"ANNIE'S CHRISTMAS" - 1982, 1992 CBS / Sony Storybook CD

Even though Christmas is over, I did still promise a Holiday upload every Friday this December, so let's have one more rare story before 2022 begins!

"Annie's Christmas" is a 30-minute story featuring everyone's favorite redheaded orphan, and was originally released by CBS Records in 1982. What we have here is the cleaned-up 1992 re-release on CD by Sony Music Special products.

While I'm personally not a big fan of "Annie", I am a sucker for anything narrated by William Woodson!

Please note that this story is not the same as the later-released animated TV special.

This is the last upload of 2021; I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you've enjoyed all of the oddities and obscurities shared here throughout the year! Happy New Year, everyone!

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Internet Archive

YouTube

256kbps VBR

"WALT DISNEY'S STORY OF 101 DALMATIANS" - 1982 Disneyland Read-Along Record

Hello, Sanctum Dwellers! I hope everyone enjoyed their Holiday weekend!

Today I'm sharing a Disney Read-Along that actually has been shared by others online, but in some ways, not entirely.

This is Disneyland Records' "Walt Disney's Story of 101 Dalmatians", release in 1982 on record and cassette. This is, to my knowledge, one of (if not the) loudest Read-Along Disney ever produced; both the cassette and vinyl copies are known for major clipping issues.

Under Design and myself did the best we could to make sure this digitization didn't blow anyone's ears out!

MouseVinyl has the 1965 Robie Lester - narrated record, but even though it carries the same catalog number (305), they are not the same album. This one is narrated by Pongo and tells the tale of the movie, while Robie's tells an original story about Lucky the puppy wanting to become a TV star.

As stated earlier, there exits other copies of this online. However some have "tape hiss", some have the "Cruella DeVil" song cut off early, some were recorded using a video camera, and some have the aforementioned clipping issues. I'm hoping that this copy finds a nice balance among the others, or at least just gives listeners yet another option to enjoy.

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YouTube

192kbps CBR

*NOTE: Ads may be running on the YouTube upload,
as the music within has been Copyright Claimed.*

"A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS" - 1977 Buena Vista Read-Along Record

It just isn't Christmas without this story... and here's a version that's rarely heard.

Everyone knows the classic TV special by now, but there have been numerous adaptations over the years. This version, released in 1977 via Disney and Buena Vista (under the specialized "Charlie Brown Records" line), has never been fully digitized until now.

Oddly enough, MouseVinyl seems to have all of the other releases in the "Charlie Brown Records" series, except this one. Well, I guess it's up to me to fill in that gap; and it wasn't easy...

My copy was in rough shape, as I repeatedly listened to it during Christmastime as a kid. And before that, my mother would listen to it. I set out looking for a pristine copy to digitize... and the only sealed copy I came across was in Italy. It took almost 2 MONTHS to finally arrive at my doorstep.

I sent it away to the great folks at Under Design and they came back with this crisp, beautiful copy shared here.

To me, this is a perfect story to enjoy on Christmas Eve. I know I've enjoyed it for close to 40 years, and I hope you will, too. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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Internet Archive

YouTube

192kbps CBR

 

*NOTE: Ads may be running on the YouTube upload,
as the music within has been Copyright Claimed.*

 

"NEW ENGLAND CHRISTMASTIDE" - North Star Records 1986, 1987 Instrumental CD

Here's a treat for everyone craving some lovely, classic-sounding instrumentals to play during their Holiday parties!

In February I shared the North Star Records album "The Wind In The Rigging" , a collection of Americana / Maritime / Folk standards played by a crew of extremely talented instrumentalists. Shortly afterwards, a Sanctum Dweller reached out to me with a rip of a follow-up from North Star called "New England Christmastide".

While I thanked this generous follower for sending me the music, the quality was on the lower side. However I thoroughly enjoyed the album, and set about trying to obtain a physical copy. I finally did late last month, and now I present the album to all of you in glorious 320k!

While it certainly isn't available for purchase anywhere digitally, it only seems to live on via YouTube videos and 30-second snippets on Internet Archive. I aim to remedy this issue with the copy I'm sharing.

Like its predecessor, this is a fantastic collection of songs if you enjoy this style of music. Please download and enjoy!

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320kbps CBR

"SID EFFECTS CHRISTMAS" - COMMODORE 64 HOLIDAY ALBUM

This isn't a rare album, per se, but it is one that I'd love to share so more people can discover it.

