Christmas In July 2017 Day 51

Yeah, well, I thought I was done with Christmas in July, too, but I guess not.  I found a whole stack of records today that I just couldn't ignore, so here are 17 more tracks that you may or may not need to hear.  Not the best stuff I shared all season, but certainly not the worst.  I found all but two of these records today.  The other two were things that I'd been skipping over in the stacks and didn't think I wanted to share yet, but they popped up in my head tonight so I decided to throw them into the stack.

1. White Christmas
2. Baby, It's Cold Outside, both tracks by Henry Mancini, His Orchestra And Chorus, from his record club collection Henry Mancini Presents The Academy Award Songs-31 "Oscar" Winners (RCA Victor 2xLP LSP-6013, Stereo, 1966).  There was actually a new member kit for the RCA Victor Record club inside the sleeve of this one.  I need to scan that and share it on the blog at some point.

3. Toyland (From "Babes In Toyland") by Carmen Dragon Conducting The Capitol Symphony Orchestra from Nightfall (Capitol SP 8575, Stereo, 1961).  This is the stereo version of a track I shared with you earlier in the season.  Glad I found it so I could update that for you.

4. On A December Night by Pope John Paul II from Pope John Paul II Sings At The Festival Of Sacrosong (Infinity/EOM INF-9899, Stereo, 1979).  The sleeve to this doesn't identify the lead artist on this record, it's clearly not The Pope, though I'm sure he was singing along at some point.

5. Ave Maria by Ferrante & Teicher, this version is from Moonlight Melodies-Ferrante & Teicher Play 20 Great Love Themes (United Artists 2xLP SQBO-91105 For Capitol Record Club, Stereo, 1970).  I shared out a different version earlier in the month that's a little longer and on the ABC-Paramount label.

6. Winter Wonderland by Lester Lanin
7. Winter Song by The Merrill Staton Choir, both tracks taken from the LP Passport To Pleasure! (Columbia Special Products XTV 82095/82096 Prepared Especially For Chemstrand, Limited Edition, Mono).  No idea who Chemstrand is or was, but I guess they paid for Columbia to press up this LP for them.  Couple of brightly colored cocktails on the cover, so maybe they were in the liquor business?

8. Tropic Holiday by The Lansdowne Jazz Group from the LP The Songs Of Percy Faith (Harmony (Columbia) HL 7223, Mono, 1960).  Not sure if I've ever heard the Percy Faith original on this one.

9. The Snows Of Yesteryear by Jack Jones, Orchestra Arranged And Conducted By Ralph Carmichael, Doug Talbert At The Piano, from the album Jack Jones Sings (Kapp KL-1500, Mono, 1966).  I think this was about the point when I knew I was going to have enough songs to share another day.  They just kept coming...

10. Satan Takes A Holiday by Shep Fields And His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra from 1 Man 2 Bands (RCA Camden CAL 388, Mono, 1957).  Well, it does have Holiday in the title.

11. O Sanctissima
12. O Come, O Come Emmanuel
13. Ave Maria, all three by The Centennial Choir and the LP Hallowed Be Thy Name (Darick Record Co PX 11, Mono).  I thought this was going to be some more music I could attribute to a Pope since the cover is a nice picture of Pope Pius XII, but he only recites one track on the LP, and it's not one of the Christmas ones.

14. Moonlight In Vermont by The George Shearing Quintet-Vocal By Teddi King from When Lights Are Low (MGM E3264, Mono, 1955).  After I decided I was going to share another day, I had to dig back through the stacks to grab this one that I had put back earlier.  I wasn't going to go out of my way to share it, but when I decided I was going to share some other stuff, I wanted to include it.

15. Holiday Mambo by Machito And His Afro-Cuban Orchestra from Holiday Mambo (Harmony (Columbia) HL 7040, Mono, 1957).  A nice track, but not much Christmas here.

16. Holiday For Strings by Ray Anthony from Golden Horn (Capitol T-563, Mono, 1955).  Because you needed another version, this time on the trumpet.

17. Brazilian Sleigh Bells by Eastman-Rochester Pops, Frederick Fennell Conducting, from Hi-Fi A La Española (Mercury MG50144. Mono, 1957).  I spent forever trying to record this one.  When the drums really start to kick in, it would skip like a happy schoolgirl.  Nothing I did seemed to fix the problem, and I couldn't see anything on the surface of the vinyl that might be causing it.  I finally had to play it backwards, and that seemed to work.  No idea why, but I got a good rip.

And that's it, another unexpected day.  Don't expect it tomorrow, I'm going to try not to even go near a thrift store.  I need to box up all these records I've been sharing for the last month and a half, then figure out what to do with the boxes.

Zippyshare

Chanukah In August 2017 Day 1

Shalom, and welcome to Chanukah in August, an occasional series around here that follows Christmas in July whenever I've managed to scrape together a few Chanukah songs to share.  And as Luck would have it, I've got some for you.

1. Introduction-The Blessings
2. Oh Chanukah
3. Ma-Oz Tzur (Rock Of Ages), all by Abraham Davis from Jewish Holidays In Song (Tikva T-60, Mono).  Tikva seems to have been one of the larger labels serving the Jewish community.  I don't see a lot of their stuff, but I see enough of it to think it was bigger than some of the other labels putting out similar stuff.

4. Burn Little Candles
5. Lights Of Chanuko
6. A Latke, all by Sing For Fun Club Of Flushing Free Synagogue, New York, from the LP Sing For Fun!-36 New Songs For Jewish Children (Union Of American Hebrew Congregations, No Number, Mono, 1957).  There may be 36 new songs on here, but they are all extremely short.  And there was a little book in the sleeve with all the lyrics!  Those things usually get separated from the album over the years and I rarely see them.

7. Chanukah: Sheleg Al Ha'aretz; With Our Candles In Hand; I Have A Little Dreydl; S'vivon by Gladys Gewirtz & Eve Lippman from the album Mother Goose Songs For Jewish Children/Holiday Playsongs (Menorah Records MEN-211, Mono).  I was really excited when I found this in a Baltimore-area Goodwill earlier this year, but then when I started recording my Christmas in July stuff, I discovered I already had a copy in the stacks.  So it goes...

