The Wizard of Oz songs on vinyl

Well, the 80th anniversary of the premiere of MGM's The Wizard of Oz is today. Looking back over my blogs about Oz vinyl records, I noticed the soundtrack album of the movie was unrepresented.

Well, let's fix that, shall we?

In 1940, the songs from The Wizard of Oz were released onto 78rpm records for fans of the film to purchase. However, this was not a soundtrack album. A soundtrack release is made of selections from a film's music, sometimes mixed differently or even using different recordings of the music designed to be listened to without the film.

This release, from Decca Records, featured new recordings of the songs, and only one of the cast could be heard: Judy Garland, singing "Over the Rainbow" and "The Jitterbug." The rest of the singers on the records were members of the Ken Darby singers, under his direction. Victor Young and his orchestra performed the music. The other songs on the records were "The Merry Old Land of Oz," "If I Only Had A Brain" (but it also included "If I Only Had A Heart" and "If I Only Had The Nerve"), "We're Off To See The Wizard" and "Munchkinland" (the entire song sequence, filling both sides of a 78 record).

These recordings used some additional lyrics for the songs not used in the film. These were added to commercial sheet music to help the songs be performed outside of the context of the movie. To help tell the story of the song during "The Merry Old Land of Oz," a soloist in the role of Dorothy says "We can't see the Wizard like this, we're all dirty." The Tin Man says he's rusty and the Scarecrow says he's lost a lot of straw, while the Lion says he's afraid of water. The chorus sings "Here we rush with soap and brush to make you clean and fair!" This line has been added to some other versions of the song, for example at the first OzCon karaoke in 2018, I was surprised to see it in the onscreen lyrics for the version of the song I performed.

This collection of records sold well for Decca and in time was reissued as a pair of 48rpm records. Later still, it made side one of a new album that paired the songs with Decca's recordings of a similar collection for Disney's Pinocchio. And that is the version I own.

The first true soundtrack recording of the movie was released in 1956, but unlike modern soundtrack albums, it presented dialogue from the film along with the songs. This meant it included a lot of the score, but it was clipped very short to reduce the audio from 101 minutes to a mere 40 minutes. A number of scenes got the cut, and oddly, the cuts eliminated any mention of the film's iconic Ruby Slippers. For the modern Oz fan, the original version of this album can be very jarring to listen to. Still, for many years, to hear the original cast of the film sing the songs without seeing the film in theaters or on television, creating an audio recording from TV or somehow owning a film print (looking at you, Rob Roy MacVeigh), this was your only option.

This version of the album would be reissued many times with very different album artwork over the years until compact disc came along. It was rebranded "The Story and Songs of the Wizard of Oz" and expanded. My personal vinyl copy seems to be a rather common one that was reissued well into the 1980s.

In 1995, Rhino Music released two new soundtrack albums for MGM's The Wizard of Oz on compact disc. The big one was a 2-disc set that I've profiled before, but there was also a single disc version that in time has become more widely available. This one featured the main titles overture, the songs of the film—opting for extended versions when available—, the Cyclone music, "The Jitterbug," the deleted Emerald City reprise of "The Witch Is Dead!" and the finale music. This version of the soundtrack is now the standard version and has been released on various CDs, digital and even some special vinyl releases.

Do you have these versions of the MGM songs in your collection? In what format? Go ahead and fire away in the comments.

Read-Along with Return to Oz

We now come to the next section in seeing how "Return to Oz" is adapted from film (back) to book for merchandise tie-in.   Here we have a Read-Along, whether it was with records or tape cassettes.

This is not the only Read-Along treatment, however, considering the scarcity of that other one, I may devote a post to that.  But for for let's focus on this one.

Like many other books that told the film's story, these pages were a condensed version using photographs instead of making new illustrations - which isn't a bad thing because there are some rarely seen images here.

The books are both square shaped with the Tape Cassette being not as wide as the Record, allowing the pictures inside to have a bit more imagery shown and seen on the furthest edge of the pages.
And yes, it's possible the covers have a slightly different tint to their colouring, depending on how they were printed (or exposed to conditions on shelf).

The voices, including a Narrator, are performed by a small cast of British-sounding sound-alikes, the best being a girl who sounds a lot like Fairuza Balk!

This is actually a good and nice short adaptation of the film, but with subtle changes to the context that many people wouldn't notice:
* Billina is described as Dorothy's pet
* Aunt Em does mention taking Dorothy to see a doctor, but Doctor Worley is not mentioned by name or even actually acknowledged (but he is in a photo).  It is Nurse Wilson who gets the attention, who straps Dorothy to a table and "a huge electric machine" - the lightning allows a blonde girl to suddenly free Dorothy and escape with her into the storm.
* No mention of finding the old farmhouse (or a lunch-pail tree, but it its pick is seen in photo), just the broken yellow brick road which leads to the ruined Emerald City - there Dorothy encounters the Wheelers, the Head saying how "the Nome King rules now" and that they should take Dorothy to Mombi because "you know of the Scarecrow" - Dorothy escapes them.
* Tik-Tok is still under His Majesty the Scarecrow's instructions to wait for Dorothy, he somehow knows of Princess Mombi and takes Dorothy to her, without fighting the Wheelers (this moment uses an image of the two characters underground, not in the hidden chamber).  Tik-Tok also knows that the Nome King hates chickens and hides Billina in Jack's head when they arrive on the Mountain later.
* While it is established that the Nome King has the Ruby Slippers ("Things have changed since you were last here, Dorothy.  Did you know you left something behind?"), there is nothing about his transformation - he apparently only offers the game for DOROTHY to play, but if she guesses wrong then she and her friends will be turned into ornaments just like the Scarecrow.
Naturally, Dorothy makes a lucky guess "The pincushion! It's green - like the Emerald City!"
* Oddly, despite the image of a GIANT Mountainous Nome King, he is written to "burst angrily through the door" - there is no mention of Mombi following Dorothy to warn him, being caged or any of her demise/punishment being mentioned.  Only the King's demise is retained and Dorothy reclaiming the Ruby Slippers to make her wishes (which is returning to the Emerald City and "all life to be returned to this land" separately).
* Scarecrow suggests Dorothy to be Queen, which she wants to but can't and wishes, allowing the blonde girl to step out from the glass as Ozma, long lost queen of Oz (again, Tik-Tok knows!).
* Ozma is on the throne (only the image shows her wearing the Ruby Slippers - no confirmation in text) and that allows Dorothy to say good-bye promising to never forget her friends, as a mist carries her back to Aunt Em, worried that Dorothy had drowned but is glad to be safe and welcomes her back, saying she will "never worry about your dreams again!"

So here is an actually decent short retelling of the film, even if it loses some vital key details with some minor bad guys and gives Tik-Tok slightly more of a role.

As good as it is having a book that includes rare photographs from the film, I do now wonder what it would be like if it had been given nice new illustrated paintings, like the Disneyland Records?

The Wizard of Oz - Tale-Spinners for Children

Just when you think you've got them all, you find something else!

