Christmas In July 2012-Part 24

Whew, where does the time go?  I've been recording more music for you all evening, and now I'm posting a little late.  Not that late, but I'd still like to be done by now.  But at least one of the songs I recorded might turn out to be a true gem.  If nothing else, it's rare enough to turn up only in a YouTube cover version on the internet.  Let's start with that one.

1. The Really Remarkable Star by Oscar Brand from an odd little LP called Celebrate-Highlights From A Presentation To The 1970 Assembly Of Women's Society Of Christian Service And Wesleyan Guild-Houston, Texas (Infinity Records 1001 (Selections from 'The Bridge Of Hope' and 'Songs For The Feast Days'), Stereo, 1970).  This song is from side 2, the one subtitled 'Songs For The Feast Days'.  Anyhow, I've never heard this song before, and the only mention of it on the internet is a cover on YouTube by a folk artist who learned it from a cassette tape.  Oscar Brand was an odd fellow, recording folk music of all sorts for Elektra in the 60's, often releasing themed albums with Air Force songs, Marine songs, skiing songs, bawdy songs, etc.  This one appears to be a souvenir from a woman's club show.  The LP sleeve is only printed on one side, but the vinyl looks professional.  It's awfully well recorded to be a souvenir, though.  Anybody ever heard this before?  Anybody know anything more about it?  It's an interesting story from the POV of one of the 3 wise men.

2. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town by The Smothers Brothers from Think Ethnic! (Mercury SR 60777, Stereo, 1963).  The third and final Christmas comedy bit from the brothers Smothers.  I found a handful of comedy bits that I didn't share out back on comedy day, so you're getting all those tonight, starting with this rerun.

3. Let Us Hang The Holly, a sort of funny bit from Anna Russell With Eugene Rankin, Piano, And Arthur Hoberman, Flute, and the LP A Square Talk On Popular Music Or The Decline And Fall Of The Popular Song (Columbia Masterworks ML 5036, Mono, 1955).  From Side 2 "Survey of Singing From Madrigals To Modern Opera".  I'll let you decide if this is funny or not.

4. Department Store Santa Claus by Jimmy Joyce-Orchestra Conducted By Billy Liebert And Carl Brandt from the LP The Garbage Collector In Beverly Hills (Warner Bros B 1254, Mono, 1959).  First off, is that THE Jimmy Joyce?  Right label, right era...but he's singing, not leading the voices.  This funny little bit caught my eye about a year ago on an LP I'd never seen before, and when I saw it, I knew I had to come off the $10 they wanted for it.  I think you'll enjoy it.

5. Christmas Is Our Business by Charlie Manna from Manna-Live! (Decca DL 4213, Mono, 1962).  Another funny bit, this one tells the story of how modern Christmas songs get written.  This will ring true to fans of Christmas music everywhere.

6. O Come All Ye Faithful; Angels We Have Heard On High; Hark The Herald Angels Sing, a non-funny medley by The Moravian Trombone Choir Of Downey, Jeffrey Reynolds, Conductor, pulled from their album Music For Two Seasons: Advent And Christmas, Lent And Easter (Crystal S225, Stereo, 1981).  Nice mix of carols.

7. Just Because from the dream team of Al Hirt And Ann-Margret-Orchestra Arranged And Conducted By Marty Paich, and the LP Beauty And The Beard (RCA Victor (Germany) LSP-2690, Stereo, 1964).  No, it's not Christmas, but they mention Santa and St. Nick, so I'm throwing it in here.

8. Snowfall gets the treatment from Esquivel, His Piano And His Orchestra, from the LP More Of Other Worlds, Other Sounds (Reprise R-6046, Mono, 1962).  Still haven't found a stereo copy of the vinyl on this one, but Esquivel's records never sit around the thrift stores long enough for me to find them.

9. Maria Die Soude Naer Bethlehem Gaen (Mary Went To Bethlehem) by Ghent Oratorio Society (The Gentse Oratoriumvereniging)-Conducted By Marcel De Pauw-George Minne-Piano, from the LP Flemish Choral Music (Esoteric ES-514, Mono, 1953).  Not the sort of thing I usually listen to, but nice for a bit of a change.  How did I know this was Christmas music?  It's on the back under the section "Flemish Christmas Music".  Very helpful, that.

10. I Never Has Seen Snow by Quincy Jones from the LP The Great Wide World Of Quincy Jones (Mercury MG 20561, Mono, 1960).  Yep, that Quincy Jones.

11. The First Snow Of Winter by Arthur Godfrey With Orchestra And Chorus Under The Direction Of Archie Bleyer, another track from Arthur Godfrey's TV Calendar Show (Columbia CL 521, Mono, 1953).  This whole album is pretty good, actually.

12. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) by the great Sammy Davis, Jr., a rerun from the album The Nat King Cole Song Book (Reprise R-6164, Mono, 1965).  Never seen a stereo copy of this, but I know they exist...

13. The Bells Of St. Mary's by The Easternaires, a bit of barbershop I missed earlier in the season from the album Once Over Lightly (RCA Victor LPM-2263, Mono, 1961).  Good stuff.

14. Ave Maria by Fred Waring And The Pennsylvanians-Glee Club And Orchestra-Jane Wilson, Soloist, from Songs Of Devotion (Decca DL 8670, Mono, 1958).  You can't go wrong with Fred Waring.

Nice mix of the sacred and the profane tonight.  I won't tell you which is which, you'll have to figure it out on your own.  More tomorrow, so don't forget to stop back by.  Here's your download link.

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