When the Queen Smiles At Me I Go To Rio

Following up with the last post of The Partridge Family Bootleg, I bring you another bootleg. This time it's a real band playing a live concert. It's Queen rocking like only they could in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was part of a huge rock festival that still goes on to this day called Cidade do Rock. This particular performance comes from January 18, 1985. There never was and has never been a band like Queen and they were truly amazing. Hear for yourself as you listen to "Queen - Rock In Rio". Enjoy!

Queen - Rock In Rio

Come On Get Unreleased Songs

Today I offer a Partridge Family bootleg. What's that you ask, a Partridge Family Bootleg?!?!? Yes. I have no idea where I got this but I've had it for some time. At least ten years. It was a CDR that a friend of mine sent me back in the day when recordable CDs were the new novelty. It has no official name so I have always referred to it as "The Partridge Family Bootleg". It is pretty much a collection of songs that were on the TV show but never released. There are no track titles but you can figure out what songs are what by listening to it. For example, I know the first track is a cover of the old Everly Brothers hit, "Crying in the Rain" (written by Carole King). Anyway, it is pretty cool and I hope you like it as much as I do. Enjoy!

The Partridge Family Bootleg

Podcast 26 arrives!

I'm really enjoying doing these podcasts. It's becoming easier and easier to do them and the beauty of it is that I can work on them a little bit at a time and eventually, before I even realize it, I have a full one! This one features some great tracks from Barbi Benton, Black Sabbath, Dolly Parton, Fishbone, Barry Williams, the new Braodway cast of Evita, a live one from the Bangles, Monty Python, Cheap Trick, the Billy Nayer Show, Ween, Groucho Marx and many more. This one gets a little out there at times but hopefully manages to entertain. Also, as with the last one, this baby is ripped at 320 so the sound is huge! Here is podcast 26! Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #26

P.S. - If anyone remembers the David Bowie clip that I used to use in my podcasts of him announcing "Thursday's Child" and knows where I can get a hold of it I would love to know. I seem to have lost it somewhere and can't find it. I would love to have it and start using it again. Thanks.

Podcast 23 Is Here!

Here's the latest podcast featuring all kinds of fun stuff! As I stated a while back, my schedule has become sooooo intensely busy that I have very little time to devote to the World of Wonder yet the podcasts are something that I can work on little by little so I will continue to do these. Thus these newer podcasts have a bit of a different feel to them. And also as I stated, they are pretty much straight forward audio clips, comedy and music without any dialogue from me. I just don't have the time. That being said, this podcast is really cool! Featuring songs from Cheap Trick, Carol King, Jame Minoudis (a friend and fellow Creamed Corn member), 'Til Tuesday (recently remastered and sounding amazing), Bill Cosby, T. Rex, Nirvana, Frank Zappa, John Travolta, Tom Jones and Jack White. With some comedy from Lawanda Page, Don Adams, Avery and Schrieber, and some cool mash-ups featuring Johnny Cash, ABBA, Van Halen and a really special performance from Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork from the Davy Jones Memorial Concert in NYC. And so much more! There's a lot packed into this one. Enjoy!

