Christmas In July 2009-Day The Eleventh

Day number eleven, and another hodgepodge of track with no real rhyme nor reason. Well, I suppose some of these do rhyme, at least the vocal ones. Wait, did I include any vocal tracks today? Just one, looks like. Let's start with that one.

Track one, the vocal one, is Winter Sky by Billy Edd Wheeler from the LP Memories Of America (Kapp KS-3425). I recorded this one because of the title mainly, but when I listened to the lyrics, he does talk about the birth of Jesus, so maybe it's closer to being a Christmas song than I realized. And that's it for the songs that have any rhyme. Come back tomorrow and maybe I'll have some more. Now, on to the tracks with no reason...

Track two is something I tried to record last year, but the copy I found was in terrible shape. It looked OK, but the vinyl was nothing but noise. I finally scored another copy, so that means I get to share a version of Greensleeves (or, if you prefer, What Child Is This) with you by Ferrante & Teicher from one of their earliest prepared piano LPs, Soundproof-The Sound Of Tomorrow Today (Westminster WP 6014). Not as crazy as the stuff they did on their prepared piano Christmas album, but still nice to have.

Track three is a version of Swingin' Shepherd Blues by blog favorite Ethel Smith. This is from her LP Bouquet Of The Blues-Ethel Smith At The Organ (Decca DL 8955). To tell the truth, I like the individual tracks of hers that I find much better than the tracks from her full Christmas LP. And I know that this track isn't really Christmassy, but I like to include it, and I'm going to use the excuse that shepherds came to see the baby Jesus. So there!

Track four is my first version of Sleigh Ride for the year (I think), but it's not going to be the last. Oh, no, nowhere near the last. This one is by Werner Müller And His Orchestra from their LP Werner Müller Plays Leroy Anderson (London Phase 4 SP 44057). Gotta love those Phase 4 records, they have such great sound. This is the second track from the label I've brought you this year, I believe.

Track five, and the final entry for tonight, is by Joe "Finger" Carr and is something I wish I'd had when I shared out my toy related tracks the other day. The song is The Wooden Sailor And The China Doll, and it's from the Stereo Showcase (Capitol SKAO 1268), a fancy demo LP from Capitol that showed off some of their new stereo catalog. Got some more tracks, or at least one more track from this LP to share with you later on this month.

And that's the whole ball of wax. Here's the download link, thanks for your patronage. If you're bored, click a random link at right, you never know where you might end up...