"POWERPUFF GIRLS: POWER POP" 2003 CD

Last week I found this album, one of several "Powerpuff Girls" tie-in CDs, at a local Goodwill. The main reason I picked it up? It contains the awesome "Buttercup (I'm A Super Girl)" by Shonen Knife, a track I definitely remember seeing a music video for back in the day on Cartoon Network.

 

 

The rest of the album isn't too bad either; it's just a shame that most of the songs really don't have anything to do with the PPG. Still, it's a little gem of a Pop-Rock album, and I'm honestly surprised it isn't available to stream digitally or purchase in any way direct from either Cartoon Network or Warner Bros.

So here's the album in its entirety for all you PPG fans! Enjoy!

 

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320kbps CBR

Thrifting Pickups - Week of 11/22/20

With the week being so busy (what with Thanksgiving and all), there wasn't a lot of time for thrifting. However I ended up finding a hard-to-find "Powerpuff Girls" music CD at a Goodwill, and our local Ollie's had a bunch of these awesome retro "Mega Man" figure sets for only $4.99 apiece!

I'll be sharing the PPG CD here soon, as it isn't available anywhere digitally or physically from Cartoon Network; so stay tuned for that upload!

TWENTY YEARS ON EBAY!

Today marks the official TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY of TRS on eBay!

What began as a simple personal account has transformed into a humble storefront for fair prices on rare, obscure and collectible media.

If you haven't visited yet, please feel free to give the store a Follow; you never know what goodies will pop up for sale!

https://www.ebay.com/str/therandomsanctum

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

For the past 7 years I've subjected my friends and family to this video on Thanksgiving.

Now it's your turn.

🦃 HAPPY THANKSGIVING, everybody! 🦃

RICCA - "RICCA" 1994 CD

Ricca (pronounced "ree-ka") was an exceptionally-short-lived R&B Pop trio in the early 1990's. Their self-titled debut in 1994 was their only full-length.

I could give detailed information about the group, but not much exists outside of a few blog posts. "Rare and Obscure Music" has pretty much all the info I could find.

While nothing on the album seems to stand out as a killer single, it's still an overall pretty good R&B album in the vein of other groups such as En Vogue or TLC.

The album is currently OOP and neither Sony Music nor Epic appear to want to make it available to stream or download outside of 30-second preview clips. Give it a listen!

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320kbps CBR

"BARBIE: THE LOOK" - RACHEL SWEET 1990 CD

Here's something I grew up wi... nah, just kidding. But it's still a tubular and rad album I'm sure many little girls listened to in the early 1990's! I just picked it up at a Goodwill, and after doing some research I noticed it's nowhere to be listened to online... so the Sanctum seems to be a good home for it!

"Barbie: The Look" is a CD full of sugary-sweet pop originals and covers. "Barbie" is portrayed by uncredited singer-turned-actress-turned-producer Rachel Sweet (singer of the "Clarissa Explains It All" theme song!).

If you ever played with or collected Barbie dolls in the late 80's or early 90's, I suggest giving this album a spin!

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320kbps CBR

Thrifting Pickups - Week of 11/15/20

With the weather getting colder, and many flea markets / swap meets / etc closing up for the year, it's time to start thrifting digitally!

All of the games (plus the SMG coin) were obtained via Facebook Marketplace. The 45s were from Gerrad over at FrogPondFinds! The "Casper" and "Woody Woodpecker" ones are in especially excellent condition. If none of the records are already available online anywhere, rest assured I'll have them ripped and shared here as soon as possible!

Hope everyone is getting their own deals before the big boom of the Holiday Season... KEEP THRIFTING!

SLABBED SATURDAY - Seven Beautiful Batman Books!

Quite happy to have these back in my collection, especially at these grades!

All but two of these (the 9.2 "Batman" #423 and 9.0 "Killing Joke") come from my personal childhood collection; the fact that pressing wizard Gary Kendra at Impressive was able to squeeze a NINE POINT EIGHT out of a "Batman" #423 owned by a kid in the 90's is astounding.

All 3 in the bottom row are staying in my personal collection. Within minutes of sharing this with friends and hobby groups, 3 of the top 4 sold. Keep an eye out for "Batman Beyond: Origin Issue" and many other graded comics on the Sanctum's eBay store!

I'm currently working on digitizing several Holiday-themed records and cassettes in preparation for next month; Thank You to all of my readers and followers for your patience!

SLABBED SATURDAY - "DANGER GIRL" #2 (DF HOLOFOIL) CGC SS

 
Just got in some twin Abbeys from a recent signing event at CGC headquarters!

Two copies of "Danger Girl" #2, the Dynamic Forces "holofoil" variant; both at a stunning 9.8 grade!

Many Thanks to the folks at CGC and the legendary J. Scott Campbell for adding his stunningly swirly signature to these beautiful bubbly babes!

One of the two is going into my personal collection, and the other will be available on the Sanctum's eBay store soon, so keep your eyes open!

"CHIPMUNKS IN LOW PLACES" - Alvin & The Chipmunks 1992 CD

As a kid, I absolutely loved Alvin & The Chipmunks... and like most other kids, I discovered lots of artists and bands through their high-pitched covers.