C64Audio.com, the site who produced a bunch of albums celebrating the music of the Commodore 64 system (including one I've already shared), released a Christmas album using the C64 SID chip setup.

It's 100% FREE via their website, and if you're a fan of Chiptune music, you may want to snag a copy.

You can download it HERE. Enjoy!

"THE OWL THAT DIDN'T GIVE A HOOT" - 1970's Peter Pan Read-Along Record

Here's yet another Read-Along Record that I simply can't find any info about: "The Owl That Didn't Give A Hoot", released via Peter Pan Records.

This thing is so obscure that I can't even figure out what year it was released in. The UPC on the back was used multiple times by Peter Pan for various Read-Alongs, all released between 1971 and 1977, so I'm going to assume this is a 1970's release.

Written and Produced by Arthur Korb, this record tells the story of an Owl having trouble finding his "hoot". Korb was pretty active at Peter Pan, producing numerous albums and writing loads of songs, as well as crafting tunes for albums under the Power Records label. Having such a busy career, again I'm really surprised I can't find concrete info about "Owl".

I chalk this up as yet another forgotten record from the height of Peter Pan's popularity. Again, many Thanks to Under Design for helping me archive this rare story!

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Internet Archive

YouTube

192kbps CBR

"THE CHRISTMAS TALE OF ALFIE THE ELF" - 1980 Pennywhistle Read-Along Record

If you want to hear a truly obscure, long-forgotten Christmas album, look no further than this humble little tale, "Alfie the Elf".

This story about an extremely tall Elf (which predates the Will Ferrell classic by several decades) whom finds and rescues Santa is... well, it's odd. But that's not to say it's bad, and it definitely has some interesting roots!

The words and music from "Alfie" were written by Dallas McKennon, a legendary voice actor who worked for over 5 decades, voicing everyone from Gumby, to Archie, to loads of Disney characters. In fact, if you look at the artwork within "Alfie"'s pages, you'll see that they used Dallas' likeness; from the long, hooked nose to the huge white beard!

If you're wondering who exactly "Pennywhistle Productions" is, I don't have a clue. I can't find any detailed information on them, and according to Discogs, "Alfie" is the only album they ever released.

"Alfie" is a very hard record to obtain, let alone in decent shape. I had a heck of a time cleaning this up, even after Under Design's stellar digitizing work. I apologize for the hefty amount of static; perhaps in the future I can find a copy in better condition.

Regardless, the end result is a now forever-archived copy of the story of one of Christmas' lesser-known heroes. Enjoy the Christmas Jamboree!

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Internet Archive

YouTube

192kbps CBR

"THE CHIPMUNK STORY" - 1984 Kid Stuff Read-Along Record

Why not follow up a "Chipmunk" Read-Along with another one from the same year?

This is "The Chipmunk Story", a Read-Along Record from 1984 that tells the story of how Alvin, Simon, and Theodore entered David Seville's life. Much like the "Santa Harry" and "Chipmunks' Cruise" Read-Alongs, this is adapted from an episode of the "Chipmunks" animated series.

It's cute, and it has snippets of "Witch Doctor". A great listen for any "Chipmunk" fan. Enjoy!

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Internet Archive

YouTube

192kbps CBR

"THE CHIPMUNKS IN: SANTA HARRY" - 1984 Kid Stuff Read-Along Record

 

Hello everyone! I know I've been gone for quite some time, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten about the blog... and it definitely doesn't mean I've run out of rare media to share!

Just like last year, I'm going to devote every Friday in December to sharing an obscure Holiday-themed album with all of you! And to kick things off, I have a super-clean copy of Kid Stuff Records' 1984 Read-Along "The Chimpunks in: Santa Harry"!

For those not old enough to remember, "Harry" was a recurring villain in the 1980's "Chipmunks" TV show. He'd use costumes and aliases to attempt to trick Alvin and the others - or basically anyone in general - into getting their money. He was your basic sleazy con artist, and one of his most memorable appearances was in the episode "Santa Harry", which aired in 1983.

This Kid Stuff Read-Along is basically a point-by-point re-telling of that episode, albeit without the well-known "Chipmunks" opening theme (unlike other Read-Alongs of that era, such as "The Chipmunks' Cruise").

This one's a real treat for any "Chipmunks" fan; enjoy and let's get the Holiday Season started!

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Internet Archive

YouTube

192kbps CBR