included full artwork for the USDE boot, since between this and the Amsterdam show I posted earlier, you'll have the whole thing.

1) We Are Normal
2) My Pink Half of the Drainpipe
3) Humanoid Boogie
4) Rhinocratic Oaths
5) Vivian Shnorbarstein Speaks
6) Rhinocratic Oaths - continued
7) A Lost Cause
8) Hello Mabel
9) Look At Me, I'm Wonderful
10) Canyons of Your Mind
11) I'm the Urban Spaceman
12) "Yarn to a Human Carpet" [Actually pretty close to the spoken parts from the released version of "Rhinocratic Oaths," but with backing music similar to "Boiled Ham Rhumba"...confused yet?]
13) Mr. Apollo
14) The Intro and the Outro

"...Corking fun to follow"

Unauthorized And Yet Quite Funny

File under: B**tleg items of Jamaica. I picked this up on my aforementioned Caribbean Cruise, because it cracked me up.

Bonzo Dog Band - Live In Amsterdam, 8-25-69

And here is the first installment of the much-promised Bonzo Dog Band material. This is a live performance from Amsterdam, recorded apparently for radio broadcast. There are Dutch DJ introductions between tracks, but it doesn't interfere with the cacaphonous, disjointed, and yes, beautiful sounds!

1) Can Blue Men Sing the Whites?
2) Look At Me, I'm Wonderful / Ready-Mades / I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
3) Hello Mabel
4) Vivian Stanshall interview
5) I'm the Urban Spaceman
6) Tent
7) Vivian Stanshall interview / Rockaliser Baby
8) Outro

"I mean, it's all working in reverse."

This was taken from a boot called URBAN SPACEMEN DO EXIST!, which also contains the 1968 COLOUR ME POP, which I'll post soon, but it needs a little work done.

Marshall McLuhan - The Medium Is the Massage (Columbia, 1968)

This is another of those items that if you don't know what it is, it really can't be explained (check Wikipedia, though). What I will say is that it's an extremely entertaining record to listen to. Based on McLuhan's book of the same name, the author reads passages, interspersed with noise, various speech, and all types of music, sometimes all at once. What it is is a commentary on the development of media, and how it has influenced society and technology. Even more shocking is to consider it in light of the modern age, the Internet, etc. If you often skip "Revolution 9," this might not be for you, BUT, I gotta say I enjoy this more, and repeated listenings still haven't made this one boring in the least. And, it's made me want to track down the book. Enjoy!

File Under: Not stolen - This rip isn't mine, but I did clean and equalize it, resulting in excellent sound quality.

"It is the business of the future to be dangerous."

Living Noodles

Anybody see the news story over the weekend about the discovery of the world's smallest species of snake? It was found on Barbados, and is literally the size of a piece of spaghetti. Just check out the picture! Amazing.

I Saw "Destino" In the Middle of the Ocean!

So there I was, on a cruise ship going 'round the Caribbean, when suddenly, quite out of the blue, I got the chance to attend a screening of the unreleased-and-abandoned-but-later-finished collaboration between Walt Disney and Salvador Dali, "Destino"! You just never know.

I talked to one of the Art guys, and here's the lowdown on the film. The auctioneers on the cruise line have a relationship with Disney, as well as the Dali estate, and, as they were going to be auctioning a set of 7 lithographs of Dali's storyboard artwork, they arranged a screening of the film. I asked the guy what the release plans were, since I had read different things, and he told me that Disney now plans to add it to their next feature release as a short, thus getting it into theaters...as well as a home video release. So, you may have to pay to attend a (possibly) middleweight Disney CGI feature in order to see it on the big screen, but I can tell you it's worth it. I enjoyed it immensely, and could've watched a whole feature's worth. It was funny, but it was definitely more "Dali" than "Disney," and that was a great thing. The story goes that Disney met Dali at a cocktail party at Jack Warner's house, and approached him about collaborating. an ecstatic Dali actually punched a clock at Disney for SEVEN MONTHS, working 9 to 5 on the project...only for it to be abandoned incomplete. By the way, if you are interested in obtaining a set of the 7 storyboard lithos, they are only $11,000. And, my attempt at photographing them failed miserably.

There were a few neat collectible cels at the auction (but they didn't come up for auction, or else I would have bid!), including some signed by both William Hanna and Joe Barbera, and two neat Fleischer cels, both signed by animator Myron Waldman (which would've looked GREAT on my wall!)

Tom Lehrer - The Frost Report, 1966

Here at The Sphinx, YouTube is constantly combed to bring you the latest in surfaced rarities. Here is a batch of five performances Tom Lehrer recorded in front of a live audience in the UK for David Frost's BBC show. I had read about these, and was pretty glad to run across them! Consider this the beginning of "Rarities Volume 2," but as the first one took me years to compile, why wait that long? You need them now! Some unique gems here as well.

1) So Long, Mom (A Song For World War III) 3-10-66
2) Pollution (3-17-66)
3) Who's Next? (4-14-66)
4) Decimal [a reworking of "New Math" to explain the differences in British and American currency] (4-21-66)
5) That Is the End of the News [Noel Coward] 5-19-66

A Touch of Frost

The Sphinx is Closed until 8/3/08

Very sorry, I should have left a sign in the window, but I'm currently in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, on vacation. I left the front door unlocked, so feel free to come in an help yourselves until I return this weekend, and they'll be some new stuff, as well as an interesting tidbit for you Monkees fans out there. Thanks!
P.S. - Worry not, I hear your cry, some primo Bonzo Dog Band boots as well! Stay tuned!

HEY, MR. SUPERHEROMAN! (Leaping Fox)

This is the swan song of the "Hey, Mr. Spaceman" series. I had so much great material left over, I couldn't help but compile one last one (and this one is a double). Disc one are Marvel Comics items, and the second disc consists of D.C. Comics and even more superhero-related fun. The artwork is made for a double-jewel case, which cuts down on clutter a bit. Again, many thanks go out to Uncle Jeff for the donation of lots of great modern tracks and surprises that were new to me.