"Chipmunks In Low Places" (a riff on the Garth Brooks classic "Friends In Low Places") was released at the height of the 90's country revival, and there are some excellent songs here. Mary Chapin Carpenter (one of my personal favorites from that era) doesn't appear as a guest on this album, but TWO of her biggest hits get the Chipettes treatment.

It's criminal that this isn't available anywhere to purchase, because it's one of the best 90's Chipmunk albums, and it pays tribute to Country music without making fun of it. I mean, this album is quite literally the biggest-selling album in the Chipmunks discography and it was their first ever album to be certified Platinum!

It's a great listen, especially if it drives you to listen to find and listen to the "real" versions of the songs. Please enjoy!

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320kbps CBR

"PINK PANTHER AND SONS IN 'PINKY SAVES THE BEACH BULLIES'" 1985 Kid Stuff Read-Along Record

Who remembers "Pink Panther and Sons"? Anybody? No?

I couldn't blame you. I grew up with this Read-Along and even I barely remember the spinoff show based on the legendary "Pink Panther" shorts. Luckily the entire series is on YouTube so anyone who's feeling nostalgic can refresh their memory.

This story takes 13 minutes to tell the listener not to steal someone's food, and not to go swimming after you eat. That's it.

It's not the greatest Read-Along in my collection, but it's definitely among the most obscure. Give it a listen!

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192kbps CBR

"TWIDDLE BUGS AT WORK" 1981 Read-Along Record

Let's end the week with something wholesome, sweet and simple.

Here's one of the cutest little records in my collection: Sesame Street's Twiddle Bugs in "Twiddle Bugs At Work" from 1981.

While it is a Read-Along record, there isn't really any story; it's just Prairie Dawn telling kids all about the Twiddle Bugs in Ernie's window box, and the jobs they have in their little town. Simple, short, and adorable.

This was also published as a regular book (sans record) and I believe it can still be purchased to this day. So if you have a little one who ends up liking this record, search around for the book so they can enjoy that, as well.

This was a difficult one to rip, due to the "turn the page sound" (the flapping of Twiddle Bug wings) coming up in many editing programs as vinyl scratching. Once again, Thanks to Under Design for the digitization of this Muppet rarity!

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"SMURF'S DAYDREAM" 1984 Kid Stuff Read-Along Record

This record was my introduction to "The Smurfs". Before watching the cartoon, or even learning that the franchise originated from a comic strip, "Smurf's Daydream" was the first time I ever figuratively stepped into Smurf Village.

It, like most other "Smurf" Read-Alongs of the time, is fairly simple with very sparse incidental music, and one narrator providing all of the voices. But it's still quite entertaining.

I originally shared a copy of this to the now-sadly-defunct Children's Record And More blog well over a decade ago, and since then I was able to acquire a nicer copy of the record to digitize. I hope you enjoy it; and if you have any little ones, let them have a listen as well!

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192kbps CBR

"WALT DISNEY PRESENTS THE STORY OF 'HANSEL AND GRETEL'" 1967 Read-Along Record

 

This right here is one I'm overjoyed to finally be sharing, because it's been nigh-impossible to do so for years.

You may be looking at this and thinking, "this isn't rare; it's right on MouseVinyl and on YouTube!" Well... it is, and yet it isn't.

What you see online in regards to the 1967 "Little Long-Playing Record" "Hansel and Gretel" is the version narrated by Lois Lane. The version being shared here today is narrated by the legendary Robie Lester.

This was the copy I grew up with, so as I entered the Digital Age, I spotted others' MP3 rips and thought "huh... this isn't mine." Over the years I've searched high and low for someone to have this version of the record, but to no avail. I attempted to rip it a few times myself, but it was so heavily played, it skipped madly all over the place. I thought I couldn't salvage it.

I then took it upon myself to buy other copies of the record, hoping to find one in better quality. But after purchasing at least FIVE copies (including ones that were factory-sealed), ALL of them ended up containing the Lois Lane narration.

Finally, earlier this year I sent this rarity to Under Design and crossed my fingers. My prayers worked, as they were able to save this story and finally present me with a listenable digitization. There are still plenty of pops and crackles, but unless somebody else happens to have a minty copy of this exact record to upload, this is the only way anyone will be able to hear Mrs. Lester's take on the classic tale.

This is only Side A, which contains the narrated story. Side B on my copy was still absolutely wrecked, and not even UD's magic could stop it from skipping and scratching. If you'd like to hear Side B, it's exactly the same as what was on the Lois Lane version of the record.

As I said earlier, I'm thrilled to be able to finally share this with the world. I really hope you enjoy it!

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"WALT DISNEY PRESENTS THE STORY OF 'TREASURE ISLAND'" 1982 Read-Along Record

It's good to be back! I figured I'd kick off the month with a familiar tale, but presented from an unfamiliar source!

To date, the only version of Disney's "Treasure Island" Read-Along is the one read by Lois Lane in 1971, with her providing all of the voices without any extra music or sound effects. However in 1982, a version narrated by the fantastic William Woodson was produced, this time including full voice acting along with a score and sound effects. The latter is what I'm sharing here today!

I was having major issues with this digitization, especially in a specific segment where, no matter what I did, the vinyl would skip horribly. Luckily, with a little help from Under Design Digital Conversion Services, I can finally share this rare Disney gem!

Perfect for any fan of the book, Disney's film adaptation, or tales told by William Woodson. Enjoy, Mateys!

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