Livin' la Vida Christmas

Just so you don't think I'm only sharing musty old LPs from the 50s, I'm going to share a musty old LP from the 80s. Then it's back to the 50s. This is Menudo-Feliz Navidad (Profono Internacional TPL-1405, 1983). I think this predates Ricky Martin's involvement with the band. I guess prior to him coming along, you didn't have to be a pretty-boy to get in the band. I have no idea what most of these songs are, with the exception of Silent Night (Nocha de Paz). I think they are mostly originals, though. And to my ears they don't sound very Christmassy. But please download it, and judge for yourself. If nothing else, you get a great cover.

Oodles of Doodles CLXII-Christmas 2005

This sextet of Christmas kids comes from the flipside of A Christmas Festival Of Songs & Carols (RCA Victor PRM-170, 1964), which was a specially-prepared various artists collection for J.C. Penney. Gotta love the little tykes, all on their way to J.C. Penney to buy some happy Christmas presents.

Just a note for some of you who may be new around here. Oodles of Doodles is a collection of artwork from old records, mostly from the 50s and 60s. All of these are from records in my collection. Most of them are simple pen and ink drawings in black on white, but occasionally you get a color one like this. There are lots of websites out there that show you the shiny, glossy front covers of old dusty LPs, but as far as I know, this is the only one that shows you the backs!

No, You Can't Borrow My Tools

Before I even start, go and download The Snap-On Male Chorus-Carols Of Christmas (RCA Custom Record Dept. SOLP 6363). Yes, it's that Snap-On... Just about every mechanic worth his salt uses Snap-On tools. And whatever you do, don't ask to borrow them. He paid top dollar for those tools, and you're not going to get you lilly-white hands on them. And what mechanic doesn't like to spend his Christmas evenings listening to a male choir made up of employees from his favorite tool company? So here you go! Not sure what the year on this is from. I need to do some more research, but I'm missing dinner right now.

'Twas The 23rd Night Before Christmas

OK, as mentioned, I did get the second-place finisher in my FaLaLaLaLa poll all recorded and I'm sharing it out. Those of you who saw the poll might remember that there were two covers to the record. I recorded the one above, The Caroleers-'Twas The Night Before Christmas (Diplomat SX 1720), and used that track order. The one below, The Caroleers-'Twas The Night Before Christmas (Diplomat SX 1720), lists all the same tracks, but in a different order. I didn't listen to them, but I'm pretty sure they are the exact same tracks. Either way, download it, listen to it and enjoy it.


Update: The folks who actually own this music have finally seen fit to release it on iTunes. Show please show them that you support legal downloads and go get it. Trust me, it sounds better than my scratchy old vinyl.

Rudy's A Lush!

As part of my plan to post stuff that might complement what's being posted over at FaLaLaLaLa, here's The Caroleer Singers And Orchestra-Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Ambassador Record Corp. SX 1727). I held a little contest over there to see which Caroleer album everybody wanted, and this one won by a 2 to 1 margin over everything else. So I guess the masses have spoken. However, it's really, really short. I may get ambitious and record one of the other LPs. Maybe. Don't hold me to that...

Update: You can now download this great Christmas album over at iTunes. That means it's no longer available around here. I don't believe in sharing out stuff that you can buy legally. So go get it!

Oodles of Doodles CLXI-Christmas 2005

Honest, this is a Christmas doodle. This soldier comes from the backside of Christmas At Home (Phillips B 07255 L). Pretty snazzy little bit of art there, depicting a hip soldier coming home from the PX with a rather large stack of records, probably all the latest releases from home. This LP appears to have been sold at the PX on a military base in Europe. The LP itself was pressed and printed in Holland, I think it was sold on US Air Force bases. You can see a copy of a letter from Jo Stafford below, printed on the backside of the LP also, talking about how she hopes the songs on the LP will bring some fond memories of home to the soldiers serving overseas. Besides Jo Stafford, this record features The Norman Luboff Choir, Rosemary Clooney, Percy Faith, Janetta Davis and others. You can see the cover to the album all the way at the bottom of the post. I was first attracted to this LP by the cool cover, with the lady popping out from between the Christmas trees. It was only later that I realized the military connections. And I'm not sure, but is that a grenade hanging in the tree by her left ear? OK, maybe not, but it's close... (I'd share this out, but I think it's just a compilation of things that were released elsewhere, sort of like those Goodyear Christmas records. You're not missing anything special now that you have the unique artwork.)

