Mirror Image - Disco Noel

Mirror Image - Disco Noel

You know what would be cool for the holiday, umm I mean Christmas season? How about a retro-style Christmas party to spice up what would otherwise probably be yet another lame ass Christmas party at the office or with your friends or family. Let's assume that you decide to make it a Christmas party as it was in the late 1970s because the 70s totally rocked or something like that. The 70s had the most memorable short-lived trends in the area of fashion so the host(s) and guest(s) of the party could dress up in 70s clothes mixing the outrageous colors, styles and designs with seasonal colors and accessories of course like a pin or something else with Santa, a snowman or a reindeer on it.

Now that it's been decided that those attending the party are dressing like they're back in the 70s, the next thing that's needed is the background music. Obviously, the music should be only Christmas music because Santa is the reason for the season. The problem is there is not anything in the CD (or record or tape or MP3 collection) that sounds dated from the 70s. You don't want to play Mannheim Steamroller. Not only is it from the wrong decade (80s), but yuck. The idea is to come up with a livelier and more memorable Christmas party. So what the heck are we going to play at this 70s theme Christmas party? Oh, the dilemma.

Lucky for you, I have the solution to your problem. I have this rekkid here by some group called Mirror Image. It is a collection of disco versions of everyone's favorite traditional Christmas carols. Now you can do Saturday Night Fever John Travolta moves to such tunes as "Jingle Bells", "Winter Wonderland", "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" and more. I'm sure this is what the DJs were rocking at the Studio 54 Christmas party back in the day so your party will absolutely be the place to be with the sweet ass disco music.

Uh oh, I just saw that this LP is only a half hour long. So, I either do highly recommend making the party short (this would apply to office parties as I'm sure the management would like to see everyone getting back to doing their part to increase productivity and the company's profit margin) or having a lot of alcohol available (this is for grown up parties outside of the office only (unless you work for a really cool and lax company) and I know that only grown ups would be willing to have retro theme Christmas parties anyway while the kids (both cool and dorky) think that such concepts are lame). Quite a bit of alcohol will most likely be consumed when this LP ends so playing it over again shouldn't really be a problem as no one will really notice that the same songs are being played over again. I think that the same songs are repeated at Christmas parties anyway and people usually become drunk out of their minds.

I do hope you take me up on my suggestion. I know you'll thank me later when that Christmas party that you reluctantly either attend or throw turns out to be the most unforgettable ever.

Merry Christmas!

Seasons Greetings!

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Sleigh Ride {2:13}

2. Jingle Bells {3:10}

3. Jingle Bell Rock {3:20}

4. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town {3:08}

5. Joy to the World {3:02}

Side 2

1. Little Drummer Boy {4:04}

2. Winter Wonderland {3:33}

3. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer {3:34}

4. Silver Bells {3:43}

Brad Harris - The Screamer: Turkey Locator Cassette

Brad Harris - The Screamer: Turkey Locator Cassette

* the pic of the wild turkey is not the cover of this recording

I think I'm overdue for a new post in this blog. The Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S. of A. is right around the corner. That means that people all over America are hitting the stores to gather a bunch of food for the upcoming traditional Thanksgiving feasts put on by families everywhere. The main staple of the traditional Thanksgiving meal is the turkey. Usually, turkeys are bought from either the meat department of the grocery store or the frozen food section. Just pick up a turkey usually wrapped in plastic, put it in the cart, then check out and pay for it. Take it home and put in the freezer and wait until the big day arrives then bake it for the consumption of relatives that you may or may not be embarrassed that they share the same gene pool with you.

What's so fun about just picking up a turkey from the store? Would it be more exciting to go out in the wild and track and chase down your own turkey? No doubt it involves much more physical activity than shopping at the grocery store, but I'm sure going outdoors in the woods and looking for wild turkeys would provide a nice bit of exercise. Hunting for wild turkeys also involves some skills such as knowing how to track live animals and using a gun or some other weapon to take out the turkey.

Thankfully there is a tool that would aid in finding the main course of your next Thanksgiving meal. This device is called The Screamer. On a cassette tape (found at Goodwill), some dude named Brad Harris explains the merits of The Screamer and how to use this thing. Brad tells about four different calls that would cause the turkey to gobble and give its location. Basically these calls are imitations of bird calls. As Brad explains, you have to have technique and apply the right amount of breath to nail these calls.

I would like to wish my visitors a happy Thanksgiving, even including those visitors who don't celebrate this holiday. May all of your food including those store-bought turkeys turn out delicious and that you don't end up with too many leftovers.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. The Screamer side 1 {12:00}

Side 2

1. The Screamer side 2 {11:51}

George L. Boston - The Final Houdini Seance

George L. Boston - The Final Houdini Seance

*Special thanks to yr agent man for this.

I'm back just in time for Halloween to present this. Harry Houdini was certainly one of the greatest magicians of all time and paved the way for the likes of David Copperfield and David Blaine. Houdini achieved feats such as freeing himself from tied rope and handcuffs and escaping from locked trunks. Will Houdini pull off the greatest magic trick of all time and come back from the dead? There was an attempt to get in touch with Houdini and this LP is a documentation of that attempt. Details from the liner notes below:

The world wide final Houdini Seance took place on Halloween night, October 31, 1936, on the roof of the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood, California.
This was to be the greatest attempt to pierce the unknown, and form a spirit contact that was ever conceived by mortal man. It was on this night that Mrs. Harry Houdini made the supreme effort to reach her beloved husband, Houdini.
Over 300 invited guests formed the outer circle, while 13 scientists, occulogists, newspapermen, magicians, spiritual leaders and other friends of Houdini, joined Mrs. Houdini in the inner circle.
As Dr. [Edward] Saint said during the seance, "This is a Houdini night, with the spotlight of the public on Houdini; with the whole world paused to see or hear Houdini step on this side of the curtain."



Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. The Final Houdini Seance side 1 {14:16}

Side 2

1. The Final Houdini Seance side 2 {13:05}

Jack Van Impe - Marked for Death: Can America Survive?

Jack Van Impe - Marked for Death: Can America Survive?

Can it? Or will the evildoers destroy America? Only the holy man and "the walking Bible", Jack knows the answer.


Tracklisting:  (link may be back soon)

Side One

1. Marked for Death: Can America Survive? {20:35}

Side Two

1. Marked for Death: Can America Survive? (continued) {19:14}

Hilton Sutton - The U.S.A. in Prophecy

Hilton Sutton - The U.S.A. in Prophecy

The material here has been dubbed onto a blank cassette tape which I found at a thrift store. Hilton Sutton is an expert in Bible prophecy (There are other terms I could use to describe his line of work, but I'll stick with "expert in Bible prophecy" for congenial purposes.) Anyway, Hilton somehow found predictions of the United States in the Bible.

Before he describes the United States as a wonderful place where fundamentalist theocracy will eventually flourish, Hilton rambles about how "godless liberals" has brainwashed America's children through history textbooks that generally stick to the facts and don't include Bible verses in them and then tries to impress the listeners of his knowledge of American history. An interesting point he makes is that America lost its way in the Roaring 20s by neglecting God, so Satan caused the stock market crash on "Black Monday", November 1929 according to Mr. Sutton resulting in the Great Depression. I don't think you'll find that tidbit in any textbook. Satan has also made several attempts to take down the USA, Hilton points out. Hilton mentions that civil strife, homosexuality, witchcraft and intellectualism are tools used by Satan in his continuing attempts to stop the USA. What Hilton means by intellectualism is that there were increasing opportunities in the late 1950s to attend college where people can increase their knowledge as well as learn how to think and question assertions made by folks such as Hilton Sutton.

Hilton says that God won't solely judge the USA, the #1 Christian nation in the world (i.e. the greatest country in the world), but God will judge America along with all of the other heathen nations at the same time. However, Hilton urges Americans to take pride in their country and says that America is blessed by God. America will help usher in the tribulation and the return of Jesus by coming to the aid of Israel from attacks and igniting World War III. Not only will Jesus come back to rule, but America will certainly be a conservative Christian nation run by Republicans which undoubtedly should make Hilton Sutton a happy man.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. The U.S.A. in Prophecy {41:46}

Side 2

1. The U.S.A. in Prophecy continued {39:09}

Paul J. Meyer - Positive Expectancy to Win

Paul J. Meyer - Positive Expectancy to Win

People are winners because they expect to win. People are sorry losers because they don't expect to win, i.e. they lack courage and imagination and a positive attitude. Those are the key points from this lecture by the founder of Success Motivation International (SMI).

So, listen, then listen again, then think, then act so you too won't be a loser.

Tracklisting:

Side A

1. Positive Expectancy to Win side A {13:53}

Side B

1. Positive Expectancy to Win side B {14:12}

* The text above, especially the last sentence is intended to be somewhat sarcastic.

D. Howard King and Geoffrey Morris - Rush to Us [book]

D. Howard King and Geoffrey Morris - Rush to Us

*I'm sure that American visitors to this blog will already know at least most of the information presented below, but the information is for the benefit of visitors outside the US who may or may not be familiar with Rush Limbaugh, the subject of this book.
Rush Limbaugh is a radio talk show host and political commentator here in the US who has a nationally distributed radio program currently in its 20th year. Rush rose to prominence and popularity as perhaps the most listened to radio personality in the early 1990s. Rush also had two books that were on top of the bestseller lists for quite some time as well as having a highly rated late night TV show.
This book, which was published in 1994, is about the effect that Rush had on people when they started listening to Rush on the radio. For example, some restaurant owners (who were also "dittoheads", i.e. Rush fans) were inspired to set aside some of their restaurant's space to piping in Rush's radio program. These spaces were called Rush Rooms. These Rush Rooms popped up all over the country even showing up in chain eateries such as Arby's and Hooters. According to the book, people came in droves towards Rush Rooms to dine and listen to Rush. At the present, Rush Rooms have disappeared and are somewhat forgotten about.
People from all walks of life give testimony basically saying that Rush is a wonderful, funny, intelligent and knowledgeable man and a great host who makes it easier for people to understand complex economic and political issues. Rush has made their lives more meaningful. These people also devote their lives to listening to Rush and savoring every word he says and making sure that Rush is everywhere while bombarding radio and TV stations who dare to take Rush off their air as well as getting in the faces of anyone else who dares to boycott any products endorsed by Rush such as Florida orange juice.
Rush's popularity can be attributed to the fact that a significant amount of the American populace hold conservative/right wing views and felt that they and their viewpoints were being persecuted by the so-called liberal media (which is really just mainstream and well known media publications and the national TV networks who usually tried to present balanced and unbiased journalism) and supposedly elite educated and sophisticated people who happen to live either on the west or the east coast (actually concentrated in New York and Los Angeles). Along came Rush on the radio to give some people a representation of a right wing perspective that was supposedly absent from the media.
At a time when America seemingly was becoming more progressive and more enlightened, Rush made it cool to make fun of marginalized groups of people such as the homeless, the poor, homosexuals, minorities, even women who fight for equal rights and making fun of these people under the guise of standing up for morality, decency, honesty, hard work and common sense. In other words, he made it acceptable to pick on the little guy. Of course, Rush also put down people who held centrist and leftist views. As depicted in the book, Rush fans point out that Rush made them feel good about themselves. That means that Rush fans are given validation in their belief that they are superior to other certain groups of people.
Rush Limbaugh was instrumental in radio stations accepting distribution of right wing talk radio shows which is mainly hatred toward people with different viewpoints and lies about these people. He was also both directly and indirectly instrumental in helping right wing politicians get elected to office to enact stupid and harmful policies which for instance has caused the US economy to falter.
Rush will be considered one of the greatest radio talk show hosts of all time. Actually Rush should be considered one of the greatest propagandists of all time instead.

