Christmas In July 2012-Part 21

Two thirds of the way through the month, approximately!  This is the time of the month where I really get burned out on doing this, it seems like it's gone on forever, the end is still a ways off and I'm just tired.  But I'm going to keep working towards the goal of giving you more Christmas music than any other blog out there celebrating Christmas In July.  Which as near as I can tell, is none.  Here we go...

1. Our Winter Love by Al Caiola And His Orchestra from the LP Greasy Kid Stuff (United Artists UAS 6287, Stereo, 1963).  Al Caiola did some great stuff in his day.  Unfortunately, this isn't his best work.  It's not that bad, but you'll still be wearing your socks after listening to it.

2. Coaching Song (Finale From The Little Sweep) (From Part 4 "Winter") by The Budapest Children's Choir-Valeria Botka And Dr. Laszlo Czanyi, Directors, from the album The Budapest Children's Choir At Carnegie Hall (RCA Victor Red Seal LSC-286, Stereo, 1966).  I hadn't heard this before.

3. Sing We And Chant It by Chamber Singers-Robert Summer, Conductor, another track from University Of South Florida Chamber Singers And University Singers (Suncoast Recording Service KM4471, Stereo, 1979). Yawn.

4. The Glad Time by Children's Choir Under The Direction Of Mabel Stewart Boyter from A Joyful Sound-Songs For Children (Word W-3137-LP, Mono, 1961).  Is this the last song I have from this LP?  Maybe...

5. Holiday, a Bee Gees cover by Claudine Longet from her LP Love Is Blue (A&M AP 4142, Stereo, 1968).  She's certainly an acquired taste...

6. Christmas Is Coming by Cynthia Gooding And Don Drake from the kiddie-oriented LP Mother Goose And Father Gander (RCA Camden CAL-1058, Mono, 1965).  Folky.

7. Wedding Of The Painted Doll by our friend Ethel Smith from that same LP, Bright And Breezy (Decca DL 8799, Mono, 1958).  I like the little bits of The Wedding March she's dropped in here.

8. Greensleeves by George Feyer At The Piano With Orchestra Conducted By Dick Jacobs, from the album Golden Waltzes Everybody Knows (Decca DL74455, Stereo, 1963).  How many different labels did George Feyer record for?  Vox, Decca, RCA, and, ummm, I'm forgetting a couple...

9. March Of The Toys (From "Babes In Toyland") by Hal Mooney And His Orchestra from Ballet With A Beat (Mercury PPS 6017, Stereo, 1961).  This LP is so good, I ripped the whole thing.  And I've got a couple more Christmas-themed tracks from it to share with you.  It's a rerun from years past, though, so nothing you haven't heard before.

10. Snowfall by Hal Otis And His Orchestra from the LP Music For Hi-Fi Lovers (Westminster WST 15035, Stereo, 1959). A version I hadn't seen before from a great record label and I'm a sucker for anything with Hi-Fi in the title.

11. I'll Be In Sun Valley, another track by Hap Miller And The Hap Miller Sun Valley Orchestra and their album It Happened In Sun Valley (Stanal Records S-1010, Stereo, 1964).

12. White Christmas, a classic from Henry Mancini, His Orchestra And Chorus from the LP The Academy Award Songs-31 "Oscar" Winners (RCA 2xLP Victor LSP-6013, Stereo, 1966).  A rerun, but still great.

13. Rise Up Shepherd by The Highwaymen from Standing Room Only! (United Artists UAS 6168, Stereo, 1962).  These old folk-oriented LPs are usually a goldmine for Christmas-related tracks.

14. O Come, O Come, Immanuel; All The World Gives Praises Due; How Shall I Meet My Savior? by The Moravian Trombone Choir Of Downey, Jeffrey Reynolds, Conductor, from the album Music For Two Seasons: Advent And Christmas, Lent And Easter (Crystal Records S225, Stereo, 1981).