8. My Dreydl
9. Joyous Chanukah, both by Silver Burdett Records from Making Music Your Own-Kindergarten Record IV (Silver Burdett Records 75 180 4, Mono, 1966). Yep, this record featured both Christmas and Chanukah music!

10. Chanukah Is Here by Alan Mills from Holiday Songs (Bowmar B 2055 168, Stereo, 1966).  Another album that you may remember from Christmas in July.

11. Dreidel by Don McLean from the self-titled album Don McLean (United Artists UAS-5651, Stereo, 1972).  Not really very Chanukah-ish, but I figured that a dreidel was closely enough tied to Chanukah that I could get away with including it here.

And that's it for today.  I'll be back tomorrow with another handful of tracks for you.  I don't think it's going to be nearly as many as Christmas in July, but we'll get a couple days out of it.

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2017 Day 50

Well, it's been a long, strange month, full of all sorts of surprises and a while lot of fun.  But all good things must come to an end.  Tonight I'm wrapping up the month with a handful of New Year's Eve tracks for you, as well as a few Christmas songs that I found at the Salvation Army tonight and just couldn't leave in the pile until next year.  I can't seem to walk into a thrift store without finding something I want to share with you.  Sometimes I think it's a curse.  But anyhow, let's see what I have left to share with you tonight.

1. White Christmas by Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians from the LP Berlin By Lombardo (Capitol ST1019, Stereo, 1958).  There is a good chance this is the same as the version I gave you earlier in the month from The Lombardo Years.  Same length even though it's pulled out of the middle of a side-long medley.  I lined the two tracks up in Audacity and they looked very similar, though when I play them together, they get further and further out of phase as the track plays.  Pretty easy to play fast or slow depending on a lot of variables.

2. O Holy Night
3. Christmas, both by Tony Fontane, and both pulled from the album Salute To America AKA America, I Salute You (Fire 122918, Stereo).  Guessing the year is 1976 on this one given all the references to America's Bicentennial on the sleeve.  But I couldn't find anything in my online research to verify that.  And the LP showed a different title from the vinyl.  And only one side of the vinyl even showed a title.  Quality job all around, but nice music.

4. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm by Dinah Washington, a really swinging version, pulled from a sampler LP called Irving Berlin Songs (Mercury SR 60813, Stereo, 1964).  One of my favorite versions.

5. Winter Wonderland
6. Snowfall, both by Dennis Farnon And His Orchestra from the LP The Enchanted Woods (RCA Victor LPM-1897, Mono, 1959).  I can't believe I don't have a stereo version of this one.  This version of Winter Wonderland is one of the great Space Age Pop tracks I've discovered during Christmas In July.

7. Snowball by Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra from the compilation album A Rare Batch Of Satch-The Authentic Sound Of Louis Armstrong In The '30s (RCA Victor LPM-2322, Mono, 1961).  Not a very Christmassy song, but I like to squeeze in some Louis now and then.

8. I Wonder As I Wander by Jo Stafford With Orchestra Conducted By Paul Weston from the little LP American Folk Songs (Capitol 10" 33 RPM H75, Mono, 1950).  This appears to be a reissue of an earlier set of 78s with an added track.  Then it was later reissued with an added handful of songs to make a full LP.  If you like what you hear, I believe my pal Buster shared out the whole record at one point.  Sometimes if you ask nice, he'll repost old stuff, often in a fresh transfer with all the benefits of new experience and technology!

9. Scottish Aires...Medley (Includes: Annie Laurie; Comin' Thru The Rye; The Campbells Are Coming; Blue Bells Of Scotland; Auld Lang Syne) by Pinkey, Hooghuys Fair Organ, a fancy band organ, recorded from the LP Bellms Cars And Music Of Yesterday (Gay 90's Village #5161, Stereo).  As I mentioned before, this LP came from a local tourist attraction that was a large car collection and a slightly smaller but still impressive collection of music machines.  The car collection is still there, but I don't know what happened to the band organs and what-not.  Maybe they're still there, but I kinda doubt it.

10. On The Very First Day Of The Year by Bing Crosby With The Pete Moore Orchestra, from what would turn out to be his last LP before his death, Seasons (Polydor PD-1-6128, Stereo, 1977).  Bing was the voice of Christmas, there's no escaping that.

11. New Year's Eve by Edmund Lyndeck, George Hearn, David Vosburgh & Norman A. Large-Orchestra & Chorus Conducted By Paul Gemignani
12. New Year's Eve (Reprise)/Stay With Me, Nora by Peter Gallagher & Betsy Joslyn-Orchestra & Chorus Conducted By Paul Gemignani, both tracks from A Doll's Life (Original Cast OC 8241, Stereo, 1982).  A very late play by Comden-Green.

13. New Years by Bob Hope from his LP Holidays (Spear/Bell Records Spear 4700, Stereo, 1973).  I don't think Hope issued very many comedy albums.  This is the only one I can think of off the top of my head.  I can think of one other LP he narrated from RCA, a sort of history of the last twenty years (when it was released).  And the soundtracks to his & Bing's Road movies.

14. Happy New Year by Gordon Jenkins And His Orchestra With The Ralph Brewster Singers from The Magic World Of Gordon Jenkins (Columbia Special Products CSRP 8682, Stereo, 1962).  I think I've shared three different versions of this song performed by Jenkins, who wrote it, and at least one version that he made with Nat King Cole.  Not sure which is my favorite, they are all good.

15. Auld Lang Syne (Wenn Wir Heut' Auseinandergeh'n) by Gunter Kallmann Chorus With Orchestra And Bells from Songs For My Love (Four Corners (Kapp) FCS-4226, Stereo, 1968).  Bet you weren't expecting a German version of this, were you?  You've got to learn to expect the unexpected around here.

