"TELL-TALE HEART" & "ADVENTURE OF THE GERMAN STUDENT" - 1997 Win Phillips Audiobook

This is a post I've wanted to make for a long, long time.

Way back in 2008, I shared some of my OOP media with the Children's Records and More blog. In the collection was an audio cassette containing two classic Horror stories narrated, and featuring music by, the legendary Winifred Phillips.

This original rip was very poor (I recorded it using the Aux Out on an old cassette player), but I always figured I could update it at some point.

Years passed, I moved houses, and the cassette was seemingly lost forever. I swore I searched everything I owned, everywhere I had anything stashed, but I simply could not find the cassette.

I tried to find other copies online, but could never find one. I emailed Ms. Phillips herself, hoping I could obtain another copy, but I never received a response.

I felt all hope was lost... until one day this past week. I had moved a bucket of old papers, drawings, and magazines from my shed to my house, in the hopes of digging out a magazine I could've sworn I had still owned to possibly send to CGC for an upcoming signing.

...and there it was.

I have no clue how it got there, but I didn't care. I immediately sent it off to Under Design to get digitized, hoping it would be ready in time for Halloween. Talk about a miracle right at the eleventh hour!

The stories included are Edgar Allan Poe's timeless "The Tell-Tale Heart", and Washington Irving's romantic horror classic "The Adventure of The German Student". Each tale clocks in at a little under a half hour apiece.

These are excellent adaptations. Winifred's slow (and somehow sensual) narration works well in accompaniment with her lush, Gothic orchestral compositions. This is the woman who brought us the music behind "God of War", after all.

In fact, this take on "Heart" is my personal favorite, just edging out the revolutionary UPA short.

If you're a fan of either story, or a fan of Winifred's music, you must give these a listen. This cassette is as rare as it gets, and I'm proud to be able to finally share a quality copy with the world.

Please enjoy, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 🎃

DOWNLOAD 1

DOWNLOAD 2

Internet Archive

YouTube

192kbps CBR

NOCTURNAL - 1999 Self-Titled Cassette - Kaos Music

I'm just gonna come right out and ask... if anyone, anywhere, has a shred of info about this band or this album, could you please contact me?

This is "Into The Darkness", by the band Nocturnal. Good luck finding any info on this band, or this release, aside from what's printed on the inner fold of the cassette sleeve.

I vaguely remember getting this album in 1999 via a mail-away offer. There was an ad in some sort of guitar or Rock magazine for a free cassette, so I figured "what the Hell" and asked for one. That's it. That's all I remember.

The cover art, album title, and even the band name do NOT fit the music that lies within. The songs (of which there are no titles printed anywhere, so I just call them "Tracks 1 through 4") are a hodgepodge of Classic Rock influences.

"Into The Darkness" is an unpolished, unfocused oddity... and that's basically the reason I'm sharing it here. That, and the hopes that someone out in the ether of the Web can divulge any further information about this outfit or its works.

DOWNLOAD 1

DOWNLOAD 2

Internet Archive

192kbps

"DR. SYN" - BBC Audiobook Series - narrated by Rufus Sewell - 2006-2010

art by Bret Blevins

This post is a stark reminder as to why digital archival is so damned important.

Between 2006 and 2010, BBC Radio aired abridged versions of the stellar "Dr. Syn" book series by Russell Thorndike. They were narrated by Rufus Sewell, and are above and beyond the most entertaining adaptation of the stories aside from the watered-down (yet still fantastic) Disney miniseries.

If you're unfamiliar, the stories are about Dr. Christopher Syn, a polite and courteous Parson by day, and a swashbuckling cloaked avenger called "The Scarecrow" by night. With the first book being published in 1915, one could say this type of hero predates both Batman and The Shadow; however the first book focused more on Syn's Pirate life, and the "masked vigilante" alias of "The Scarecrow" didn't come about until the 1930's with the subsequent novels.

Up until at least 2019, the Sewell recordings were publicly available via the BBC's own website. However, between then and now, they have all been wiped out. Even the reuploads on YouTube (which is where I ended up securing the third installment of the series) have disappeared.

These stories are timeless. They're exciting. They're excellent listening material for the Halloween season. And they deserve to be heard and archived.

The tales are encoded in 128kbps, which was the only way I was able to originally save them from the BBC's site. I added accompanying artwork depicting Disney's take on "The Scarecrow" drawn by the incredible Bret Blevins.

I have no idea whether or not the BBC will try to have these recordings removed - again - from the web, so I'd urge anyone who believes they may enjoy these stories to please listen to them as soon as possible. I have a feeling you won't regret it.

DOWNLOAD 1

DOWNLOAD 2

Internet Archive

128kbps CBR

ELEKTRONIKA - "NIGHT & DAY" - 2003 Electronic Gothic Synth Rock CD

Just in time for Autumn, here's an obscure little collection of dark tunes from a now-disbanded group, Elektronika, whose music combined Gothic Rock with late 1990's/early 2000's Electronic music.

Not much info exists anymore about this band beyond a woefully-outdated Indie Music site post, and a rarely-updated Facebook page. It appears that this album, "Night & Day", is the complete collection of everything the group recorded between 2001 and 2003, and after that frontwoman Dawn Wood and guitarist Dan Hoyer regrouped in 2015 for a new project, Murder Weapons.

This one isn't really my cup of tea, but I know there are people who have a soft spot for tunes that sound like they could've fit on the "Spawn" or "Matrix" soundtracks, so this one's for you. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD 1

DOWNLOAD 2

Internet Archive

320kbps CBR

EXODUS - "GOOD FRIENDLY VIOLENT FUN" - 1991 Thrash Metal CD

When you think of bands who defined "Thrash Metal", you usually think of one of (or all of) the four bands considered to be the "Four Horsemen of Thrash": Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax.

But during the height of Thrash's popularity, there were plenty of other bands worthy of playing on the same bill as the aforementioned giants. Exodus was one of them.

While most of Exodus' studio output can still be found easily online today, for some reason their 1991 live album, "Good Friendly Violent Fun", has all but disappeared. It's a great live recording with songs that perfectly encapsulate the Thrash scene's imagery, ending with a nice and heavy cover of AC/DC's classic "Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap)".

If you're a fan of late 1980's / early 1990's Heavy Metal, make sure to check this one out!

DOWNLOAD 1

DOWNLOAD 2

Internet Archive

320kbps CBR