From the back cover:

"Now that I've retired from active politics, I don't mind that you have become the Number One voice for conservatism in our country." - Ronald Reagan

Twenty million people a week tune into his #1 radio program. His late-night television talk show is ranked third in the nation. He is a mega-bestselling author and the people's choice for President in 1996.

He is Rush Limbaugh. Humorist. Crusader. Patriot. Daringly frank, often funny, frequently profound. And always an American first.

From P.J. O'Rourke and William F. Buckley, Jr. to Pat Sajak and Charles Barkley, from small town farmers and business owners to corporate executives and political leaders, here, for the first time Limbaugh's countless fans speak out about the man who has captured the heart and soul of our country.

Filled with outrageous quips and unforgettable anecdotes - including quotes from favorite guest hosts Mary Matalin, Walter Williams, and B-1 Bob Dornan - RUSH TO US is as fascinating and controversial as Limbaugh himself...an inspirational tribute to the man who has become the voice of America.

12 pages of exciting photos!

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Foreword: Americans Answer the Call by Dan Quayle - page 9

Introduction: Words Mean Things - page 15

Part One: The Rise of Rushdom: Dittoheads Unite - page 23

1. Live at the River Bank: The Nation's First Rush Room - page 25

2. Rush Rooms Mushroom - page 52

3. TV Dinners and the Louisiana Supper Club - page 78

4. Colorado Dan's Dazzling Day - page 101

5. Talent on Loan from Dittoheads - page 121

6. On-Line: Where Dittos Do Battle - page 138

Part Two: In Your Face Nationwide - page 151

7. Students to Rush: Right On! - page 153

8. From Wall Street to Boise: Businessmen Tune In - page 173

9. Routing the Liberal Media - page 192

10. Storming Congress: The New Populism - page 218

11. Project 21 Talks Black - page 239

12. NOW vs. Florida's O.J. Activists - page 256

Part Three: Now and Tomorrow - page 269

13. Days, Dinners, and Downtime - page 271

14. New York, New York! One Evening on the Air - page 293

15. Run, Rush, Run! - page 304

Afterward: The American People Care by Charlton Heston - page 321

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4  (links may be back soon)

Dr. Ed Sceery - Advanced Elk Calling

Dr. Ed Sceery - Advanced Elk Calling

Ed Sceery is someone who loves to hunt (i.e. tracking down and killing God's creatures for sport). He owns a business specializing in "professional grade" hunting products and has made videos and tapes on how to hunt various animals. Not only is Ed Sceery an avid hunter, but he also has a Ph.D. in animal science from New Mexico State University(as I'm sure you noticed the Dr. next to his name). So, basically he has an advantage over most other outsdoormen in that he has studied animals and animal behavior professionally.
Luckily for us, Ed has shared what he has learned. An example would be this cassette tape where Ed dispenses info on how to hunt down elk and attract elk to you. Ed mentions what bugles to use and how to use these bugles to make elk calls. He also briefly educates the listener on elk behavior especially with how males (bulls) and females (cows) behave and interact with each other. This insight on elk behavior is supposed to be helpful for successfully bagging an elk to hang in your trophy room.



Tracklisting:  (link will be back soon)

Side 1

1. Advanced Elk Calling side 1 {30:11}

Side 2

1. Advanced Elk Calling side 2 {30:12}

Tom Massey - Guided Visualizations

Tom Massey - Guided Visualizations

Let Tom Massey, clinical hypnotherapist, help you to become happy, prosperous and healthy with his soothing voice accompanied with lovely new age music playing in the background.

Tom has a website and from it, I learned this about Tom: Tom Massey is an author and speaker who inspires, informs, and enlightens with his dynamic teaching style and poignant stories that paint word pictures of optimism for the future. He has a high-energy presence that engages people to reach for the best in themselves!

In addition to writing 6 books on personal development and leadership, Tom has more than 20 years experience in helping individuals and organizations optimize performance, as he lives and breathes the strategies he shares.

