Cool Internet Finds - Children's Story record albums

When I was a child, the focal point of my parents' living room was not a television, but the large, highly polished hi-fi. It was the nicest piece of furniture they owned. I was frequently given the chore of polishing the dark, beautiful wood. It was an important chore because the records that we played were our one source of family entertainment. You see, my older brothers had gotten into bad habits -- too much lounging in front of the television -- so, my parents removed TV from our house. I didn't miss it. Other than Sesame Street, I really didn't watch television as a kid. In today's digital age where the internet and video are mainstays, this seems absurd. But in the late 60s/early 1970s, it wasn't that uncommon. Television back then wasn't that great anyway. With an antennae, households could pick up nearby network stations or the newest technology -- cable -- could add in a few more stations. The channel knob on most TVs only had 12 channels or so, plus the UHF spot where you could tune in independent broadcasts. No remotes....if you wanted to change the station, someone had to get up and turn the knob. :) When I started kindergarten (and my brothers were out of the house attending college), my parents relented and bought a television. But for years, record albums were the entertainment for the household. 

The hi-fi was huge. It had 3 fabric covered built-in speakers on each side. Tucked inside the cabinet we had our collection of favorite record albums. They sat in an organized stack next to the turntable and the knobs for tuning the radio. I spent many an evening lounging on a floor pillow doing my homework while listening to music, or one of the many story telling records my mom bought for me. I loved the stories. They were all so well-done.....with lovely music, full casts and sound effects. Rip VanWinkle, Gullivers Travels, Peter & the Wolf, Arabian Nights.....I had so many awesome classic stories to enjoy. I listened to them over and over again. 

At some point, when record albums gave way to cassette tapes.....then CDs.....the record collection disappeared. I have no idea what happened to my parents' hi-fi. I'm sure at some point over the years it stopped working and was removed from the house. I was so busy growing up that I didn't even notice. 

On a whim, I started hunting around on the internet today for the awesome stories from those record albums. I've found many out of print books online, so thought maybe the old vinyl had been preserved as well. 

I was totally excited when I found a page listing MP3 files for many of the albums I remember!

http://www.artsreformation.com/records/

I immediately downloaded my favorite -- Rip VanWinkle (one of the Tale Spinners albums). I listened to this album so many times growing up. :) The MP3 was amazing! It was the story I remember with the awesome full cast, great sound effects and the back ground hiss of vinyl. 

The MP3 files are free to download and enjoy. I'm sure that there are other online collections of old vinyl.....this is just the first site I've found that had the story albums I remember from my childhood. Added to the long list of Old Time Radio podcasts I listen to, I have hours of nostalgia ahead of me!