The First Day Of December, Again

As promised, here is the second record of swingin' organ Christmas songs. Please help yourselves to a copy of Eddie Dunstedter-The Bells Of Christmas Chime Again (Capitol ST 1968, c. 1963)!

Just for the record, the third record in the set is Eddie Dunstedter-Christmas Candy (Capitol ST 2395, c. 1965). I'm not sharing that one because it was shared out last year on FaLaLaLaLa, as well as over at Basic Hip. So you'll have to get that one elsewhere.

On The First Day Of December

Since it's the first day of December, I thought I'd give you something that many folks have been looking for. This is one of three Christmas releases (that I know of) from Eddie Dunstedter, none of which have made it to CD yet. However, tracks from them have shown up on many compilations, not the least of which is Christmas Cocktails. I'm sharing out two of the three, and here is the first. Please download Eddie Dunstedter-The Bells Of Christmas (Capitol ST 1264, c. 1959). More organ than you can shake a stick at!

Correction-I screwed up track 12. I truncated over half the track for some reason. It's a medley of two songs, and I must have edited it after the first one without knowing. If this is your first time dropping by, the download shown above is correct. If any of the 66 people who already downloaded this record drop by, you can get just the corrected track 12 here. Sorry about the screw-up.

December 2005

Here's the very last page of my 2005 calendar. This is the lighthouse at Ponce Inlet, just south of Daytona Beach. It was all done up for the holidays when I caught it, so it makes for a great December calendar shot. Well, December in Florida anyway.

The Start Of December

I caught this great blue heron as he caught breakfast one morning on Lido Beach. It's rare that I can rouse myself from bed in time to catch a sunrise, but it's always worth it when I do. You get some great shots in that early morning light.

Wham! Bam, Thank You, Man

I gotta tell you, I very nearly hit the floor when I flipped to this 12" at a Goodwill store last Christmas. (Ha-ha, get it, Last Christmas!!!) I had never seen the cover for Wham!-Last Christmas-Pudding Mix (CBS TA4949, 1984), and as you can see, it's rather shocking. Not in a bad sort of way, but it certainly catches you off guard if you aren't expecting it. The song off this record is readily available just about anywhere, so I won't be sharing anything from it with you, other than these pictures. but isn't that enough really? I mean, what more could you want, a smiling, festive George Michael looking like he's making his own Gap commercial, and a rather put-upon Andrew Ridgely wearing a dead reindeer on his head? This is great stuff!

Christmas Sharity Recap-Week One

Well, it's been a week, and the albums just keep coming. I see some of them are starting to roll over into the archives, and I don't think everybody will know to look there for earlier stuff, so I figure I'll recap things every once in a while with links to the things shared out earlier. Each link will take you to the original post, and you can download the items from there.

George Feyer's Echoes Of Christmas (54)
Avon Goes On Record 1968 (46)
Sy Mann-Everybody's Christmas Favorites Organ & Chimes (60)
The Moog Machine-Christmas Becomes Electric (73)
101 Strings-Christmas Moods, aka The Glory of Christmas (47)
Cyril Stapleton And His Orchestra With Children's Chorus-Children's Christmas Album (42)
Muzak Christmas (42)
Santa Claus Conquers The Martians (54)
Charo-(Mamacita) ¿Donde Esta Santa Claus? (69)
Christmas With Big Tiny Little (57)
Buddy & Bunny Burden-Christmas Favorites (40)
The Rainbow Sound Of Bianco His Harp And Orchestra-Joy To The World (11)
Ruth Welcome-Christmas In Zitherland (8)

That's your complete recap. Film at eleven. (The numbers next to each link are the number of times the share has been downloaded as of today.)

There was also a Thanksgiving song posted, Spencer Ross-Thanksgiving Day Parade (45), if you are still interested in Thanksgiving music.

Zither Come Hither

Here's your second string record for the day. But no violins, violas or even mondolins. It's a zither! Give this one a listen if you're feeling a little crazy. From Ruth Welcome, this is Christmas In Zitherland (Capitol ST 1782, c. 1962). I wish I had something cute or smart to say about this album, but I don't. Perhaps I'm losing my touch. Perhaps I have seasonal affective disorder.