DISC ONE: Marvel Comics
1) Icarus - Prologue (1972)
2) Meet the Bullpen [excerpt] 1965 Fan Club Record
3) March Along With Marvel (1967 Fan Club Record)
4) The Marvel Super Heroes Have Arrived (1967 Fan Club Record)
5) Michael Buble - Spider-Man (2004)
6) Big Youth - Spiderman Meet the Hulk [sic] (1987)
7) Hulk opening (1966 animated series)
8) The Incredible Hulk opening (1978 live-action series)
9) Incredible Hulk opening (1982 animated series)
10) Icarus - Hulk (1972)
11) Sci-Fi Channel "Hulk Rap" ad (1996)
12) Television's Greatest Bass - Hulk Theme (2006)
13) Fantastic Four opening (1967 animated series)
14) Fantastic Four opening and closing (1978 animated series)
15) Fantastic Four opening and closing (1975 radio show)
16) Icarus - Fantastic Four (1972)
17) Ray Wall Band - The Fantastic Four Song (2005)
18) Captain America opening (1966 animated series)
19) Captain America Song (Tifton records "figural")
20) Icarus - Captain America (1972)
21) Gwacamoli - Captain America (2000)
22) Iron Man opening (1966 animated series)
23) Black Sabbath - Iron Man (1970) [Note: I know, I know!]
24) Icarus - Iron Man (1972)
25) Thor opening (1966 animated series)
26) Icarus - Thor (1972)
27) Sub-Mariner opening (1966 animated series)
28) Wings - Magneto & Titanium Man (1975)
29) Icarus - The Man Without Fear (1972)
30) Ray Wall Band - The X-Men Song: A Super-Hero Rock Opera (2006)

Make Mine Marvel!

DISC TWO: D.C. (and others)
1) Justice League Song (Tifton Records, 1966)
2) Justice League of America opening (1967 animated series)
3) Superfriends opening (1973 animated series)
4) Unknown Marching Band - Superfriends Theme
5) Challenge of the Superfriends closing (1978 animated series)
6) Michael Kohler - That Time Is Now (Cartoon Network, 2000)
7) Aquaman Song (Tifton Records, 1966)
8) Aquaman opening (1967 animated series)
9) Grandpa Griffith - Aquaman (2006)
10) Wonder Woman Song (Tifton Records, 1966)
11) Wonder Woman opening seasons 1-3 (live-action series, 1976-78)
12) Teen Titans opening (1967 animated series)
13) Huang Pin-Yuan - Teen Titans (2005)
14) Green Lantern opening (1967 animated series)
15) Blue Harvest - Green Lantern (2001)
16) The Flash Song (Tifton records, 1966)
17) The Flash opening (1967 animated series)
18) The Flash Opening Theme (1990 live-action series)
19) Shazam opening (live-action theme, 1974)
20) Shazam opening (1981 animated series)
21) Plastic Man Song (Tifton Records, 1966)
22) Plastic Man opening (1979 animated series)
23) Hawkman opening (1967 animated series)
24) The Atom opening (1967 animated series)
25) Metamorpho Song (Tifton Records, 1966)
26) Mighty Mouse Theme Song (circa 1955)
27) Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures opening (1987 animated series)
28) Super Chicken opening (1967 animated series)
29) Eric Idle & Bonzo Dog Band - Captain Fantastic (1968)
30) Shonen Knife - Buttercup (I'm A Supergirl) 2000
31) Birdman opening (1967 animated series)
32) Tenacious D - Wonderboy (2001)
33) Greatest American Hero opening (1981 live-action series)
34) Underdog opening (1964 animated series)
35) BH Surfers - Underdog (1995)
36) The Aquabats - Powdered Milk Man (1997)
37) Tiny Tim - Comic Strip Man (1976)

DC and friends!

HEY, MR. SUPERMAN (Leaping Fox)

Faster than a speeding bullet comes this next compilation! Special thanks to Uncle Jeff for contributing some tracks! Again there are two inlays to choose from (clear jewel cases are getting hard to find, but they sure are cooler).
















1) Origin of Superman (Fleischer Studios, 1941)
2) Adventures of Superman (Television opening, 1952)
3) Bill Cosby - Superman (1963)
4) New Adventures of Superman (Animated series opening, 1966)
5) Donovan - Sunshine Superman (1966)
6) Superman Song (Golden Records)
7) Superman (Children's Treasury of Musical Superman Stories, 1966)
8) Don't Want To Go Back to the Fifth Dimension (Child's Treasury)
9) Krypto (Child's Treasury)
10) Punishment of Superboy (Official Adventures of Superman, Leo, 1966)
11) Mxyzptlk-Up Menace (Peter Pan/Power Records, 1975)
12) John Williams - Superman Theme (1978)
13) The Kinks - (Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman (1979)
14) R.E.M. - Superman (1986)
15) Superman (Animated series opening, 1988)
16) Crash Test Dummies - Superman's Song (1991)
17) Superman: The Animated Series Theme (WB, 1996)
18) Five For Fighting - Superman (It's Not Easy) 2000
19) 3 Doors Down - Kryptonite (2001)
20) Lazlo Bane - Superman (Scrubs soundtrack, 2001)
21) Donovan - Superlungs My Supergirl (1969)
22) XTC - That's Really Super, Supergirl (1986)
23) Royal - Brainiac's Daughter (2006)
24) Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster (excerpt, AIP, 1972)












It's a bird, It's a plane!

HEY, MR. BATMAN (Leaping Fox)

No grass grows under the feet of the quick brown Leaping Fox! Not only do we have Spidey's disc this week, but now comes HEY MR. SPACEMAN, Volume 5: HEY MR. BATMAN! You'll notice these discs have a vintage focus, as there's enough "old school" material to keep us busy. (And, I should point out, there were enough albums--and versions--of the Batman TV theme recorded in 1966 alone to probably get a disc out of!) Anyhow, as Uncle Jeff just delivered two steaming platters of further tunes to me yesterday, I think a sequel will soon follow! When Batman comes, can the Man of Steel be far behind?
One program note: There are two versions of the inlay card; a "fun" one (yes, that's an actual comic panel), and a Batman logo; take your choice.
















1) The Who - Batman (1966, released on EP only)
2) Who They Are and How They Came To Be (Golden Records)
3) Holy Hole-In-The-Doughnut (1966 Batman soundtrack LP)
4) Batman Pows the Penguin (1966 Batman soundtrack LP)
5) To the Batmobile! (1966 Batman soundtrack LP)
6) Frank Gorshin - The Riddler (1966 single)
7) Homer & Jethro - Great Men Repeat Themselves (1966)
8) Burt Ward (w/ Frank Zappa) - Boy Wonder, I Love You (1966)
9) Sun Ra & Blues Project - The Riddler's Retreat (from The Sensational Guitars of Dick & Dale, 1966)
10) The Scaffold - Goodbat Nightman (1966)
11) The Marketts - Bat Cave (1966)
12) Jan & Dean - The Joker's Circus Caper (1966)
13) The Battiest Car Around (Children's Treasury of Musical Batman Stories)
14) Batman opening (Filmation, 1968)
15) Adam West - Batman and Robin (1976)
16) Gorilla City (Power Records, 1976)
17) New Adventures of Batman & Robin opening and closing (Filmation, 1977)
18) PK & the Komets - Batman and Robin
19) Batman: The Animated Series opening theme (1992)
20) B.O.S.E. - Batman: The Original Swing











To the Batmobile!

