Sunday, April 29, 2012

Three more on tap at the ORCBAR...

And so my blog continues with more classic book and records!  These three really have some great musical moments. The fact that we are told nothing of the talented people who voiced and played on these records amazes me. I hope, at least, they were compensated handsomely.

All three of these books have the same back cover:  (the one pictured is from Hansel and Gretel- it's the only one with a barcode)




































No credits whatsoever for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I love the tunes on this one. The clarinet is so wonderful. And when the queen dresses up like an "old woman"...what? she just puts a flowy purple and red cape on. I didn't buy it. She did not disguise her face. Snow White had it comin'.

Hansel and Gretel is the first record I have with a confirmed date on it.  The title page reads "1971 Ambassador Record Corporation Made and Printed in U.S.A."  There is a date of "11-71" etched onto the record.  You can also see the artist's signature on some of the pages: "Walton". I could be wrong, but it sounds like the *first* narrator- the one who says "Hello Girls and Boys, I'm your Peter Pan storyteller..."etc. is Bob Newhart.  Hey- it *could* be!  How would anyone know?

Alice in Wonderland has an even more specific date etched in the record: "12-3-71".  The same artist, "Walton" left a signature on two of the pages. As a child, I never liked the page of Alice's face with all the playing cards attacking it! That used to freak me out to no end.

So, grab a cup o' joe this fine Sunday morning, and watch some classic book and records!

Alice in Wonderland

Hansel and Gretel

Snow White

Coming soon...Peter Rabbit and Thumbelina

Monday, April 23, 2012

Slide up to the ORCBAR...

Hello, Girls and Boys!
Did you grow up listening to classic book and records? I did, and I have quite the collection. I also have a knack for digitization. Therefore, I decided to open up the ORCBAR (Online Reverence for Classic Book And Records) to share the often uncredited brilliance of these tomes with tones.

This blog is currently a work in progress and brand new, but I have three wonderful stories ready for this inaugural post. These are what I deem to be the eldest members of my collection. All three were produced by Peter Pan records, with the records labelled "S.P.C. Newark NJ 07105 Made In U.S.A.", and the books "Printed in the Netherlands by Mulder & Zoon - Amsterdam".  The narrator and musicians are not credited.  It is difficult to date these records.  My guess is that they are late 60's/early 70's re-releases of some recordings made in the 40's. (more research to come!)

...I inherited a close-and-play record player from my brother EXACTLY like this: Distributed by Kenner in 1970.

I spent many a rainy, lonely, or serene day listening to countless records. I loved the illustrations and the music!

Eventually, my yen for the book and record set grew such that I needed to upgrade my hardware...

Now this, THIS was MY "stereo". I played everything from 45s and book and records to full LPs! You could play at 33 or 45rpms! Made by Fisher Price in 1978. 

It was designed to be easily portable, but I never moved mine. It was my stereo! Each time I was in the local Boscov's Department store, I couldn't wait to sift through the record section. The spines of the book and records just teased you with lists of varied titles- sometimes with a glimpse of the cover art! I had to have them all! Typical 3-5 year old response.


These recordings below were made from my personal collection using an Ion TTUSB05XL USB turntable, a Canon MX330 multi-function printer/scanner, and AVS Video Editor Software. Only one skip was digitally removed from the Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes during the intro to "Sing a Song of Sixpence" (and I did a total awesome job!!!! You can't even tell it was there!!!!)

HINT: Click bottom right & "Watch on youtube" to get Fullscreen capability...(grumble...gotta figure that out...meow....grrr)


Cinderella

Little Red Riding Hood

Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes

Coming soon... Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, and Hansel and Gretel!