Interestingly, there is little mention of his background in hypnotherpy other than the "About Tom Massey" page says that he is a certified clinical hypnotherapist. He does have a Bachelor's degree in management from my alma mater, the University of Oklahoma and a Master's in Business Adminsitration from Oklahoma City University. Afterwards, he obtained a Doctorate in Naturopathy and a Ph.D. in Natural Health from Clayton College of Natural Health in Birmingham, Alabama. Apparently there is not a naturopathy program available at the University of Oklahoma or at Oklahoma City University. I'm guessing that hypnotherapy classes are taught at the Clayton College of Natural Health. Anyway, I'm sure that Tom learned all he knows about the art of increasing wealth from the institutions in Oklahoma already mentioned.

Tom wants to make it clear on his site that he has more than 20 years of experience as a business leader, a consultant for corporations and a motivational speaker. Tom has a brief edited video of himself giving one of his motivational speeches in a normal voice. That would be cool if he used his monotone hypnotherapy voice (as he does on this tape) in his speech. People may be more likely to remember "eight things to repeat everyday in business".

At the time he recorded this tape, he must have lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He presently lives in Norman, Oklahoma if his address on his website is correct which by the way I'm very familiar with Norman, OK.

Now for some word pictures for a happy, prosperous and healthy you.

Tracklisting:  (links will be back soon)

Side 1

1. Guided Visualization for Happiness & Prosperity {29:57}

Side 2

2. Guided Visualization for Perfect Health {32:29}

Rank Sinatra - Chairman of the Bored

Rank Sinatra - Chairman of the Bored

From somewhere in the depths of the interweb tubes, this was found. Is this a long lost relative of the famous singer? An illegitmate son? Whoever this is who shares the same surname also has a love of crooning and entertaining an audience. He loves to sing ballads and standards especially the contemporary ones from the likes of The Bangles, INXS, Bonnie Tyler, A-ha, etc. I'm going to mention without hesitation that every single one of these performances by Mr. Sinatra is better than the originals. This talented chrismatic performer and entertainer is a shining star in the sad world of karaoke/American Idol culture. He most likely won't gain the same amount of acclaim as his more famous namesake just because he is by default having to do the impossible task of following in the footsteps of a legend. No doubt Mr. Sinatra's recording will appeal to people of all ages and from all walks of life as anyone who listens will be wowed.

Tracklisting:  (link will be back soon)

1. Eternal Flame {3:44}

2. You Beaut {3:03}

3. Donna You Wanna Me Baby ? {4:02}

4. I Just Want an Eel {1:58}

5. Waiting For You (Stalking Boots mix) {2:05}

6. Nevaeh {4:27}

7. Never Tear Us (with null object) {2:57}

8. Totaled {3:01}

9. Lovesong {1:46}

10. The Last Christmas {3:33}

11. Take On Me {3:41}

12. What I Wanna Do {4:18}

13. Eternal Flame (full) {20:05}

Bob Harrington - Chaplain of Bourbon Street

Bob Harrington - Chaplain of Bourbon Street

"Chaplain of Bourbon Street" was a title given to "Bro. Bob" Harrington by the then mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana. Bob was more than willing to go to that sinful and decadent place to save those sinners who inhabited the place. Bob even gave sermons in strip clubs.
On this record, Bob comes off as an affable guy and tells humourous anecdotes while preaching. All of the tracks have music at the end.
Read an interview with Bob that took place in 2000 that tells about Bob's rise and fall and his comeback from his fall.




Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. track 1 {0:54}

2. track 2 {3:12}

3. track 3 {7:08}

4. track 4 {6:04}

5. track 5 {6:46}

Side 2

1. track 6 {1:15}

2. track 7 {7:02}

3. track 8 {5:15}

4. track 9 {6:30}

5. track 10 {3:56}

Sam Chalpin - My Father the Pop Singer

Sam Chalpin - My Father the Pop Singer

The album's title refers to the father of a recording chief for a major record company, Atco Records. Sam Chalpin was 65 years old when he recorded the songs on this record which came out in 1966. Despite his age, Sam thought he was cool and hip and wanted to prove it by having him recorded singing the latest pop hits of the day. Sam's son, Ed, the recording chief, was reluctant at first to let Sam into the recording studio. Sam had as much experience singing as Sarah Palin has in politics. Sam sang mainly at some lodge meetings. Eventually Ed came around to letting Sam put out a record as Ed suddenly thought that Sam could be the answer to Mrs. Miller who recorded for Capitol Records.

Sam was let loose into a recording studio with an orchestra and a chorus to accompany him. Sam has a unique vocal style and voice. I'm not going to attempt to describe it. It's something that's better heard than read about. Sam is the William Hung of the 1960s as Sam's covers are distinct from the original versions and memorable listening experiences such as "Leader of the Pack", "Satisfaction" (which by the way has become my new favorite version of this song; my favorite used to be Devo's version), "Batman", etc. Frankly, Sam is much less talented than say John Lennon, Mick Jagger and many other rock/pop stars of the 60s. However, Sam's music is more appealing and better performed than most of what currently occupies the top 40.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Leader of the Pack {2:22}

2. Satisfaction {1:48}

3. Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) {1:55}

4. Dominique {1:38}

5. Somewhere {2:08}

Side 2

1. I Want to Hold Your Hand {1:35}

2. I Can't Stop Loving You {2:29}

3. Michelle {2:36}

4. Daydream {1:43}

5. Batman {1:47}

Basement News 9-2-08 (dzend's curiosities mix)

The nice fellow, dzendvokh, of dzend's bestiary has created a short mix using only the posts from this blog and my other blog, A Closet of Curiosities, as source materials. It's an entertaining and enjoyable mix that you can listen to here or here. The second link leads to a Divshare link where you can download it. Enjoy.