16. Auld Lang Syne by The Pipes And Drums And Military Band Of The Scottish Division-Director Of Music, Captain B.T. Keeling, from the album Amazing Grace (RCA Camden (UK) CDS 1116, Stereo, 1973).  Auld Lang Syne turns up on a lot of these bagpipe records.  I'm guessing it's a Scottish thing, or maybe the Robert Burns connection.

17. Happy New Year-Reprise by The McGuire Sisters With Orchestra Directed By Dick Jacobs from Children's Holiday (Coral CRL 57097, Mono, 1957).  I shared out the non-reprise version of this one back on the actual last day of July, in case you're looking for it.

18. Happy New Year by Mouseketeer Ensemble from Happy Birthday And Songs For Every Holiday (D*sneyland DQ-1214, Mono, 1964).  Old school mouse if it involves The Mouseketeers.

19. Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home; Give My Regards To Broadway; The Yankee Doodle Boy; You're A Grand Old Flag; Auld Lang Syne by Porter Heaps At The Hammond Organ With Gregory Knoold At The Extravoice By Hammond, from The Good Old Songs (Harmony (Columbia) HL 7221, Mono, 1960).  Did people buy organ records, then buy organs, or did they buy organs first and then get organ records?  There seems to be some correlation there.  No one buys either one anymore.

20. Auld Lang Syne (Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot) by Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians from the compilation The Sweetest Music This Side Of Heaven-A Musical Biography 1926-1932 (Decca DL 8962, Mono, 1960).  A short version, and the oldest I could find, though the LP didn't give an exact date for this recording.

21. Auld Lang Syne by Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians from Guy Lombardo In Hi-Fi (Capitol W738, Mono, 1956).  A much later and longer version, from his first album recorded in the new-fangled hi-fi.

22. Auld Lang Syne by Irving Fields And His Trio from Year Round Party Fun (Oceanic OCP 511, Mono, 1956).  I pulled this out a long medley that takes up a side at a time.  Reminded me a lot of George Feyer.

23. Auld Lang Syne by George And Madeline Brown (from their collection of music boxes, actually), from the LP The Story Of The Music Box (Caedmon 10" 33 RPM w/ Book CB-2, Mono, 1952).  Been holding onto this one for a while, I'm sure you remember me sharing out a lot of Christmas tracks from it back in the middle of the season.

And that is it.  A big hurrah for the end of the 'month'.  All of those Christmas tracks are things I found and ripped for you tonight.  I had emptied out the Christmas bin last night and every intention of sharing out only New Year's tunes with you tonight, but I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.  That concludes the month, please don't forget to leave a comment and tell me what your favorite tracks from the month were.  And tell your friends!  These downloads won't be available for very long, and when they're gone, they're gone. (Stay tuned tomorrow though for some songs from a different winter holiday, you know the one I'm talking about!)

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2017 Day 49

Good evening, and welcome to the next-to-the-last day of Christmas In July for this year.  Yes, that's right, I've finally gotten down to the end of my enormous stack of vinyl, or at least the end of what I want to spend time recording and sharing.  This has been a great month and a half, much more than any of my expectations going into the month.  I figured I might be able to do 5 tracks a day, with the occasional skipped day here and there, but I had a few really good weekends of recording, and a few really good weekends of hunting down new records to share.  Still some good stuff to share out tonight, with some new stuff, and some special little fixes that I want to get out there before tomorrow's New Year's celebration, the second one this season!  So let's see what's here in the pile.

1. The Spirit Of Christmas by Liz Anderson (mother of Lynn), from her album Cookin' Up Hits (RCA Victor LSP-3852, Stereo, 1967).  Great cover on this one of Liz in the kitchen cooking up the hits with some rather non-standard kitchen items.  That's why I picked it up, but when I saw a Christmas song tucked away in the track list, I knew I'd struck gold.

2. The Pause Of Mr. Claus by Arlo Guthrie from his LP Arlo (Reprise RS 6299, Stereo, 1968).  Many years ago, I found this song on one of those old Warner Bros loss-leader double LP samplers they sold for cheap in the late sixties-early seventies.  I thought I'd found a Christmas song, but when I played it to see if it really was Christmas, all I heard was Arlo running on about the FBI for six or seven minutes, so I figured it was nothing worth hearing and put the record away.  This time, I found the actual LP and listened all the way through.  And after all that prologue, Arlo does eventually get around to singing a short song about Santa.  As a special hidden bonus track in the download, I dropped an edited version of the track that's just the song.  That one you may be willing to listen to more than once.  The big monologue, not so much.

3. 4. 5. Narration by Phil McLean
6. Ave Maria by Toni Arden With Chorus And Orchestra Conducted By Earl Sheldon, all four track from The Life Of Christ (In Songs And Narration) (Manor Records ST 91328 aka MR S201, Stereo, 1968).  The little narrative bits are Christmas, but not very interesting.  However, this version of Ave Maria (the Schubert version) has special lyrics that are well sung by Miss Arden.

7. Jingle Bells by Fred Waring And His Pennsylvanians, the final song I ripped for you from Fred Waring And His Pennsylvanians Sing America's Favorite Songs (Reader's Digest 8xLP RDA-238 "Courtesy Of Capitol Records Inc.", Stereo, 1981).  A good song to end on.  Still don't know if these are special recordings or just stuff lifted from his much earlier Capitol albums.  So much research to do...

8. Holiday For Strings by David Rose And His Orchestra from The Very Best of David Rose (MGM SE-4155 aka ST-90641, Stereo, 1963).  The original (or at least a stereo re-recording by the original artist of an earlier hit) and still the best.  Not Christmas, but still well worth your time.

9. Holiday by The Four Freshmen-Orchestra Conducted By Dick Reynolds from The Four Freshmen In Person (Capitol ST1008, Stereo, 1958).  Speaking of holiday music...  The second volume of this album featured much earlier in the year with a much more Christmas-themed track.

10. Greensleeves by Richard Hayman, His Orchestra And Chorus, from Melodies Of Love (Mainstream ST-91092, Stereo, 1967).  Not the best song by Richard Hayman I've shared this season (not a harmonica in sight on this one), but a nice addition to the collection overall.

