Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Another Byrd

Sometime during the past year or so, I stumbled across Charlie Byrd's Christmas album.  I'd never seen it before and figured it was just the thing for sharing.  At least I thought so until I realized it was pretty easily available.  Further digging into the archives revealed this LP that you see above, which I at first thought was a different cover for the Columbia LP.  Further research reveled that it wasn't, but was in fact recordings that Byrd made 10 years later and released them himself, possibly as something to sell at concerts or somewhere.  The track list overlaps his original Christmas album considerably (all but one track is on both albums), but these are different recordings.  You really have to like that style of guitar playing to be into these, but if you like that sort of thing, this is the album for you.  Please download Charlie Byrd-The Christmas Album (Track Recording CO 8788, Stereo, 1976).

1. O Holy Night
2. Joy To The World
3. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
5. The Christmas Song
6. Do You Hear What I Hear?
7. Silent Night, Holy Night
8. What Child Is This (Greensleeves)
9. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
10. Coventry Carol
11. Good King Wenceslas
12. The First Noel
13. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
14. We Three Kings

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Hmmm. looks like there's yet another album of Charlie Byrd Christmas music. The man was prolific.

4 comments:

  1. It was probably a rights thing. Like we talked about at the Fa, with The Chairmen Of The Board and others. Artists want to sell the music they made only to wake up one day and find out they don't own it. So you re-record it. What else are you going to do? Even though these are traditional tunes, he probably wanted recordings that he owned and that he could control.

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  2. Thanks for the share. Charlie Byrd is classic; to find this recording is exceptional. This is the epitome of mellow, but it works for me--at least as good as zitherland! ;)

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  3. Hello,

    I can shed some light on this album as I too came across it a few years ago (and it appeared to be signed by Joe and Charlie). After much digging online i didn't find ANY info on this album. So i snapped a photo of it and found Joe Byrd's website and emailed a copy of my photo and a brief email to his manager (who happens to be Joe's wife and the illustrator of the album art) She informed me that this gem was VERY limited and was only sold at Christmas shows performed by Charlie in 1976 in the Annapolis area. She also told me that the signatures appeared to be the real deal.

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  4. Thanks for the additional info, Mr. Unknown. Always nice to be able to fill in a little of the blank space. I want to say I've seen yet another collection of his Christmas music, but at this point I don't remember where or when. Probably just another repackaging.

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