Professor X - This Beats Working for a Living: The Dark Secrets of a College Professor

Professor X - This Beats Working for a Living: The Dark Secrets of a College Professor

Here's another book for y'all. School is back in session here in the United States of America so perhaps this will be educational.

This paperback gives an insider's expose of the world of the college/university professor by a professor. This came out in 1973, but I suspect that most of the behaviors, habits, foibles and personality traits of professors depicted in this book are still the same today as well as the daily conditions of the academic world. An example told by Professor X is that professors generally lead dull lives, so to make their lives more exciting they start feuds with other professors usually over minor things. For instance, during a committee meeting, a professor became enraged and started an argument with a fellow professor over a $79 chair.

Another example of the behaviors of professors is that although they strongly emphasize to students not to plagarize, professors crib (or steal) material from several textbooks and use the material in their lectures and research.

The author wrote this book anonymously as he would have made a bunch of enemies and possibly would have had to seek employment in the "real world". The reader learns that most professors couldn't make it outside the confines of the academic institution and that professors tend to be rejects from industry and government.
It has somehow been revealed that Professor X is Odie B. Faulk, professor and head of the department of history at Oklahoma State University (located in Stillwater) at the time he wrote and published this book. Most of Professor X's personal anecdotes take place at Oklahoma State University. Odie has a page on the Texas Tech University's library of his donated manuscripts and other materials. One of those manuscripts include this book.


From the back cover:

AN UNCONVENTIONAL TOUR OF THE IVY-COVERED WALLS

Professor X asserts: "The Ph.D. has become a license to steal! The position of college instructor demands little work, less intelligence and no courage."

SALARIES: "Considering their work load, professors are amazingly well paid. A college instructor with a twelve-hour load is in the classroom just twelve hours each week."

ACADEMIC COMMITTEES: "The one committee on most campuses that actually does some work is the one dealing with salaries and fringe benefits. Here the professor members seem inspired, even possessed; they would make old-time labor leaders proud."

Students will read this book with glee, the profession will fume, and the hapless taxpayer will discover why he has to hock his future to pay for his children's college education.

Table of Contents:

page 9 - FOREWORD, PREFACE, AND INTRODUCTION

page 15 - I. ACADEMIC DUTIES

page 15 - Workload

page 20 - Selection of Textbooks

page 23 - The Lecture

page 31 - Educational Television

page 34 - Discipline in the Classroom

page 39 - Tests

page 45 - Grades

page 48 - Committee Work

page 52 - II. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

page 52 - Academic Conventions

page 57 - Writing

page 64 - The Book Review

page 75 - The After-Dinner Speech

page 80 - III. PROFESSIONAL ATTITUDES

page 80 - The Tendency to Anarchy

page 84 - The Professor and His Administration

page 88 - Elitism

page 92 - Pomposity

page 96 - Fads

page 101 - Feelings of Superiority and Inferiority

page 107 - The Educationists

page 111 - Lady Professors

page 115 - IV. PERPETUATING THE BREED

page 115 - Recruiting Graduate Students

page 120 - The Training of Professors

page 127 - Understanding the Profession

page 129 - The End Product

page 132 - V. INDIVIDUAL SURVIVAL

page 132 - Academic Quarrels

page 135 - Office Politics

page 138 - Defense Mechanisms

page 142 - The Route to Power

page 145 - Town and Crown

page 150 - Faculty Wives

page 152 - Faculty Entertainments

page 156 - CONCLUSION, EPILOGUE, AND AFTERWORD

part1, part 2  (links will be back soon)

Phil Hill - The Exciting Racing Sounds of Grand Prix: Challenge of Champions

Phil Hill - The Exciting Racing Sounds of Grand Prix: Challenge of Champions

This is a companion LP to the film Grand Prix. Race car driver Phil Hill narrates this album and interviews fellow race car driver Graham Hill (unrelated to Phil) and Grand Prix film director John Frankenheimer. The first track has those interviews. Then the rest of the album features recordings of Formula One race cars in action at four race tracks throughout Europe. More glorious car noises are in abundance here.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Interviews {9:58}

2. Monza, The Italian Grand Prix {4:49}

Side 2

1. Monte Carlo, Monaco Grand Prix {9:45}

2. Spa Francorchamps, Belgium Grand Prix {3:50}

3. Brands Hatch, British Grand Prix {3:01}

Beth Brown - The Truth about Mental Telepathy

I am trying out posting e-books here. I'm not as experienced in converting books to digital form. I have practiced with the paperback of this title. I scanned all of the pages. It's easy to do so when it is a paperback that is barely over 100 pages long. I may have damaged the book a little when I had to open the book wide enough for all of the pages to be scanned. Not that it matters much anyway, as the previous owner (presumably) had a need to write her or his name on the cover.

I am soliciting feedback about the quality of the scans and if you prefer a bunch of separate picture files or for the scans to be in .pdf form or if there's any other way you would like the scans to be presented. I also have plans to include magazines and other similar types of publications here sometime in the future.


