Archive for November, 2009


Coming soon to the “Off The Record” Blog…

Filed Under: Announcements
Nov.29, 2009

BAD RECORD LABEL DESIGNS

In an attempt to make their labels distinctive, record companies design record labels that are usually eye-catching, usually at the expense of the labels legibility.

In the coming weeks, I will be posting my first “Off the Record” poll on which is the most hard to read record label.

TRADEMARK OBLITERATION

Throughout the late 70’s and early 80’s in Australia we had a number of U.S. releases imported here, but because of trademark reasons, the trademarks would have to be removed before they could be released (because a rival record label owned the name)

this confusing tale will be cleared up in a future post.

RECORD LABEL GALLERIES

I will be digging into my archives to bring you an occasional gallery of a record companies label as they looked over the years.

all this will be posted in the coming weeks.

Update: 21/12/2009

due to the fact that I have been busy these last couple of weeks, I have now decided to post these in the new year.

But fear not.  i have a Christmas posting coming this Friday. so stay tuned.

Tags: ,
read more

The Great Aussie Joke

Filed Under: Comedy
Nov.29, 2009

Record: The Great Aussie Joke – Maurie Fields and Shane Bourne

Record Label: Hammard

Catalogue Number: HAM 186

Category: Comedy

Also appearing on the LP (not credited, Daryl Somers, Ernie (Ossie Ostrich) Carroll and John Blackman)

Compiled by The Terrace Audio Productions P/L

Engineered by Helen Patullo

Assistant Producer: Suzee Robin

Compiled from “The Great Aussie Joke” Segment of “Hey, Hey, It’s Saturday” – 1988

Released: December 1988 (21 years ago this week, to be precice)

Side 1

The Telegram, Vacuum Salesman, Piggyback, Fingers, The Teacher, The Drunk and the Elephant, The Drover’s Dog, Bath Survey, Australia Post, The Clothesline, What’s Your Name?, The Five Ton Truck, The Gorilla and the Lion, The Barnyard, Ring Back in 10 Minutes, Snakes, Kids on Horses, the Three Hut Island, “The T-Model, the Porsche and the Ferrari”, The Quiz, The Queen of Egypt, Keep Peddaling, The Army Hospital, The Smartest Man in Australia, The Male Sexuality Survey, The Opening Batsman, Two Caterpillars, The Three Legged Chook, How Big is Your Property, Hey Hey It’s Saturday Go To Heaven.

Side 2

The Black Horse, Thanks Donkey, Warrick Capper, The Maternity Hospital, Three Men in Heaven, Explain Yourself, The Diagnosis, The Country Club, Monk It Up!, King of the Jungle, The Farmer, The Fancydress Cow, The Golf Game, The Bald Man, Penguins, The Jewish Flat Hunter, Fluffy the Cat, Three Men and a Firing Squad, David Jones Menswear Dept., Half A Lettuce, The Pet, At The Movies, The Freezer, E. D. K. T. M., Old School Friends, A Man on the Sun, Sulphuric Acid, Geronimo, God Will Save Me, Private Johnson.

 60 jokes sent in by viewers from “The Great Aussie Joke” Segment from Hey, Hey, It’s Saturday. (A “Best of 1988″ collection, so to speak)

This was (to date) the only recording of material taken from the show that has appeared commercially.

on a technical note: This LP was one of the last recordings that was released by Hammard, as the company ceased operations around January 1990.

Tags:
read more

Music World (New Zealand)

Filed Under: Labels
Nov.15, 2009

the New Zealand budget label headed by Houghton Hughes.  It was in operation in Australia from around 1980 until 1996 (in New Zealand, it had been around since the mid 1970’s)

In Australia the label was distributed by a company named Trans Tasman Productions (by the late 1980’s it became Music World Australia)

their specialty was in compilations and original recordings featuring recording artists as Tom Sharplin and Rhonda

the first logo above appeared on LP releases from the 1970’s.  Below is the label from this era:

and here is the label as it appeared in the 1980’s

by the late 1980s, the comany branched into CDs and Videocassette releases.

The last known releases by this company were released around 1996.

During it’s heyday, the record company was available everywhere in Australia, but by the mid 1990’s it was only available at dollar shops such as The Reject Shop.

 

Tags:
read more

The new and improved AFD is now online

Filed Under: Announcements
Nov.15, 2009

It’s not just Foxtel and Austrar that is launching it’s new TV channels today.

the new and improved Audio Fidelity Database comes online today.

The website has now had it’s layout re-conformed to the rest of my website (no more frames, Yay!) , and has had additional pages (which had been submitted to me while I was in transit, but was unable to be added until now.)

Actually, if you were online between 4 PM and 5 PM yesterday, you would have got a preview of the site, as I was fixing a few bugs before I made the site officially “live”

After 5PM, I had changed the index page back to the “pre-launch” page once I completed my bugfix, but now the site is now officially live.

click on the link on my links area on the right, and let me know what you think. by contacting me at offrecord at brucelaing.com

Tags:
read more

Bugs Bunny – Get that Pet!

Filed Under: Childrens
Nov.08, 2009

 

A Peter Pan Narrated Book and Record

Category: Childrens/Licensed Characters

Starring Mel Blanc as Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Sylvester and “Granny”

Illustrations by George C. Peed

Catalogue Number 1972

Released: 1973

Once again into the archive, and today I am bringing out a rarity from the Peter Pan catalogue.

the company was famous for releasing many cartoon characters (Hanna-Barbera’s “the Flintstones” and Yogi Bear, King Features’ Popeye and others) on record (and in this case, on book and record).

It was around this time that the company got hold of the Looney Tunes license from Warner Bros (and also getting the services of Mel Blanc in the bargain)

the big drawback for this though is there wasn’t enough of a budget left for a full orchestral accompaniment, just a tinny electronic organ.

Mel would perform many of the Looney Tune characters for this and a 12′ book and record (including character he never originally voiced).  On this record, he also had to do the voice of “Granny” (even though it was obvious that Granny’s original voice talent was Bea Benederet, and June Foray (her current voice)

here’s the setup:

 

Granny, finally fed up with the cat and the canary’s shenanigans, decides to get a new pet.

Bugs turns up at Granny’s, and with the old saying “Two’s Company, Three’s A Crowd” ringing in their ears, Tweety and Sylvester plot to oust the rabbit, usually the plan backfires…

Usually with the hapless puddy on the receiving end of Granny’s broom

After nearly bringing down the house, Bugs leaves, deciding that being a pet is too noisy.  Things get back to normal… with the usual results…

In case anyone is wondering how Mel did Granny, if you recall the Flintstones episode where Barney is dressed up as an old lady, that would give you a fair idea.

Tags:
read more
Powered by WordPress. Theme: Motion by 85ideas.