11. The Christmas Song by Mel Tormé With Wally Stott And Orchestra from Verve's Choice-The Best Of Mel Torme (Verve V6-8593, Stereo, 1964).  A great version of a song he wrote much earlier in his career.

12. Christmas In San Francisco by Vic Damone-Arr. & Cond. By Norm Geller-The Sal Carson Orch., from Vic Damone In San Francisco (Rebecca Records R-1214, Stereo, 1979).  I've had this song for many years on 45, but I only recently spotted it on an LP.  Then I forgot about it and bought it again, so now I have two copies.  And I recorded it way back on the very first day of July, but kept saving it for a rainy day.  And here it is.  This is the sort of thing I love to find!

13. Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring by Tau Kappa Epsilon (Killan Fehr, Dir.)
14. Holiday For Strings by Kappa Alpha Theta (Beth Shigley, Dir.)
15. Christmas Alleluia by Alpha Chi Omega (Cathy Bondies, Dir.)
16. Ave Maria by Delta Delta Delta (Roxy Anne Childs, Dir.), all four tracks from Sing Song 1962 (Austin Custom Records LCS-33-6244, University Of Texas, Austin, TX, Mono, 1962).  I just discovered this last night in the stacks, so I can't spread it out over four days like I normally would, but I figured you'd be interested to hear what Greek life was like in 1962 in the most musical city in Texas.  Not sure if things were the same in Austin back then, but these aren't the worst versions of these tunes you'll ever hear.  And a vocal version of Holiday For Strings, that's gotta be worth something, right?

17. Frozen Logger by Cathie Taylor from Hootenanny Hoot (MGM E4172ST, Mono, 1963).  Not a Christmas tune, but a great little ditty for the cold weather.  I read on the sleeve that Cathie was a regular on the Tennessee Ernie Ford TV program, and Jack Fascinato gets an arranging credit on this song, so there's some good solid talent here.

18. Greensleeves by Mantovani And His Orchestra from his album sampler LP Monty (London MS-1 Limited Edition, Mono, 1955).  I hate sharing out multiple versions of a song on one night, but I'm running out of days to put things in...

19. The Children's Marching Song (From The 20th Century-Fox Film "The Inn Of The Sixth Happiness") by Ray Martin Conducting The Swingin' Marchin' Band from the LP Parade Of The Pops (RCA Victor LSP-1960, Stereo, 1959).  I shared this track out earlier in the season, but that version was mono.  Here's a version that will fill up both of your speakers at the same time.

20. Christmas At The Cape by The Kennedy Space Center Chorus, Directed By Arthur C. Benington-Featuring Walter C. Shirra, Narration By Bill Larson, from Voices Of Space (Century Records 32909, Stereo).  This is the complete Christmas side of this LP, tracks from which I've been sharing all season.  I figured some of you might like to hear the whole presentation as originally presented.  Nothing new here, just uncut.

21. March Of The Flowers by Jose Melis, His Piano And Orchestra, from Our Love (Seeco CELP-4710, Stereo, 1961).  Again, a stereo version of something I earlier shared in mono.  Amazing what turns up sometimes, especially when you've looked at it recently.

And that's it for tonight.  Be sure to come back tomorrow for the end-of-year stuff.  You don't want to miss anything if you've made it this far.  We'll see you then.

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2017 Day 48

What day is this?  I can't keep track anymore.  Wednesday, I think.  I know it's day 48 of Christmas in July, even though it's been 47 days (I got the bright idea to share twice on one day, not sure why).  We're getting really close to the end here, though we're not at the bottom of the barrel by any means.  I've been trying really hard all this time to space out the really good tracks so it doesn't become too boring around here.  So you've always got something good to look forward to, and I don't think tonight is any different.  Let's jump in and see what we've got.

1. The Sleigh by Fred Waring And His Pennsylvanians from the box Fred Waring And His Pennsylvanians Sing America's Favorite Songs (Reader's Digest 8xLP RDA-238 "Courtesy Of Capitol Records Inc.", Stereo, 1981).  Short, but sweet.

2. Silent NIght by The Band Of The Irish Guards, Director Of Music: Lieut-Colonel C.H. Jaegar, Conducted By Alfred Ralston, from the soundtrack to Oh! What A Lovely War (Paramount PAS 5008, Stereo, 1969).  I always pick up old soundtracks when I see them, you never know when you're going to find some Christmas music hidden in there.

3. Oriental Holiday by Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra from Songs I Wrote (Ranwood HLP 12162, Stereo, 1966).  More of the pizzicato string music that's been a staple around here for a few days.  Vaughn may have written it, but it owes an awful lot to David Rose.

4. Moonlight In Vermont by Lee Scott With Tony Luis Quintet from Lee Scott Sings Cool Music For Warm People (Strand SLS 1047, Stereo, 1962).  An album with a great cover that I picked up and checked just because of that cover.  And this was the closest I could come to a Christmas song on there.  Old stereo where the balance is all on one side, so don't be surprised when you listen.

5. Mary Had A Baby by Eastern Mennonite High School Touring Chorus, Director: Marvin L. Miller, Soprano Solo: Sylvia Brunk, from the LP Eastern Mennonite High School Touring Chorus, Harrisonburg, Virginia, 1969-70 (Rittenhouse Custom Recordings RCR 1019S, Stereo, 1970).  One of the very last private press things I've got for you, or at least one of the last ones I recorded.

6. Joy (Jesu Joy Of Man's Desiring) by The Ventures from their album Joy-The Ventures Play The Classics (United Artists UAS-5575, Stereo, 1972).  I was trying to find their Nutcracker tribute, but came up with this instead.  Good enough for me!  This isn't your usual guitar-driven Ventures track, though.  More keyboards than anything else.

7. In The Winter by Janis Ian from her album Between The Lines (Columbia PC 33394, Stereo, 1975).  After I shared out Sheena Easton's version of this song, I had to go searching for the original, and here it is.  You get lucky sometimes.

8. In The Bleak Midwinter by Oratorio Chorus Of The Guelph Light Opera Company-Charles M. Wilson, Mus. Doc., Director, from Songs For All Seasons (Guelph Light Opera Company GLOC 1968, Stereo).  Gotta be close to the end on this album.  I hope.