Beth Brown - The Truth about Mental Telepathy

I obtained this copy at an antique store in Bethany, Oklahoma, a suburb west of Oklahoma City. This book promises to be a guide for anyone to develop their telepathic powers and case histories of people doing so.
This book is certainly loaded with case histories about instances where people suddenly found their telepathic abilities in life-altering situations such as a secretary mentally signalling to her boss to give her a raise or a schoolteacher sending signals to draw potential mates for marriage. It seems that more of the pages are devoted to case histories rather than how to develop your telepathic powers.
Supposedly, telepathy was used (unintentionally) to invent the telegraph as Henry Morse in England along with three other people in locations far away from England came up with the idea at about the same time. The author claims that telepathy played a key role in some other significant technological developments such as the printing press, the cotton gin, the automobile, etc. Curiously, there are not any footnotes or sources provided for these claims.
Not only will you develop your telepathic powers that you have (yes, the author says that everyone is supposed to have them), but you read a lot of interesting anecdotes and learn how to use your mind when you're finished with the book.



From the back cover:

Have you ever had someone on your mind, then decided to telephone that person only to hear him say that he was just going to phone you, or that he'd been thinking of you all day?
This is one of the commonest telepathic experiences.
Many people, too busy or uninterested to delve into the subject, chalk up such experiences to coincidence.
These people are not likely to develop their telepathic powers to the fullest extent; and some will meet head-on with misfortune that could have been avoided through faith and concentration.

Beth Brown has been a student of mental telepathy for many years.
She has known the thrill and excitement of gratifying telepathic experiences.
In this volume, she shares her knowledge and belief.

Contents: 124 pages, 12 chapters

part1 part2  (links will be back soon)

Sydney Omarr - Virgo

Sydney Omarr - Virgo

I meant to post this on August 23, the first day of the Virgo sign, but it slipped my mind. Basically, according to Mr. Omarr, you Virgo (born August 23 to September 22) "are perceptive, analytical, able to size up situations and people. Now you've been described by many as a critic, an individual who is overly concerned with neatness, with health, with a desire for perfection." However, "most of your criticism results from a genuine desire to be of service, to improve conditions." Sydney has more information about your sign, Virgo, as well as how you relate to the other 11 signs of the Zodiac. You'll have to download it yourself to find out more. As if this LP's appearance in the Basement is not enough of an endorsement itself, Henry Miller, considerably one of the best writers around, wrote the liner notes that are on the back cover. The liner notes are in the file too.




Excerpts from the valuable resource Wikipedia on the interesting background of Sydney Omarr:

Sydney Omarr (5 August 1926 – 2 January 2003) was an astrologer and counsellor to the rich and famous. While he wrote numerous books on the subject of astrology, including My World of Astrology and his autobiography Answer in the Sky, he is probably the most widely known for his books on the popular Sun Sign astrology that endeavoured to predict a person's astrological influences based on his 'Sun Sign' - technically derived as the constellation providing the backdrop to the Sunrise on the day of a person's birth (such as Aries, Taurus, etc). He also wrote a daily Sun Sign horoscope column which appeared in more than 200 daily newspapers of the Los Angeles Times syndicate and which was read by millions. It is believed that Sydney Omarr has sold more books on the topic of astrology (over 40 million) than any other individual.
...
As Omarr became a rather prolific writer, he also reinvented himself as a celebrity in his own right, appearing on various radio and television shows to include Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin, and Johnny Carson. He knew countless celebrities, and his wife Jeraldine Saunders was a former model, cruise director, and the creator of the "Love Boat" concept for ABC television.
Toward the end of his life, Omarr wrote a series of astrological guides published by Penguin, Sydney Omarr's Day-By-Day Astrological Guide. While he authored the books up until his death, his protégés have taken over the work, and Signet continues to publish the series. He believed he had been an astrologer in many previous lifetimes, and he was able to do full planetary horoscopes in his head when given an individual's birth coordinates and birth time. For his Los Angeles Times syndicate columns, he wrote each and every daily horoscope column personally, usually three weeks in advance.
...
Sydney Omarr died on 2 January 2003 at St John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California of a heart attack. His wife and friends were at his side. He is buried at Riverside National Cemetery in Riverside, California.
Omarr was born Sidney Kimmelman at 10:27 a.m. on 5 August 1926, in Philadelphia, with the Sun, Mercury and Neptune all in Leo, and Libra on the Ascendant.

Tracklisting:

Side One

1. All About Your Sign {18:50}

Side Two

1. How the 11 Other Signs of the Zodiac Relate to You: Introduction {0:36}

2. How the 11 Other Signs of the Zodiac Relate to You: Aries {1:00}

3. How the 11 Other Signs of the Zodiac Relate to You: Taurus {1:40}

4. How the 11 Other Signs of the Zodiac Relate to You: Gemini {1:43}

5. How the 11 Other Signs of the Zodiac Relate to You: Cancer {1:59}

6. How the 11 Other Signs of the Zodiac Relate to You: Leo {1:37}

7. How the 11 Other Signs of the Zodiac Relate to You: Libra {1:36}

8. How the 11 Other Signs of the Zodiac Relate to You: Scorpio {1:38}

9. How the 11 Other Signs of the Zodiac Relate to You: Sagittarius {1:49}

10. How the 11 Other Signs of the Zodiac Relate to You: Capricorn {1:34}

11. How the 11 Other Signs of the Zodiac Relate to You: Aquarius {1:19}

12. How the 11 Other Signs of the Zodiac Relate to You: Pisces {1:33}

Forrest McCullogh - Flight F-I-N-A-L: A Dramatic Comparison to Death

Forrest McCullough - Flight F-I-N-A-L: A Dramatic Comparison to Death

Once again, special thanks to aethr for contributing to the Basement by sharing this gem. You better believe me, it is a gem. If you're good, you get to go on an all-expenses-paid one-way trip to the special place that would become your final destination. Even better is that Flight F-I-N-A-L is not affected one bit by rising fuel costs.