Harpo (Not Zeppo)

Here's the first of two stringed instrument posts for today. And neither of them is a guitar! This first one is The Rainbow Sound Of Bianco His Harp And Orchestra-Joy To The World (RCA Victor CPM-104, 1962). It's not as far out there as I had hoped, but it's certainly something a little different to brighten up your holiday season. Here in Florida, it's the last day of hurricane season, and the high is 70, and there's not a cloud in the sky. :) So download this and enjoy it!

Buddy And His Silent Bunny

Tonight's LP is from the well-known duo of Buddy And Bunny Burden. You say you've never heard of them? How can that be? Perhaps you didn't hang out in Gatlinburg in the sixties. OK, so these two might not be a household name, but after you listen to their record, you might decide to spread their name a little further afield. I have yet to figure out exactly what Bunny brings to the table. Sure, she looks nice there on the cover, but there's not a peep from her on this record. She's not even mentioned on the back cover. And did I mention I think Buddy is wearing the same tuxedo that my dad was married in? Of course he didn't have the snazzy haircut. Anyhow, without further hoo-ha, please be my guest and download the unique organ style of Buddy & Bunny Burden-Christmas Favorites (Modern Sound Christmas Album #5). And if you know anything more about these two, please drop me a line. Thanks!

Check It Out

Don't forget that you can cruise over to flickr and see a little over fifty Christmas LP covers that I have scanned in this holiday season. Many of them have shown up here as shares, and many more of them will still show up, but there are a few that are just there because I liked them, or I was using them as an illustration somewhere else. Just thought I'd mention it.

Fire! Fire! Fire!

I'm going to have to start photographing fire more often. It's pretty neat.

Off-White Ibis

I shot this white ibis while at my Aunt's house for Thanksgiving the other day. I need to learn how to compensate for white surfaces. Notice how there is no texture in the white area on the bird's body. I think his neck is a funny color because he's transitioning from the juvenile coloration to full-on adult colors. That or he's just dirty.

Big Things In A Little Package

Here's a really fun bit of Christmas music for your downloading pleasure. This is Christmas With Big Tiny Little (Coral CRL 757391, 1961). I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this one, and I'm sure you will be, too.

Cowboys (Not Indians)

As much as I would love to share this piece of Dallas Cowboys history with you, I can't. Seems that it's still available from it's source, as well as a similar LP from 1986 that I didn't even know existed. Most of the tracks are by a Christian artist named Chris Christian, but there are two tracks by the Cowboys themselves, and the standout is Twelve Days Of Christmas. Trust me, it's everything you are expecting, and more. Those Superbowl Shufflin' Bears got nothing on these Cowboys. Dallas Cowboys Christmas (Home Sweet Home Records HSHR122585, 1985)

Cuchi, Cuchi, Cuchi!!!

This one is too easy. Please, insert your own joke here. From 1978, this is (Mamacita) ¿Donde Esta Santa Claus? , (Salsoul SG 201) by Charo!!! Cuchi, cuchi, cuchi!!

Santa? Martians? Huh?

OK, maybe you're tired of listening to the free music around here, and you want to relax and listen to something else. How about the record adaptation of Santa Claus Conquers The Martians (Golden Records SLP 170)? Yep, it's every bit as good (or bad) as the movie, and you get the great theme song, Hooray For Santa Claus, as a bonus (twice!). I only wish I had the comic book to share with you as well. But I can link you to to the movie, which is available for free download over at archive.org. Imagine that, a record and a movie! Don't say I never gave you anything.

A Little Muzak In The Air

I held a little vote over at FaLaLaLaLa a few months ago, and this was the record that got chosen. So I figure I'll share with all you new folks. If you happen to have an elevator of your own, this will be great to play in there. From the fine folks at Muzak, here's Muzak Christmas (Muzak AA 36, 1980), a promotional LP designed to get you to purchase their music services. Why does Santa only have 6 reindeer in that picture? Something isn't right about that... (I've heard that Muzak has other Christmas LPs out, anybody want to share?)

One That I Missed

The King points out that there was a third cover for the 101 Strings-The Glory of Christmas LP I shared out below. So I had to run and find it. Believe it or not, that red color you see is velvet, or a reasonable imitation thereof. I've never see another velvet record sleeve, have you? This one is on the Somerset label, catalog number is P-7100. I think it predates the other two covers I posted.

A Few More Days In November

This week's calendar page is a very tight close-up of a flower. I shot this down at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, but I suppose I could have shot the same picture just about anywhere.