9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by St. Paul's Boys Choir from Songs For The Seasons (Fleetwood BMC5075, Stereo).  Not the same album as the one above, they just happen to share a title.

10. A Dreamer's Holiday by Buddy Clark from Buddy Clark's Greatest Hits (Columbia CS 9434, Electronically Re-Channeled For Stereo, 1967).  Another track from this one, but not as good as the one with Dinah Shore.

11. Dirty Claus Rag by Country Joe And The Fish from the album Reunion (Fantasy F-9530, Stereo, 1977).  Now this, this was a find!  I picked up the album just to verify that it was the same Country Joe & The Fish from Woodstock, and it was.  But then I happened to make out one word in a handwritten font in one of the track titles that looked like it said Claus.  So I grabbed it and gave it a listen.  Sure enough, it's a Christmas song about Santa stealing his Christmas tree.  Awesome stuff!

12. Cold Blanket Polka (Zimna Pierzyna) by Connecticut Twins Orchestra from Holiday In Poland (Stella S-LP 926, Stereo).  Can I share all the songs from this LP since it has the word Holiday in the title?  No, I best not.

13. The Christmas Song by Tony Mottola from Close To You-A Guitar For Lovers (Project 3 PR 5050SD, Stereo, 1970).  Very mellow, but still a great track.

14. At Christmastime, another track by Harry Secombe, Florence Henderson, Elizabeth Larner, Toralv Maurstad & Chorus-With The London Symphony Orchestra, from the soundtrack to Song Of Norway (ABC Records ABCS-OC-14, Stereo, 1971).  This one grows on me a bit each time I listen to it.

15. All Praise To Thee, Eternal Lord by Professional Chorus And Orchestra, Musical Director-Dale Warland, Organist-Paul Manz, from the triple album A Time For Singing (Commission On Worship And Church Music and The Commission On Public Communication Of The American Lutheran Church, Distributed Through Augsburg Publishing House 3xLP 5-5597, -5598, -5599, Stereo).  I think this is the end of the selections I pulled from this one.

16. Quiet Christmas by St. Paul's Catholic Church Junior Choir-Sister Marie Therese S.S.J., Director-Mrs Eleanor Loyless, Accompanist, from the LP St. Paul's Junior Choir (Fidelity Sound 633F-1584 "Dedicated To The Memory Of President John F. Kennedy", Mono, 1964).  I wonder if this St. Paul's has anything to do with the one above?  Doubt it, it's a pretty common name.

17. Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers by Bingtown Brass Band & Others from the album Tubby The Tuba And Other Stories, Songs And Marches (Happy Time (Pickwick) HT-1020, Mono).  Since this one sounds much older than the other track I previously shared from this album, I'm guessing it's performed by the "Others" in the artist credit.

18. My Favorite Things by Mary Martin-Music By Robert Lowe And His Orchestra, from the LP Mary Martin Sings The Sound Of Music-Rodgers And Hammerstein (D*sneyland DQ 1296, Mono, 1966).  Short, very short.

19. Greensleeves by The Ramsey Lewis Trio from Down To Earth-The Ramsey Lewis Trio Plays Music From The Soil (Mercury MG 36150 Promotional Record For Broadcast Only Not For Sale, Mono, 1958).  There is probably a story behind this LP that I don't know.  The trio appears courtesy of Argo, so why they didn't release the LP? I don't know.

20. Gin For Christmas by Lionel Hampton And Orchestra from Open House (RCA Camden CAL-517, Originally Recorded October 30, 1939, Mono, 1959).  A collection of older tracks, and one of the first songs I ever found for Christmas In July years ago.  That copy was on an older 10" LP.  Was still excited to find this version, though.

And that's it for the 48th night.  Hope there's something in there for you to enjoy.  Come back tomorrow for more.

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2017 Day 47

Another big day here at the blog for Christmas in July.  Can you handle another handful of tracks?  And another complete Nutcracker?  You're gonna need to go out and buy another hard drive, me thinks.  Let's jump right in, shall we?

1. White Christmas (From The Movie "Holiday Inn") by J. Lawrence Cook (Piano Roll) from the LP Academy Award Winners From Movie Musicals 1934-1947, From Rare Piano Rolls (Biograph BLP-1017Q, Stereo, 1977).  That's right, it's just a machine playing the piano.  I guess Mr. Cook was the one created the roll.  I guess that's one of those jobs that doesn't really exist anymore.  Well, maybe somebody out there does it, but it's not very popular.

2. We Need A Little Christmas by Skitch Henderson & The Tonight Show Orchestra from Broadway Tonight! Skitch Henderson & The Tonight Show Orchestra Play Music From "Mame" (Columbia CS 9318, Stereo, 1966).  Always have to pick up any album that mentions Mame to see if this track is included.

3. Snowbird by Ray Anthony from his album Dream Dancing Around The World (Aero Space (Distributed by Ranwood) RA-1007, Stereo, 1972).  You don't see much of Ray's stuff on Aero Space.  I guess it didn't sell really well.

4. Sleigh Ride by Fred Waring And His Pennsylvanians from Fred Waring And His Pennsylvanians Sing America's Favorite Songs (Reader's Digest 8xLP RDA-238 "Courtesy Of Capitol Records Inc.", Stereo, 1981).  I'm basically trying to fill time until I've shared out all the tracks I've ripped from this LP.  Need to go back and see how many more I've got to go.  Shouldn't be too long now.

5. Ribbons And Wrappings by Harry Secombe, Florence Henderson, Elizabeth Larner, Toralv Maurstad & Chorus-With The London Symphony Orchestra from the soundtrack to Song Of Norway (ABC Records ABCS-OC-14, Stereo, 1971).  This go-round, it's the movie, not the stage version.  I just wish you got more Florence Henderson.

6. Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers by Pinkey, A Hooghuys Fair Organ, from the local album Bellms Cars And Music Of Yesterday (Gay 90's Village #5161, Stereo).  This car museum is still located right here in Sarasota, though it's got different owners now.  And I don't think they still have all the old band organs.  I took this record out of the shrinkwrap, by the way, so it should sound about as good as it ever will.  Can't say that with most of the old garbage I dig up.

7. Opening Theme-Narration by Chorus And Orchestra Conducted By Earl Sheldon, Narration By Phil McLean, from the LP The Life Of Christ (In Songs And Narration) (Manor Records ST 91328 aka MR S201, Stereo, 1968).  Just another random track from this LP.

8. Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence by Professional Chorus And Orchestra, Musical Director-Dale Warland, Organist-Paul Manz, from A Time For Singing (Commission On Worship And Church Music and The Commission On Public Communication Of The American Lutheran Church, Distributed Through Augsburg Publishing House 3xLP 5-5597, -5598, -5599, Mono).  I think this is the last track I have for you from this three record set.

9. Greensleeves by Mason Williams from his album Music By Mason Williams (Warner Bros.-Seven Arts WS 1788, Stereo, 1969).  Another of those albums I picked up at random, and there was a track I could share.  Sometimes I think I may be psychic, but just about Christmas music.  I recently read a biography of The Smothers Brothers and their CBS TV show.  I didn't know Mason Williams did all the music for that.

10. Deck The Hall by Oratorio Chorus Of The Guelph Light Opera Company-Charles M. Wilson, Mus. Doc., Director, from Songs For All Seasons (Guelph Light Opera Company GLOC 1968, Stereo).  Some good singing on this one, and well-recorded too.

11. Winter by Aileen Fisher from Poetry Parade-Poets Read Their Poetry For Children (Weston Woods Studios 2xLP ww703 & ww704, Mono).  Yep, still sharing tracks from this one.

12. Rise Up, Shepherd, An' Foller (Hymn Of Christmas) by Dorothy Maynor, Soprano, With Unaccompanied Male Choir from Dorothy Maynor Sings Spiritual And Sacred Songs (RCA Camden CAL-344, Mono, 1957).  Is this the only version of this I've shared out this year?  Usually I find a couple versions on old folk albums.

13. March Of The Toys by Bingtown Brass Band & Others from Tubby The Tuba And Other Stories, Songs And Marches (Happy Time (Pickwick) HT-1020, Mono).  Kiddie music, but worth a listen.

14. Marche
15. Russian Dance
16. Arabian Dance
17. Waltz Of The Flowers
18. Dance Of The Flutes
19. Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy
20. Chinese Dance, all performed by D'Artega Conducting The New York Festival Symphony Orchestra from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite--Romeo And Juliet Overture (Stereo Spectrum Records (Pickwick) SS 28, Stereo, 1958).  A horribly recorded budget label issue of this piece.  There were places where it was recorded at such a low level I couldn't pick the music out from the surface noise.  And the balance from left to right was really crazy on some tracks.  Hopefully I've made something listenable out of it, but don't be surprised if it's all on one channel or really noisy on one side.  I wanted to record it to see how it sounded, and now I know.  Oh, forgot to mention, the tracks weren't labeled on the album anywhere, I pulled the titles from Discogs.  I hope they're right.

That's it, another twenty tracks, winding down pretty fast.  How you've got something in there to enjoy.  Here's the link, see you tomorrow.

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2017 Day 46

Here we are, a month and a half in to a Christmas in July I didn't have any plans to do until July 1st rolled around.  Gotta love it when the stars align and something nice happens.  Been a great month so far, but it's winding down fast.  Only got a few days left, but I'm taking them one day at a time.  Let's see what's in the pile tonight.

1. Sleigh Ride by Eddie Higgins With Milt Hinton And Bobby Rosengarden from the LP By Request (Statitas SLP 8079, Stereo, 1986).  Nice, nice, nice version here.  And it incorporates a small bit of Midnight Sleighride, a favorite of mine by Sauter-Finnegan (and others).

2. From Heaven Above To Earth I Come by Professional Chorus And Orchestra, Musical Director-Dale Warland, Organist-Paul Manz, from A Time For Singing (Commission On Worship And Church Music and The Commission On Public Communication Of The American Lutheran Church, Distributed Through Augsburg Publishing House 3xLP 5-5597, -5598, -5599, Stereo).  Another track from this giant collection of hymns.

3. Baby It's Cold Outside by Buddy Clark, Duet With Dinah Shore, from the collection Buddy Clark's Greatest Hits (Columbia CS 9434, Electronically Re-Channeled For Stereo, 1967).  Great duet, even if it has been edited down a bit.  Somewhere I have the 78, and there's a bit of SFX at the beginning where the wind is blowing through an open door and I think a bit of dialog.  That's why it seems to start rather abruptly.

4. Snow Deer (Rag) by Pete Handy from Honky Tonky Piano (Wing (Mercury) MGW 12201, Mono, 1958).  This is actually a reissue on Wing that came out a few years after that 1958 which is when the original came out on Mercury.  I couldn't find a date for the reissue.

5. On A Winter's Night by The Manitou Singers Of St. Olaf College Freshman Girls Chorus-Miss Alice Larsen, Director, from Manitou Singers (WCAL, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota RSLP 6781, Mono). I've been going through this large stack of records as we get near the end and trying to pick up and look at every single record.  Many of the ones I thought were just another version of Ave Maria or a track from The Nutcracker are actually something a little more unique.  This was one of those.

6. Jingle Bells by Robert Treyz And The Acton Promenaders from the LP Square Dances With Calls (Spin-O-Rama M 3037, Mono).  Though this was on a budget label, I was actually able to find a mention of a Bob Treyz in a town called Acton in a square Dance journal from around 1957.  Maybe they really did hire him to make this record.  I wouldn't have expected it, but there he was.

7. In A Little Clock Shop by Dick Leibert from Music In A Mellow Mood (Camden (RCA) CAL 200, Mono).  Not really a Christmas song, but Dick included this song on one of his Christmas albums for Westminster, so I decided to throw it in here.

