Christmas In July 2008-Day 25

Hello, and welcome to day 25! Well, it's actually day 26, but I'm a little behind. I hope today will be the day I catch up. Let's jump right into the shares, shall we. Today you get ten different versions of What Child Is This. Well, to tell the truth, you get one version of What Child Is This and nine versions of Greensleeves, since they have the same melody, just different words. But all of these are instrumentals, so just sing the Christmas words, and no one will be the wiser.

First, the version that's actually entitled What Child Is This is provided by Jack Conner & Ralph Carmichael from the album I Love To Tell The Story (Christian Faith Recordings JC 243). You remember this one from last week, it features the marimba and vibraharp.

Second is the only variation on the title of Greensleeves, that being Variations On Greensleeves, by Grace Castagnetta from the album A Siena Pianoforte Concert (Counterpoint (Everest) CPT 1503). You may remember Grace Castegnetta from a Christmas LP last year featuring that same pianoforte.

Now, eight different versions of Greensleeves by eight different artists from eight different albums. Raymond Lewenthal from Moonlight And Keyboard (Westminster XWN 18403), The Melachrino Strings from Music For Reading (RCA Victor LPM 1002, 1954), Mantovani And His Orchestra from Greensleeves (London LL 570), Julian Bream from The Golden Age Of English Lute Music (RCA Victor Red Seal LD-2560, 1961), George Feyer from Golden Waltzes Everybody Knows (Decca DL 4455), De Wayne Fulton from An Evening At The Warehouse Restaurant (Safari SS-1001), Chet Atkins With Dennis Farnon And His Orchestra from Chet Atkins In Hollywood (RCA Victor LSP-1993, 1959), and Andre Kostelanetz And His Orchestra from World-Wide Wonderland (Columbia AKS-1). How's that for a diverse group of artists? Well, OK, so it's not that diverse, but it's up there.

Here's the download link, go get yourself a mess of marginal Christmas music. And don't forget about all the shares back in 2006 and 2007.

Good News And Bad-I received an email from George Feyer's daughter-in-law last night, and she tells me that the family is in the process of making all his recordings available for legal download. That's the good news. The bad news is that I can't share it with you anymore, but I think the good outweighs the bad. So keep checking back and hopefully I'll have some information about when and where you can download some tasty George Feyer.