Songs the Bonzo Dog Band Taught Us (Lightning Tree)

This goes against my (somewhat flexible) rule of posting items I made myself, but as it's unavailable in the US, here you go. This disc was worth hunting for; it's amazing! Everything here was either covered by the Bonzos, alluded to in some way, or should have been. Everything is from the years 1921-1939, by the way.

1 Leslie Sarony With Jack Hylton And His Orchestra - Jollity Farm
2 BBC Dance Orchestra - Mickey's Son And Daughter
3 Savoy Havana Band - I'm Gonna Bring A Watermelon To My Girl Tonight
4 Jack Hylton And His Orchestra - Button Up Your Overcoat
5 Percival Mackey And His Band - On Her Doorstep Last Night
6 Rhythmic Troubadours - Ali Baba's Camel
7 Jack Hylton And His Orchestra - By A Waterfall
8 Hal Swain And His Band - Hunting Tigers Out In India (Yah)
9 Albert Whelan - My Brother Makes The Noises For The Talkies
10 Jack Hylton's Jazz Band - Laughing Waltz
11 Whispering Jack Smith - All By Yourself In The Moonlight
12 Noel Coward - A Room With A View
13 Bebe Daniels & Ben Lyon - Little Sir Echo
14 Jack Payne And His Dance Orchestra - Make Yourself A Happiness Pie
15 Jay Wilbur And His Band - We'll All Go Riding On A Rainbow
16 Billy Cotton And His Band - Skirts
17 Continental Five - The Sheik Of Araby
18 Jack Hylton And His Orchestra - Bell Bottom Trousers
19 Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers - Dr. Jazz Stomp
20 Ray Starita And His Ambassadors - The Flies Crawled Up The Window
21 Jay Whidden And His Band - I Lift Up My Finger And I Say "Tweet Tweet"
22 Savoy Havana Band - Masculine Women And Feminine Men
23 Leslie Sarony - Misery Farm
24 Roy Leslie - Omar Khayam's Cave
25 Jack Hodges The Raspberry King - Everything Is Fresh Today
26 Savoy Havana Band - Last Night On The Back Porch
27 Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians - I Love To Bumpity Bump

Down on Jolity Farm

The Oldest Recorded Sound in the World

Okay, now, I am easily amused, I'll be the first to admit that. But here is something that fascinates me to no end. Here is a small chunk of history for your downloading pleasure, which includes the following:

1) Frank Lambert - Talking Clock Experiment (1878) Actually recorded on tin foil (!), this was to be built into a prototype "talking clock" of some sort, and is believed to predate Edison's first recordings. Sounds like crap, but you are hearing history itself.
2) Excerpt from "The Messiah" (Crystal Palace, London, 6-29-1888) Get ready for this...it's the oldest recorded music in the world! Sounds even more like crap, but again, unbelievable. What's also hard to believe is it took another TEN YEARS before somebody thought to do this, but technology moved much slower then.
3) Thomas Edison - Around the World on the Phonograph (October, 1888) This, too, blows my mind. It's actually Thomas Edison speaking! How cool is that? I mean, there are no time machines, but imagine if George Washington called and left you a voice mail! That made no sense.
4) BONUS: I Am the Edison Phonograph (1906) Store demo record to be played whilst unsuspecting customers investigated the new technology. Five bucks says somebody yelled out that it was possessed by an evil spirit and destroyed it with a hatchet.


What hath God wrought?

HEY, MR. SPIDERMAN (Leaping Fox)

And here is HEY, MR. SPACEMAN, Volume 4 (see below for volumes 1-3). There is such a long history of Spidey music, animated, and audio adventures for all ages, I thought a good representative compilation could be created (and I think it's the beginning of a new direction for these theme discs). These tracks come from the deepest recesses of Internet sharity, so it's a communal effort.

1. Spider-Man (1966 animated series theme)
2. Freddie McCoy - Spider-Man (1966)
3. Spider-Man (Tifton Records "figural" disc)
4. Icarus - Spiderman (Marvel World of Icarus LP, 1972)
5. Episode 1: Peter's Nightmare (Spider-Man Rockomic, 1972)
6. Theme From Spider-Man (Rockomic, 1972)
7. The Mark of the Man-Wolf (Power Records, 1974)
8. High Wire (Rock Reflections of a Super Hero, 1975)
9. The Purple Pirates and Evil McWeevil (Spidey Super Stories, 1977)
10. The Amazing Spider-Man (1977 live-action theme)
11. Supaidaman (Toei Japanese 1978 theme)
12. Spider-Man (1981 animated series theme)
13. Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981-3 animated series theme)
14. Joe Perry - Spider-Man Animated Series Theme (Fox, 1994)
15. MC Spy-D & Friends (Brian May) - Spider-Man Megamix (BBC, 1995)
16. The Ramones - Spider-Man (Sat. Morning Cartoons' Greatest Hits, 1995)
17. Spider-Man Unlimited (1999 animated series theme)
18. Weird Al Yankovic - Ode To A Superhero (2003)
BONUS VIDEO GAME TRACKS:
19. Spider-Man (Atari 2600 ad, 1982)
20. Spider-Man Atari 2600 Music (1982)
21. Arcade's Revenge - Spider-Man Theme (SNES, 1993)
22. Marvel Super Heroes - Spider-Man Theme (Capcom, 1995)
23. Marvel vs Capcom - Spider-Man Theme (Capcom, 1998 soundtrack)














Look Out, Here Comes the Spider-Man

Moon Voyage (Sunset Records/UA, no date)

"A historical summary of Man's 6000 year dream--from the Babylonian Era to Apollo 11." So boasts the sub-title of this "Talespinners For Children" LP that must be from around 1970, or the early 70's anyhow (no dates or clues are given). The back cover informs the listener that "In your hands is one of the most informative LP's ever assembled on the subject of the moon. Not merely an amusing piece of entertainment, we have compiled here forty-three minutes of thoroughly documented facts." This one is actually quite a history lesson, and I probably would have loved it as a child.


One Small Step For A Man

Laughing Sally

File under: Local Amusement Parks of the Past. This is Laughing Sally, who used to be the "Fat Lady" at a small park that used to sit in front of my local zoo. The weird thing was, she was situated about 8 or 10 feet from the ground, above the door as you would enter a ride (which I believe was the "Spook House"). She used to rock back and forth and cackle madly, which scared the ever-loving crap outta me as a small child. (I also remember one thing about the horror ride: in the dark, an old-fashioned mop would emerge from nowhere and threaten to hit you in the face...weird.) Alas, the park is long gone, and Sally, newly attired, now resides in the lobby of a local restaurant.

