D R E W • F R I E D M A N

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

CO STAR, THE RECORD ACTING GAME

CO STAR, The Record Acting Game" was a popular series of 15 LP records released by Co Star records, a subsidiary of Roulette Records, that appeared in the late fifties/early sixties, featuring several legendary actors, several has-been actors, and several younger actors (and singers) performing scenes from plays (Macbeth), novels (Peyton Place) and movies (Casablanca) costarring YOU, ("YOU act scenes opposite your favorite star!") leaving blank spaces between their lines so you can recite YOUR lines. A narrator introduced each record (although Tallulah Bankhead read her own introduction )and 20-24 page mimeographed scripts were enclosed with each record, indicating when to insert your lines to "act" opposite the star. Who needs acting teachers?

http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/05/365_days_135_co.html

Albert Brooks also did a brilliant parody of the Co Star Records for his comedy album "Comedy-Minus-One":

http://www.how2foldsoup.com/index.php/Articles/Albert-Brooks-Comedy-Minus-One-Script.html

directions

Here are all the CO STAR covers:

a Co Star Script

Friday, November 4, 2011

Robert Grossman MAD paperback covers

In 1975, Ballantine books, in attempt to give their MAD paperbacks a more updated look, hired the great airbrush caricaturist, Firesign theatre album cover artist, and National Lampoon regular Robert Grossman to create new cover art for the first five MAD paperbacks, originally issued in the mid-fifties.

Grossman has long been one of my favorite contemporary caricaturist/cartoonists, and I've always loved these paperback covers and his unique take on Alfred E. Neuman. Apparently MAD publisher William M. Gaines was not so pleased, and personally asked Ballantine founder Ian Ballantine to issue another set of the same books the following year, with brand new covers created by longtime MAD cover artist Norman Mingo. Go figure.

These fun Grossman covers are pretty rare, enjoy!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Horror Records for Halloween!

DROP DEAD!

Here are over 180 covers of spooky, horrifying, terrifying, and in some cases ridiculous monster-related, science fiction related/ghost related/gothic-related and Halloween-related LP and singles vinyl album covers. Some are common, some rare and obscure, some great and some awful. You decide.

Arch Obler's DROP DEAD from Capitol was the gold standard of horror records. My brothers and I wore out several copies, always listening to it... in the dark. http://thenostalgialeague.com/kwtnl/drop-dead.html

Check out Leonard Maltin's essential new article "When Dracula Reigned on Halloween", which includes a link to the very blog you're looking at:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/leonardmaltin/archives/when_dracula_reigned_on_halloween

And click this link for more on a series of Horror LP records, not included here:

http://drewfriedman.blogspot.com/2011/07/terror-son-of-horror.html

"Tales of the Frightened" volume one (cover art by renowned pinup artist Freeman Elliot)...

http://www.all-art.org/pin-up_art1/elliot1.htm

...and volume two. "Are YOU one of the frightened?" asks the soothing, sinister voice of the great Boris Karloff at the beginning of each tale. Great cover art and spooky readings of short, short horror stories. This was also used on a paperback cover with the same title.

This album consisted of audio clips from several Universal horror films, and a Don Post Frankenstein monster mask featured on the cover.

a later reissue

the back cover

"A George Garabedian Production".
Slightly misleading cover, as Dracula was no where to be found on this
old Suspense radio drama featuring Bela Lugosi.

Aurora Monster model art (by James Bama) on a record cover! Wow! This was a must-have, although it's basically former Dead End/Eastside kid, actor Gabriel Dell (excellently) imitating Bela Lugosi as Dracula and the "voice" of the Frankenstein Monster. Another example of the cover art being far better than the actual record (written by Cherney Berg!).