15. The Secular Pine-Tree by The Volga Russian Folk Choir-A. Kapiturov, Soloist, from the Soviet-era LP The Volga Russian Folk Choir (Melodiya (USSR) CM 02871-72, Mono).

And that's it, another great selection of tunes for you.  I'm posting early today so I can go see the new Batman movie tonight.  Wish me luck.

MediaFire

Christmas In July 2012-Part 20

Day 20, where does the time go?

1. White Christmas by The Colgate 13 from The Colgate 13-Colgate University, Hamilton, NY (Recorded Publications Company 32M-29171/2, Mono).  Nice college choir.

2. The Wedding Of The Painted Doll by Frank Chacksfield And His Orchestra from the LP You (AKA If I Had A Talking Picture Of You) (London LL 1355, Mono, 1956).  There's that old sleeve vs. vinyl title discrepancy again.

3. Troika by Boris Sarbek And His Orchestra from the LP Dark Eyes-Songs Of The Steppes (Columbia "Adventures In Sound" WL 118, Mono, 1958).  Sometimes Troika is a nice wintry song, sometimes it's not.  I'm not sure what the deal is...

4. The Toy Trumpet by Eddie Dunstedter At The Console from Mister Pipe Organ (Capitol T1128, Mono, 1959).  You can't have too many organ records.

5. Out In The Cold Again, a rerun from Don, Dick 'N Jimmy and their album Spring Fever (Crown CLP 5005, Mono, 1957).

6.  Let Us Go To Bethlehem by Children's Choir Under The Direction Of Mabel Stewart Boyter, still another cut from A Joyful Sound-Songs For Children (Word W-3137-LP, Mono, 1961).

7. Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring by one Peter Seeger from the small LP Goofing-Off Suite (Folkways 10" 33 RPM FA 2045, Mono, 1955).  Good stuff.  Gotta love that banjo. And vocals!

8. Fire And Ice by Bill Snyder-Piano Solo With Orchestra And Rhythm Accompaniment from the album The Lover's Touch (Decca DL 8237, Mono, 1956). Interesting instrumental.

9. Carol Of The Drum by The Trapp Family Singers-Dr. Franz Wasner, Conductor, from the album The Best Of The Trapp Family Singers (MCA 2xLP MCA2-4048, Mono, 1973).  Sound familiar?  This was recorded before Harry Simeone wrote The Little Drummer Boy.  Honest.

10. Brazilian Sleigh Bells, the Percy Faith classic, this time performed by Frederick Fennell Conducting The Eastman-Rochester "Pops" Orchestra from the LP Hi-Fi A La Española (Mercury MG50144, Mono, 1957).

11. The Bells Of St. Mary's, a rerun by Shay Torrent from the album Organ Melodies In Hi-Fi Featuring Shay Torrent On The Mighty Wurlitzer (Mercury MG20139, Mono, 1956).

12. Be A Santa, a track I've searched high and low for, by The McGuire Sisters-Orchestra And Chorus Under Direction Of Burt Farber from their LP Subways Are For Sleeping (Coral CRL 57398, Mono, 1961).  Now if I could just find it in stereo.

13. Baby It's Cold Outside by General Electric Transcription Orchestra, from that album with Ronnie Reagan on the front cover, Ronald Reagan Recommends Award Winning Music From Hollywood (General Electric GE-1001, Mono, 1957).  It's amazing how much stuff come out in the years between the development of hi-fi recording and the early years of stereo that has fallen out of favor because it was in mono.

14. Ave Maria-Arcadelt by Charles M. Courboin At The St. Patrick's Cathedral Organ-New York City from An Organ Recital (RCA Camden CAL218, Mono, 1955).  More organ goodness.

And I think that's enough for tonight.  I'm supposed to go see the new Batman movie tomorrow, but after what happened in Colorado, I'm a little concerned.  Not that I think anything will happen, but just the thought of what must have gone through the minds of the people in that theater.  Here you sit, watching something so violent on the big screen, only to have something similar happen in real life right in front of you, and to you.  It's depressing.  Anyhow, listen to some Christmas music and maybe you'll feel better.