Dartman's Wacky Podcast #23

John Linnell Tours The States

I've always been a They Might Be Giants fan. And I mean always. I wasn't one of the people who found out about them through their "hits" when their album, "Flood", hit the charts. By that time, I had known about the duo of John Linnell and John Flansburgh for a couple of years already. I have been a fan since they first came about and I have probably seen them at least 100 times. In fact, there was a time when my wife and I were seeing them in New York on an almost weekly basis. It's amazing to me that they are still going strong and every time people count them out, they come back stronger than before. In 1999, John Linnell released a solo album entitled "State Songs". The whole concept to the album consists almost entirely of tracks that are named after, and are at least partially inspired by, 15 of the 50 U.S. states. But don't look for state facts or history lessons here. Unlike the TMBG song, "James K Polk" which gave us a history lesson, the songs on "State Songs" suggest that there is another West Virginia inside of the state, that one can drive a house to Idaho, that Montana is a leg, Iowa is a witch, Oregon is bad, and Arkansas has sunken and is to be replaced by a ship of its exact shape and size. Linnell's explanation of where the state names comes in is that he used them as a way of avoiding having to come up with song titles. After releasing the album, John hit the road and took his solo show to a few of the 50 states. Here's a rare treat that I have never seen anywhere else (in fact, I don't even know where I got them). They are two live shows of John Linnell performing the State Songs. The first one is from 1995 (pre-release of the album) at The Mercury Lounge in New York City. The second is from the tour that followed the album's release in 1999 from a performance at The Bowery Ballroom in New York. These shows are great and feature not only the great songs from the album but a few surprises as well. Enjoy! John Linnell - State Songs Live At The Mercury Lounge October 1995 / John Linnell - State Songs Live At The Bowery Ballroom 12/11/99

The Best of The World of Wonder: Logan's Original Run

Since Rapidshare deleted a ton of my shares, the one that I get the most requests to re-up is, without a doubt, the audio from the advance screening of Logan's Run. So, as requested, here it is.


5 years from the day I was born, in San Diego, California, there was a special advance preview screening of a new motion picture from MGM called Logan's Run. Shortly thereafter the studio hacked a ton of stuff out of the movie to make it shorter, and gain the film a PG rating. The cut footage no longer exists (it vanished mysteriously along with the preview print)but thanks to a sci-fi fan named Fay Popejoy who took along a cassette tape recorder into the theater, an audio cassette exists containing the entire preview screening. This recording was originally released on a web site back in 2000. The web site is still there but the files have long since been taken down. Luckily, I happened to download those files and present them for you now. If you have seen the film, then you are in for a real treat. Included in this recording of the preview screening are several scenes that you have never seen bfore (or heard before to be exact). Among these are the deleted opening sequence where Francis kills a runner in a residence pool. The citizens then applaud the Sandman's shot. Other hilights include: A longer carousel sequence minus the computer voice, more dialogue in Nursery, Francis' 'lastday girl' cut completely form the film. There is also a part where Jessica talks about flameout as the ultimate thrill. Logan describes the effects of Muscle. Francis announces he is going to Cathedral to help backup Logan. We learn Holly's number is 13, and hear the infamous longer Love Shop sequence. Unfortunately the person doing the recording's tape also ran out during this sequence. Of course, the tape is changed and the rest of the film along with more cut goodies are there. Now, remember, this was a tape recording of a film being played in a theater in 1976. It is not going to sound perfect. But, none the less, it is still pretty cool to listen to. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I used to tape television shows on audio cassettes. This was long before the days of VCRs and DVRs so the only way to keep the program was to do that. I was extremely happy and very much surprised to find out that I was not the only person who did this. I have found many people from my generation who did this as well. Anyway, keeping all of this in mind when you are listening to the preview screening of "Logan's Run". Enjoy!

Logan's Run - Preview Screening Audio Tape (part 1)
Logan's Run - Preview Screening Audio Tape (part 2)

Dartman's Advent Calendar 2011: Day 22

Today marks the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year and the basis for all of the holidays celebrated at this time. To celebrate, we bring forth one, not three, king as we pull back the flap! Enjoy!

Advent Calendar 2011 Day 22

Lucy And Desi Get Roasted

A huge event for the stars of I Love Lucy took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel November 23, 1958 in celebration of the Friars Club 10th Anniversary. These testimonial dinners eventually were called “roasts”. Making an appearance at this “roast” was Dean Martin who spoke at length and also sang a parody of “Volare” about Lucy & Desi accompanied by Ken Lane. There were also featured appearances by George Burns, Art Linkletter, George Murphy, Tony Martin, Milton Berle and several others. One of those several others was a comedian named Harry Einstein. His stage name was "Paryakarkas". The "roast" would be his last performance. Anywhere. Literally. During the night he collapsed onto Milton Berle's shoulder and died. A "private label" recording of this dinner was released sometime after and featured some hilarious performances but not the collapse of Mr. Einstein. It does open with an announcement telling of the death. Here is that bootleg, I mean, "private label" recording. Here is “The Friars Club Presents The Lucille Ball And Desi Arnaz Testimonial Dinner”. Enjoy!

