I got an early Christmas present from my wife. It's a Crosley Radio CR6001A Archiver USB Turntable. I can now rip old records to my computer and share them at my blog. Hurray! Here's my first share --
This is an album from 1975 called A Merry Geoffrey Christmas (WLP-302, Wonderland Records). It features four stories starring Toys "R" Us mascot Geoffrey Giraffe & his family.I cleaned it up a little, but you can still here some "pops and clicks". Hopefully I'll get better at this as time goes on. Since I don't have a record size scanner, I had to scan the album cover in four parts and then piece it together. Unfortunately some of the scans came out darker than others and you can see where they connect :(
From the back of the album --
MEET GEOFFREY GIRAFFE & FAMILY
Geoffrey is an amateur inventor who works in a toy shop; he is a loving father and husband. Baby Gee, cute and perky, is always around to cheer daddy on. Gigi, a good wife and mother, is always there when needed. And, oh boy! is she ever needed by her adventurous family.
Geoffrey and his family live in a charming old lighthouse with ceilings just the right height for giraffes.
Side 1
1. Geoffrey's Christmas Tree
2. Geoffrey and His Christmas Snow Machine
Side 2
1. Geoffrey's Christmas Dream
2. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (According to Geoffrey)
Script and Lyrics by: Sid Wayne
Music and Production by: Ralph Stein
With the Jeff Wayne Orchestra & Chorus
Featuring:
Tom Cipolla as Geoffrey
Laine Roberts as Gigi
Pat Lordier as Baby Gee
Jim Dukas as Snowkenstein and others
Sid (Thumbs) Wayne as Santa Claus and others
Associate Producer: Sy Ziv
GEOFFREY'S CHRISTMAS TREE, will let you share in the trials and tribulations of how "not" to get something for nothing.
There's thrills and chills (no pun intended) galore as GEOFFREY AND HIS SNOW MACHINE, crank out "Snowkenstein", the snow monster.
GEOFFREY'S CHRISTMAS DREAM, takes you on an exciting trip into outer space as Geoffrey the Astronaut blasts off to save Santa Claus and Christmas from being lost to the world forever.
'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (According to Geoffrey), will charm and delight the listener with it's un-orthodox use of sound effects.
With the brilliant production and music of composer Ralph Stein to compliment the songs, and the professionalism of the first rate cast of characters, we honestly feel A MERRY GEOFFREY CHRISTMAS will be among your collector's items for your children's children to hear and enjoy.
Sid Wayne...who is one of America's top songwriters (having written everything from Elvis Presley to IT'S IMPOSSIBLE for Perry Como) adds a new dimension to his long list of credits with the writing of the script and lyrics for this long to be treasured and played throughout the year production of A MERRY GEOFFREY CHRISTMAS. A father of 2 girls and a boy himself, Sid knows how a parent's patience can be tried hearing the same innocuous stories and songs played over and over again. He feels Kids today, (of all ages) are too sophisticated to sit still for the "namby-pamby" records of years gone by..and we heartily agree.
Click the link below to download (link updated 7-7-12) --
--> A Merry Geoffrey Christmas <--
8 comments:
You have made my friend's Christmas. She has the original record, but no player.
For those who may be wondering who Sy Ziv, the producer of this opus might be, Sy was the head of the Purchasing Department for TRU for many, many years. I worked there in the late 1970's thru early 1980's, and the idea of Sy producing a children's Christmas record is, well, odd. Besides having the most per phrase use of the "f" word I have ever encountered, he was also
Jewish. That said, he was also a nice guy beneath all his crusty bluster, once you managed to get used to the language. Sy was an original employee of Charles Lazarus, the founder of TRU, and the driving force behind the "I'm a Toys R US kid" jingle that many remember. I also remember he had his own version of that song, which, unfortunately, probably never made it to a record...!
Hey. A merry Xmas to you. Thanks for keeping the mixes coming. Here's mine for the year, "DXmas 11." Not the wonderful variety you have, but I think it's aw'ight.
http://snipurl.com/tokoj
- ferris
Hey, Erick !!
Getting that USB turntable as an early Xmas gift is AWESOME - you're a lucky guy.
Just read your comments about the difficulty you had in scanning the LP sleeve, though, and thought I'd make a suggestion:
I've been chatting with Dave, over at Mostly Ghostly, and he mentioned getting hold of a wide-bed scanner on eBay last year which solved the problem for him.
Anyway, it's called the UMAX PowerLook 2100 XL with Transparency Adaptor & allows you to scan LP covers in one fell swoop without having to splice multiple images together.
It's actually capable of scanning anything up to 13 x 19 inches, which includes single LP sleeves. That said, you'll still have to splice two images for any Gatefold LP's you may decide to share !!
He got the scanner for under $200.00, which was barely 20% of the full retail value at the time. So, keep your fingers crossed and, maybe your wife will treat you to one of those as well !!
Good to have you back.
Hope the move went well and you're all settled in your new home, ready for Christmas.
Have a good one,
JJ
Hi!
The link no longer leads to a download for some reason. I had this record as a kid and I loved it. Would you consider emailing it to me or even a snail mail cd. I could pay you for your time. I will keep checking back here for your response and thanks.
Nick
Hi Nick,
I updated the link above. It should be working now. Merry Christmas in July!
THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!
I thought I would never be able to hear this again! This is my favorite Christmas album ever!
This is like a time machine! I have been transported back to the best days of my life. I am 6 again!
Thank you again!!
Thank you for posting this! I used to listen to this as a kid every year with my late brother in Dallas TX. Now I can share it with my kid! Thank you & Merry Christmas!
Post a Comment