MediaFire

Christmas In July 2012-Part 19

Am I setting a record here?  I'm sure I'll jinx myself, but I'm not sure if I've ever made it this far into a month without missing a day or two.  I know one year it took me just over two months to get through, but that was certainly the exception.  Most years I just miss a day here and there, especially during the week, then I can usually get caught up on the weekends, when I have more time to record music.  We'll see if I can make it through the whole month or not, I know that's never happened.  But you don't care about any of that, you just want another album-length slab of great Christmas music, sort of a Goodyear collection of things.  And here you go...

1. Ave Maria No Morro (Doña Maria) by Helmut Zacharias And His Magic Violins from Rendezvous For Strings (Decca DL 78982, Stereo).  So, so many variations on Ave Maria out there, or perhaps I should say there are so many different songs that share that title.  That might be more accurate.

2. Danse Des Mirlitons (From "The Nutcracker"), a rerun in these parts from Xavier Cugat And His Orchestra from the LP The King Plays Some Aces (RCA Victor LSP-1882, Stereo, 1958).  I wish there were more music out there from Cugie that would fall under the Christmas banner.

3. Holiday For Strings from Neal Hefti And The Band With The Sweet Beat and the album A Salute To The Instruments (Coral CRL 757286, Stereo, 1960).  I think this is the only other version of this song I've got for you this year.  It's not very Christmassy in my opinion, so I try to avoid it for the most part  But I grabbed at least one other track from this LP at the same time, so here it is.

4. Jingle At The Window (Tideo) by Robert A. Choate, Richard C. Berg, Lee Kjelson, Eugene W. Troth & Children's Choir from the album Music For Early Childhood (American Book Company, Record 1 I-0140-0016, Stereo).  I don't know why I recorded this, it just caught my eye...

5. Let There Be Peace On Earth (And Let It Begin With Me) by The International Children's Choir from Take A Moment...And Sing Along With The International Children's Choir (Wide World Records WWR-1604, Stereo, 1969).  You never know where you might find something like this.

6. O Come, All Ye Faithful by The Choir Of The First Presbyterian Church Of Dearborn-Alexander J. Turco, Organist And Director, again from the album Carols And Anthems (Artie Fields Productions H-1496/1497, Stereo, 1967).  Pretty sure that's Dearborn, Michigan, for anyone that might be wondering.

7. Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers from Esquivel And His Orchestra, the LP is Strings Afire (RCA Victor LSP-1988. Stereo, 1959).  Some days I think almost anything Esquivel ever recorded could be considered a holiday recording.

8. Satin Doll by Dick Schory's Percussion Pops Orchestra from Politely Percussive (RCA Victor LSP-2738, Stereo, 1963).  More goodness from the golden era at RCA.

9. Sleigh Ride by Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra from Wish You Were Here (RCA Victor LSP-1904, Stereo, 1959).  Third in a row from RCA!  This time it's a rerun of something I first shared with you many years ago.

10. Snowfall by LeRoy Holmes And His Orchestra from Theme Songs Of The Great Swing Bands (MGM SE3708, Stereo, 1958).  The great swing band he's paying tribute to in this case is of course Claude Thornhill.

11. To Us A Child Is Born This Night; Break Forth O Beauteous Heavenly Light; Once He Came In Blessing by The Moravian Trombone Choir Of Downey, Jeffrey Reynolds, Conductor, from Music For Two Seasons: Advent And Christmas, Lent And Easter (Crystal Records S225, Stereo, 1981).  More trombone goodness.

12. We Three Kings by James W. Keane from Bells Over Rochester-The World Famous City's Carillon (Tom Jones Recording Studio TJS-11975-A/B, Stereo, 1975).

