About This Blog!

Our beloved Spock is featured in the header photo, taken in 1979. These are some of my LPs, themed compilations, and the like.

ALL LINKS 2015 & LATER SHOULD BE ACTIVE. If you find a dead FileFactory link, or for any other correspondence, send me an email; Blogger comments do not allow me to send YOU a reply. That’s msuperfan1956@gmail.com


Monday, June 27, 2016

William Bolcom - Frescoes - Maddening and Fascinating

The LP containing War in Heaven and The Caves of Orcus is one, that I bought off a discount table at the OCU bookstore in the mid-1970s (another would be Mary O'Hara's 1967 Songs of Ireland).  I added a few other items from various places.

Definitely not in the melodic vein of his more traditional rags, the first two pieces, Frescoes, are big in scope, impressionistic, and may set both your teeth and your brain on edge.



Frescoes:
01 - War in Heaven
02 - The Caves of Orcus

03 - The Tabby Cat Walk
04 - The Eternal Feminine
05 - The Poltergeist (Rag Fantasy)
06 - The Serpent's Kiss
07 - Rag Infernal


 See you Thursday.
 

Thursday, June 23, 2016

It Is Well With My Soul

These are "purty" piano instrumentals.  No fireworks' flash, just mostly quiet arrangements of hymns for solo piano.  Inspirational without putting you to sleep.  Fine stuff, indeed.




1   It Is Well With My Soul        5:10
2   He Hideth My Soul     3:11
3   Trust And Obey  2:57
4   I Need Thee Every Hour        4:11
5   There Is A Fountain  3:17
6   Grace Greater Than Our Sin   3:10
7   America, The Beautiful        4:23
8   Savior, Like A Shepherd Lead Us  3:21
9   'Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus      2:56
10 Have Thine Own Way, Lord       4:33
11 I Surrender All 3:39
12 All That Thrills My Soul 2:57
13 Great Is Thy Faithfulness 11:21
14 How Firm A Foundation 4:57

 It Is Well

See you Monday!

Monday, June 20, 2016

A Fine Romp, Milady!

This is a fine recording and presentation of the music for one of the finest adventure films of all time.  You can certainly hear inspirations for John Williams' adventure music and love themes.  Wonderful, bounding, optimistic, music from when the world was new and full of promise, and blackguards always got four feet of fine steel in the gut.

1.   Prologue (Main Title) (01:34)
2.   Banquet At Nottingham Castle (01:52)
3.   Robin Enters The Great Hall (00:56)
4.   Escape From The Castle (05:09)
5.   Robin Meets Little John (01:38)
6.   The Oath And The Black Arrow (01:54)
7.   Robin And Friar Tuck (01:24)
8.   Ambush In Sherwood (03:01)
9.   Feast In The Forest (02:52)
10.   Robin And Marian (03:09)
11.   The Archery Tournament (03:04)
12.   Escape From The Gallows (02:13)
13.   Love Scene (05:40)
14.   Dagger Fight: King Richard In Sherwood (02:07)
15.   Coronation Procession (03:05)
16.   Duel, Victory And Epilogue (03:22)



Stand and deliver!

Hope to see you Thursday.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Drifting Away on your As-tral

Above is the outside of the tape insert for this dreamy selection.  It was released in 1982.  Below is my CD art.

Selections:


01. Perception and Opening (23:02)
02. The Luminous Path (11:37)
03. Trancendence (6:10)
04. Sanctuary (5:39)



 This is typical self-absorbed, diverting, peaceful, dreamy new-age-ish stuff.  If will probably help you sleep or relax.

Astral Journey

See you Monday.



Monday, June 13, 2016

The Now Sound Orchestra ... For Now!


I bought this treasure in the record bin at TG&Y, on April 8, 1980.

As you can tell record weren't very expensive.  But as you can tell, this wasn't a major record label release.  No, it was a bunch of studio musicians who, after perhaps one rehearsal, laid down some tracks to convince the kids to drop some cash.