I'd seen this record before in the 100 Years Of Oz book, but considering some records got repackaged, I didn't know if it was one I already had or not. (The Mr. Pickwick Players album, for example.)

I came across this at the sales tables at the Winkie Convention this year for $5. Deciding $5 wouldn't be a big loss if it turned out it was another album I already had, I picked it up. The cover art's pretty cool.

Well, turns out, it was a new album for me, once again taking advantage of the fact that the original book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is public domain and doing an adaptation with a full cast, but, in a note rather different from most Oz records, no narrator.

The adaptation follows Baum's book rather faithfully with some expected story shortenings and a few changes.

We pick up right with the cyclone striking the Kansas farm. Quickly, we get to the Land of the Munchkins, but the Good Witch who greets Dorothy oddly calls herself the witch of the South. The Munchkins were obviously done by speeding up their recording, which at first made me think my player had malfunctioned! Dorothy stops when she meets the Scarecrow when she comes to a fork in the road. The Scarecrow tells how he was assembled and how his face was painted, but not how a crow told him he needed a brain. The Tin Woodman skips his story, and the Lion is introduced by Dorothy starting to yell at him.

There are no adventures noted from the time the Lion joins to the time they arrive at the Emerald City, and all the friends see the Wizard together. His forms are not noted, it's just a big booming voice. As soon as the Wicked Witch of the West sees the friends in her country, she uses the Golden Cap to have them brought to her, but she doesn't think the Scarecrow is a worthwhile addition to her castle, she tries to set him on fire, but Dorothy threatens to splash a bucket of water on her. The Witch shrinks back at this, but the Tin Woodman tells Dorothy to go ahead and do it, thus defeating the Witch.

The friends crown Dorothy with the Golden Cap, summoning the Winged Monkeys, who tell Dorothy they can't take her home, but they will take her to the Emerald City, where they catch the Wizard as himself. He gives Dorothy's friends their placebo gifts from the book, but when he sees the Golden Cap, he tells Dorothy she can summon the most powerful Good Witch with it. The Winged Monkeys bring the Good Witch of the North (both the Good Witches sound rather... male...) who tells Dorothy how to use the Silver Shoes in return for the Golden Cap.

So, a few changes, but overall a faithful retelling of Baum's story, using much of his dialogue. Nice production, but I gotta say, there's nicer ones out there. (The Disney one, for example.)

Two More Wizards

Okay, these will be the last story records I'm looking at in awhile because I'm not aware of any more records I want to get too soon and the weather is starting to warm up, and in Missouri, it can get hot. And since I have these records sent to me and they usually arrive on days I work, they sit outside for a bit, and I don't want to take the risk of them warping.

First off is Art Carney reading a short adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This recording was re-released many times in a variety of forms. My copy is a regular 33rpm record with a reading of the classic Poky Little Puppy, the song "Little Fat Policeman," and a really short story and song about "Brave Cowboy Bill." Art Carney is only on the Oz track.

And take a look at the producer: Golden Records. Yep, here's their Wizard of Oz, though their Wizard of Oz Returns really dwarfs this one.

My copy's sleeve is pretty badly beaten up, in that it is no longer a sleeve, but two pieces of cardboard. Lovely.

This Wizard runs eight minutes, and licensed four songs from the MGM movie: "Over the Rainbow," "We're Off To See The Wizard," "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead," and "The Merry Old Land of Oz."

Art Carney's retelling takes on a less linear style to the story. It introduces Dorothy and says she'd like to visit other countries, spurring a bouncy "Over the Rainbow." It then tells us how the tornado took Dorothy to Oz, and then says she met all sorts of strange people, like the Wicked Witches, and the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion, and we are told what they wanted. Then we're told about the Wizard, and that gives us "We're Off To See The Wizard."

In the Emerald City, we're given "The Merry Old Land of Oz," which has the expanded opening with "There's a garden spot I'm told..." We are told the Wizard sees them one at a time and tasks them to kill the Wicked Witch of the West, which is said to be difficult, but all it took was a bucket of water because "the Witch was made of brown sugar." This spurs "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead."

Then the story wraps up with an explanation that the Wizard granted their wishes, Dorothy's needing the help of a magical pair of silver slippers. And when Dorothy's home, there's a reprise of "Over the Rainbow."

Overall, not a very special version. Short and sweet, some nice takes on the songs, but I wouldn't recommend this one unless you're a completist. There isn't a voice cast, just Art telling the story and people singing the songs.

The other record has also been re-released many times. It's a retelling by Peter Pan Records and was released as a readalong with a 45 rpm record, though the book was reillustrated a few times and the opening was changed out. (I found a version online introduced by Barney the Book Bear, but when I played my copy, it was a deep, grandfatherly voice calling himself a Peter Pan storyteller. Maybe the one I found online was from a cassette version.) 

It was also released as a lead feature on a 33rpm without gaps for page turns. I found a nice transfer of that on YouTube, so you can actually go there and give it a listen.

The story runs 5 and a half minutes in the non-readalong form and uses a small cast for the principal characters and a small chorus. There are three original and very short songs, the lyrics of which are in the book.

The story opens with the song "We're On Our Way," then we are introduced to Dorothy, but we are told that her trip to Oz happens when she's walking home (from school, maybe?) when she sees a tornado and runs into a nearby house. (The illustration, however, shows Aunt Em inside.) And we know what happens with the house...

In Oz, there is no Wicked Witch of the East, and the Munchkins greet her with the song "We're A Happy Bunch Of Munchkins." The Munchkins then direct her to the Emerald City, and inbetween meeting her friends, the "We're On Our Way" song is reprised.

The Emerald City is reached with no mishap, and the Wizard, a man in a crown, tasks them to destroy the Wicked Witch of the West, who immediately sends her Winged Monkeys to capture Dorothy and her friends. Dorothy's friends are kept in a cell, while Dorothy is made to work, singing the song, "Somewhere."

Hearing Dorothy's song, the Witch threatens her, forcing Toto to bite the Witch, making the Witch strike Toto, making Dorothy throw the water on the Witch.  She melts, leaving behind the Silver Shoes.

The Wizard says this adventure proves that the Scarecrow has a brain, the Tin Woodman has a heart, and the Lion has courage. And that's a cop-out, since they were in a cell the whole time, making that the biggest flaw in this program. Surely they could have had the Wizard present them with the actual things, since this is just audio.

The Wizard tells Dorothy to use the Silver Shoes, which she instantly does, sending her home, the chorus ending with a musical flourish: "And that's the wonderful story of the wonderful wizard of Oz!"

I actually like the little songs, though they've been criticized as derivative of the MGM movie's songs. It's easy to match up "We're On Our Way" with "Off To See the Wizard," "Somewhere" with "Over the Rainbow," and "We're A Happy Bunch Of Munchkins" with "We Welcome You To Munchkinland," but they did a nice job with the songs nonetheless.

