Christmas In July 2018-Day 29
Good evening! I'm back with a small pile of Christmas music for you. Sorry to be dragging this out, but there just aren't enough hours in the day to get done all the things I want to do. Or need to do, in the case of holding down an actual job and paying the bills. But that's beside the point, let's get to the music!
1. Christmas by Ray Middleton-Choir & Music Under Direction Of Howard Barlow from the LP Ten Protestant Holy Days (Candle CAN-111, Mono, 1957). This is, without doubt, the worst thing I have shared with you all season. Maybe the worst over multiple seasons. How did this get released? And it's part of a series! I have the Jewish one, too, and I don't remember it being this bad. Listen at your own risk!
2. Greensleeves by The Melachrino Strings Conducted By George Melachrino from the 45 EP set Music For Reading (RCA Victor 2x7" 45 RPM EPB 1002, Mono, 1955). This is the first of two selections tonight from 45 RPM 7 inch records. I don't think these tracks are any different from the versions I've shared in the past from the full sized 12" albums, but you never know until you put the needle in the groove.
3. Winter Wonderland by Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians-Vocal By Kenny Gardner from Guy Lombardo In Hi-Fi EP Part 2 (Capitol 7" 45 RPM EAP 2-728, Mono, 1956). Again, a 45 release of a standard 12" record. I don't hear a difference, and the timing is almost identical. Nothing special. Only 7" version I've discovered that was different from it's 12" release is Arthur Godfrey's Columbia Christmas album. The 7" set has edits of the album tracks.
4. North Pole-Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer by David Seville And The Chipmunks (Alvin, Simon & Theodore) from the LP Around The World With The Chipmunks And David Seville (Liberty LRP 3170, Mono, 1960). This one wasn't on cool red vinyl, but it did feature the original cartoon versions of The Chipmunks, not the later TV versions.
5. Snow by The Johnny Mann Singers from I'll Remember You (Liberty LRP-3436, Mono, 1966). One of those winter songs you don't hear nearly enough. And it's written by Randy Newman!
6. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by The Airmen Of Note from Serenade In Blue-Series Eleven (Programs 131-143) (United States Air Force 7xLP Suggested Air Date: October-December 1969, Stereo, 1969). Still one of my favorite finds this season! I hope it's one of yours as well.
7. Holiday For Trombones by Trombones Unlimited Featuring Mike Barone & Frank Rosolino from Holiday For Trombones (Liberty LST-7527, Stereo, 1967). The trombones feel the need to get in on the act.
8. Nativity Play by Joyce Grenfell from George-Don't Do That.....-Six Nursery School Sketches (Starline-EMI (UK) SRS 5199, Stereo, 1977). A little sketch about the Christmas play. It never goes anywhere, but it's nice filler.
9. Chinoiserie (Chinese Dance) by Duke Ellington And His Orchestra from Nutcracker Suite/Peer Gynt Suites Nos. 1 And 2 (Odyssey (Columbia) 32 16 0252 (Originally issued 1960), Stereo, 1980). Nutcracker, but I only have a couple tonight, so I'll type up all the details.
10. Arab Dance by Dom Frontiere from Mr. Accordion-Dom Frontiere Plays Classical Favorites (Liberty LST 7008, Stereo, 1958). Really enjoying the accordion versions from the LP. And is this Liberty night or something? Weird coincidence.
That's it, ten tracks, getting near the bottom of the pile, but still plenty to go, long as I can find time to record it. Give 'em a listen and let me know what you think.
Zippyshare
Interesting that the first item is so bad. I assume that Ray Middleton is the same Ray Middleton who was one of the leads in Jerome Kern's Roberta in the 30s. And Howard Barlow was for many years the conductor of the CBS Symphony. He made quite a few records in that capacity.
ReplyDeletei doubt if gf handel lost any sleep over middleton & company’s “christmas”. speaking of handel, considering all the love tchaikovsky gets around here, old george sure gets a cold shoulder. were it not for the occasional oddball angle (steel pan, music box), we might not hear from him at all. in my younger years, i did “pick-up messiahs”, where someone would semi-organize a performance and anyone who showed up sang. (they always needed tenors.) anyway, part one plus the hallelujah chorus was a perennial part of my christmas until the voicebox just didn’t cut it anymore.
ReplyDeletethe accordion version of the arab dance was surprisingly good… so good in fact that i had to look up dom frontiere (excuse me for living, but i’d never heard of him). jeepers, it’s like not knowing billy may or earle hagen or lalo schifrin. i hadn't even heard of his wife. (i'd heard of the rams. i mean, i don't live under a rock, you know.)
Ok,first of all, thanks again as always!
ReplyDeleteSecond of all, the Ray Middleton is making me laugh at its overdramatic pompousness. It's like a funeral a Christmas feeling for me. Is the birth of the Christ Child really supposed to sound this depressing? Maybe so in some circles. :P Well, not as bad for me as the little Heidi and Tammy records, but at least they displayed some degree of cuteness, even if both girls, who I wonder if they were the same voice, sounded a bit bored while reading their scripts to the little kiddies out there.
Actually, this Ray Middleton nauseates me the more I hear It's still appreciated though in its own way.
and as long as we're at liberty, does anyone else harbor the suspicion that patience and prudence were actually two grown baritones that david seville carefully sped up and synced into their babydoll hits?
ReplyDeleteNo, you're the only one who thinks that!
ReplyDelete