The Friars Club Presents The Lucille Ball And Desi Arnaz Testimonial Dinner

BONUS:
Here's a newspaper article all about the roast and the sudden demise of Harry Einstein. (click on pics for larger images)

Halloween-A-Thon 2011 Begins!

It's October and that means blogs all over the internet are counting down the days until Halloween! We here at the World of Wonder are no exception. Seeing as how a lot of the back pages of the blog have been wiped away or a lot of my sharities have been removed by the facist rapidshare corporation, I've decided to mix some old with some new this year. Some of the Halloween goodies I will be sending your way have never appeared on the World of Wonder before, while others will make a very welcome return. The first post of "Halloween-A-Thon 2011" is an old friend that has been wiped off of the blog. We are pleased to welcome back Paul Lynde's Halloween Special!


I know that over the last few years this has been a hot commodity that almost every blog has posted it so I figured I would keep the tradition going by posting it here. If you have never seen the special, you need to run out to the store and get your copy right now. It is a classic and features a list of guest stars that would rival any episode of The Love Boat! It's also historic in that it features the first television appearance of the band, KISS. Here is the original television soundtrack to "The Paul Lynde Halloween Special". Enjoy!

Paul Lynde Halloween Special OST

Bake The Hall In The Candle of Her Brain

Yesterday, my son and I were out driving around listening to "The Muppets Present: The Frog Prince." It captured my little two year old's ear and he eagerly awaited every new track. Just to be sure that I wasn't imagining him paying attention to the story, I asked him about it later on in the day and he recounted the whole plot and even a few items that I had forgotten. It brought a smile to my face to know that he was enjoying what was coming over the sound system. It also furthered my happiness in knowing that we have the old fashioned audio stories to listen to rather than having a DVD player in the car. Here is that same audio that we listened to yesterday (that he is still talking about today). It's a combination of the original soundtrack album and the soundtrack from the actual television special from 1971. Here is "The Muppets Present: The Frog Prince". Enjoy!

Jim Henson's Muppets Present: The Frog Prince

More From Ella

Last month I posted a great album of radio broadcasts from Ella Fitzgerald in the 40s. Today I bring you the same singer a couple of decades later. If you are like me, then you believe that Ella got better and better as time went on. She came to prominence in the 40s, went on to solo success in the 50s and became a legend during the 60s. The 70s and 80s just add to her already amazing presence and solidify her as one of the great all time singers ever. As I just stated, the 60s was where she became part of the elite who get to be called a legend and today's sharity is proof that it was earned. It's a concert from Amsterdam in 1961 and she sounds amazing! Don't believe me, listen for yourself. Here is Ella Live In Amsterdam, 1961. Enjoy!

Ella Fitzgerald - Amsterdam, 1961

The Original Formula With Added Monkees

Tomorrow night I start off a series of several shows playing for the one and only, Micky Dolenz. I am super excited to get back to playing with Micky. We start off with a free concert in Copiague, NY at a place called Tanner Park. If you are in the area come on down to the show and come say Hi afterwards. To celebrate the start of the "Season", I am posting another Monkees item. This time around it's a complete concert from 1989. What was special about this concert was it was on July 9, the day the Monkees received their star on the Walk of Fame. The "three-kees" played through half of the show and then were joined by the fourth Monkee, himself, Mike Nesmith. The Mike portions of this show have been circulating for years under the title, "Original Formula". The sound quality of the boot was ok but it was great to have for historical reasons (kind of like Elvis' last concert). However, I recently obtained the complete show from that date and the sound, though not amazingly perfect, is still really good. I present it for you now. Here is "The Monkees - July 9, 1989." Enjoy!

