Christmas In July 2020-02

Welcome back! It's time for day one, part two of this year's Christmas in July celebration!  I can't keep up this pace for too long, but I wanted to make sure the season started out with a bang this year.  What's in the pile tonight?  I'm glad you asked, let's have a look-see.

1. Ethel Smith At The Organ-Swingin' Shepherd Blues from Bouquet Of The Blues-Ethel Smith At The Organ (Decca DL 78955, Stereo, 1960). No, it's not a Christmas song, but I always think about those shepherds that came to see the baby Jesus, and I'm sure they were swingin' to the groovy sounds put down by that little drummer boy. And I think this is much better than the droll stuff Ethel put on her actual Christmas album, it's a bit of a disappointment.

2. The Singing Nuns Of Jesus And Mary-What Child Is This? from The Singing Nuns Of Jesus And Mary (Diplomat/Ambassador XS-1019 (AKA SX-1019), Stereo).  Budget label stuff, but not bad.  This is one of the records that's been in the pile for years, but I finally took the time this year to record it. Lots of things like that this year.

3. Christopher Lynch, Tenor, With Warner Bass, Organ-Panis Angelicus from Bless This House-The Children's Hour (Columbia Entre RL 3016, Mono). Not really Christmas, but it pops up frequently enough on Christmas records I figured it was OK. A little noisy, sorry.

4. Chet Atkins-Blue Angel from Hometown Guitar (RCA Victor LSP-4017, Stereo, 1968).  Any excuse to include a track from Chet Atkins, that's my motto.  Well, I have a lot of mottos.

5. Maplewood Glee Club, Warren G. Schmoll-Director, Rosalind Dobie-Accompanist-Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring from Maplewood Glee Club 1965-Maplewood Community Recreation Service (HMR Productions RC-94 (AKA RC-134) Side 2-1965 Winter Concert, Mono, 1965).  The first of a whole slew of tracks from this homespun recording of a local glee club.  Where else on the internet are you going to find stuff like this?

6. The Tuskegee Institute Choir, Directed By William L. Dawson-Behold The Star from 15 Spirituals (Westminster (ABC) W-9633 (Later reissue), Mono, 1955).  Funny story.  I bought this record a long time ago and forgot about it.  Then I bought another copy, from the same thrift store. Pretty sure they were both there in the first place, and because I forgot I bought it, I had to buy it again the next time I was in there and saw it.  That's part of the reason Christmas in July costs so much. That, and my poor impulse control.

7. Angostura Starlift Steel Orchestra With Albert James-For Unto Us A Child Is Born from Trinidad And Tobago Steelband Music Festival Vol. III (Tropico (Trinidad And Tobago) LPS-3044, Stereo, 1966).  Steel drum Christmas music? Yes, please! And it's not Hallelujah From The Messiah.

8. Glenn Derringer-Sleigh Ride from Light 'N Easy (Ovation OVQD/1439 (Quadraphonic), Stereo, 1975).  A rerun, but it's in quad, so how could I help myself.  Not sure if the quad effect survives the MP3 conversion, I kinda doubt it, but the thought is there.

9. Grand Rapids Christian High School Chamber Chorale-The Bells from Sixth Annual Albion College Invitational Choral Festival (Delta DRS81-128, Stereo, 1981).  More homemade music you won't hear anywhere else.  And you might not want to hear it anywhere else, what do I know? I've always liked this song, I first heard it by The King Family, but I've seen other versions. Even Mitch Miller released a version on a single, but I don't think it ever made it to one of his Christmas albums.

10. The Cantata Singers In Quakertown, Ifor Jones Conducting, Bonnie Fix Keller At The Organ-Nativity Carol from A Service Of Lessons And Carols (CS CSQ1001, Stereo, 1975). I recorded much of the music I'm sharing this month way back at the beginning of the year.  I got on a roll and I just went with it.  So a lot of this stuff I have not memory of whatsoever.  That kinda makes it hard to say something about each one.  But everything sounds new and exciting!

11. Sizzling Brass-Greensleeves from The Sizzling Brass (Premier PS-9010, Stereo).  Budget dreck.  And didn't I already share a version of What Child Is This tonight? I'm not paying enough attention, obviously.

12. Sing Gloria, by an unknown artist from Jenson Publications' Choral Celebration Vol. 5 (Jenson Publications JP-4000 w/ Book, Stereo, 1983).  Yep, it's your demo track for the day.

13. The McNulty Family-Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake from Irish Showboat (Coral CRL 57368, Mono, 1961). Good stuff here.

14. The Modern Jazz Quartet-Skating In Central Park from Patterns (United Artists SW-90835, Stereo, 1960).  So much of the stuff I'm sharing is reruns, I'm almost ashamed.  It's new recordings from new records, but it's still things I've shared with you before.  I hope the newer rips at least sound better than the old ones, for those of you that have the old ones.  For some of you, I'm guessing it's all new.

15. Polly Bergen With Frank DeVol And His Orchestra-Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year from Polly Bergen's Four Seasons Of Love (Columbia CL 1451, Mono, 1960). I don't know much about Polly Bergen, but I like her album covers.

And that's it, another fifteen tracks of Christmas goodies.  More than enough for a whole album, if you're inclined to listen to it all. Hopefully there are one or two goodies in there that make it worth your download effort.  Here's a link, enjoy!

MEGA