Narrated by Paul Evangel

Labels on the vinyl say that the "inspiring" music is by the Combined Choirs of Trevecca Nazarene College.

Here's a little bit of info I got from aethr in the comments section in one of the previous posts: written and produced by Forrest McCullough, Evangelist...Amazing record of evangelist madness where the journey to heaven is represented by an airflight with religious student as stewardess and chairman as copilot...lots of christian music choirs and absurd prayers.

I used to own a copy of this LP years ago. I became caught up in some spring cleaning and this LP was purged along with many others. This is one of the few LPs that I regret parting with. In a way, I am reunited with this record. This would have been one of the first posts in this blog if I still had my copy, but it's here now. Hopefully, the flight depicted on this LP will be on your schedule when the time comes.


Tracklisting:  (link will be back soon)

Side 1

1. Flight F-I-N-A-L side 1 {17:30}

Side 2

1. Flight F-I-N-A-L side 2 {14:17}

Note: the track names in the file are named side A and B. Side A is actually side 2 or b if you prefer and side B is side 1 or a.

Earl Nightingale - The Strangest Secret

Earl Nightingale - The Strangest Secret

Yes, that's right. Earl has a strange secret. It's this secret that reveals how to achieve greater success, that reveals how to enjoy greater happiness and peace of mind. How do I know this? Well, the cover says so, therefore that's what the strangest secret does.

Okay, there are actually a lot of secrets out there that are much stranger than Earl's and I bet none of those other secrets have anything to do with greater happiness and greater success. I'll leave it up to you to dwell on those other secrets.

Earl Nightingale is known basically as a pioneer in the field of self-help/human motivation. At around the age of 12, Earl started to get interested in human motivation or why some people are successful while most other people are failures in life. This was during the Great Depression where Earl, like many other Americans, lived in squalor. The years have passed by, Earl serves as a Marine during World War II, then he goes in the radio business. He also starts an insurance agency at the same time where the agency went from last place to sixth place in sales witihn two years. He was also involved in advertising and public speaking.

Then at the age of 35, Earl "retires." This was evidently a big deal as newspapers all over the country wrote articles about Earl's early retirement. Earl doesn't actually retire but starts to study human motivation (his obsession from childhood) and wrote "The Strangest Secret" as well as recording other motivation records.

The other side of this LP consist of The Southwestern Company Sales Tips. These tips are aimed at salesmen particularly college students doing this as a summer job. The Southwestern Company publishes reference books and to this day still exists to supposedly "build people" i.e. hiring college students for cheap as "independent contractors" to peddle their books. Earl schools Southwestern's salesmen in how to deal with the customers and convince people (prospects) to buy the books. Back when this LP came out, salesmen went up to peoples' doors unwantedly and interrupted their lives to talk them into buying some crap. Nowadays, salesmen (known by their new common name "telemarketers") use the telephone to call and interrupt people during dinner time. At the end of the side, Earl in his calming smooth voice offers consolation for those folks unable to sell anything and encourages them to try again the next day while thinking how to differently approach the prospects. I mentioned in an earlier post that it would be a pleasure to even hear Earl describe paint peeling because of his voice. Listening to Earl dispense sales tips has kept me glued to my seat considering that I don't give a shit about selling books door-to-door.

Tracklisting:

1. The Strangest Secret {10:46}

2. The Southwestern Company Sales Tips: Your Job as a Salesman {2:37}

3. The Southwestern Company Sales Tips: Start the Day Right Use Time Wisely {3:23}

4. The Southwestern Company Sales Tips: The Approach (Sales Talk at the Door) {4:13}

5. The Southwestern Company Sales Tips: The Close (Sales Talk on the Decision) {5:11}

6. The Southwestern Company Sales Tips: So Your Sales Were Low Today? {2:22}

Dr. Paul P. Parker - How to Use Tact and Skill in Handling People

Dr. Paul P. Parker - How to Use Tact and Skill in Handling People

Knowing how to deal with people is a valuable skill in all walks of life. It's certainly a neccessity in corporate America, the intended target audience of this record. Having tact and skill in handling people is helpful whether one is trying to sell stuff to customers, wooing people and organizations to secure them as clients, negotiating business deals, getting along with co-workers or managing employees. Handling people is undeniably the most important factor to accomplish corporate America's goal and only reason for its existence: to make more profits.

The cover is revealing for this record's true intentions. There is a small round table with a chess board and chess pieces on it. A chess match is in progress. A captured black chess piece stands off the chess board and a caputured white chess piece also stands off the chess board. There is only one chair. Whoever occupies the chair has the white chess pieces. The one with the black chess pieces does not have a chair. Why is there a chair missing?

The cover is saying that handling people is like being in a chess match. It seems that the other people that are to be handled are the opponents. Specific chess pieces have only certain moves that are allowed in the game. Perhaps there are specific moves to be applied in dealing with different types of people. Strategy is the most important element. It's how to handle (perhaps manipulate) people in getting them to do what you intend. They are the captured chess pieces.