The Monkees - July 9, 1989
The Monkees - July 9, 1989: Part 2

A Head Full of Monkees

Friday night I was able to take in The Monkees 45th Anniversary Tour (or the 25th anniversary of the 20th anniversary tour) and loved seeing my buddy, Micky, having a ball with his old cohorts. I had thought that maybe it was going to be the same old same old that they have always done when they reunite but this show was truly great. It was a lot different watching a Monkees concert being a member of the "inner circle" and it was a great feeling to know I was watching friends up on stage. Anyway, I thought I would throw you a generous helping of Monkees stuff so here goes:
RHINO Handmade put out an amazing box set for HEAD last year that featured not only the original soundtrack in both MONO and STEREO but also had a bunch of great alternate mixes and unreleased items. It was great to get the "official" version of a lot of these items but there were still a lot that they left off. Two bootlegs that were released long before RHINO's box set contained not only the items released in the set but also a lot of others that didn't make the cut. Here are those tracks that didn't make the RHINO version from those two bootlegs. Here are "Head Shots" and "HEAD Deluxe". Enjoy!

The Monkees-HEAD Shots

The Monkees-HEAD Deluxe (part 1)
The Monkees-HEAD Deluxe (part 2)

Rock Around Le Clock

If you grew up in the 70s then you knew the song "Rock Around The Clock" and could probably sing it verbatim and even sing the guitar solo and the drum hits at the end. Of course, not everyone could sing "See You Later Alligator" or "Happy Baby". But I can. I love Bill Haley and the Comets. Unlike everyone else in my generation, I knew about them long before I ever saw Happy Days. They are credited with starting riots with Rock Around The Clock when it first was featured in the film, "Blackboard Jungle". It's hard to imagine that. It's also hard to imagine that they were a country and western band before jumping on the early rock and roll bandwagon. In 1966, the Comets made a trip to Paris. They would make the same trip again in 1974. Both trips yielded amateur recordings of the concerts. They are compiled into a nice bootleg called "Live In Paris". As an added bonus, you also get three tunes recorded off of Alan Freed's radio show as they were performed in Brooklyn in 1956. Here is "Bill Haley and The Comets: Live In Paris". Enjoy!

Bill Haley and The Comets-Live In Paris

The King Takes Over Stax

In July of 1973, Elvis and his entourage entered the famed Stax Studios in his hometown of Memphis and proceeded to record. However, it would take a while to get the recording done. It all started on a Monday night. The first thing Elvis requested was that nothing happen until the end of Monday Night Football, a Monday night tradition he shared with the Memphis Mafia. When it was discovered that there were no televisions big enough for everyone to view it on, someone was sent out to buy the biggest tv they could find to watch the game on. When the "viewing party" was over, that's when the guys entered the studio only to be paused again when Elvis declared that the lights were too bright and needed to be changed to softer, colored bulbs. When that was done, the band and Elvis realized that the colored bulbs made it too dark to read the charts so the original bulbs were replaced. Then, and only then, did the recording session convene. An interesting fact about the recordings done at Stax: while the songs were recorded at the Stax studio, the actual recording equipment was the RCA Mobile Recording unit which was in a truck parked in the parking lot of the studio. Among the great tracks recorded at Stax are "Talking About The Good Times" and the classic version of Chuck Berry's "Promised Land". Here are a bunch of out takes from those sessions. Here is "Good Times In The Promised Land". Enjoy!

Elvis Presley- Good Times In The Promised Land

Van Halen Gets Kissed

It's no secret that Gene Simmons discovered Van Halen. However, the details of when and how it happened are a bit sketchy. Different sources have different dates and different places as to when and where Gene first caught the band. The most logical one comes from Michael White. At the time, he was the vocalist for a band called "Boyz" which included future Dokken members George Lynch and Mick Brown. According to Michael, the "Boyz" were playing a Halloween show at Gazzarris on the Sunset Strip. The club was packed and most of the kids who came to the show that night were dressed up in KISS makeup. At the club were Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. Gene said that their label, Casablanca, was looking to sign some new bands. He asked where they were playing next so he could bring the record company big wigs out to see them. As luck would have it, the band had a gig the following week at the Starwood, another infamous club in Hollywood. They would be sharing the bill with another band called Van Halen. Gene showed up with the record company, but "Boyz" had an off night and weren't as good as they usually were. On the other hand, Van Halen had a great set. They impressed Gene so much that he flew them to NY to record some demos. Casablanca didn't sign Van Halen, but it wasn't long afterwards that some execs from Warner Bros saw the band (supposedly at the same club that Gene had seen them) and the rest is history. And from those early beginnings until their groundbreaking release, "1984", they were, quite simply, one of the greatest rock bands in the history of music. They were an unstoppable powerhouse. It's a true American success story. (I personally don't care for any of the material they did after 1984 - but that's just my humble opinion). Here is that demo produced and backed by Gene Simmons back in 1976. Here is "Van Halen Zero". Enjoy!

Van Halen-Zero

The Best of The World of Wonder: The Monkees Come Alive

A few years back, Rhino Handmade released a box set of all of the Monkees concerts that were recorded during their 1967 tour. Sadly, I missed out on the collection but I was able to gain a copy of a bootleg of their 8/12/67 concert in Mobile, Alabama as a birthday gift from my brother-in-law! I have no idea if there is a difference between the bootleg recording and the one featured in the box set. I do know that this boot rocks! Although the balance between the lead vocal and the back up band is at times almost non-existent (with the vocals being up front while the band sounds like they're in another auditorium) it still provides a look at what my cousin has referred to as "the first punk band" playing their hearts out to screaming kids and their parents at a Monkees concert in 1967. Enjoy!

The Monkees - Mobile, Alabama - 8/12/67 (part 1)
The Monkees - Mobile, Alabama - 8/12/67 (part 2)

The Three-kees of '89

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. I've been incredibly busy with all kinds of different things and getting a chance to post something on the World of Wonder has been almost impossible. I do promise that it is worth the wait. As you noticed in my last post, The Monkees (or the Three-kees as they have become known) are reuniting this summer for their 45th anniversary with a tour of England and possible the states! To celebrate, I dug into my bag of Monkees goodies and have brought forth this most impressive radio broadcast of a show they did back in 1989 in Holland. Here is The Monkees Live In The Netherlands, April 21, 1989. The sound quality is fantastic and it features a very special intimate acoustic set with just the three guys and no backing band in the middle of it all. Here is that show! Enjoy!

The Monkees Live In The Netherlands, April 21, 1989

Happy Birthday To The King

Today would have been the 76th birthday of Elvis. I was just reminded of that by a super duper Elvis fan who moved to Memphis just to get a job at Graceland. She knows more about Elvis than anyone I know and I know a lot of Elvis fans (including the President of The Rock and Roll Hall of Lame, I mean, Fame). Anyway, to celebrate, here is the King recorded live at the University Of Dayton. It's from October 6, 1974 and the title says it all. Here is "Elvis: Breathing Out Fire". Enjoy!

Elvis: Breathing Out Fire

The First Post of 2011!

For the first post of our (can you believe it) 6th year on the web, we here at Dartman's World of Wonder bring you a piece of musical history. Many people consider Louis Armstrong to be one of the greatest musicians of all time. What he added to music is immeasurable and listening to him today is just as exciting as it was when he first hit the scene. In May of 1954, Louis played to a packed house at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC. It was the annual Spring Germans dance and it was broadcast on the radio for those who could not attend. Fortunately, that broadcast still exists to this day! Of course, the only decent thing to do is to share that with you now. Here is Louis Armstrong along with Kenny Johns, Billy Kyle, Arvel Shaw, Trummy Young, Barnie Begard and Thelma Middleton from that historic night in North Carolina. Enjoy!

Louis Armstong - UNC May 1954