"I Want My Granny's Records"

I mentioned a few posts ago in November Nanny’s Christmas records. Today by pure chance one came up in my queue on You Tube. I recognized it immediately. I always knew her records were part of a larger series; a bit of research filled out the history.  “A series of 7 Christmas albums produced exclusively for Firestone Tire and Rubber Company between 1962 and 1968.” They are all available to listen to on You Tube. She had Volumes 3 and 4. Where they are now and who has them, I don't know. But I can listen to the whole series now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_V_br4i-yo&list=RDo_V_br4i-yo&start_radio=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWURmvE7EzU&list=RDo_V_br4i-yo&index=2

 

The Shadow Library: Audio

I was wondering what I was going to post today, and incidentally I put on an episode of Fun for All Ages, a new podcast by Frank Santopadre in his post-Gilbert Gottfried career. It reminded me that I used to have a copy of Television’s Greatest Hits (both vinyl and audio-casette). Hmm. Was it mine? Did we have Volume II? M-m-maybe? What I do remember is that Mike and John used tracks from it in their TV Time Loop improv tapes. I know I don’t have the records anymore. Does John? I’m sure he can tell me.

Much could be told of the TV Time Loop and the adventures of Paul and Flo, but I am not the one to tell it.

 

From a Golden Time

 

Finding Sparrow in the Treetop the other day sent me down a side quest: to find the other yellow Golden Record 78’s we had from Mom’s childhood. These came out in 1953 with the release of Walt Disney’s Peter Pan. Mom must have been around 11. The only one I couldn’t find on YouTube was with the flipside You Can Fly of the Peter Pan Theme Song (“The Second Star on the Right”). Mom also had a red record Peter Pan (the record company, not the movie) 78 with The Blue Tail Fly and Skip to My Lou on it. I’m putting two links to that; one is more complete than the other. More childhood memories recovered and noted.

Anne Lloyd & Dan Ocko - Second Star to the Right - YouTube

Anne Lloyd & Dan Ocko - Your Mother and Mine - YouTube

Anne Lloyd, Dan Ocko and David Anderson - March of the Lost Boys - YouTube

Anne Lloyd, Dan Ocko and David Anderson - What Made the Red Man Red - YouTube

Peter Pan 2246-B - Blue Tail Fly – Skip To My Lou – Clementine – Mexican Hat Dance - Jack Arthur - YouTube

Blue Tail Fly / Skip To My Lou - YouTube

And He Eats a Horsie!

 

After the 'Summer of Jaws' we had to have everything shark-related that we could get our hands on. That included these two LP records. While I can't recall actually listening to The Jaws of Death I did enjoy the antics of Dickie Goodman, who was famous for spoofing various cultural trends, like UFOs, the energy crisis, and (of course) Jaws, by conducting fake interviews interspersed by answers using clips taken from songs of the day. Not quite sure whatever happened to these, but they just emerged into my consciousness, not unlike the proverbial sharks from the depths of the ocean.

In June ... Under the Stars ...

 

The Rankin/Bass Production of THE HOBBIT (33 1/3 RPM,  1977)

The Tolkien just keeps coming. Today my nephew Kameron (who has been reading The Lord of the Rings to me aloud, chapter by chapter; he just finished The Two Towers) came in and presented me with this little 7-inch record. His Mom had bought it for him, but he thought it was better put in my collection. He knew I would love it, and he really has no place for records in his room. I thanked him delightedly and said that anytime he wanted it back he just had to ask me. I've had the 2 record full size album for years, of course. To see this version in person is a refreshing breath from old times. 

Memories of Scratchy Family Records

 

Artifacts of Interest: Rekkids and Postuhs

 

Artifacts of Interest: Puzzling Evidence

 

These Old Songs

When we were kids, Mom and Pop had their country and western records, and we had our ‘kid records’, including a few that Mom had when she was a little girl, most of which were little yellow 45’s with songs from Peter Pan on them. But there was a special category of discs, 78’s as thick as plates with one or two songs on each side, which defied definition. Whether they had belonged to Pop or Mom it was hard to say exactly; they never seemed to play them for their own amusement. But something about them appealed to us, whimsy or humor or just undefined emotion, and when the mood was on us, we’d put them on the player, switch the speed up, and ‘dance’ or jump around or mime to the beat like maniacs. Anyway, here are links to some of those old songs on YouTube. I hope my brothers will enjoy them. Anybody else who listens … make of them what you will.

Kenny Roberts ~ Casper, the Candy Cowboy - YouTube

Kenny Roberts ~ Mickey the Chickey - YouTube

Rosemary Clooney - This Ole House - YouTube

Guy Mitchell - Christopher Columbus - YouTube

Dean Martin - The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane - YouTube

As you can see, some of them were connected to holidays. I listened to “This Ole House” well into my dotage before my nephew Kameron, much to my surprise, correctly identified the bass singer as Thurl Ravenscroft, which I’d never realized in all my years. That boy has an ear on him! As I say, Mom and Pop had the country and western records, and, though we had favorite songs among the albums, we weren’t allowed to touch them until we were much older. John still has most of those records in his archives, I believe. After Pop passed away, I wrote this poem:

 

RECORDS FOUND

 

Mute inglorious souls,

Your records sing for you

Now that your voices are stilled.

 

I hear them through scratches and clicks:

Your dreams and fears,

Tenderness, tears, and weariness,

 

Those things you could not say

That swelled your hearts

To yearning, until they flew--or burst.

 

Mother, Father, bless anew my silence

With the voices I hear

Through guitars and fiddles, that are you.

 

AUGUST 5, 2005

 

Old Records

 

From My Most Immemorial Years

Most of these exist in some form, if not pristine or playable. Some are only memories. More old "coffee can" books, scratchy records, and an old poster from Mr. Fleming's class. And the first Savage Sword of Conan I ever bought for our last family trip to the beach.