For the Record...

 ...my daughter rocks when it comes to giving gifts. She knows that I love anything (and I mean anything) vintage Disney, so if she finds anything that fits that catagory, she snatches it up for little ol' me!

Today I'm featuring something she gave me a while back. Two Disneyland records, one for Lady and the Tramp and one for Mary Poppins. Here they are!

Pretty cool, huh? Quite frankly they had me at the vintage "Disneyland" logo, but let's dig in a little deeper, shall we?

These two records feature tracks from their respective films, with Lady and the Tramp showcasing "Siamese Cat Song" and "La La Lu" on side one and "Bella Notte" and "He's a Tramp" on side two. Mary Poppins features "Chim Chim Cher-ee" and "I Love to Laugh" on side one, and "Step in Time" and "Let's Go Fly a Kite" on side two. An interesting point is that Disney rarely released the actual tracks recorded for the movie, but, rather, rerecorded them for record distribution. 

Although these records look very similar, they were, in fact released several years apart. Both were released right after their fims, with Lady and the Tramp being released in '57-'58 (there was some confusion on the exact date) and Mary Poppins being released in '64. Also, although these are 7 inch records, they are not 45s, but 33 1/3 rpm examples. 

So there you have it! Two records with eight classic Disney tunes! 

Thanks, Jess!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!

The Stereo Grows!

 This week I'm going to show off my 63rd birthday gift! My birthday is actually tomorrow, but I picked this up a couple of weeks ago. It's a Sansui SR-1050C turntable! Here she is!

The controls on this unit are very simple. A on/off/tonearm lift on the right, and a button for 33 1/3 and 45 rpms on the left. That's it. It looks lot different from the Technics DL 1200 I was looking at getting originally. That unit looks like it belongs on a spaceship! Don't let looks fool you, though. The SR-1050C is a better unit, if only because it goes with my Sansui QRX-7500A receiver and Sansui QD-5500 reel to reel tape deck, seen here...

One of the main things that make or break a turntable is the stylus. This one came with a Pickering V-15/ATE 4 which is a solid unit. 

It also has a nifty early 70s wooden case! The unit was made in about 1970 to 1972...

Another view, without a record on it...

...and with the lid closed.

As to quality, it sounds fantastic. I seriously think it sounds as good (or close to as good) as my reel to reel! I'm VERY happy with it!

So, happy birthday to me!!!

Keep searching for treasure!

It's Greek to Me!

 This week I'm going to share an item left to me by my maternal grandfather, Dr. John Roy Stewart. He was a Baptist pastor for about 60 years, and in his studies he was required to learn both Greek and Hebrew. And I have this...

This leather bound book, about a foot tall and pretty heafty at over 1700 pages, is my grandfather's Greek/English dictionary. He actually used it when he was in school and later when he would write sermons.

Here's a look at the spine...

...and the pages.

This is the title page. It looks pretty old, huh?

Well, that's because it is! It was published in 1865. Obviously, my grandfather picked it up used...

Here's a sample page. They're all about the same, as far as I can tell...

And here's who sold the book. Are they still there? Probably not, but I haven't checked, to be real honest.

And there you have it. A treasure to me because, although I have no use for it, I know my grandfather used it quite a bit! And having a 160 year old academic text on my bookshelf makes me feel just a little bit smarter, I guess!

Until next time, keep searching for treasure!