New horror-themed action figures from Super 7: Nosferatu, Hitchcock and more

Some fun stuff. Check Amazon for availability.


New Music Friday April 27, 2018: Willie Nelson; Janelle Monae; Van Morrison and Joey DeFrancesco; Shirley Ellis; Molly Drake

This week's new music releases of note. Click the links to order CDs,vinyl or downloads from Amazon.


Willie Nelson - Last Man Standing

Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer

Van Morrison and Joey DeFrancesco - You're Driving Me Crazy

Three, Six, Nine: The Best of Shirley Ellis

Molly Drake - The Tide's Magnificence 
(Collected recordings by Nick Drake's mother)

Pop Culture Roundup: Thanks; 1970s Kenner Toys; DC Comics 60s toons; Ditko and Wood; early Superman

Diversions of the Groovy Kind shares some original Thanos art by his creator, Jim Starlin.


----

From and everything else... the 1973 Kenner Fun Catalog.



Rip Jagger has a series of posts looking at the DC Comics cartoon series of the 1960s.


-----

Marvel Mysteries spotlights the art team of Steve Ditko and Wally Wood.


-----

Shroud of Thoughts considers the Superman phenomenon of the late Thirties and early Forties.

Time Capsule: "Hollywood Squares," April 26, 1968


Omnivore announces Complete Warner Bros.–Seven Arts Recordings by Peanuts pianist Vince Guaraldi

Out July 6. See the teaser video below. Order the album now from Amazon.

Details:

Many people got to know Vince Guaraldi through his 1963 Grammy®-winning song, “Cast Your Fate To The Wind,” or via the group, Sounds Orchestral’s top 10 cover of it two years later. Lee Mendelson heard Guaraldi’s version while working on a Peanuts documentary, and contacted Guaraldi, asking him to score the upcoming Peanuts Christmas special. It was a match made in television and musical history. With songs like “Linus And Lucy” and “Christmas Time Is Here,” the special a hit and for over five decades not a holiday season goes by without an airing of the television classic. So potent and successful was the Peanuts/Guaraldi combination that Guaraldi went on to score a total of 15 Peanuts television specials and the first feature film.

In 1968, Vince made a label switch from his long-time home, Fantasy Records, to his new label, Warner Bros. Records. For his inaugural album, he decided to re-interpret his Peanuts classics on Oh, Good Grief! In addition to the instantly recognizable Guaraldi sound of piano, bass, and drums, this time he added electric guitar and electric harpsichord to the mix. 

1969’s The Eclectic Vince Guaraldi lived up to its title and found Guaraldi experimenting with everything from a large string section, to his first recorded vocal debut (covering the singer/songwriter, Tim Hardin), to original compositions that could be described as lengthy rock jams.
Guaraldi’s last album for the label and last ever album, came in early 1970 and was called Alma-Ville. It certainly ranks among his best-ever albums. Six of the nine songs that appear on this ‘return to jazz’ project were Guaraldi originals and recorded with several different ensembles. Besides the original compositions, Alma-Ville finds Guaraldi covering The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” which had become a staple of his live performances, Duke Pearson’s “Cristo Redentor” and the Michel Legrand/Norman Gimbel song “Watch What Happens.”
    Disc 1:
  1. Linus And Lucy
  2. You’re In Love, Charlie Brown
  3. Peppermint Patty
  4. Great Pumpkin Waltz
  5. He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown (aka It’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown)
  6. Oh, Good Grief!
  7. Red Baron
  8. Rain, Rain Go Away
  9. Nobody Else
  10. Lucifer’s Lady
  11. Black Sheep Boy
  12. Once I Loved
  13. The Beat Goes On
  14. Yesterday
  15. Coffee And Doe-Nuts
  16. Reason To Believe
  17. It Was A Very Good Year
    Disc 2:
  1. Do You Know The Way To San Jose (Take 15)*
  2. The Beat Goes On (Take 14)*
  3. Oh, Happy Day*
  4. The Share Cropper’s Daughter*
  5. The Masked Marvel
  6. Cristo Redentor
  7. Detained In San Ysidro
  8. Eleanor Rigby
  9. Uno y Uno
  10. Alma-Ville
  11. Rio From The Air
  12. Watch What Happens (From The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg)
  13. Jimbo’s(aka Jambo’s)
 Also on the way is a vinyl reissue of Guaraldi's Oh, Good Grief!

Many people got to know Vince Guaraldi through his 1963 Grammy®-winning song, “Cast Your Fate To The Wind,” or via the group Sounds Orchestral’s Top-10 cover of it two years later. Lee Mendelson heard Guaraldi’s version when working on a Peanuts documentary, and contacted Guaraldi, asking him to score the upcoming Peanuts Christmas special. It was a match made in television and musical history.

With songs like “Linus And Lucy,” the special was a hit and for over five decades not a holiday season goes by without an airing of the television classic. So potent and successful was the Peanuts/Guaraldi combination that Guaraldi went on to score 18 Peanuts projects.
In 1968, Vince made a label switch from his long-time home, Fantasy Records, to his new label, Warner Bros. Records. For his inaugural album, he decided to re-interpret his Peanuts classics on Oh, Good Grief! In addition to the instantly recognizable Guaraldi sound of piano, bass, and drums, this time he added electric guitar and electric harpsichord to the mix. The record was a smash hit.
Now, for its 50th anniversary, Omnivore Recordings is proud to present the album the way the world first heard it—as stated on the original album’s back cover, “on shiny black vinyl.” Well, actually, this special pressing is “on shiny red vinyl!” Mastered by Kevin Gray and pressed at RTI, this timeless album has never sounded better.

LP Track List: Side 1:
  1. Linus And Lucy
  2. You’re In Love, Charlie Brown
  3. Peppermint Patty
  4. Great Pumpkin Waltz
Side 2:
  1. It’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown
  2. Oh, Good Grief!
  3. Red Baron
  4. Rain, Rain Go Away



New "Luke Cage" clip from Netflix



Newish Marvel Legends action figures

These are always fun. Search Marvel Legends at Amazon for availability.








Video: Avengers: Infinity War Cast Sings "The Marvel Bunch"

At the Movies: Brigitte Bardot in "And God Created Woman"






So long, Bob Dorough, jazz singer, Schoolhouse Rock composer

Jazz singer Bob Dorough, who composed a series of educational tunes beloved by the 1970s generation, died this week at age 94.

Along with collaborating with the likes of Miles Davis in the jazz world, Dorough wrote the tunes for the Saturday morning "Schoolhouse Rock!" cartoon shorts that aired on ABC during the 1970s and 80s, such as "Conjunction Junction," "Three is a Magic Number" and "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here."

Here's Dorough performing one of his classics:


Video: Benedict Cumberbatch's Tom Holland impression is PERFECT.

New Comics Day April 22, 2018: Bug; Captain America

Bug! The Adventures of Forager

Captain America Epic Collection: The Bloodstone Hunt

Cool! A Groot pin for Earth Day

Earth Day is this weekend and the folks at Mondo have revealed a limited-edition Groot pin in celebration, and to raise some money.

... we're thrilled to participate in the 9th Annual Austin Give 5% to Mother Earth campaign, which teams up with businesses to support local environmental non-profits. We’re donating 5% of all website sales today to help support the cause, plus we have an enamel pin of everyone's favorite music-loving, galaxy-saving, regenerating tree - Groot.
Find out more about Austin Give 5% to Mother Earth (aka Austin Give 5) hereThe Earth Day Special Edition Groot Enamel Pin is available now on mondotees.com.