W.C. Fields On Radio (Columbia, circa 1970)

My 4th-of-July vacation yielded a couple of items for your perusal. First up is a great collection of W.C. Fields Radio appearances, many with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. Their verbal sparring is always a treat. Clocking in at around 55 minutes, this record is worth it.

SIDE ONE: The Skunk Trap / Children / Old Friends and Old Wine / Feathered Friends / Moths / The Snake Story (A Commercial) / The Termperance Lecture

SIDE TWO: Promotions Unlimited / The Swim To Catalina Island / The Pharmacist

"Why, you long-nosed anteater...I'll put a wick in your mouth and use you for an alcohol lamp!"

Chris' Steampunk Fish Sculpture

Since February, I have been hard at work (well, once a week, thereabouts) recording some new material with my other dear-friend-I-grew-up-with, Chris, at his house (I hope to post it here eventually). I have also been admiring this nifty fish sculpture he made himself, featuring lots of salvaged motor parts, etc. I told him, "Why, that's very steampunk!" To which he replied, "Yeah, whatever..." Take a look!

ULTRA SONGS

A nice collection of various Ultraman themes I've found over the years, and a couple of bonus tracks (just because). Enjoy!

1. Song of Ultraman (1966)
2. Ultraman (US Theme Song)
3. Song of Ultraseven (1967)
4. Return of Ultraman (1971)
5. Ultraman A (Ace, 1972)
6. Ultraman Taro (1973)
7. Fight Ultraman Leo (1974)
8. Ultraman 80 (1980)
9. Our Great (Ultraman Great, 1990)
10. Ultraman Towards the Future (US opening)
11. Ultraman Towards the Future (US closing)
12. Ultraman Powerd (1993)
13. Take Me Higher (Ultraman Tiga, 1996)
14. Brave Love Tiga (Tiga closing)
15. Ultraman Tiga (US FoxBox opening)
16. Ultraman Dyna (1997)
17. Only You Do I Wish To Protect (Dyna closing #1)
18. Ultra High (Dyna closing #2)
19. Ultraman Gaia (1998)
20. Ultraman Nice (1999)
21. Ultraman Neos (2000)
22. Ultraseven 21 (from Neos)
23. Ultraman Zoffy
BONUS TRACKS:
24. Let's Go Rider Kick (Kamen Rider, 1971)
25. Rider Action (Kamen Rider, 1971)
26. Kagaku Ninja Team Gatchaman (Japanese opening, 1972)

With Love From M78

Bonzo Dog Band - YouTube Rarities 1966-69

"Part music hall, part rock parody, part Dadaist nonsense..."
--John Peel

Another thing I've been scouring the web for is rarities of the Bonzo Dog Band. As with lots of stuff on this page, if you aren't familiar with them, you should be. Have you ever noticed that some videos you can grab from YouTube just won't convert in sync, no matter what format you use? Well, they always make good audios, so that's what I've done here:

1) End of the Show/Equestrian Statue/Little Sir Echo (New Faces, 1966)
2) The Head Ballet (from Pathe Newsreel)
3) Equestrian Statue/Little Sir Echo (Beat Club, 1967)
4) Monster Mash/The Sound of Music (DNAYS eps #1)
5) Look Out, There's A Monster Coming/Just the Two
of Us (DNAYS eps #2)
6) The Blue Danube/Equestrian Statue (DNAYS eps #3)
7) Hunting Tigers Out in "Indiah"/If I Were Miss
World (DNAYS eps #4)
8) Hello Mabel (DNAYS eps #5)
9) Love Is A Cylindrical Piano/skit (DNAYS eps #6)
10) Cab For Cutie/Captain Fantastic (DNAYS eps #7)
11) The Intro & the Outro/Tubas In the Moonlight (DNAYS eps #8)
12) Herbie the Hermit (DNAYS eps #9)
13) Silent Night (DNAYS Christmas episode)
14) By A Waterfall (DNAYS Christmas episode)
15) I'm the Urban Spaceman (DNAYS Christmas episode)
16) Beautiful Zelda (DNAYS)
17) Mr. Apollo (Colour Me Pop, 12-21-68)
18) I'm the Urban Spaceman/Canyons of Your Mind (CMP, 12-21-68)
19-21) JAZZ BILSEN FESTIVAL 1969: Big Shot / You Done My
Brain In / Hello Mabel / I'm the Urban Spaceman / Quiet
Talks and Summer Walks / I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles /
Canyons of Your Mind / Trouser Press
22) Adventures of the Son of Exploding Sausage (clip)

As you may know, the Bonzos were the "house band" for the Eric Idle/Terry Jones/Michael Palin 1968 show, DO NOT ADJUST YOUR SET. Also included is the soundtrack from a rare filmed performance in 1969, and it's worth it just for that alone!

Look Out, There's A Monster Coming!

Hey, Mr. Spaceman I-III (various)

One day, I was in a Dollar General or something, and I found a neat little disc for a few bucks. I took a chance, and discovered it was a very enjoyable compilation. Well, I gave a copy to my dear friend Jeff (hereafter "Uncle Jeff"), and Uncle Jeff responded with his own sequel, complete with quaint cut-and-paste photocopied artwork. I was already at work on my own sequel, complete with artwork adorned with Uncle Jeff's head from 20 years ago, as well as some musical (and sound collage) contributions by me, and suddenly there were three volumes of these things. And two more are on the way, with variations on this theme (look for them here soon).
In the meantime, dig these!


HEY, MR. SPACEMAN (Music For Little People, 2003)
1) The Byrds - Mr. Spaceman
2) Billy Riley - Flyin' Saucers Rock'n'Roll
3) The Rezillos - Flying Saucer Attack
4) Sheb Wooley - The Purple People Eater
5) Jimmy Durante - We're Going UFOing
6) Maria Muldaur - Heck, I'd Go
7) Ella Fitzgerald - Two Men In A Flying Saucer
8) Dennis Scott - Telstar
9) LJ Booth - Mr. Moon
10) T-Bone Burnett - Humans From Earth
11) the B-52's - Planet Claire
12) Kathy McCarty - Rocket Ship

Hey, Mr. Spaceman

HEY, MR. SPACEMAN II (Uncle Jeff)
1) The Byrds - Mr. Spaceman
2) The Tyrones - Blast Off
3) Warsaw Poland Bros - Spaceman
4) The Aames Bros - Destination Moon
5) Aquabats - Martian Girl
6) Sneaky Sound System - UFO
7) ELO - Starlight
8) ELO - Ticket to the Moon
9) Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
10) Jimmie Haskell - Rockin' In Orbit
11) Jamiroquah - Space Cowboy
12) David Bowie - Space Oddity
13) Jimmy Lloyd - I've Got A Rocket In My Pocket