13. We Wish You A Merry Christmas by Chamber Singers-Robert Summer, Conductor, from the album University Of South Florida Chamber Singers And University Singers (Suncoast Recording Service KM4471, Stereo, 1979).

14. The Wooden Soldier And The China Doll, a rerun from Joe "Fingers" Carr And His Swingin' String Band and his self-titled LP (Capitol ST 1217, Stereo, 1959).  I've always liked this song.

Not too much to say about most of the tracks tonight.  Plus, it was a long day at work and I'm thinking about going to bed right about now.  Enjoy today's tracks, and I'll see you again tomorrow.

MediaFire

Overhead

I love living in Florida! Where else in the USofA could you live (except maybe Hawaii) and see something like these guys in the McDonalds drive-thru?  Actually, I heard them first, then stuck my head out the window to see them on an overhead power line.  But there they were, and they were kind enough to wait until I pulled out the camera to take some pictures.  But they never hang around very long when they aren't camouflaged in some foliage.  They took off unexpectedly and I was only able to get a shot or two of them in the air.  Oh, these are Quaker Parakeets, they aren't native around here, but they have established wild colonies all over this part of Florida and points south.  They're really something to see.  It's really neat when a whole flock of them fly by, flashing those green wings at you up in the air, and the occasional red tailfeather.

You know what, I shot wild parrots in San Francisco once, so I guess I have to take back what I said about only in Florida and Hawaii.

Christmas In July 2012-Part 18

Another special day today, I finally finished recording as many files as I shared out in total last year, and I've still got almost two weeks left to record stuff!  How great is that?  I think it's going to be another great year for Christmas in July!  Do you have any favorites yet?  I've been dropping the occasional track into my 'Best-Of' folder, but there's still room in there.  If there's something in particular that you've enjoyed, let me know down in the comments.  Sharing out so much, it's easy for me to forget something that's really great.  So, let's jump into tonight's shares.

1. April Snow by The Hi-Lo's from the LP The Hi-Lo's In Hand (Kapp KL-1194 (Reissue of material from Starlite ST-7008, 1956), Mono, 1960).  Why couldn't they have sung about July Snow?  Now that would have been cool!

2. Bells Of St. Mary by Lee Andrews & The Hearts from Greatest Hits (Lost Nite LP-101, Mono, 1964).  This record may well be a bootleg, but that's OK, I'd never find the original tracks anywhere else.  Nice vocal version of this track.

3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by, umm, I'd prefer not to say.  This isn't the sort of thing I should really be sharing around here.  I'll tell you it's from the soundtrack album The Victors (Colpix CP 516, Mono, 1963), and I read that it accompanies some pretty depressing imagery in the movie.

4. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm by Connie Stevens With The Magnificent Werner Mueller Orchestra from her album From Me To You (Warner Bros W1431, Mono, 1962).  I dug up another copy of this LP this evening, and that's what made me think of it and throw it in the pile to share tonight.  Nice version.

5. Merry Christmas Polka by Lawrence Welk And His Champagne Music from the collection Music For Polka Lovers (Mercury/Wing MGW 12210, Mono, 1960).  I always laugh when I see copies of this fairly common album..  On more than half of them, they've misspelled Christmas!

6. Nu Ar Det Jul Igen (Yuletide Is Here Again), today's obligatory track by The Trapp Family Singers-Dr. Franz Wasner, Conductor, from The Best Of The Trapp Family Singers (MCA 2xLP MCA2-4048, Mono, 1973).  Hope you're enjoying these.  I think I have a much more modern version of this track performed by some hair band on one of those label samplers somewhere...it sounds really familiar.

7. Sleep, Little Jesus by Children's Choir Under The Direction Of Mabel Stewart Boyter, from A Joyful Sound-Songs For Children (Word W-3137-LP, Mono, 1961). What can I say that I haven't said before?

8. Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year by Deanna Durbin from the collection Memories Of America (MCA MCA-1514, originally recorded 2/15/44 for the motion picture "Christmas Holiday", Mono, 1982).  I looked up the movie that this professed to be from.  It's not really much of a Christmas movie...more noir than anything.

9. The Birthday Of A King by Gordon MacRae-Orchestra Conducted By Van Alexander, from his LP Hallowed Be Thy Name (Capitol (EMI) ST 1466, Stereo, 1960).  Best-known version of this song is probably by Judy Garland, but it's not something you hear very often.

10. Brazilian Sleigh Bells, a rerun  in several senses from Percy Faith And His Orchestra and his album Carefree-The Music Of Percy Faith (Columbia CS 8360, Stereo, 1961).  Not only is this something I've shared with you before (rerecorded this time and sounding better than ever!), it's also a re-recording of a track originally written and performed by Mr. Faith in the early fifties.  That original version has so far escaped my grasp, but I'm on it!

11. It Happened In Sun Valley by André Previn from André Previn Plays Pretty (Decca DL 74115, Stereo, 1961), another rerun.  He really could play that piano, couldn't he?

12. Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring by Patty Looman Accompanied By Russell Flaharty, a unique dulcimer version taken from the LP Dulcimore (Sweet Music) Featuring Patty Looman Playing The Hammered Dulcimer (Page SLP 602, Stereo).  I love Christmas tunes performed on unique instruments.

13. A Place For The Winter by The Lettermen from their LP Warm (Capitol ST 2633, Stereo, 1967).  This is a rerun of something I shared out many years ago.  I think it's also the second of three tracks I grabbed from this record.

14. Rocking by 1978 Chamber Singers-Robert Summer, Conductor, from the LP University Of South Florida Chamber Singers And University Singers (Suncoast Recording Service KM4471, Stereo, 1979).  How many more tracks do I have from this LP?  Anyhow, I really, really, really want to hear some modern acapella group, like Straight No Chaser or Rockapella do a medley of this and Queen's We Will Rock You.  It almost writes itself!

15. Swiss Christmas by The Smothers Brothers from their LP Curb Your Tongue, Knave! (Mercury SR 60862 (Music-Tzena, Tzena, Tzena, Tzena), Stereo, 1963).  I didn't have my Smothers Brothers tracks handy a few days ago when I did my comedy day, but I finally dug them out.  This is the only track of theirs that's any length, but there are others to come...  They're all reruns around here, I think I shared them out in the very first year of Christmas in July.  Well, the first sharity year.  I recently went back and looked, and I had forgotten that in that first year I shared a bunch of Christmas-themed doodles.

And that's it!  You're that much closer to having all the Christmas music in the world!  I once thought I could have some significant fraction of all the Christmas music out there, but every year I find how truly impossible that is....  See you folks tomorrow!

MediaFire

Christmas In July 2012-Part 17

Before I waste away my whole evening listening to the David Seville B-sides of all the Chipmunks early hits, I guess I need to give you folks some Christmas music.  But who knew there was great music on both sides of these records?  I'll be a lifetime tracking them all down.  But that's a project for another day, tonight you get more Christmas music!

1. Children Go Where I Send Thee by The Tokens-Conducted By Sammy Lowe from the LP The Lion Sleeps Tonight (RCA Victor LPM-2514, Mono, 1961).  Yes, it's the same Tokens.  Really liking this.

2. Chin Chow And The Golden Bird, a song adapted from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and performed by The Continental Symphony Orchestra, Narrated By Art Gilmore And Don Wilson.  I pulled this from the LP Classics For Children Volume 2 (Capitol T3248, Mono, 1957), but I think it originates from a kiddie record 78 from some years earlier.

3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Jane Morgan-Conducted By Charles Albertine, one of my favorite finds this year, pulled from the album Jane Morgan Serenades The Victors (Colpix CP 460, Mono, 1963).  I don't think Jane Morgan ever recorded a Christmas record, so this is probably the best Christmas track you're going to find by her.  This is a sort of companion album to the soundtrack to the movie "The Victors", also on Colpix.  Not sure how that worked, but we get a great song.  On the actual soundtrack, Sinatra performs the song.