Isn't the invented logo for ST:TMP all pretty and shiny?  Here are the tracks:



The Now Sound Orchestra - Theme from STAR TREK - The Motion Picture
01. Theme from STAR TREK - The Motion Picture (4:05)
02. STAR TREK TV Theme (3:08)
03. Theme from STAR WARS - Part 1 (2:53)
04. Theme from 2001 - A SPACE ODYSSEY - Part 1 (3:58)
05. Theme from CLOSE ENCOUNTERS - Part 1 (3:25)
06. A STAR BEYOND TIME - Ilia’s Theme (4:12)
07. Theme from STAR WARS - Part II (4:21)
08. Theme from CLOSE ENCOUNTERS - Part II (7:59)
09. Theme from 2001 - A SPACE ODYSSEY - Part II (4:09)

For years afterwards, I didn't know that the words sung for Track 6, "Ilia's Theme," were actual lyrics to a licensed version.  I did not know that "A Star Beyond Time" had been recorded by Shaun Cassidy (YouTube link).

But no matter how cheesy, these lyrics are in no way as howlingly bad as Roddenberry's words to Ale Courage's Star Trek TV theme.

Discover for yourself!

See you Thursday.
 




Thursday, June 9, 2016

MA-70 - Of Other Worlds


Here's another concatenation of musical excursions into the Great Out There.


01. Beep-Beep-Beep - Bobby Day (2:32)   1957
02. Satellite Love - Lil Randolph (2:14)   1958
03. Space Time - Danny Overbea (2:28)   1958
04. I Got a Rocket in My Pocket - Jimmy Grubbs (1:45)   1958
05. Blast Off - The Tyrones (2:29)   1958
06. Rocket to the Moon - Chris Kenner  (2:26)   1959
07. Italian Martians - Pasquale and Luigi with Tony (3:14)   1959
08. There's a Hole in the Middle of the Moon - The Embers (as The Ravens) (2:28)   1959
09. Blast Off - The Spacemen (2:47)   1959
10. Beep Alonia - Glenn Mooney (2:52)   1963
11. The Moon Man Is Back (Satellite Stroll) - The Moon Man (Willie C  Echols) (2:17)   1964
12. Spaceship Races - Carole King (3:07)   1970
13. Into the Void - Black Sabbath (6:13)   1971
14. Satellite of Love - Lou Reed (3:41)   1972
15. Moon Rock - Dory Previn (4:54)   1973
16. I Want to See Another World - Jefferson Starship (4:29)   1975
17. Space Captain - Joe Cocker (5:03)   1976
18. We Called Him E.T. - Tom Wayne (3:32)   1982
19. A  Fun Bunch of Guys from Outer Space - Sparks (4:06)   1983
20. Zero Zero UFO - Ramones (2:25)   1989
21. Men in Black - Frank Black (3:01)   1994
22. Spacetravel - Bush (4:46)   1999
23. UFO - Newton Faulkner (2:36)   2007
24. Rocketship - The Montesas (2:40)   2009

As you listen, you may well come to the idea that some of these song about otherworldly things are merely speaking --- ahem --- metaphorically, as in Tracks 4 and 14.  Any implications drawn are strictly your seeing-to.

MA-70 - Of Other Worlds  UPDATED 2021 LINK

Thanks for zooming by!
 

Monday, June 6, 2016

I Was There! at Explo ‘72

[This is a cross-post between Mark’s Super Blog and
Spock’s Record Round-Up.  It’s got music AND memories!

Explo ’72 was sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ and took place June 12-17 in areas around Dallas, TX.
 I was a few months shy of my 16th birthday.  I went with a group of perhaps twenty to thirty other kids, on my first bus ride, about a five-hour trip.