Hey, Mr. Spaceman II


HEY, MR SPACEMAN III (Leaping Fox)
PART ONE: SPACE IS THE PLACE
1) Sam the Q - Introduction
2) The Byrds - Mr. Spaceman (live in Boston 2-22-69)
3) Pink Floyd - Astronomy Domine
4) Sun Ra - Tapestry From An Asteroid
5) Bonzo Dog Band - Beautiful Zelda
6) MEDLEY: Strauss in Outer Space (PK and the Comets)/Space Ghost Theme/Star Wars Theme (The Bordens)
7) Deep Purple - Space Truckin'
8) Wings - Venus and Mars (reprise)
9) Sam the Q - Planet X Marks the Spot
PART TWO: RISE OF THE ROBOTS
10) Sam the Q - Introduction
11) Bonzo Dog Band - Humanoid Boogie (live 12-21-68)
12) The Who - 905
13) Alan Parsons Project - I, Robot
14) ELO - Yours Truly, 2095
15) Bent Bolt and the Nuts - The Mechanical Man
16) Styx - Mr. Roboto
17) Roy Wood - Miss Clarke and the Computer
BONUS TRACK
18) The Studio - Hijacked Aboard A UFO (1987)

Hey, Mr. Spaceman III

NOT the Beatles!

Well, it's Friday, and here's another compliation I just finished. For several years now, I thought it would be interesting to have a collection of "bogus beatlegs," in other words songs that weren't the Beatles, although many of them have been represented as such. When a few more interesting tracks turned up in recent months at the WFMU blog, I knew I had the makings of a great disc.

I made artwork, but rather than try to format liner notes, here is a run-down of what you need to know:

1-2) Tony Sheridan & the Beat Brothers

These often get lumped in with the recordings that the Beatles made in Germany with Tony Sheridan, and a couple of times, I've heard people suggest that it's really them, but besides the different instrumentation, it doesn't sound like it to me.

3-4) The Liverpools

In 1964, when Beatlemania hit the U.S., records like this were everywhere, trying to entice Yankee children to fork over more of their allowance for further "Beatle beats." Here are two spurious examples.

5) The Knickerbockers - Lies

I don't care if these guys were trying to rip off the sound or not, this is a good track, and I would say they succeeded!

6) John and Paul - People Say

Now we get to tracks that actually appeared on Beatles boots. This awful song might be John and Paul, but it's not THAT John and Paul. There are lots of John and Pauls in the world, right? Exactly.

7) Litmus Paper Shirt

In early years, lots of titles for supposedly unreleased Beatles songs emerged, some as jokes, but nevertheless they stuck. (See Neil Innes' Rutles song "Unfinished Words.") This is one that was assigned to a scrap from the "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" sessions (although somebody added something over the top since then).

8) Peter Cook and Dudley Moore

Again, this one showed up on boots, and while it's a pretty good send-up of psychedelia, it's not THAT Beatley to me.

9) Peace of Mind

And here we have probably the most widely-debated track contained herein. Supposedly found in the Apple trash (where it belonged), my guess is that origin story tells us all we need to know. Included on many discs over the years, I don't think Lennon on his worst day wrote lyrics that ridiculous. All I am sure of is that we'll never know who actually did this, because they won't admit to it.

10) I Want You (acetate)

Some people swear that's Paul on vocals, but it's pretty obvious it's not. Just who it is, though, is a matter of discussion. I was leaning toward the Iveys at one point, but now I have my doubts. It's a competant rendering, but I've always thought it was rather a rote run-through.

11) Oh, I Need You

I remember buying a disc as a young teen, getting to this track, and yelling out "That's not them!" I have heard Apple discovery Mortimer as the ones being to blame for this wretched song.

12-13) The Masked Marauders

In the late 60's, somebody printed a joke review in an issue of Rolling Stone, alleging that George Harrison, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, and Bob Dylan all went somewhere and secretly made an album together, even listing song titles. People took it so seriously, an album had to appear, and for a short while it was available. I enjoy "Cow Pie" as a pleasant piece, a good parody of the "Nashville Skyline" album, and the impression of Jagger is pretty good on Track 12 (for a while, anyhow, it's only twice as long as it needs to be), but the rest of the album is pretty bad, and I don't know who it would have fooled.

14) The Fut - Have You Heard the Word

Now this is a different story. Also a staple of numerous bootlegs, I can play this one over and over and not get tired of it. That, plus Maurice Gibb's Lennon is spot-on.

15) Session Jam (parts 1 & 2)

Now here's one that fooled me as a kid. I bought Yellow Dog's GET BACK, and this was included as a bonus track. And you've got to admit, it fits in well with the Get Back sessions, but now that 90+ hours are available (and I've listened to it all), it seems this wasn't anywhere to be found. Oh well, I doubt this was a deliberate hoax, except maybe on the part of Yellow Dog.

16-17) Klaatu

There was a time when the world swore that Klaatu were the reformed Beatles. "Subway" is a pretty good Macca, if that's what they were going for, but the rest of their album is so progressive, it becomes quickly obvious that Klaatu is their own band (with a cool name).

18-19) The Rutles

And sometimes the parodies fool people. Track 19 was included on the famous "Indian Rope Trick" boot, and I included 18 because it's the rare single version not available anywhere that I've seen. Love them Rutles!

20) bonus track

I'm not telling!

Enough rambling, get after it!

NOT the Beatles!

One Of Those Days

Tom Lehrer RARITIES (corrected back cover)

I got a little ahead of myself, and didn't do a good proof-reading job (shame on me, as a former English major). Rather than re-uploading the archive, and correcting the link, here's the back cover once again (it's rihgt this time).

Tom Lehrer RARITIES

If you don't know who Mr. Lehrer is, it's going to be hard to explain. Can we call him the greatest musical satirist of our time, and a national treasure? I think so. (Just ask Dr. Demento!) As a child, we would drive around in our van, and my dad would play cassettes of Tom Lehrer LP's, what a way to warp a kid! And warp me it did. I must say, I took piano lessons as a child just so I could aspire to be like Mr. Lehrer. Not that I ever made it, but he was definitely the reason I ever started writing songs. And I would turn on the Electric Company, and there his music would be again! It was a great childhood.

Over the last several years, from time to time I would scour the internet, trying to track down every last snippet of his that I could. Suffice it to say, if you have his released output, including the excellent REMAINS OF TOM LEHRER box set (buy it!), then this is practically everything else that can be obtained, and will complete your collection. I put this collection together myself (file under: labor of love), and made artwork explaining where everything came from.