4. Doll Dance by Leon Berry from the LP Glockenspiels, Trap And Plenty Of Pipes With Leon Berry At The Hub Rink Chicago-Volume 1 (Replica 33x2501, Mono).  Another organ song you need!

5. I've Got My Love To Keep me Warm from Robert Maxwell, His Harp And Orchestra, a rerun, I think, from A Song For All Seasons (Decca DL 4609, Mono, 1965).  Pretty late for a mono LP, but I've seen worse.

6. Ihr Kinderlein, Kommet (O Come, Little Children), today's track from The Trapp Family Singers-Dr. Franz Wasner, Conductor, and their collection The Best Of The Trapp Family Singers (MCA 2xLP MCA2-4048, Mono, 1973).  Not sure if I've reached the halfway point from this album or not...

7. My Favorite Things by Derek And Ray-Arranged And Conducted By Marty Gold, from their LP The Two Piano Sound Of Derek And Ray Playing "The Sound Of Music" And Other Richard Rodgers Hits (RCA Victor LPM-3353, Mono, 1965).  No arguments about whether or not this is a Christmas song, please, just try to enjoy it.  That album title is quite the mouthful.

8. Snowfall by Members Of The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Conducted By Richard Jones from the album Moonlight And Violins (Capitol T534, Mono, 1954).  Slightly different version of this classic.

9. Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year by Richard Maltby And His Orchestra from Swingin' Down The Lane (Columbia CL 1271, Mono, 1960).  I wasn't sure if this should be a Christmas song or not, but I discovered it came from a Christmas movie, so here it is.

10. Ave Maria by The Moravian Trombone Choir Of Downey, Jeffrey Reynolds, Conductor, from their LP Music For Two Seasons: Advent And Christmas, Lent And Easter (Crystal Records S225, Stereo, 1981).  That looks like four seasons to me, but since it's performed all on trombones, I'll let it slide. Get it, slide?  Lot's more from these guys to come.

11. Bells And Little Bells by David Carroll And His Orchestra, recorded during his percussion obsession, from the LP Repercussion (Mercury SR 60029, Stereo, 1959).  I shared a version of this by Percy Faith a long time ago, but at the time I didn't see it was written by Helmut Zacharias.

12. Christmas In July, the official theme song of these parts this time of year, actually a medley of carols by Dennis Hinman from the demo LP Denny-Dennis Hinman Plays The Yamaha Electone E-70 (Yamaha YR 5005, Stereo).

13. Greensleeves by Admiral Dan's Pandemoniacs, AKA The US Navy Steel Band, from the album Dream Along With The US Navy Steel Band (AKA Caribbean Romance) (Continental CST-2003 (AKA ST-9029), Stereo).  Why all the dual naming?  Well, first and foremost, it's a budget release, and the title and catalog number are different on the sleeve and the vinyl.  But also the official name of the band differed from what everybody called it.  I guess there really was an Admiral Dan, and he put the band together.

14. Let There Be Peace On Earth (Let It Begin With Me) by Liberace-Orchestra Directed By Gordon Robinson from his album My Inspiration (Coral CRL 757344, Stereo, 1960).  This is one of about a dozen songs this year that I discovered, recorded, then discovered again in a stereo version.  So you get to enjoy the fruits of double my labor on this one.

And that's it, another great collection of tracks I think you'll agree.  Come back tomorrow for still more goodies.

MediaFire

Christmas In July 2012-Day 16

Today marks the last day of the first half of Christmas In July!  16 days down, 16 more to go!  And it's a theme night, too!  Most of the songs have nothing to do with Christmas, but they feature the word Holiday in the title!  Oh, and the last couple of tracks are barbershop.  Things get weird around here sometimes, I can't really help it.  So let's dive in!

