Power Records Presents … !

It’s funny how as we get older we tend to reflect back on the things that made us happy as children. As children we never understood how those moments would remain in our hearts, or even shape our adult psyche. We would take for granted that those moments were there forever, that nothing would end them. Then as we grow older, we get new moments that capture our interests. Those childish things are put away, forgotten perhaps destroyed. Sometimes, when age allows the world to slow down and remember what it was that excited your childish heart.

In the 70s, there was a record label called Power Records that released a series of records and books. The ones I had as a kid were 45 RPM but they also released 12 inch LPs that compiled 3 stories onto one album. The stories were media tie-ins from 70s pop culture like the Planet of the Apes, Marvel and DC superheroes and the Monster series. I loved these things, I listened over and over. I had listened to the Planet of the Apes series before I saw any of the movies. The best part was the comic book that accompanied the records. The art was fantastic!

The Monster series was great. The Monster of Frankenstein and The Curse of the Werewolf were my favourites. The Man-Thing was frightening! Night of the Laughing Dead was about a circus clown that was in love with a woman he could never have. A few of the circus hands push him around so the clown decides to commit suicide. He returns as a ghost for revenge and to let the woman know how much he loved her. It was pretty heady stuff for an 8 year old.

Hours upon hours were spent listening to my Power Records collection. However in 1977 the company was folded. There are a few websites devoted to these gems, some even have downloads for the audio tracks, and PDF versions of the comics. If you’re interested in learning more I’d suggest visiting Power Records Plaza, The Power Records Pages or Power Records blog. These pages haven’t been updated in a couple of years, and most of the links to audio are deactivated but there’s some good background info.