For your listening pleasure, I have uploaded some videos that I made with the music from a vinyl record featuring Kings Island's very own Wurlitzer #157 Carousel Organ. You may recognize this as the organ that currently sits (but does not operate) upon the Grand Carousel near the Eiffel Tower. As of writing this, the videos are not quite uploaded yet, so you may have to wait 15-20 minutes before they will become available. But at any rate, you may find the videos here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qkj4F8fnLE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGO7D9rNPcc

I just had an overwhelming rush of joy as I love Wurlitzer band organs. Thank you so much for uploading this, there isn't enough like buttons to show my appreciation.

Thank you! I love carousels with working organs, and hate that KI's does not work/was removed and we now get pre-recorded music.

I've seen these recordings for sale before, but have never come up with a way to justify to Mrs. Gator the expense of buying them.... because you know I couldn't buy just one, I would need the complete set! Of course, there's the saying "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission!"

Where on earth did you find that album? I didn't even know such a thing existed!

Here's a website with cd's for sale of it.

http://www.bandorganmusic.com/machines/mqueen.htm

Some of them feature other organs as well, but the "Come to the Fair" and "More from the Queen of Kings Island Vols. 1, 2 & 3" are exclusively the Wurlitzer 157 of Kings Island fame.

Now we need to get the word to the rides department to start using these for the carousel music - 5 albums will give them a much wider variety of music than whatever they're using now (and I was once told be someone that the organ playing on the recording they're using now is not the Wurlitzer 157).

Where on earth did you find that album? I didn't even know such a thing existed!

I found it on ebay, after the auction was posted in a thread on this forum about ebay items.

On another note, despite having owned the album for around a month, I just realized that the last song, "On the Beautiful Blue Danube" is, in fact, the same piece played by the carousels in the original Roller Coaster Tycoon.

It's actually only one of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2bXVoS6N_A

Thank you very much for uploading these! I haven't gotten a chance to listen to them yet, but I appreciate you taking the time to make the tracks available online.

I agree! Thanks for uploading these videos!

A little tidbit, of information, is that Coney Island`s carousel has an MP3 player playing carousel music. It came from a couple Carousel music CDs. It might just have some of this music on it this year.

The KI Carousel is in need of a restore. - The lights along the red spokes haven't worked for a couple seasons now, notice how some are missing even.

I believe that most of those globes are there, but I would imagine some of them are susceptible to damage from hail and the like.

The actual Carousel building received a refreshed paint job not too long ago (2009 maybe), that included them repainting all the gold leaf detailing on the columns, which made the structure look beautiful. Its ashame that we will likely never hear that band organ play music at Kings Island ever again. At least the piped in music that they play now is audible, but its just not the same quality or ambiance as when band organs play the music.

Thanks for posting! You know, that band organ was magical - it was *the reason* I rode the carousel! I hate seeing things in disrepair, and I don't know the logistics or legal aspects but I know at least one KI affinicianado who'd love to come and help in almost any way - for free - where only sweat equity is required (not specific trades etc). I suppose liability concerns would prohibit such a thing, but labor costs are nearly always the highest expense. Might be neat to be able to help get things ready (heck, even cleaning).

Can anybody tell I'm ready for opening day?