1. Allah's Holiday by Domenico Savino And His Orchestra from the LP Music For A Perfect Day (RCA Camden CAL 357, Mono, 1958).  You might recall Mr. Savino's excellent Christmas album that came in both mono and stereo flavors, that oddly enough, weren't the same...

2. Bugler's Holiday by The Four Saints & The John Scott Trotter Orchestra from the rather curious LP Life Throws A Party (Life Magazine In Honor Of The 53rd Annual Meeting Of The Grocery Manufacturers Association, Mono. 1961).  Weird little item, this.

3. Busy Holiday, a great rerun from our friends The Three Suns and their album Twilight Time (Rondo-lette A14, Mono).  This is a reissue of some music The Suns recorded for the Majestic label way, way back in the day.

4. Holiday by The Anita Kerr Singers from the album All You Need Is Love (Warner Bros WS 1724, Stereo, 1967).  This is a version of the Bee Gees song, in case you wondered.

5. Holiday For Percussion from Dick Schory's Percussion Pops Orchestra and the album Holiday For Percussion (RCA Victor "Stereo Action" LSA-2485, Stereo, 1962).  I went on a roll tonight and recorded a handful of tracks from Mr. Schory that I hope to share out before the end of the month.

6. Holiday For Strings by Jimmy Dorsey And His Orchestra from the collection The Great Jimmy Dorsey (Decca DL 8609, Mono, 1957).  If I wanted, I could record a hundred different versions of this one song by David Rose, but I try to limit it's inclusion here.  I think I recorded two versions this year, so you'll get another one between now and the end of the month.  Wait for it.

7. Holiday For Trombones by Trombones Unlimited Featuring Mike Barone & Frank Rosolino from the LP Holiday For Trombones (Liberty LST-7527, Stereo, 1967).  Another track by David Rose, but not the same song.

8. Holiday In A Hurry, oops, another song from Dick Schory, this time as Dick Schory's New Percussion Ensemble, taken from the classic album Music For Bang, Baa-Room And Harp (RCA Victor LSP-1866, Stereo, 1958).  This one's written by Skitch Henderson.

9. Hong Kong Holiday by Robert Maxwell And His Orchestra from the collection Spectacular Is The Sound For It! (MGM E3883, Mono, 1960).  I thought I had this in stereo, but I guess not.

10. March Of The Dwarfs by Percussion, Brass, Strings And Winds Of The Philadelphia Orchestra-Eugene Ormandy, Conductor, from the album Holiday For Orchestra! (Columbia Masterworks MS 6757, Stereo, 1965).  No, it doesn't have holiday in the title of the song, but it's in the title of the album.  I think that counts.

11. Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers from Richard Hayman And His Harmonica Orchestra and his album Harmonica Holiday (Mercury PPS 6005, Stereo, 1961).  Again, it's in the album title, so it counts!  Rerun!

12. The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot, a rerun title here from The Sun Tones and their album A Touch Of Gold (Sunrise LP 2309, Mono, 1961).  In case you don't remember this, it's a great barbershop take on a great song I first heard by Vera Lynn at the beginning of Pink Floyd's The Wall.

13. The Twelve Days Of Christmas by The Gentlemen's Agreement from Final Edition (Harmony Enterprises GA 103, Stereo), another great track in that barbershop style.  This on'es new to the blog, but I'm sure it'll turn into a classic.

And that's that.  Some good stuff in there.  I hope you've enjoyed the first half of the month, but I've got plenty more to share with you in the second half, it may even be better!  So keep coming back, and tell your friends!  See you right here tomorrow night!

MediaFire

Christmas In July 2012-Day 15

Day 15, almost halfway through the month!  Hooray!  Let's see what's in the share package tonight!