The cover is also subtle in another way. The goal in chess is to capture the opponent's king (the kingdom). Is the cover symbolic in that people in companies are in a real-life chess match? The goal is to capture the real-life equivalent of the opponent's kingdom, the competing company/corporation whether it would be taking it over or just putting it out of business.

Tracklisting:

Side One

1. Discovering Your Ability {3:23}


2. Technical Knowledge Versus Handling People {3:49}


3. How Emotions Affect Behavior {2:51}


4. What People Will Do and Will Not Do {3:17}


5. How to Handle an Argument {3:14}

Side Two

1. Losing Attention {2:53}


2. Taking the Sting Out of Criticism {3:08}


3. Are We Really Salesmen {3:32}


4. Keep In Step With Your Listener {3:38}


5. You Are Worth Half a Million {3:27}

Louise Egolf - Train Your Bird to Talk

Louise Egolf - Train Your Bird to Talk

The Basement continues to help teach useful skills to people because this is first and foremost an educational blog. It was ventriloquism, now it's training your pet bird to talk. Quite obviously, you'll need a living pet bird, especially one of the species mentioned on the back cover, for this skill to be of any use. Even if you don't have a pet bird, listening to this may still be helpful in case you someday purchase your own pet bird or to sample it like the Orb did on a remix of "Toxygene". This record contains 14 tracks of a woman named Louise Egolf repeating the word or phrase that is also the name of the track. You play this record for your bird so that your bird will learn the words or phrases and mimic them. A woman's voice was used because a woman's voice is easier to understand than a man's voice according to the liner notes.

The back cover says that this record can teach the following birds to talk:

African Grey Parrot, Bee Bee, Blue Crowned, Blue Front, Budgerigar (better known as the Parakeet; also called the Budgie), Caique, Chattering Lories, Cockatiel, Cockatoo, Double Yellow Head, Finches Amazon, Green Cheek, Half Moon Conure, Indian Ringneck Parakeet, Jenday, Lorikeet, Love Bird, Macaw, Mynah Bird, Nanday, Orange Cheek, Orange Wing, Panama Parrot, Red Headed Amazon, Rosella, Toucan, Yellow Head, Yellow Nape

Best of luck and wishes for many years of your bird talking to you.

Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Hello {4:09}

2. How Are You {3:10}

3. Hello, How Are You {3:22}

4. How Are You, Fine Thank You {3:04}

5. Pretty Bird {1:56}

6. Hello Pretty Bird {2:30}

7. Who Are You {2:41}

Side 2

1. Good Morning {3:54}

2. See You Later {4:17}

3. Bye Bye, See You Later {4:11}

4. Hi Baby {3:18}

5. I Love You {2:31}

6. Give Me a Kiss {4:03}

7. What's Your Name {2:44}

Max Toth and Greg Nielsen - Pyramid Power [book cover]

It's Pyramid Power, man!



From the back cover:

"...a good environment for transcendental meditation, bio-feedback and yoga, in that it surrounds its inhabitants with energy." TIME Magazine

"...the reason for the sustained interest in pyramids is a series of inexplicable and enchanting facts that have been learned about the Egyptian pryamids [sic] ." Daily News

"...each basic geometric shape has therapeutic powers, with the pyramid topping the list...Myriad curative powers have been ascribed to pyramids. They...emit psychic energy that caused all sorts of miracles!" Newsday

The topic of controversy in Times Magazine, Esquire, and numerous other publications across the country, Pyramid Power has captured the imagination of millions all over the world using its mysterious energies in research and to create a better life style.

Here is the latest fabulous and provocative information on pyramids around the world, instructions on building your own pyramid and suggested experiments.

Only in PYRAMID POWER, an exclusive chapter written by Karl Drbal, Czechoslovakian Pyramid Patenter and discoverer of Pyramid Energies.

Pyramid Power preserves food stuffs, amplifies thought forms and increases sexual vitality.

The authors, expert in their field, give you all this plus their own exciting discoveries so you can...

PUT PYRAMID POWER TO WORK FOR YOU!

Jimmy Nelson - Jimmy Nelson's Instant Ventriloquism

Jimmy Nelson - Jimmy Nelson's Instant Ventriloquism

The Basement, as you now know, also attempts to provide opportunities to learn useful skills. That would be cool if some of my visitors gain the ability to be ventriloquists. It seems that the fine art of ventriloquism has nearly vanished though it did show up in America's Got Talent. This record offers people the abilities to quickly master the art of ventriloquism. All they need is a puppet/dummy or two and, of course, the means to listen to this record. Jimmy Nelson along with two of his friends, Danny O'Day and Farfel, guide the listener through mastering the difficult letters and encouraging people to keep practicing.



Tracklisting:

Side One

1. The First Lesson -- Position of the Mouth -- The Beginner's, or, Simple Alphabet {6:10}

2. The Difficult Letters -- The Letter "B" {4:13}

3. The Letter "F" {2:49}

4. The Letter "M" {2:47}

5. The Letter "P" {2:02}

6. The Letter "V" {1:34}

7. The Letters "W' and "Y" {2:37}

Side Two

1. Review and Ventriloquial Voice {5:40}

2. The Last Lesson {1:12}

3. Instant Ventriloquism -- Explanation {1:58}

4. Routine for Danny O'Day {3:46}

5. Routine for Farfel {3:21}

6. Routine for Danny O'Day and Farfel {4:09}