Lone Ranger LP

Tracks:

Ambush at Bryant's Gap

Rope Justice

Stampede

Aces Wild

Well, this was a surprise!

I got an email from new Power Pal Mike Dean with audio files for a Lone Ranger LP from Peter Pan, which I never knew existed! I probably would have bought it (as in, begged my parents to buy it for me) since I generally considered The Lone Ranger a superhero alongside the DC and Marvel stalwarts.

The stories are decent, and utilize a lot of the same voices all Power Records fans are familiar with. The cover art for the sleeve is a little on the dull side, I guess Neal Adams was busy.

Mike tells me the record was released in 1978, then re-released in 1980 to coincide with The Legend of the Lone Ranger. I did a little more digging and found a Peter Pan Lone Ranger book and record set, as well:

There's no indication which, if any, of the four LP stories are being used here, so possibly this is entirely new Lone Ranger adventure! Who knew Peter Pan got so much mileage out of the character? When I see something like this, something I didn't know existed even after decades of Peter Pan Records fandom, it makes me wonder if there isn't even more stuff like this out there--Green Hornet? The Shadow? Doc Savage?

Anyway, big thanks to Mike for sending the audio along. Hi-yo, Silver!

House of Terror! - LP

I generally don't update this blog anymore, but sometimes I find something so interesting I can't resist!

I had never seen this LP before, called House of Terror!, until I saw it for sale on eBay recently. It's not from Peter Pan Records, yet it reuses the Frankenstein/Dracula/Werewolf story drawn by Neal Adams that was originally done for them! It also comes with a sampling of horror-centric humor songs, making for one tonally weird-ass album!

Did anyone have this? The insides (pictured below) look similar to the Peter Pan release, and as you can see the cover is a mish-(monster)mash of Adams art from the comic!

Themes From The Movies

Okay, I admit, this one is really far afield of this blog's mission statement, but when Power Pal Rockwell Jay Pugglesworth sent it to me I couldn't resist--it looks so fun! I mean, where else are you going to see these five fine examples of 1970s cinema all in one place? I mean, who doesn't remember the stirring theme from The Deep?

Clearly, the sleeve art was done in-house, since it has that...er, loose style that we've come to associate with Peter Pan's art department. This record gives us an idea what a book-and-record set of these movies might have looked like, which is a major tease: just imagine how cool a series of James Bond Power Records could have been!

Also--I've never understood the byzantine nature of music publishing, but how could PP release an album with the Star Wars theme on it when they clearly didn't have the license?

Scooby-Doo: Exciting Christmas Stories

Tracks:
Trouble at Santa's Workshop
Mystery of the Missing Santa

Power Pal Mike Bridges found yet another "rarity", this Scooby-Doo (and Friends) Christmas record, complete with cover art by comics legend Dan Spiegle! Like the other Scooby audio stories Peter Pan produced, these are pretty loyal to the show, using what sounds like the original cast. Fun stuff all around.

This album came with another, Scrappy-Doo-centric cover. I'm not posting it, because I have my limits. Thanks Mike!

Star Trek - The Time Stealer

Tracks:
A Mirror For Futility

The Time Stealer

PDF:
The Time Stealer

Thanks to some Star Trek and/or Power Records fan on Flickr, I finally found scans of "The Time Stealer", an audio adventure that essentially features the crew of the Enterprise meeting Conan The Barbarian, drawn either by John Buscema or someone doing a half decent facsimile!

Both stories on the Star Trek LP are loads fun, and very true to the spirit of the original series. If you're a fan, make sure you listen to episode 10 of The Power Records Podcast, where my co-host Chris Franklin and I discuss them in detail. LLAP!

Conan The Barbarian

Track:

Conan The Barbarian

By Crom, will wonders never cease?

Power Pal Mike Bridges found another amazing "new" Peter Pan record--a full cast audio adaptation of 1982's Conan The Barbarian movie! Produced by PP mainstay Arthur Korb and featuring many recognizable voices (I'm pretty sure whoever is playing Conan also played Superman and Batman at least a couple of times), I had never seen this baby before Mike pointed out to me.

Audio-wise, Conan The Barbarian is a blast, despite the fact that this is, after all, an R-rated film being adapted for children. And you can't do better than the sleeve art, taken right from the movie's poster.

It's stuff like this that gives me hope there are more Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, et al. stuff out there that we just haven't seen yet. A great find, thanks again Mike! 

Scooby-Doo Picture Disk

 

Tracks:
Scooby-Doo and the Mystery of the Strange Paw Prints
Scooby-Doo and the Mystery of the Sticky Money

Here's another unusual find, courtesy Power Pal Mike Bridges--a Peter Pan Picture Disk! As per usual with this blog now, I had no idea this existed, or that the company ever dabbled in this format. Unfortunately, I was not able to find an audio track for "Scooby-Doo and the Ghost in the Doghouse", so you'll all just have to take a wild guess what happens.

Of course, seeing this makes me think--hope--that Peter Pan did something similar for their Power Records line. How cool would a Neal Adams "Robin Meets Man-Bat" picture disk be? Odds are they never did, seeing as how none of them have ever surfaced over the years. But as is always the case with the Power Records, you never know.

Thanks again Mike!

Star Trek - A Mirror For Futility/The Time Stealer

Tracks:
A Mirror For Futility

The Time Stealer

Another Star Trek movie tie-in release, another front sleeve that also works as a sleep aid. Watch! The crew of the Enterprise stand-up! Thrill! As the crew of the Enterprise look concerned! At least Peter Pan had the smarts to retain the Neal Adams back cover, which is of course exciting as all get out. This record's contents are the exact same as the mid-1970s release, minus the new cover.

So sad and ironic that Peter Pan would not retain the Trek license after the first film, when as we all know the next film(s) in the series would be much better fodder for audio dramatization. Just imagine what Arthur Korb and Co. could have done with Khan Noonian Singh!

Star Trek - 4 Exciting Action-Adventure Stories

Tracks:

The Man Who Trained Meteors
The Robot Masters
Dinosaur Planet
The Human Factor

The Star Trek Story Records site continues to provide this blog with heretofore unknown Power Record discoveries, in this case yet another Trek repackaging meant to tie in to the 1979 movie.

And it's not just the sleeve that's new--the first audio adventure presented here, "The Man Who Trained Meteors", was another story I had never heard before! According to the STSR site, "Meteors" only appeared on this and one other LP, never getting a 45" or a book and record set. Click the link and enjoy!

Batman LP - UPDATE

Tracks:
Gorilla City
The Mystery of the Scarecrow Corpse

PDF:
Batman BR 512 Book and Record

 

 

 

 

 

 

No producer credits, but Arthur Korb seems like a good bet. The sleeve art is by Neal Adams, with the inside art by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, which means you simply couldn't do any better.

The stories are both a lot of fun, I like how Batman is a real detective in these stories, and seems almost a duly-designated member of the the Gotham P.D.

Now with added PDF!