PS--There is one other Electric Company song out there (it wasn't on the DVD's, Noggin, or any tapes I've run across), as well as one unused one. We may never have it all, but this helps!

Included is a performance of the musical he wrote at Harvard, "The Physical Revue" (the omitted songs were parodies of popular songs of the day, and are thus unavailable), a performance for Scandinavian television in the mid-60's, some Electric Company rarities, and a few very rare live performances. Enjoy!

Too Many Rarities by Tom Lehrer

More art from the past...

STAR WARS Read-Alongs Treasure Trove

I know these have been "around" before, but I did all the converting, editting, cleaning, and scanning myself, so I feel like they belong here. Again, these are separate audio files, meant to be played while you read the book with to be read with the fantastic CDISPLAY comic book reader software (see below if you don't know what this is). The first time I shared these (in a torrent), I didn't have record-cleaning software, so the ones from vinyl sources are new and improved.

So, if you've never run across these, now's your chance!

STAR WARS

Star Wars read-along

EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

Empire Strikes Back read-along

RETURN OF THE JEDI

Return of the Jedi read-along

DROID WORLD

Droid World read-along

PLANET OF THE HOOJIBS

Planet of the Hoojibs read-along

More computer art from 1996

The Urals Precious Stones (Melodia, 1984)

Okay, so there I was, years ago, visiting the "Catherine the Great" exhibit in Memphis, TN, when I found this in the gift shop, and though it would be an interesting addition to my vinyl collection. Well, even though it sounds like it's playing at the wrong speed, it's not. And some of these titles are pretty amusing too, otherwise, it's kind of strange. The title sounds like a urologist's office informatinoal pamphlet. By the way, Melodia is the label that Paul McCartney released his then-only-available-in-Russia album of standards called "Back in the USSR." File this one under "world music" and tell yourself how cosmopolitan we are.

SIDE ONE:

Oh, the Fun I Am Having

Valendi

Oh, You, Grunya

Twine, Twine, My Cabbage

Ah, Nastasia

Ust-Utkin Girls' Laments

Rose, My Rose

Russian Tunes [NOTE: includes credits for spoon players]

SIDE TWO:

Urals Precious Stones

Road

I Am Rolling, Tossing a Gold Ring

Urals Laments

A Snow-Ball Tree on the Hill

Shall I Teach You, Vanyusha

My Mother Was Sending Me, humorous song

Shenkursk Ditties

Oh Frost, Frost [NOTE: After some deliberation, I have decided this song isn't to Robert Frost, or David Frost either, for that matter]

Oh, You Grunya!

Mickey and the Beanstalk (Disneyland Records, 1963)

I know this one can be found at the "Childrens Records and More" blog [see my links section], but my copy has a different cover, and a 1963 date, so I wasn't sure if it was identical--however, research has shown me that this was first out in a 78 rpm album, and the extremely short length (could've been one side, in fact) is a clue here. However, this vinyl was so pristine, it was like it was never played, with nary a pop nor crackle, so I figured it was worth inclusion here. Enjoy!

Got magic beans?

Pac-Man Picnic (KidStuff, 1980)

I guess I am a sucker for any classic videogame-related stuff. At any rate, here's one I haven't yet seen on the Internet anywhere. This is another in the line of Kid Stuff Records Pac-Man product, which even without the book would be a dead giveaway. Not only did I convert (and massively clean) the record, I also scanned the book into a neat little CBR file, to be read with the fantastic CDISPLAY comic book reader software. If you don't know, this great utility allows you to navigate through comic scans using your space bar, and I highly recommend it. Of course, if you want to be contrary, just rename the file to .ZIP and you can look at the pictures individually.

Drop a quarter in the slot!

This Is Jimmie Rodgers (RCA, 1973)

Two LP's of the "Father of Country Music," or, "The Singing Brakeman," or, if you prefer, "The Yodeling Singing Brakeman Father of Country Music." I suspect this could have been squeezed into one LP, but who knows. Liner notes by Hank Snow. No "Blue-Eyed Jane," unfortunately.

1 Any Old Time
2 Away Out On the Mountain
3 Blue Yodel No. 1 (T For Texas)
4 Blue Yodel No. 4 (California Blues)
5 Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel No. 8)
6 The Brakeman's Blues (Yodeling the Blues Away)
7 Daddy and Home
8 Dear Old Sunny South by the Sea
9 Frankie and Johnnie
10 In the Jailhouse Now No. 2
11 My Carolina Sunshine Girl
12 My Old Pal
13 My Rough and Rowdy Ways
14 Never No Mo' Blues
15 Peach Picking Time Down in Georgia
16 Treasures Untold
17 Waiting For A Train
18 Pistol Packin' Papa

Yodel-EE-hoo!

Ravi Shankar - Sound of the Sitar (World Pacific)

No date on this one; all I can tell is it came after the other one (see below). No flutey bits like side one of the other, but it didn't seem to have as many fast parts either. Anybody have a spare sitar laying around? I did actually get to play one once, and I was amazed how huge it was. The "carrying case" was like a coffin.


"Put him in the curry!"

Ravi Shankar - Improvisations (World Pacific, 1962)

Perfect accompaniment to your dinner, if you're cooking Tandoori Chicken. I like the fast bits on this one the best.

Improvisations

John Birch Society - Monthly Oral Message #10 (June 1968)

I hesitate to try and explain this one, so you'll have to look it up. Suffice it to say, this was an unusual find.

Looking Out for Commies

Gene Autry's Country Music Hall of Fame Album (Columbia)

And no "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," which is a good sign.


1 Mexicali Rose
2 (Take Me Back To My) Boots and Saddle
3 Have I Told You Lately That I Love You
4 You Are My Sunshine
5 South of the Border
6 Sioux City Sue
7 Mule Train
8 Someday You'll Want Me To Want You
9 Goodnight Irene
10 Home On the Range
11 I Love You Because
12 That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine
13 Red River Valley
14 Buttons and Bows
15 Back In the Saddle Again


It's Springtime In the Rockies

SUPERMAN - Original Radio Broadcast - Volume 3 (Mark 56, 1974)

Did you know that Jimmy Olsen first appeared in the radio show?

SUPERMAN - Original Radio Broadcast - Volume 2 (Mark 56, 1974)

Great Caesar's Ghost!

Roy Acuff & His Smoky Mountain Boys - That Glory Bound Train (Harmony, 1961)

Another great slice of Roy Acuff. This one is even better than the first one I posted. I have a memory of, as a small child, seeing him perform at the Grand Old Opry. I remember him balancing his fiddle on his nose.