The story adaptation was very basic but suitable, though the "you had what you needed all along" bit doesn't work if Dorothy's friends can't get a chance to show that they do.

Did some of these record producers just have an aversion to Good Witches? They omitted them in both of these and the Snagglepuss album.

So, overall, this one is worth picking up in some form, especially since you can probably find it for a pretty cheap price.

"Heavens to Murgatroyd!"

In the 1960s, Hanna-Barbera were producing records as well as cartoons. One line featured their characters taking part in classic literary stories and fairy tales, and yes, The Wizard of Oz was one of them.

Snagglepuss Tells the Story of the Wizard of Oz was released in 1965. However, my copy (stage left) is a re-release dated 1977, retitled Snagglepuss and the Wizard of Oz. Going from eBay, it was also released in sets with other records, or possibly it was edited down and put on a record with other stories.

Here's the original cover:

Unlike some of the other titles in the series, Snagglepuss does not take part in the story. Instead, he retells the story, so it's an audio dramatization, sort of, with Snagglepuss narrating. If you're familiar with the character, you know how he has a dramatic way of saying things: "The Wicked Witch of the West could see for miles! Inches even!" He also gets to use his trademark line: "Heavens to Murgatroyd!"

The story actually sticks very closely to Baum's story with a few major exceptions. First off, there are no Good Witches, a Wicked Witch of the East, or Silver Shoes. The Wizard's idea to take Dorothy home in a balloon works. So this eliminates the journey south.

There are also no adventures featuring the kalidahs or the poppy field, so no Queen of the Field Mice, either. All the friends go to see the Wizard as the big head at once. Also, the Wicked Witch of the West calls the Winged Monkeys with the whistle, and the bees were removed. The wolves and crows are not killed, but made to flee.

Dorothy makes a point of when the Scarecrow has a good idea, the Tin Woodman is kind, and the Lion is brave, so when the Wizard explains that each of them already had what they wanted, it doesn't feel so much like a cheap cop-out.

The voices work pretty well. I'm not too keen on the Scarecrow sounding like a somewhat mush-mouthed dunce, but since this is a funny adaptation, I'll cut it some slack. The Tin Woodman has a squeaky-sounding voice. The Lion's voice is a deep humorous-sounding voice, sounding more like a clown than anything else. Dorothy's voice is definitely an adult actress attempting a child's voice.

There are also five songs, at least four of them original to this album:

• "Snagglepuss" A song introducing Snagglepuss. There doesn't seem to be any other records featuring Snagglepuss, but I'd be surprised if this was the only time this song was used.
• "If I Only Had A Brain" Despite the title, not the song from the MGM film. The Scarecrow sings about his longing for a brain. "I'm not very smart, I'm not very wise, and I've got a low IQ. There's nothing at all between my eyes, what's a poor Scarecrow to do?" Note the singing voice doesn't match the speaking voice of the Scarecrow.
• "The Wizard of Oz" A charming upbeat song sung by the Wizard about how great he is. However, the song is sung in a tired, elderly voice: "I am the greatest, I am the most! I am the leader because, I don't like to brag and I don't like to boast, but I am the Wizard of Oz!"
• "The Wicked Witch" A song sung at the death of the Wicked Witch of the West. "The Wicked Witch is down!" Not exactly the best song on the album.
• "The Land of Oz" A haunting, peaceful tune describing the Land of Oz and some of the inhabitants. It's a pretty good song, actually.

Overall, Snagglepuss Tells the Story of the Wizard of Oz is a fun retelling of the story with some nice additional Oz songs. If you're collecting Oz vinyl records, pick it up.

"Once Upon A Time, When There Was Magic Everywhere"

Hey, magic is everywhere! And it will touch you if you really care! If you care, if you care, you'll find that magic is everywhere!

Look up... ... Sorry, got carried away there.

Well, with all the people making records retelling The Wizard of Oz, MGM themselves had to get into it, right? Yep, and here's a record from 1961 with their own version.

I'll do an uncommon aside and talk about the cover art. This artwork looks very similar to the character designs that would be later used in the TV show Off To See The Wizard, especially with the Tin Woodman and Scarecrow. The Wizard looks quite a bit like John R. Neill's version.

The record was one in a series of many stories retold for children (they seem to have all opened with a musical sting and the line "Once upon a time, when there was magic everywhere."

Despite crediting Baum, the story follows the MGM movie quite closely. The story has been condensed, of course, and a narrator helps with that. The Munchkinland sequence is just "Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead" and then the Wicked Witch of the West appears. There is also no poppy field scene.

None of the audio is from the film (dialogue from the film appeared on its first actual soundtrack recording to retell the story), and the actors don't sound a lot like the film's cast, though they present an admirable performance.

Although the cover only says "If I Only Had A Brain," all three of Dorothy's friends sing. The Lion's song is an alternate version:

Life is sad, believe me Missy,
When you're born to be a sissy
Without the vim and verve.

But I could change my habits,
Nevermore be scared of rabbits
If I only had the nerve.

I'm afraid there's no denyin'
I'm just a dandylion
A fate I don't deserve.

But I could show my prowess,
Be a lion not a mowess
If I only had the nerve.

Oh, I'd be in my stride, a king down to the core
Oh, I'd roar the way I never roared before
And then I'd rrrwoof
And roar some more.

I would show the dinosaurus
Who's king around the fores'
A king they'd better serve.

Why with my regal beezer,
I could be another Caesar
If I only had the nerve.

The story spills over to Side 2, where it wraps up, and the rest of the record is filled out with a retelling of Babes in Toyland. Interesting and fitting choice, as the original operetta was a follow up to the original Wizard of Oz stage extravaganza.

However, this album tells a different story from the operetta. Here Gonzorgo takes Alan and Jane to the Forest of No Return, where they head to Toyland. Barnaby arrives and uses a machine to turn the children into toys, but later, he is forced into the machine himself by toy soldiers, and he turns into a toy bear, somehow restoring the children to their natural forms, and Alan marries Contrary Mary. I find it strange how few adaptations follow the original libretto's story. The listed songs are there, though.

In today's age, this might get passed over. We have the MGM movie on home video, so if we want to relive the movie, all we have to do is start it up. Still, this record is interesting as the children's record is a thing of the past now. Recordings like this just aren't made anymore.

And there's the very different take on "If I Only Had The Nerve." That's worth listening to, as well.

"The Trees Are Green, The Grass Is Green!"

From the earliest days of easy-to-handle records, there have been records for children. We saw one as early as 1949 in Capitol Records' Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz. These became popular items, and soon, some companies were dedicated to making children's records. And of course, when The Wonderful Wizard of Oz went into public domain, it became a favorite for companies to adapt. (One reason why there are so many of them...)

Well, one company was the Mr. Pickwick Players. They turned out many records of children's music and stories, and, of course, The Wizard of Oz was one of their titles.

This Wizard of Oz was noted by Greg Ehrbar in The Baum Bugle ("The Wonderful Records of Oz," Winter 1988) to be the version that The Wizard of Oz Returns would likely follow. I have to agree, although unlike that album, there's not a lot of songs. Unlike Returns' nine original songs, there are only four originals here, with three songs licensed from the MGM film:

• The Cyclone Song - "The giant windy cyclone picked the house up off the ground!" A song sung by the chorus after the narrator explains how Dorothy's house was lifted by the cyclone.
• We're Off To See The Wizard - Sung by the chorus as Dorothy leaves the Munchkins.
• The Emerald City - A song about how everything in the Emerald City is green, also sung by the chorus.
• Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead! - Sung at the death of the Wicked Witch of the West.
• Thank You Song - Sung by the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion when they are presented with their gifts from the Wizard.
• Humbug - A song sung by the chorus when Dorothy discovers that the Wizard is just an ordinary man.
• Over the Rainbow - Sung by Dorothy when she returns home. This change also calls for a slight revision of the lyrics.

I don't think I need to go over the story, but there are some changes worth pointing out:

• It is mentioned that Dorothy takes a school bus to school every day, which means the story has been brought forward in time a bit.
• A more happy home life for Dorothy is indicated as it is told that in the evenings, Dorothy, Aunt Em and Uncle Henry read stories or play a piano and sing songs. (You hear them singing the opening of "Long, Long Ago" which doesn't count as its own song.)
• One change that puts this version in line with The Wizard of Oz Returns is the wordy way in which the Scarecrow speaks. For a guy with no brains, he does an awful lot of talking! (As I'd listened to that one first, and reviewed it before hearing this one, I'd assumed they'd done it there to make him sound brainy, but if this is the forerunner, then it was a sign he was smart all along.) I should also note that I don't believe the voice actors are the same. There may have been some crossover, but the Tin Woodman has a decidedly different voice.
• Instead of kalidahs, we are told they are attacked by "croco-bears," bears with crocodile heads. The Lion leaps on them and kills them immediately. No other adventures are mentioned on the way to the Emerald City.
• The friends all see the Wizard at one time.
• The Winkies are mentioned to be smaller than the Munchkins, and it is they who capture Dorothy and her friends. No other attacks on Dorothy and her friends are made by the Wicked Witch. There are also springing noises after the Wicked Witch sends them away, suggesting they travel by jumping or use pogo sticks.
• Dorothy's elimination of the Wicked Witch is very quickly done. No restoration of Dorothy's friends are needed.
• The Wizard has gifts awaiting Dorothy's friends: a blue beanie/thinking cap for the Scarecrow, a heart-shaped box of chocolate for the Tin Woodman ("a heart I can share with everyone!"), and a sweater with a C on it for the Lion. (In the art for The Wizard of Oz Returns, the Lion wears a military jacket, perhaps the sweater is underneath.)
• The Wizard exposes his humbuggery to Dorothy alone, and tells her how to use the Silver Shoes, and he travels back to Kansas with her. (His logic: the Silver Shoes can carry a person around the world, but since Kansas is only halfway across the world from Oz, it should work for two, and dogs ride free.) He then heads to Wichita, where he presumably rejoins the circus. This is exactly in line with The Wizard of Oz Returns.
• Not exactly a change, but it is mentioned that Dorothy wants to go back to Oz at the end.
• In addition, there are various little added details, but you'll have to listen for yourself.

Overall, it's a fun, whimsical adaptation. I can't say the changes make the story any better. The songs are pretty fun, except I find the "Thank You Song" pretty cringe-worthy.

Now, I did buy the record, but there is another way you can get this album: it has been released on Amazon MP3 and iTunes. I got the Amazon version, since it's less than $2. (Note: I can only confirm these services for the US. Due to international licensing, it may not be available from those links outside of the US, but you may want to check digital music services in your country.) And considering all the albums I've reviewed, this is really a breath of fresh air that one of them is available on a digital music service! I can only hope that whoever sits on the rights of other wonderful otherwise unavailable recordings tries to get them out there again.

According to that Baum Bugle, this one was released many different times. I can't seem to find many other records with the same recording, but you never know. The specific one I got also had much of the text (but not all of it) of the story on the back cover, as well as a little biography of Baum, which even mentioned his non-Oz and pseudonymous work. Pretty nice!

Disneyland Records: The Tin Woodman of Oz

And now for the last Disneyland Oz Story and Songs album: The Tin Woodman of Oz.

I presume the Tin Woodman was the last released of these albums. The Disneyland Wizard, Songs from the Wizard, Cowardly Lion, and Tin Woodman all are copyrighted 1969, but the Songs from the Wizard album doesn't have songs from Tin Woodman on there, suggesting it was released afterward, or they just opted not to include the songs on it. Second is that there's an article in The Baum Bugle about these albums (where I've gotten a lot of information from), and it covered this album last. Finally, the story itself was obviously adapted to conclude this little series of an adaptation of The Wizard of Oz and stories about each of Dorothy's first three friends in Oz.

The story opens with a celebration in the Emerald City, when they overhear a young man singing about how he'll find his true love. He enters and introduces himself as Woot the Wanderer. And yes, it is a young Ron Howard voicing Woot.

Woot tells about how he had a dream about a girl and he intends to find her because she's his true love. This reminds the Tin Woodman of Nimmee Aimee and he tells his origin story (which was skipped in the Wizard adaptation) and decides he will join Woot and they'll look for their true loves together. The Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion join to look for their own true loves as well.

The story follows Baum's book rather faithfully with the addition of the Cowardly Lion and the looking for the true love plot for the other characters. We have Loonville, and Mrs. Yoop, who sings "I'm Mrs. Yoop, the Yookoohoo." She has a cat, and she turns the Cowardly Lion into a mouse.

The jaguar and Tommy Kwikstep are not present, and neither are the dragons Woot meets in the book.

When Ozma restores everyone, the Lion's shape of a mouse is transferred to Mrs. Yoop's cat, and Woot discovers that Polychrome is the girl he dreamed of, and they sing a song called "I've Found My True Love." They accompany Ozma back to the Emerald City, leaving the Tin Woodman, Scarecrow, and Lion. But soon the Lion meets a Lioness and they leave for the Emerald City.

Ku-Klip and Captain Fyter are not encountered on the trip, but the Invisible Country and the Hyp-po-gy-raf are.

The Tin Woodman finds Nimmee Aimee's home guarded by a Tin Soldier, who fights the Tin Woodman, but the Tin Woodman manages to defeat him. Nimmee Aimee reveals that the Tin Soldier was made by "the same tinsmith who helped you" for her as a replacement for the Tin Woodman when he never came back for her. However, the Wicked Witch of the East enchanted him to keep Nimmee Aimee prisoner and fight the Tn Woodman should he return. Since the Tin Soldier is not a love interest here, and there is no Chopfyt, Nimmee Aimee is happy to accept the Tin Woodman's marriage proposal at last.

The Scarecrow decides he will go back to the Emerald City, despite not having found a "Scarecrowess." However, Ozma whips one up for him, and there's a quadruple wedding as Woot, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion are all wed.

I love the book The Tin Woodman of Oz, but this adaptation waters the story down. One theme in that book was that sometimes the conventional fairy tale ending isn't the happiest. This is not carried over here, with everyone getting married at the end. But I suppose the ideas of the Tin Woodman talking to his old head, a second man-turned-tin, and the confusing and disturbing Chopfyt were just too heavy for a children's record. Still, I feel like more of Baum's tone could have been retained.

Once again, the album opens into a storybook briefly retelling the story (my copy is an early one that erroneously credited the book to Ruth Plumly Thompson). However, I am disappointed in two areas: the "Scarecrowess" could have easily been Scraps the Patchwork Girl, but the illustrator chose not to do that. And we never see a picture of Nimmee Aimee. The girl by the Tin Woodman in the last picture is Dorothy.

Overall, this Tin Woodman of Oz isn't really bad, but when it's compared to the original version, it lacks in many areas.

And that concludes Disney's audio adventures in Oz. I really wish they'd find some way to re-release the Story and Songs albums.

Disneyland Records: The Cowardly Lion of Oz

For the uninformed: you might be thinking "Disney adapted a Ruth Plumy Thompson book?" Well... No. It says on the inside "Based on the book by Ruth Plumly Thompson," but there's Notta sign of Thompson's plot anywhere.

So, this album was the only one in which we had an entirely original story by the folks at Disneyland Records. Oz fans also seek this one out because some of the songs were originally intended for The Rainbow Road to Oz. Those wanting just the songs can also look for them on The Songs from the Wizard of Oz (Plus Songs About the Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion) album, in which they appear on the B side, albeit in a different order.

This was the hardest of the four Story and Songs albums for me to track down. I'd only once seen it on eBay and had had to pass on it then. Their Wizard of Oz and Tin Woodman (next time!) seem to be easy to find, while Scarecrow (which one fan told me he considered the rarest), I saw a copy at the Winkie Silent Auction last year and found two different copies online when I bought mine. I managed to find Cowardly Lion through an Amazon seller who had a really low price for it. Not only was the low price a draw for me, but I seriously couldn't find it anywhere else. Well, if any are rare, I'm glad to say I own one copy of each in my collection!

Now, onto the story. The Cowardly Lion lives in his palace, which he sings about in "Living A Lovely Life," which seems to have been one of the Rainbow Road songs. Then one day, he hears the Oz-alarm go off, alerting him that there's "Trouble in Oz" (another song), so he heads to Glinda's palace, where she tells him that Duke Grimwald of the Prattling Country (a neighboring country of Oz, I may have gotten the name wrong) has had Prince Paul turned into a puppet by Smarmy the Witch. The prince is prisoner of a puppeteer named Glarm, and Glinda wants the Cowardly Lion to find and rescue the Prince before Grimwald declares war on Oz so he can discredit the Prattling King Maydor and become king himself when he "rescues" Paul.

The Cowardly Lion sets out and meets a girl named Forget-Me-Not who forgets everything, including her own name. She's puzzling over an Ozphabet book, which the Cowardly Lion explains to her in the song "The Ozphabet." H is for Scarecrow, because he's hay-filled (which we know is inaccurate because the Scarecrow thinks hay is an inferior stuffing material); T is for Woodman, because he's made of tin; G is for Tea, because it's green; C is for Lion, because he's cowardly (or cute).

Forget-Me-Not is reminded that she saw a puppet show in a nearby town, so she joins the Cowardly Lion in his search. However, Smarmy pops up and defies the Lion, making him fall into a pit, and she sings "Just Call Smarmy." But Forget-Me-Not helps the Lion out when the witch leaves, and they soon enter the town.

They find the puppet show (which is performing a song called "The Puppet Polka"), and identify the puppeteer as Glarm. They make a tree outside the town their base and sneak back at night to find the Prince. Using a puppet-scope (one of many tools Glinda provided), they are able to identify the Prince and take him back to the tree.

At the tree, Forget-Me-Not discovers the doll she's been carrying with her and left at the tree to mark it as her base has had sap dripping on it. However, the doll begins to talk and says it's an enchanted Princess Flora, Prince Paul's fiancee. She further identifies Forget-Me-Not as a daughter of a Prattling courtier.

So, they decide they need to get the antidote for the enchantments from Smarmy, so they go back to Glarm, who tells them Smarmy is in his wagon. But when they foolishly enter, they are locked in and are told by an outside Smarmy that they will all be turned to puppets. However, the Lion whips out an Ozmagnatron that pulls Smarmy and Glarm through a hole into the wagon, knocking them out cold. A bottle marked "Antidote" falls out of Smarmy's pocket and is used to restore Paul and Flora.

Tying up the two villains, they head to Glinda's. Paul, Flora, and Forget-Me-Not are returned home, but not before King Maydor declares an Oziday, which is a holiday anywhere else. (In the Ozphabet, you find it under J for "joyous.") The Lion tells Glinda he wasn't so sure of himself at times, but she assures him with the song "If You'll Just Believe" (another Rainbow Road song) that she believed in him all the time.

If you remember my blog about Thompson's actual book The Cowardly Lion of Oz, I didn't like it that much. So, I think Disneyland Records did all right by opting not to adapt it.

Still, I do have to wonder if they licensed it as Thompson's name is on the record. While it's true anyone could title a story The Cowardly Lion of Oz, they would have no problems using it as long as they didn't use Thompson's material. But her name is on there! Still, Thompson had long thought Disney would find Oz a perfect venue, so if they did do any rights handling with her, she probably would have been thrilled. However, this is just speculation here.

The songs are pretty fun and enjoyable, but I think Side 1 has too many. "Living a Lovely Life" is too quickly followed by "Trouble in Oz." In fact, Side 1 doesn't have much of the plot, either. In the 11-page picture book the album opens into, the entire plot of the first side is told on the first two pages.

But overall, it's a pretty good story, Disney's The Cowardly Lion of Oz. Though it does beg the question, what on earth is the Cowardly Lion going to do with a lifetime pass to Disneyland?

(Sorry for the image quality. Since my scanner is not large enough to scan a record album, I had to photograph instead.)

Disneyland Records: The Wizard of Oz

1969, Disneyland Records decided to do more Oz records. The big one, right over to the left there, was their first. Yes, this time, they went for the big title: The Story and Songs of The Wizard of Oz.

The record opens with the studio chorus singing "Over The Rainbow," Then a rather... mature-sounding Dorothy introduces and tells the story.

The story adaptation is rather basic, but at times the text closely follows Baum's text. The MGM songs were licensed for the album. When Dorothy lands in Oz, the Munchkins sing "Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead!" with the additional opening lyrics. Which doesn't make much sense because part of the lyric is "'Till one fine day from Kansas way," but at this time, the Munchkins don't know where the house came from. The Scarecrow and the chorus sing "If I Only Had A Brain," "Follow The Yellow Brick Road/We're Off To See The Wizard" plays during the journey, "Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead!" is reprised when the Wicked Witch of the West dies, and at the end, "The Merry Old Land of Oz" plays.

The Kalidahs and the river are not included, nor is the Lion falling asleep in the poppy field, so his rescue is also removed. The four friends visit the Wizard in the reverse order from the book with the Lion being first and Dorothy being last. The Wicked Witch's attacks are shortened to just the wolves, crows, and Winged Monkeys. There is also no mention of the Golden Cap. No details are told about the trip to Glinda, just that it was a long journey.

Overall, a really good adaptation. I kind of wish they could have kept Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow for the rest of these records, but I guess he would have been out of the budget. The guy playing him does a really goofy voice.

This album also opened into an 11-page picture book with a brief retelling of the story.

Now, Disney did another album with the MGM songs on it. However, this album, The Songs from The Wizard of Oz (Plus Songs About The Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion), contained the songs exactly as they were heard on the Story and Songs album, just in a different order. Rounding out side one was "Happy Glow" from The Scarecrow of Oz record (too bad they didn't include the "Over The Rainbow" cover from it as well).

Side two features the songs from the next Disneyland Oz story and songs album: The Cowardly Lion of Oz. But you'll hear about those later.

Finally, in 1970, Disney added The Wizard of Oz to their line of Read Along book and record sets. While the art style was the same as the large record, the pictures and story adaptation were completely different. The story is read by Hal Smith (Otis from The Andy Griffith Show).

The story is much more abbreviated. No incidents are noted in between the Cowardly Lion joining the party and arriving at the Emerald City, where the Wizard, depicted as a man, only sees Dorothy. Right away the Wicked Witch of the West calls the Winged Monkeys, and Dorothy very quickly deals with her. And it is the Wizard who tells Dorothy how to get home, so his departure in the balloon is not included, nor is Glinda.

At the end of the story, the songs "Over The Rainbow" and "Follow The Yellow Brick Road/We're Off To See The Wizard" are played.

A very basic, simple adaptation. Worthwhile for the art and for Disney's excellent audio production values.

"We're All Together Again!"

You don't see many of Baum's Oz books adapted outside of the first three that often. Well, there was a little odd Oz item from the late 1940s that pops up in Oz record collections.

It's a set of three records that make up a radio drama style adaptation of Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz. You might think "Wow! Three records! They must have been able to dramatize everything!" But no, these records predated the wide use of micro grooves. They turn 78 times a minute, meaning each side runs for about four and half minutes. That's right. This adaptation, despite being one of the heftiest Oz record sets, runs at just under 30 minutes. That means that if it had been re-released on a Long-Playing Record (LP), it would have taken one disc and could have ten minutes left over.

When David Maxine heard I'd ordered a copy on eBay, he was surprised that my copy was "superflex" instead of fragile shellac like most records from the time, and every other copy of the set he'd seen. I don't know how rare a vinyl version of the record is, but we can tell there's at least two different versions of the 78 set out there. And it was also released on a set of 45 rpm records. So there are at least three different editions out there.

There's no date on the set. I found a listing for it on 1948. I had thought it was 1949 as the characters on the front cover are clearly based on the MGM film which was re-released that year. On the cover, you can see "© Maude G. Baum," so apparently, Baum's widow Maud had the production copyrighted in her name. Or, since none of the Oz books had slipped into public domain yet, this was part of her licensing, as she was benefiting from the royalties from the books and wasn't going to let just anybody do what they wanted with them. (That could be a topic all its own...) The inside package blurb suggests they may have wanted to do more of the Oz stories, but it's written vaguely enough so that if they didn't, the set would stand on its own.

The cast consists of Rosemary Rice as Dorothy, Billy Lynn as the Wizard, LeRoi Operti as the Braided Man, and Patricia Jenkins as Ozma and "Cousin Zev." That's a (sic) there... (My brother points out that maybe whoever wrote the blurb wrote it on a typewriter and missed a key.) Ralph Rose wrote the adaptation and Walter Rivers was the producer. Nathaniel Shilkret provided the score.

The story adaptation is rather faithful and straightforward. Like I said, it's only a half hour, so it gets off to a quick start. However, over a dozen characters have been excised. Nine of them are the piglets. There is no mention of the Mangaboos walking in the air, nor their glass houses, nor "planting," nor the Mangaboo Princess, nor Gwig. Instead they are threatened by the Mangaboo Prince, who is cut in half by the Wizard and then each piece grows into a separate Prince. (The Wizard predicts that the Princes will fight and just make more of themselves, "and the Country will go to pot.") Yes, here the Mangaboos reproduce by mitosis. They also make popping noises when they come out of the ground.

Instead of a glass mountain, Dorothy and the Wizard's company flees to a gateway to the Country of the Gargoyles. Yep, the Valley of Voe and Pyramid Mountain have been excised as well. They fight the Gargoyles until the Gargoyles go to sleep, when the Braided Man appears, and in another alteration from the book, he actually manages to help the plot along! In return for one of Dorothy's blue hair ribbons, he tells them how to use the Gargoyle's wings which help them escape.

Dorothy's company is being pursued by the Mangaboos and the Gargoyles, so they hide in a cave. However, the cave is the home of the Dragonettes, and soon the mother Dragon joins the Mangaboos and Gargoyles. But Dorothy remembers about Ozma's promise and makes the signal at four o'clock. (Since the action has been condensed into much less time than in the book, it's less of a "WHY DIDN'T SHE THINK OF THAT BEFORE?" moment.) There's a cheerful bit where the Wizard cheers about their lucky exit as the pursuing baddies enter.

Since the plot is so condensed, the controversial bits of Ozma and the Wizard talking about their pasts are not included, instead we go to Oz with one of the Ozziest songs ever: "We're All Together Again!"

We're all together again!
We're all together again!
Give three hurrahs for the Land of Oz
Where everyone's a friend!

As the piglets are not included, Eureka (who has a really sweet little voice) is not put on trial. However, Jim and the Sawhorse do have a race which is made to sound like coverage of a real horse race. For losing, Jim has to eat a bag of sawdust, as he said he would if he couldn't beat the Sawhorse.

Dorothy tells us how they spent a long time in the Emerald City celebrating. However, when Dorothy sees Aunt Em and Uncle Henry in mourning in the Magic Picture, she, Zeb, Eureka and Jim decide it's time to go home. The Wizard says he wants to stay in Oz and Ozma allows him. So, with one last chorus of "We're All Together Again!" Dorothy returns home.

Overall, this is a fun adaptation of one of Baum's darker Oz books. The songs—"I'm Still The Wizard Of Oz," the Braided Man's song and "We're All Together Again"—are actually really good. I think L. Frank Baum himself would have liked them. While there are many liberties taken and many excisions, the story flows a lot like Baum's book, so I can't complain about it being unfaithful. I'm tempted to say a lot of changes are for the better, but really, I'll have to say it's for the better when giving the story to young children. (Let's face it, the darker aspects of the book are part of what makes Oz cool.) And they even figured out something to do with the Braided Man! You would have thought he'd get the axe!