If all the others were like me, then age has only improved the Christian behavior of the attendees.  At 15 I wanted to do good and be good.  I wanted to tell people that God loved them.  The only problem, the person trying to express these laudable insights was me! --  an  immature, self-centered (by nature), awkward teenager.  Someone who had little concept of cause-and-effect, and little understanding at how poorly sarcasm and sniping behavior reflected on his so-called King and Prince of Peace.

Thank God for the passage of time and the (somewhat underused) growth and wisdom it can bring!

Apologies aside, the plan was to equip all of us well-meaning youngsters with some evangelistic tools … to learn how to better tell the world that Jesus loved them.  There were plenty of workshops and sitting-around discussions, of which I remember very little.



This sticker was distributed to friends and family beforehand.  My copy is on the front of one of the books I still own from that time, Tales of the Uncanny and Supernatural by Algernon Blackwood (talk about creepy!).

Many evenings there were services in the Cotton Bowl; one featured Billy Graham sermonizing. 
There was a big concert on Saturday, June 17.  Like many musical events of the 1970s, the concert area was bordered by people hawking their wares.

One of the things I came home with -- one of the few items that survive -- is this inflatable pillow.  I can’t recall if it was a freebie or if I paid a buck for it.




The Saturday concert lasted many, many hours.  Our group was only there during the middle of the day, for five or six of those hours.

A few months later, an LP was assembled from some of the performances.  I don’t know if all of these numbers came from the Saturday concert, or if some were recorded during musical parts of the nightly sessions at the Cotton Bowl.

After we came home, we were able to send off a request for the LP.  Here’s the link to a download of a CD burned from my copy:

  

01 -  Johnny Cash        I See Men as Trees Walkin’     3:26
02      - Armageddon Experience    One Way    3:32
03      - Randy Matthews       Didn't         He     4:26
04      - Andraé Crouch & the Disciples   I'm Satisfied         3:37
05      -Larry Norman           Sweet          Song of Salvation          3:51
06      -Great Commission Company       Anticipation         3:05
07      - Danny Lee & the Children Of Truth - Spread a Little Love Around       2:54
08      - Connie Smith   Plenty of Time      4:12
09      - Forerunners  -    Lord 2:48
10      - Willa Dorsey   I Have the Joy in My Soul       2:40
11      - Love Song  - A Love Song    5:34
12      - The Speer Family      The King Is Coming       3:50


BONUS TRACKS
(from Love, Peace, Joy - Myrrh)
13 - 2nd Chapter of Acts - Love Peace Joy   2:30
14 - Malcolm & Alwyn - Fool's Wisdom   3:05
15 - Eddie Robinson - I Give My All to Thee  3:36
16 - Randy Matthews - It Ain't Easy  2:37
17 - Love Song - A Love Song  1:45
18 - Petra - Parting Thought  1:22

The last six tracks are from a sampler LP released by Myrrh records in 1974.


In a mechanism similar to the zip-open tabs seen on cereal packaging, the LP had a flap the folded over from front-to-back and sealed shut with a zip-off strip.


When you zipped the strip open to flip the flap to the right and slide out the LP, there were a few more graphics under the part covered by the folded-over flap.


It’s not surprising that the media noticed this mass invasion of the Dallas area by Jesus freaks.  The general “establishment” view seems to have been, “at least they’re getting together over something positive.”

The only press coverage that I clipped-and-saved was this Newsweek article from its June 26, 1972.  As a student worker in the school library, I was uniquely equipped to pick up on current trends.


It’s not the text of the article that made me keep it.  No, two of my friends are in the photo!
See the two circled girls?  The one on the left is Beth Webb, the circled girl on the right is Sally Sharp.  Like me, both came to Explo from Bartlesville; both attended Sooner High School.


These photos are from the 1972-73 yearbook.

It was great to be gathered together with so many others whose primary intention was to know God, and make him known.  If so many of us were young, raw, and inexperienced, I also know that some of us, at least, have continued in the faith and tried to grow.

Are there any of you, dear readers, with reminiscences of Explo ’72?  I’d love to hear from you.


other articles: