"POKEMON GOLD & SILVER" 2000 Promotional CD-ROM

What we've got here is a tiny little CD-ROM (and I mean tiny; the overall size of the entire disc is under 70MB) that was released in the year 2000.

It was made by Nintendo / GAME FREAK to promote the upcoming "Gold" and "Silver" titles in the "Pokemon" game series, as well as promote the upcoming "Pokemon: The Movie 2000".

It's got a few wallpapers, some music tracks, video clips, and other goodies reminiscent of Promo CDs of the time.

Perfect for a little nostalgia trip!

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Internet Archive

.ISO Format

"GARFIELD: THE KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR" - 1984 Kid Stuff Read-Along Record

Happy New Year, Sanctum Dwellers! Hopefully you're ready to tackle 2022 as confidently as Garfield tackles a dragon in his 1984 Read-Along "Garfield: The Knight In Shining Armor"!

This cute little 7-minute tale is intended for very young audiences, and teaches the lesson that appearances are deceiving!

As a little kid, I wore the Hell out of this record. I've always had a soft spot for the jaunty little opening and closing theme. Both sides of the record contained the same story, so I'd just flip it over and over.

However because of this, this is one of my most worn-out records. Under Design digitized both sides as best they could, and then I painstakingly cobbled together a Frankenstein'd version using the cleanest bits from each side, removing the heavy skips (of which there were at least a half-dozen), and taking out as much static as I could. You won't find a better copy of this tale anywhere, probably ever, unless I can find a sealed copy in the future.

** UPDATE: Jon from GenXGrownUp informed me that he also had a copy of this story, and supplied me with a digitization! I've included it in the downloads below. Thanks, Jon! **

If you're a lifelong "Garfield" fan and want to hear Lorenzo Music's take on the tubby tabby, in perhaps a story you've never heard before, then this one's for you. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD 1

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Internet Archive

YouTube

DOWNLOAD 3 (GenXGrownUp rip)

192kbps CBR

"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.

DOWNLOAD 1

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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!

DOWNLOAD 1

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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!