Overall, a great adaptation of the fourth Oz book!

The Wizard of Oz Returns

When The Wonderful Wizard of Oz hit public domain in 1956, people were quick to merchandise it. Producers of records turned out a variety of adaptations of the story. Sometimes they would license the MGM songs, and sometimes they'd create original songs.

The Wizard of Oz Returns was released in the 1960s and surprisingly created a sequel to the story instead of retelling it. Now, Ozma of Oz and up were not public domain at the time, so they only based it on the first book.

The story, punctuated with original songs, finds Dorothy home alone with Toto in Kansas as Aunt Em and Uncle Henry go to look after an ill relative while Dorothy will go stay with the neighbors. The narration stresses how grey Kansas is and how the soil won't raise enough crops. And with that, we can be sure the writer had read up on Wonderful Wizard and The Emerald City of Oz.

A knock at the door reveals the ex-Wizard of Oz who has been looking for Dorothy. He was replaced at the circus, so he wants to go back to Oz and be the Wizard of Oz again. And he's hoping Dorothy can help him find the way. Dorothy practically talks herself into coming, and she packs some food and she and Toto join the Wizard in his balloon.

Toto manages to find the way to Oz and they soon arrive in the Emerald City, where they spot a parade. But everyone ignores the Wizard's balloon: this parade is for the Former Cowardly Lion. (They soon just call him the Lion.) Upon questioning a citizen, Dorothy and the Wizard are told they are not needed in Oz with no more wicked witches.

The Lion has been made head of the Army of Oz, but he doesn't like the job and attempts to pass it to the Wizard, who declines. So they rejoin the Scarecrow, now dean of the University of Oz (the "U of O"), who is hating his new job as he has no room for the thousands of the Winkies and Munchkins and Emerald Citizens who want to attend the University. Tired of writing rejection letters, he offers his post to the Wizard, who declines. (There is no satisfying the Wizard.) So, it's off to the Tin Woodman, who writes a help column for the Emerald City Herald, but dislikes his job because while he helps people he picks up their heartaches. Again, he offers the post to the Wizard, who declines again.

So, they decide to head to the Good Witch of the North (not named). They travel through the China Forest and the Land of the Winged Monkeys, who give them a lift the rest of the way after falling in love with Aunt Em's pickles, or "big green peanuts" as they think they are. (You know, until now, I never thought of the Winged Monkeys liking peanuts.)

The Good Witch of the North muses that if there was a wicked witch to give some scare to the Emerald City, then the people would want the Wizard back. However, she refuses to pretend to be a Wicked Witch as it's against her nature. However, she brings out a bottle of Mean Pills and explains that Wicked Witches take them to make them mean. She takes one and likes the flavor so much she eats all the pills, overdosing and making her think she's the Wicked Witch of the West and heads off to destroy the Emerald City.

The Winged Monkeys take everyone to the Emerald City where the people call for the Wizard to save them. The Wizard and his friends corner the Witch, and Dorothy hesitates about hurling water at her for fear of harming the Good Witch. The Wizard assures her it will be all right, and it is. The water simply removes the effects of the Mean Pills and leaves us a wet Good Witch.

With the Wizard reinstated, Dorothy expresses that she doesn't want to leave Oz, but she can't leave Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, so the Winged Monkeys, excited to bring the woman who made those wonderful pickles, fly to Kansas and carry back Uncle Henry and Aunt Em. The record ends with Uncle Henry singing a song about how they're in Oz.

Fans of the books will spot the major errors with Wonderful Wizard, even ignoring the rest of the books: Oz seems too easy to get to, and the Winged Monkeys shouldn't be able to fly over the desert. (Which is mentioned here.) However, those are really the worst errors in there. The story is simple but entertaining, and the original songs are a little sweet, even if they are forgettable and sometimes unnecessary. (Did we really need songs about the Mean Pills and "Big Green Peanuts"?)

However, the record was only one part of the Wizard of Oz Returns package. The album used the two-disc case design to unfold into a game board for a game called "Emerald City." While one part of the sleeve housed the record, the other held a piece of cardboard with a metal spinner, instructions, and several playing pieces that may be cut out.

I got the record and game over Christmas with some Amazon gift cards and wasn't able to use either for a bit. I just got a turntable to play the record (though it was USB based for recording to mp3, and sadly, I wasn't able to get the full nostalgic experience of listening to a record as I have no speakers for the unit), but about a week ago, I had a day off coinciding with my roommate/brother's day off, and my little brother came over for a visit. We broke out the game, though I didn't cut out the playing pieces (which are just tiny pictures of a man in a stovepipe hat, supposedly representing the Wizard). We used three of my custom Oz action figures instead, though they were mainly too big. (They were Dorothy, Trot, and Toto.)

There are nine large spots on the paths to play the game: the Circus, Dorothy, Toto, the Former Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, Leader of the Winged Monkeys, the Good Witch of the North, and the Emerald City.

Between each of the spots are two paths: yellow and blue. You choose which one you'll follow and you can only go if the number you spin is the same color as your path. You can change at each spot, though. (On our playthrough, we simplified it to the color the spinner landed on determined which path.) The point is to get to the Emerald City, but you must have exactly the right number to get there.

Further complicating matters is the Trubbles and Dubbletrubbles. If you land on a Trubble, you have to go back to your last spot ("friend" it says), and if you land on a Dubbletrubble, you go back to the spot before the last one. However, there are helpful counterparts in the Goodluks and the Verygoodluks. (Whoever named these needed more imagination.) They do the opposite: a Goodluck advances you to the next spot, and a Verygoodluck advances you to the one after the next. This means gameplay might take awhile instead of just taking turns and spinning numbers.

My little brother won our playthrough, and I came in second.

Dedicated collectors of Oz records will want this record and game set, while collectors wanting unique Oz records and stories might be satisfied with the re-release from 1965: The Further Adventures of the Wizard of Oz which used different cover art, and did not contain the game. I do not own this one.

Overall, The Wizard of Oz Returns was a nice little package with an original (if not terribly imaginative) Oz story and a fun activity to do while listening.

And the fact that this impresses me so makes me think I was born in the wrong era...

Disneyland Records: The Scarecrow of Oz

Oz movie buffs will know that after Maud Baum's death, Walt Disney was quick to buy up the rights to L. Frank Baum's Oz books. (She wasn't a fan of Walt.) He initially planned a cartoon, then a movie to bring the Mousketeers from TV to film. However, The Rainbow Road to Oz never gelled, so despite an exciting peek on the Disneyland Fourth Anniversary show, Walt decided against doing Oz right away.

Most fans skip forward to when Disney's Return to Oz began production, but in 1965, Jimmy Johnson, head of Disneyland records, decided to do something with the rights. An audio production is cheaper to fund than a film. Voice acting (and the best voice actors could perform multiple roles), a bit of music, some sound effects, and you're set. So, Johnson selected The Scarecrow of Oz to be adapted for record.