8. I Wonder As I Wander by The University Of Delaware Concert Choir Directed By Ivan Trusler-Carolyn Brown, Accompanist-James Hughes, Soloist, from The University Of Delaware Symphonic Band And Concert Choir (Recorded Publications 32M-28781/28782, Mono).  Another song from a locally produced recording.

9. Hirmus Of The Christmas Ode: My Soul Does Magnify by Spyridon Péristéris, First Chapter Of The Athens Cathedral, With Chorus And "Issokratima" Accompaniment, from Hymnodia-Byzantine Hymns Of The Greek Orthodox Church (Philips A 02219 L, Mono).  The actual title of this one was something written in Greek that I would have spent forever trying to figure out the characters.  Sorry.  You'll probably never listen to it a second time.

10. Christmas Mouse, a short poem from Aileen Fisher and the album Poetry Parade-Poets Read Their Poetry For Children (Weston Woods Studios 2xLP ww703 & ww704, Mono).  Still not quite done with this one yet.

11. Hanover Winter Song by Fred Waring And His Pennsylvanians Featuring Leonard Kranendonk, from the collection Fred Waring And His Pennsylvanians Sing America's Favorite Songs (Reader's Digest 8xLP RDA-238 "Courtesy Of Capitol Records Inc.", Stereo, 1981).  Still not quite done with this one, either.

12. God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen by Oratorio Chorus Of The Guelph Light Opera Company-Charles M. Wilson, Mus. Doc., Director, from Oratorio Chorus Of The Guelph Light Opera Company (Guelph Light Opera Company GLOC 1968, Stereo).  A third one that I'm trying to finish up before the end.

13. Overture Miniature
14. March
15. Dance Of The Sugar-Plum Fairy
16. Trepak
17. Arabian Dance
18. Chinese Dance
19. Dance Of The Flutes
20. Waltz Of The Flowers, all by The Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra Conducted By Felix Slatkin, and all taken from the LP Nutcracker Suite/A Midsummer Night's Dream (Capitol SP-8404, Stereo, 1957).  I think I mentioned yesterday or the day before that I was sharing a mono version of the last track from this suite pulled from a compilation LP.  Well, tonight I found the original stereo LP in the stack and figured I'd record it and share it out all in one go.  So we're back up to 20 tracks for the day, it's just that eight of them are by the same artist and from the same album.  Hope that's OK

Anyhow, that's your stack of music for the night.  I'm sure there will be some stuff in there you can't live without.  And maybe some stuff that you only ever listen to once.  Here's the link, have fun!

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2017 Day 45

Is there any rule against posting twice on one day?  I don't think so.  And I'm starting to get a little bit anxious about getting this season over and done with.  So here's a second batch of seasonal tunes for your Sunday in August.

1. The Seasons by Karla Kuskin
2. December Bird by Aileen Fisher, both tracks taken from the compendium Poetry Parade-Poets Read Their Poetry For Children (Weston Woods Studios 2xLP ww703 & ww704, Mono).  I'm starting to think I may still be sharing tracks out from this one next season...

3. I Wonder As I Wander by Fred Waring And His Pennsylvanians Featuring Eleanor Forgione from the big box Fred Waring And His Pennsylvanians Sing America's Favorite Songs (Reader's Digest 8xLP RDA-238 "Courtesy Of Capitol Records Inc.", Stereo, 1981).  Ditto this one, I've still got quite a few tracks to go.  Wish I'd ripped this one much earlier in the season.

4. Holiday For Trombones by David Rose And His Orchestra from the LP The Very Best of David Rose (MGM SE-4155 aka ST-90641, Stereo, 1963).  The holiday master delivers another crushing blow, this time with trombones.

5. Go Tell It On The Mountain from our friend Monnajean McIlwain from Ten Thousand Angels-Christmas And Gospel Favorites (Mus-I-Col 103727/103728, Stereo).  I've got to be close to the end of this one.  I think I ripped it last weekend and I've been sharing from it ever since.  I do remember there being a track at the end of side two that wasn't listed on the sleeve (though it showed up on the label), so there's at least one bonus track from it.  And I think there was one track from the first side, too, so there are a lot.

6. Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella by Oratorio Chorus Of The Guelph Light Opera Company-Charles M. Wilson, Mus. Doc., Director, from the album Songs For All Seasons (Guelph Light Opera Company GLOC 1968, Recorded in St. James The Apostle Anglican Church, Guelph, Ontario, Stereo).  Getting close to the end of this one, too.

7. Baby, It's Cold Outside by Marty Gold And His Orchestra from Stereo Action Goes Hollywood (RCA Victor LSA-2381, Stereo, 1961).  I think this finishes up all my shares from the Stereo Action series.  I've always wondered if there were enough to make a compilation of them, but I don't think so.

8. Winter Wonderland by Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians-Vocal By Kenny Gardner from the LP Guy Lombardo In Hi-Fi (Capitol W738, Mono, 1956).  Capitol made several of these LP's at the dawning of the high fidelity era.  In addition to Lombardo, I know of a Fred Waring, a Stan Kenton and Benny Goodman.  There are probably others, but that's it for the top of my head.

9. White Christmas, a short version by Joe Bushkin-His Piano And Orchestra, pulled out of a couple of side-long medleys on Bushkin Spotlights Berlin-Joe Bushkin Plays Fifty Irving Berlin Hit Tunes (Capitol T911, Mono, 1958).  Short Christmas songs are better than no Christmas songs.

10. Schoolboys In Winter, a short poem written by John Clare but read by Lloyd Frankenberg on his album A Round Of Poems-Selected from 'Invitation To Poetry' Read With A Round Of Comments (Columbia Masterworks ML 5148, Mono, 1957).  I guess there were a lot more albums of spoken poetry back in the day than I ever imagined.

11. The Marvelous Toy by The Chad Mitchell Trio from Singin' Our Minds (Mercury MG 20838, Mono, 1963).  Good stuff written by Tom Paxton.

12. Christmas Eve In Heaven, a recitation by Archie Campbell from his LP Christmas Eve In Heaven (RCA Victor LPM-3780, Mono, 1967).  Just found this yesterday and it made me very happy.