Great Speckle Bird No. 2
That Glory Bound Train
This World Can't Stand Long
I Saw The Light
Tell Mother I'll Be There
The Pale Horse and His Rider
Were You There When They Crucified My Lord
I'll Reap My Harvest In Heaven
Thank God
The Great Shining Light

Bound For Glory

SUPERMAN - Original Radio Broadcast - Volume One (Mark 56, 1974)

This one is a little confusing, since it clearly says KELLOGG'S on the front, but they were the original sponsor of the 1940's mega-hit radio show, four episodes of which are featured on this album. What confuses me is the origin of the vinyl--whether it was available in stores, or as a cereal mail-away promotion in 1974. Nevertheless, I have three volumes, and all will appear shortly.


Up! Up! And away!

The Rockafire Explosion - Happy Birthday Medley/Do You Love Me (1981)

Well, well, well, how do you introduce this?
In the 80's, there were rival P.J.A.W.A.A.'s (Pizza-Joint-Arcades-With-Animatronic-Animals), namely Showbiz Pizza (which we had), and Chuck E. Cheese's (which I only saw cable ads for). Anyhow, in the Great Pizza Wars of the late 1980's, only one victor emerged...somebody should have warned Showbiz's Billy Bob not to "mess with the mouse," and alas, Billy Bob fell to the lowly creature--hence only one P.J.A.W.A.A. rising above the landscape today.
But I digress--if you were lucky enough to have a birthday party at Showbiz Pizza (which I was, and oh, the darkened STARCADE tunnel full of space games), the band performed a special birthday song for YOU. Not only that, but they gave you a special commemorative 45 rpm single as a momento. And here is that single, ripping off countless oldies...and let's not get started about the B-side, which sounds to me like somebody trying to do a Joe Cocker impression while a physician is checking their throat and holding their tongue down with one of those little sticks.

Look out for Looney Bird!

Ultraman Symphony (2000)

I love Ultraman, and I recently discovered this disc. I haven't seen it on blogs anywhere, so I thought I'd put it up here. To describe this disc as "a Japanese symphony orchestra plays powerful versions of Ultraman themes" just doesn't do it justice. To put it like the young folks, this ROCKS! It makes you want to leap up and exclaim "Shoowat"!

1) Ultraman no Uta - Prelude
2) Ultraman Taro
3) Ultraman Dyna
4) Ultraman 80
5) Ultraman Leo
6) The Ultraman
7) Ultraman Ace
8) Kaettekita zo Ultraman
9) Take Me Higher [NOTE: "Tiga"]
10) Ultraseven no Uta
11) Ultraman Gaia
12) Ultraman no Uta - Symphonic March

Ultra Cool!

Die, Kaiju! (Leaping Fox)

Enjoy this compilation of monster songs I made myself, artwork included. I even watercolored a drawing for the cover, you can't get much more customized than that. By the way, "blue uncertain stumbling buzz" was my band in college.

Bobby "Boris" Pickett & the Crypt Kickers - Monster Mash
Blue Oyster Cult - Godzilla
Edgar Winter Band - Frankenstein
The Kinks - King Kong
The Police - Synchronicity II
blue uncertain stumbling buzz - Sasquatch
Gentle Giant - Alucard
Pink Floyd - Echoes (part 1) [note: this is from Pompeii, October 1971)
Dave Edmunds - Creature From the Black Lagoon
Warren Zevon - Werewolves of London
Neil Innes - Godzilla's Return
Bonzo Dog Band - Monster Mash [note: album version, as well as Peel Session 7-29-69]
BONUS TRACK: Gamera Theme (from MST3K)

die, kaiju!

Popeye the Sailor VOLUME 2 (1938-40)

Out this week, another slice of Fleischer happiness! Run out and buy it, I did!

snake and boris (from 1996)

Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys - Great Speckle Bird (Harmony, 1958)

From Harmony records, here's a nice compilation I wish I had more information on, but enjoy it anyhow in declicked splendor.

Great Speckle Bird

Wreck On the Highway

Fire Ball Mail

The Precious Jewel

Pins and Needles (In My Heart)

Tennessee Waltz

Wabash Cannon Ball

Freight Train Blues

Wait For the Light To Shine

Low and Lonely

Yeeha!

Remember How Great...? (Lucky Strike Promo LP)

This is a strange one. Apparently, you could redeem cigarette coupons, and receive this LP as a prize for all your smoking. This has some great big-band classics, and a few snoozers. But hey, maybe your grandparents are coming over for dinner or something. Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway are highlights. Converted and declicked as always, for your listening pleasure, and that's not just blowing smoke.

1. Count Basie - One O'Clock Jump

2. Les Brown (with Doris Day) - Sentimental Journey

3. Andre Kostelanetz - Night and Day

4. Mary Martin - My Heart Belongs To Daddy

5. Tommy Dorsey - I Dream of You

6. Louis Armstrong - St. Louis Blues

7. Dinah Shore - Buttons and Bows

8. Duke Elington - Mood Indigo

9. Xavier Cugat - Brazil

10. Cab Calloway - Blues In the Night

11. Eddy Duchin - Stardust

12. Harry James - Ciribiribin

L.S.M.F.T.

Brother Dave Gardner - It's All In How You Look At "It" (Capitol, 1965)

...but what is IT?

Brother Dave Gardner - It Don't Make No Difference (Capitol, 1964)

No Diff'rence

The Best of Dave Gardner (RCA, 1964)

If you're wondering what all the Southern-fried fuss is about, this is a good place to start, featuring 14 excerpts from his RCA years, including "The Motorcycle Story," which was his "Who's On First?" (and yes, I split and numbered the tracks, beloved).

Joy to the world!

Brother Dave Gardner - Did You Ever? (RCA, 1962)

Serenity!

Brother Dave Gardner - Ain't That Weird? (RCA, 1961)

A weird scene!

Brother Dave Gardner - Kick Thy Own Self (RCA, 1960)

Get kicked!

Brother Dave Gardner - Rejoice, Dear Hearts! (RCA, 1959)

And now, presenting: the Brother Dave Gardner Motherlode!

Brother Dave wasn't your typical Southern comedian. He was hip, he was hep, and he was hilarious. I know a very neat older lady who grew up in Shreveport, and she has regaled me with tales of sneaking into comedy clubs throughout Louisiana-- underage mind you-- just to see Dave Gardner, one night sitting "right at his feet." If you have any others--and there are others--please share! samtheq@juno.com

Rejoice!

Parliament - Mothership Connection (Casablanca, 1975)

I know what you're thinking: we are pretty random here at THE SPHINX, but hey, life is random. I don't have much to say about this one, except that each side is a file, because some of the tracks run together, and if you're like me, it irks you when people split 'em up and it doesn't reassemble right.

Get the Funk?