To bring the story to life (and add a selling edge), Ray Bolger was brought in to narrate the story and perform the voice of the Scarecrow. The MGM film The Wizard of Oz had been airing annually for a few years, so children and their parents would hopefully know Bolger even if the Oz title didn't sell them. (The back cover of early versions of the record had an image of Bolger in makeup as the Scarecrow.) One can almost imagine this as a side piece to his other Oz readings for Caedmon Audio.

Filling out the cast were Robie Lester as Glinda, Gloria, and Button-Bright; Martha Wentworth as Blinkie (Disney fans may recognize her voice as Mad Madam Mim from The Sword in the Stone); Dallas McKennon as Cap'n Bill, the Ork, and King Krewl; and actual children (who aren't identified) as Trot and Pon.

The record opens with an original song called "Happy Glow."

Oh, there's a scarecrow that I know
Who always has a happy glow
He's never sad, never feels bad you see

Whenever summer breezes blow
He dances with a happy glow
He's happier far than either you or me

He has the sky, he has the sun,
He has his friends the birds
With all of these he has such fun
He has no need for any words

So you and I can get a glow
Forgetting all our care and woe
If we will take it easy just like him

Have a happy glow
Life can be a sweet thing if you will
Have a happy glow
Life can be a sweet thing for you still

It's a nice song, but taking another look, it could be about any old scarecrow. However, the Scarecrow comes along and says it is by the Official Songwriter of Oz and he agrees with the sentiment that people should enjoy all the things around them and be happy.

Then the Scarecrow reminds us of his brains and begins to tell a story about a time he got to use them. This version of The Scarecrow of Oz begins several chapters into Baum's original book with the Scarecrow going to visit Glinda, who tells him about Trot and Cap'n Bill.

Instead of the automatically updating Book of Records, Glinda now has a Magic Television Set (like the Magic Picture) and she records what she sees in her Books of Records. To be honest, I don't see why they needed to change that part, as the Book of Records could have been simpler to explain, and since it's audio, the description is all we're getting.

Glinda recounts Trot and Cap'n Bill's journey briefly, ending with their arrival on Pessim's Island. No mention of Pessim or how they got to Jinxland (where Glinda says they are) is made, nor how Button-Bright joined them. There are a few head scratching bits here: when Glinda tells them they are on an island, the Scarecrow says that there are no oceans or lakes in Oz, and hence, no islands. This isn't quite accurate, as there is Lake Quad, Lake Orizon, the Ozure Isles, and the island of the Magic Flower. And it makes the jump from the island to Jinxland all the more curious.

Also, the Scarecrow says that Trot and Cap'n Bill are the first to come to Oz since Dorothy's visit, but then says that Button-Bright has been to Oz before. And we also know that in the books, this adventure happens after Betsy Bobbin has come to Oz.

So, after hearing how Trot and Cap'n Bill have been persecuted by King Krewl and Blinkie, the Scarecrow heads to Jinxland in much the same manner as he does in the book. From here on, the story follows the book pretty faithfully. Blinkie wrecks the Scarecrow, but Trot, Pon, and Gloria put him back together. The Ork arrives with Button-Bright and they make a plan on how to conquer King Krewl. The Scarecrow goes to Krewl's palace to command him to surrender, but he is captured and almost burned when the Ork rescues him, throws Krewl in jail, and captures Blinkie, who the Scarecrow makes shrink until she restores Cap'n Bill and Gloria.

Then everyone goes to Oz proper where Trot and Cap'n Bill and Button-Bright (getting lost again) are welcomed. Over the final moments, a children's chorus sings "Over the Rainbow," but they drown out Ray's final lines. He says "That is the end of my story. I hope all of you will visit me in the Land of Oz..." and that's all we can clearly hear. I'll venture to guess the rest is "someday soon."

The production quality is very good, and the songs are nice, though I don't think "Happy Glow" sounds very Ozzy. I also think Button-Bright's voice is too squeaky and the Ork is too deep. Barring those, a solid production, and using only enough MGM touches to try to make it sell.

The record's case also opens into a picture book containing a brief retelling of the story with many wonderful pictures. Many characters have original designs, but some of the more classic Oz characters (Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, Woggle-Bug, Tik-Tok) are based on their classic designs. Overall, it's a pleasing package, though dedicated fans of the original Oz books will likely still prefer Neill at the end of the day.

MECO's The Wizard of Oz

You ever listen to the MGM movie's score and think, "this needs a disco rearrangement?"

... Anyone?

Okay, well, it happened in 1978. The band MECO, famous for their Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk album gave a similar treatment to Oz.

The album has only been released in entirety on vinyl LP records. Which, if you're from a later generation than me, those are those big, flat black discs with grooves on them a needle replays the sounds from it while a turntable spun it around at the right speed. (My dad had SO many records...)

So, how's the album? Well, if you hate how this sounds, then I wouldn't recommend it:

Now, if you stuck around after that, I'll say this: I loved it.

Since the running time is only about a half hour, the entire score is not represented. Every song is not sung, for example, as in the above sample, "Over the Rainbow" is only an instrumental. The only songs sung are "It Really Was No Miracle," "Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead!," "You're Off To See The Wizard" (preceded by Munchkin voices saying "Follow the Yellow Brick Road," but it's not sung), and "Optimistic Voices."

There's voice acting as well. The only bits of dialogue is from the Wicked Witch, the Wizard, and the Cowardly Lion, aside from those Munchkin voices and Toto barking. In addition, just before the Lion has his first lines, we hear the classic "Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" Also, the Winkie guards are heard singing their iconic chant, though I think they got it wrong. It's "O-Ee-Yah! Eoh-Ah!" but here it sounds like "O-Ee-Yum! Ee-Oh-Um!" (And when you note THAT error, you know you're an Oz fan.)

The album also doesn't forget it's in stereo. There's a number of stereophonic effects, most notably alternating beats in the cyclone, but the most effective is in the first track when we hear the Wicked Witch cackle. It begins in the right audio channel, then moves over to the left, then back again, creating the audio impression that the Witch is flying back and forth on her broom.

As for the music itself, it's very lively and fun to listen to. The themes are still quite recognizable, so only people who don't enjoy this type of music should find it objectionable. While "If I Only Had A ___" is not anywhere on the album, the music moves so lively that you don't miss it. I particularly enjoy the lively Emerald City beat headlined by "Optimistic Voices" just after the mellow Poppy Field themes. And "If I Were King of the Forest" is part of the Wicked Witch's demise as a triumphant beat following a reprise of "Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead!"

The best part is at the very end, when there's an upbeat medley of the score's highlights, this time not in disco. It's really a lovely bit and very Ozzy as well!

So, go ahead and buy the album. There's plenty for sale on eBay last I checked. There's a version that used yellow vinyl instead of black (yellow brick road), and no, that's not what I own.

And whoever owns the rights to this, GET THE WHOLE THING BACK OUT THERE!!!