1. Baby, It's Cold Outside, a great-sounding rerun by Meri Ellen And Her Cohorts Featuring Guest Star Don Elliott from their LP The Hi-Fi Antics Of Meri Ellen And Her Cohorts (Design DLP 63, Mono, 1958).  I've always enjoyed this version, but I think this is the first time I've gotten a rip of it that I could be proud of.

2. Ave Maria by Fred Waring And The Pennsylvanians-Glee Club-Stuart Churchill, Soloist from the album Songs Of Devotion (Decca DL 8670, Mono, 1958).  This is the first of two different Ave Maria's from this LP.

3. A Child's Christmas In Wales, spoken by the author Dylan Thomas from his LP Selections From The Writings Of Dylan Thomas-Read By The Poet-Volume 1 (Caedmon TC 1002, Mono, 1956).  Pretty sure I've shared this one with you in the past sometime, but here it is again.

4. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire), the classic Christmas tune, here performed by George Maharis-Conducted By Joe Sherman, recorded live and pulled from the LP New Route (Epic LN 24191, Mono, 1966).  See, every once in a while I can find a real Christmas song to share with you.

5. Doll Dance by Russ Morgan And His Orchestra from the album Everybody Dance To The Music Of Russ Morgan And His Orchestra (Decca DL 8337, Mono, 1956).  Dance, Dance, Dance-Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah!

6. Es Ist Ein Ros Entsprungen, today's track from The Trapp Family Singers-Dr. Franz Wasner, Conductor, and the LP The Best Of The Trapp Family Singers (MCA 2xLP MCA2-4048, Mono, 1973).

7. Greensleeves by Ferrante And Teicher from Soundproof-The Sound Of Tomorrow, Today! (Westminster WP 6014, Mono, 1956).  First time I've had a decent-sounding version of this LP.  And as an aside, I finally found myself a copy of their Blast-Off! LP recently.  Now all I need is Adventure In Carols.

8. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm by Della Reese from The Best Of Della Reese (Jubilee JGM 5002, Mono, 1962).  I thought I'd shared this out before, but if I did, I can't find it.

9. Jingle Bells by The Alley Singers...Phil Stern And Al Brennan from the LP Side By Side (RCA Victor LPM-1629, Mono, 1958).  This is exactly the sort of thing I love to find and share during Christmas In July!

10. March Of The Toys by Ethel Smith from Bright And Breezy (Decca DL 8799, Mono, 1958).  A rerun, but good stuff.

11. Midnight Sleighride (From "The Lieutenant Kije Suite"), a great, great, great track from The Sauter-Finegan Orchestra and their LP New Directions In Music (RCA Victor 10" 33 RPM LPM 3115, Mono, 1953).  If anyone is reading this, I'm looking for a track by Sauter-Finegan called Holiday.  It appears to be a 45-only release, and really, really hard to find.  Can anybody help?  I can't even find an MP3 of it...

12. Sleigh Ride by Sy Mann At The Lowrey from his LP Songs Of The Four Seasons (Golden Crest CR 3007, Mono, 1957).  Everyone loves Leroy Anderson!

13. A Star Shall Shine by St. Olaf Lutheran Choir-Conducted By Olaf C. Christiansen, from the album The St. Olaf Lutheran Choir (Mercury MG 20636, Mono, 1961).  Did I mention that all the tracks tonight are mono?

14. Sugar Plum by Jo Harnell And His Trio from the LP The Piano Inventions Of Jo Harnell And His Trio (Jubilee LP-1015, Mono, 1956).  This was one of the first tracks I recorded this year for Christmas In July!

15. Winter Ditties by The Volga Russian Folk Choir-Sung By V. Mikhailova And V. Volkova, from The Volga Russian Folk Choir (Melodiya (USSR) CM 02871-72, Mono).  This may be the first track I've ever ripped from an actual Russian album.  Not just Russian, but the USSR!

That's it, 15 tracks, bringing our total for the month to a nice even 200!  Sweet.  Here's the download link.  Enjoy!

MediaFire