13. The Bells Of St. Mary's by The Somerset Strings from the album Will You Remember? (Epic LN 3255, Mono, 1957).  You might recall I shared out an LP of Christmas music from these guys.  All instrumental easy listening stuff, but pretty well done.

14. Ave Maria, Op. 52, No. 6 by Richard Crooks from the comp LP Richard Crooks Sings Songs Of Faith And Oratorio Arias (Camden (RCA) CAL-170, Mono).  Very early Camden collection of earlier recordings originally released on 78.

15. Alpine Boogie by Ted Heath And His Music from Strike Up The Band (London LL 750, Mono, 1953).  Happy little song to end this pile.

Two posts in one day!  You can't complain about that!  If this is the first post you saw today, keep scrolling, there was another one earlier.  I don't want you to miss anything.

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2017 Day 44

Hello, and welcome to day 44!  Hopefully I've got the count right after doubling up on day 42, but we'll see.  Got a long share for you today, so let's see what I've got.

1. Away In A Manger by Monnajean McIlwain from Ten Thousand Angels-Christmas And Gospel Favorites (Mus-I-Col 103727/103728, Stereo).  We may as well get her out of the way first.  I almost forgot to put her in the share...

2. December by Aileen Fisher from the collection Poetry Parade-Poets Read Their Poetry For Children (Weston Woods Studios 2xLP ww703 & ww704, Mono).  She sure did like her seasonal poetry, especially winter.

3. Winter Wonderland by Fred Waring And His Pennsylvanians from Fred Waring And His Pennsylvanians Sing America's Favorite Songs (Reader's Digest 8xLP RDA-238 "Courtesy Of Capitol Records Inc.", Stereo, 1981).  I think Fred is the artist who I have the most tracks left to share.  Lucky fellow.

4. Where In The World by Bill Larson With The Kennedy Space Center Chorus, Directed By Arthur C. Benington, from Voices Of Space (Century Records 32909, Stereo).  Almost done with this one, I think.  But I also think I've said that before.

5. When Winter Comes by The San Sebastian Strings-Narrator: Gene Merlino, Vocal Solo: Anita Kerr, from The Sky (Warner Bros-Seven Arts WS 1720, Stereo, 1968).  This one is a collaboration between Rod McKuen and Anita Kerr, part of a trilogy, I believe.

6. 'Twas The Night Before Christmas by Morganna King from Everybody Loves Saturday Night (Ascot ALS 16020 (Reissue of United Artists 3028, 1959), Stereo, 1964).  Finally found this one in stereo for you, but still haven't seen that original issue from 1959 on UA.

7. Sint Nicolaas Potpourri (St. Nicholas Medley) by Mieke And Nina from Greetings From Holland (Monitor MFS 378, Stereo, 1962).  Sometimes, it's amazing to me what drops into my hands.  I have no idea why I would have picked up this LP, but there it was, a medley of Christmas music from The Netherlands.

8. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel by Professional Chorus And Orchestra, Musical Director-Dale Warland, Organist-Paul Manz, from the LP set A Time For Singing (Commission On Worship And Church Music and The Commission On Public Communication Of The American Lutheran Church, Distributed Through Augsburg Publishing House 3xLP 5-5597, -5598, -5599, Stereo).  This is a huge collection of hymns, featuring one a week for more than a year's worth of singing.  There's no real name of the group performing this song, other than a note telling you they are professionals, hence the name.

9. Joy Of A Toy by The Soft Machine from their self-titled LP (Probe/Command/ABC Records CPLP-4500, Stereo, 1968).  Not sure how much it sounds like a Christmas song, but it's an interesting artifact.  And released in the US on Enoch Light's label!

10. In Dulci Jubilo by Oratorio Chorus Of The Guelph Light Opera Company-Charles M. Wilson, Mus. Doc., Director & Organist, from the album Songs For All Seasons (Guelph Light Opera Company GLOC 1968, Stereo).  Good stuff.

11. Holiday For Flutes by David Rose And His Orchestra from this LP The Very Best of David Rose (MGM SE-4155 aka ST-90641, Stereo, 1963).  You wanted holiday music on different instruments, then go back to the master himself!  And this isn't just another remake of Holiday For Strings, this is an entirely new song for flutes!  And I don't think this is a collection of old songs, I think it's new stereo re-recordings of old songs.

12. The Children's Marching Song (Nick, Nack, Paddy Whack) by Marty Gold And His Orchestra from his second contribution to the Stereo Action series Stereo Action Goes Hollywood (RCA Vcitor LSA-2381, Stereo, 1961).  I guess I think every children's song is a potential Christmas tune.

13. Ave Maria by Virgil Fox At The Organ Of The Riverside Church, New York, from the album God Of Our Fathers (Capitol SP 8578, Stereo, 1962).  This is the album that featured William Warfield on almost all the tracks that I didn't record...

14. Super Skier by The Chad Mitchell Trio With Jim McGuinn from Mighty Day On Campus (Kapp KL-1262, Mono, 1962).  Not Christmas at all, but certainly a good winter song.  And a personal favorite no matter the artist.

15. Sun Valley Jump by Glenn Miller And His Orchestra from Sun Valley Serenade (RCA Victor 10" 33 RPM LPT 3064, Mono, 1954).  I previously shared out a track from this record and wrote in the tags that it was spun at 45 RPM.  That's not correct, so I corrected this one, but you'll have to go in and correct the download for that other title.

16. Runaway Rocking Horse by David Carroll And His Orchestra from Toe Tappers (Mercury MG 20064, Mono, 1955).  When I played this I thought it sounded familiar so I went and checked.  Sure enough I've shared it out before, but didn't remember it.  So much for my infallible memory.

17. Moonlight In Vermont by Earl Grant from Midnight Earl (Decca DL 9201, Mono, 1958).  I think this is the last of the Earl I have for you this season.

And that's it.  I actually converted one more file to MP3 to share, but it turned out to be a New Year's title, so I've got to put it back into the pot to share out at the end.  Glad I caught it, though.  Here's the linky-link.  See you soon!

Zippyshare