W.C. Fields - The Original Voice Tracks From His Greatest Movies (Decca)

Narrated by the great Gary Owens (voice of Space Ghost, etc.), here are excerpts from--according to the gatefold--"every film Fields made for Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios." Two sides broken down as follows. Denoised, declicked, and EQ'd for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!

Side One
The Philosophy of W.C. Fields
The "Sound" of W.C. Fields
The Rascality of W.C. Fields
The Chicanery of W.C. Fields

Side Two
W.C. Fields - The Braggart and Teller of Tall Tales
The Spirit of W.C. Fields
W.C. Fields - A Man Against Children, Motherhood, Fatherhood and Brotherhood
W.C. Fields - Creator of Weird Names

Godfrey Daniel!

The Hobbit (Disneyland Records, 1977)

Ah, the Rankin-Bass TV movie of THE HOBBIT. Before the advent of home video, the only way to relive your favorite shows and movies was through the Read-Along Record, which in this case is (luckily) made from the soundtrack of the actual film...fans of read-alongs know you don't always get so lucky. I converted the LP (declicked for your pleasure) and scanned the storybook, which is in .CBR format, to be read with the fantastic CDISPLAY comic book reader software. This great utility allows you to navigate through comic scans using your space bar, and I highly recommend it. Of course, if you want to be obstinate, just rename the file to .ZIP and you can look at the pictures individually.

The Hobbit

Legends of the Blues Volume One (Columbia, 1990)

Here's a great out-of-print album I haven't seen in years. This was from a 1990 series Columbia had called "Roots And Blues." Lots of classic stuff here.

1. St. Louis Blues (Bessie Smith)
2. Matchbox Blues (78rpm Version) Blind Lemon Jefferson
3. Ain't No Tellin' (Mississippi John Hurt)
4. Lord, I Just Can't Keep From Cryin' (Blind Willie Johnson)
5. Pigmeat Is What I Crave (Bo Carter)
6. Southern Can Is Mine (Blind Willie McTell as Blind Sammie)
7. Low Down St. Louis Blues (Lonnie Johnson)
8. Revenue Man Blues (Charley Patton)
9. Stormy Night Blues (Leroy Carr)
10. I Believe I'll Make A Change (Josh White)
11. Fort Worth And Dallas Blues (Leadbelly)
12. Sweet Home Blues (Peetie Wheatstraw)
13. Stop Breakin' Down Blues (Robert Johnson)
14. Truckin' My Blues Away, #2 (Blind Boy Fuller)
15. Spreadin' Snakes Blues (Big Bill Broonzy)
16. Nothing In Ramblin' (Memphis Minnie)
17. Fixin' To Die Blues (Bukka White)
18. Hard Day Blues (Muddy Waters)
19. Don't You Leave Me Here (Big Joe Williams)
20. Death Letter (Son House)

Legends of the Blues

George Gershwin - Rhapsody In Blue (premiere) April 21, 1927

The title says it all. From an old 45, two parts editted together and declicked for your listening pleasure...

Rhapsody In Blue

The Coasters - Their Greatest Recordings - The Early Years (Atco, 1970)

There's lots of 1950's music, some good, some bad, but to me, the Coasters epitomize the era, and all of their recordings are a joy to listen to. Students of the early Beatles will know how influential The Coasters were. A young Ray Stevens was obviously listening and waiting to rip off their sound--and how about that great version of "Zing Went the Strings of My Heart" (first heard in a Judy Garland musical) from The Move's first LP? I have included some bonus tracks from my own collection that are all so essential, they need to be here. On a weird note, "Along Came Jones" had some slight damage to the vinyl, and I started to substitute a version from a K-Tel 1970's compilation called FUNNY BONE FAVORITES, until I played it and realized it's either a later remake or a sound-alike (which K-Tel was notorious for anyhow). You be the judge, it's labeled, and I included the original. Album again declicked for your listening pleasure!

Besame!

1) That Is Rock and Roll (1959)
2) Poison Ivy (1959)
3) Along Came Jones (1959)
4) Searchin' (1957)
5) Shoppin' For Clothes (1960)
6) Yakety Yak (1958)
7) Little Egypt (1961)
8) Charlie Brown (1958)
9) Down In Mexico (1956)
10) Smoky Joe's Cafe (1955)
11) Riot In Cell Block Number Nine(1955)
12) Young Blood (1957)
13) Turtle Dovin' (1956)
14) Idol With the Golden Head (1957)

Sam the Q's bonus tracks:

15) Along Came Jones (FUNNY BONE FAVORITES)
16) Besame Mucho (parts 1 & 2) 1960
17) Besame Mucho (1960)
18) Three Cool Cats (1959)
19) Three Cool Cats (stereo version) 1959
20) Zing Went the Strings of My Heart (1958, from "Theme Time Radio Hour," episode 41)

Mae West & W.C. Fields - Side By Side (Harmony)

Well, not really, as in the classic MY LITTLE CHICKADEE, but here's a side of each!

MAE WEST SIDE:
A Guy What Takes His Time
Easy Rider's Gone
I'm No Angel
They Call Me Sister Honky Tonk
I Found A New Way To Go To Town

W.C. FIELDS SIDE:
The Temperance Lecture
Promotions Unlimited
The Pharmacist

Mahatma Kane Jeeves

The Country Stars! The Country Hits! (RCA/Camden, 1964)

Okay, I'll admit I bought this LP just to hear another version of "Cigareets, Whusky, and Wild, Wild Women," which my friend and I recently recorded a cover version of (more on that in the near future). By the early to mid 60's, the "Nashville Sound" had crept in and pretty much sloppified Country Music, but there still are some good moments on here. I always enjoy the great Hank Snow no matter what he sings, and there's some pickin' instrumentals as well.

Eddy Arnold - Take Me In Your Arms and Hold Me
Chet Atkins - Wildwood Flower
Hank Snow - My Filipino Rose
Homer & Jethro - Cigareets, Whusky and Wild, Wild Women
Elton Britt - Chime Bells
Don Gibson - Blues In My Heart
Jim Reeves - Waiting For A Train
Pee Wee King & Redd Stewart - The Nashville Waltz
Gid Tanner - Down Yonder
Porter Wagoner - Born To Lose
Montana Slim - I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes
Bill Boyd - Under the Double Eagle

Mailbox Full of Tunes

Thought For the Day

The Ethel Merman Disco Album (A&M, 1979)

This.......is......beyond......description.
I have discovered a working time machine. Just play this record, and time seems to stand still. Put this record on during the activity of your choice, and it will make it seem like it goes on for hours....of course, it may spoil the mood...

There's No Business Like Show Business
Everything's Coming Up Roses
I Get A Kick Out Of You
Something For the Boys
Some People
Alexander's Ragtime Band
I Got Rhythm

You Were Warned