A while back I featured an unusual "board game" that really isn't a game at all. It's the 1967 game, Kreskins's ESP, by Milton Bradley. The game is actually a series of tests you can do to test your ESP abilities. As such, it's an interesting look at culture in the late 1960s.
While doing research on it, I discovered that there was an LP record released at the same time as the game (or very soon after). Apparently the game was such a hit, Kreskin decided he could cash in a bit more, so he recorded it as an add on of sorts to the board game. You didn't need one to use the other, but it seems like they were meant to be enjoyed together.
The game is fairly easy to find but the record isn't. However, I put a search on eBay and just last week I got a hit! A sealed unused copy was up for grabs! Here it is!
I tried to find as much info as I could on it, and I stumbled across this review from Billboard - January 20, 1968:
"SSS International tries to capture the success of Kreskin's "ESP" party game on the recorded disk. There are 10 tests here, along with an introduction and instruction band. Depending on the amount of exposure on radio and television and transcendental waves messages emitted, this album could catch many people's fancy."
...and that's it.
As it turns out, the idea of the record is probably more interesting than the record itself. The record features Kreskin droning on in his sleep inducing voice about quasi-scientific theories and simple "tests" to release the powers of your mind. Most involve the pendulum. The weirdest one doesn't, however. It's the seance "table tipping" grand finale. Since nothing really happens on the record (he's just telling you what to do) it's fairly dull.
But why take my word for it? I found the whole album on you tube so you can listen for yourself!
An interesting thing about this album is that although it's fairly rare, it's really not worth much. I paid a little over twenty bucks for my mint copy, shipping included, and that was a full retail price. Why is it so cheap? Well, first of all, just listen to it. Secondly, the only person that would really want it would be some weird collector guy who wanted it to go with his Milton Bradley game.
In other words, I'm happy!
Until next time, keep searching for treasure!
I don't have the record, but I do (or did?) have the board game. Maybe all that's left of the 'game' is the pendulum and the pack of ESP cards... and I'm not sure I still have those.
ReplyDeleteI tend to think there is something to ESP, but it's too iffy to be reliable. I suspect the ability (if it exists) increases, the more you practice it; like a muscle. During my teen years, I went through countless rounds of Kreskin's ESP cards, trying to get as many right in each round as I could. The mathematical average would be getting 5 of them right per round. I kept 'score' for several years and came out ahead of the expected average. After thousands of rounds with the cards, I averaged about 7 or 8. There were a few outstanding results, like occasionally getting 12 to 15 correct (out of a deck of 25), or getting zero correct, which I find equally interesting.
Thee was one incident, when I was in high school, that still leaves me wondering: I was scheduled to give an oral report on ESP for a class I was taking. I was sitting in that class before the starting bell for that period rang. As I was going over my notes, I had a strong sense that the fire alarm was going to go off. And sure enough, with a couple minutes, it did! It was just a fire drill, but I had no knowledge that there was going to be one. They keep those things secret to gauge how well the drill goes. I almost wrote down my 'prediction' beforehand, but thought it was just a silly notion. After we all returned to class, from the fire drill, and I gave my report, I mentioned my 'feeling' about the fire alarm. Of course, there were a few chuckles, etc., which I knew would be the response to such a coincidence. Like Carl Sagan often said, "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence". And I'm a firm advocate of that. Still, I've never had anything quite so 'eerie' happen since then. And now I'm woefully out of practice. Oh well. So that's why I think there is something to this ESP thing.
I listened to the first 3 minutes of the record you linked to. At least, I think it was the first 3 minutes. I woke up and found that 15 minutes had actually gone by! ;-) As you noted, Kreskin's voice does drone on.
An interesting entry to Stu's Attic. Thanks.
I agree that there may well be something to it. There are just too many stories out there for it to all be bunk.
DeleteThat being said, Kreskin had to have a way to ensure that his performances went well. How he did it, I have no clue, but I'm pretty sure he had an "ace up his sleave."
That being said, I did pull off a stunt that impressed me. I had a deck of cards at work. I decided I was going to guess the 13th card down in the deck, without pulling the deck out of the pack. I started with red/black (red), suit (hearts) high/low (high) actual nimber (9). I figured I'd give myself a point for every right guess. I opened the pack and counted down 13 cards...to the 9 of hearts! I tried several more times and could get pretty close to other cards. Luck? Probably, but it impressed me! Lol!
But yeah, Kreskin's voice put me to sleep, lol!