The Joy Of Christmas

Back into the random religious records we plunge with this plainly covered record from another artist that's never made it to the big time. The stacks are filled with records like this, people who likely got lots of compliments from church members and friends, got hooked up with a local radio show, then decided to record an album and release it. Whether they tried to sell it or give it away we don't know, but somehow a copy made it's way down through time and landed in my collection. I hope that someday a relative or friend of this artist (or any of the many artists I share here) will chime in and tell us a little more about this person and their life. It happens occasionally and it's always a good feeling. The internet sometimes brings things together that have been separated for a long time. Anyhow, I'm blathering because it's late and I'm tired. This is Ralph McGilvra-Christmas Joy From The Gospel Hour (The Gospel Hour TH 1070 (label) AKA TH70 (front cover), Stereo). There are a couple of duets hidden here among the usual male vocals, so don't be surprised when you listen.

1. Joy To The World
2. Ralph McGilvra & Georgia Horne-Down From His Glory (Duet)
3. Ring The Bells
4. There's A Song In The Air
5. Ralph McGilvra & Georgia Horne-Away In A Manger (Duet)
6. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
7. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
8. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
9. O Holy Night
10. Ralph McGilvra & Georgia Horne-That Beautiful Name (Duet)
11. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
12. Ralph McGilvra & Georgia Horne-Silent Night, Holy Night (Duet)
13. O Come, All Ye Faithful
14. If Jesus Had Not Come

MEGA

Lipton, Not Tea

Does anyone else remember the Claymation commercials for Lipton's brand of bottled tea in the late eighties to early nineties? They would have animated celebrities drink the tea in some odd situation and then an imitator's voice would say the tagline, "That's Brisk!". The only one I can clearly remember is Frank Sinatra as voiced by Joe Piscopo. Maybe there was another one with Rocky drinking a bottle after he knocked out his latest opponent. I was reminded of this by the last name belonging to the artist on this latest share, Celia Lipton. I doubt really if she has anything to do with the tea company, but that's where my mind headed when I was trying to think of something to write here. The front of the record kindly tells us that this record went gold in the UK, though I suspect that also means it's a year or two old since that sort of thing doesn't happen overnight. Odd that it would show up on an unknown label if it was such a big hit. It's nice enough though, I think there's plenty here to enjoy. This is Celia Lipton-With Love...Merry Christmas (Independent Record Corp CMLS1392, Stereo, 1987). Enjoy! (Oh, says here she married the guy who invented the paper milk carton!)

1. We Need A Little Christmas
2. The Christmas Song
3. Winter Wonderland
4. Child
5. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
6. Jingle Bells
7. White Christmas
8. Sleigh Ride
9. Puppet On A String
10. Let It Snow, Let It Snow
11. Silver Bells
12. I Dreamed A Lovely Dream

MEGA

Hilarious

When I first spotted this record on the shelf, I thought perhaps I had mis-filed it. Didn't look much like a Christmas record. But a quick scan of the contents told me I was wrong and it was indeed a Christmas record. I guess I should have known that because it does say Christmas right there on the front cover. I think this is another vestige of my abandoned project to share a Christmas record from every state in the union, representing Alabama in this case. I have no explanation for the title, other than it appears to be an annual thing with the University Of Alabama music department. This is University Of Alabama Singers & Jazz Ensemble-Hilaritas (Boutwell Recording Studios for Hilaritas, Music Department, The University Of Alabama, NR14998/NR14898, Stereo, 1983). Enjoy!

1. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year; Have Yourself A Merry Christmas; I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas; Do You Hear What I Hear
2. Little Jack Frost Get Lost; I'll Be Home For Christmas; Let It Snow
3. O Come All Ye Faithful
4. Sing We Now Of Christmas; Away In A Manger; I Wonder As I Wander; Lullay; Shepherd's Carol; Hark, The Herald Angels Sing; How Far Is't To Bethlehem; Jingle Bells
5. The First Noel
6. Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire; Deck The Hall; Angels We Have Heard On High; We Wish You A Merry Christmas

MEGA

Pop Music

Been a while now since I've shared a Christmas album full of actual pop music with you, so here's the closest thing I still have in my pile of Christmas goodies. Not sure if you want to count George Beverly Shea and The Korean Children's Choir as popular music, but at least it's not another church choir. There are some bigger names here that I'm sure you'll enjoy, like Tennessee Ernie Ford, Lawrence Welk and Pat Boone, but even those might not fall under the head of pop. What attracted me to this album was the possibility that some of these tracks were exclusive to this disc. I'm not sure all of these artists released full albums on Word Records, who put this collection together for Guideposts in 1977, and there are no note on the back of the LP about how tracks were licensed elsewhere. I didn't dig much deeper than that, but maybe one of my loyal visitors will be able to clue me in on what's what here. Please have a go at The Guideposts Treasury Of Christmas Hymns (Word GPR 002, Stereo, 1977). Some of these artists have been shared here at the blog from full albums of their own. You might be rewarded richly if you do a few searches.

1. Tennessee Ernie Ford-O Little Town Of Bethlehem
2. Lawrence Welk-O Come All Ye Faithful & Away In A Manger
3. The King Family-It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
4. Pat Boone-Hark The Herald Angels Sing
5. George Beverly Shea-O Holy Night
6. Evie-Mary's Little Boy Child
7. Richard & Patti Roberts-Go Tell It On The Mountains
8. Ralph Carmichael-Little Drummer Boy
9. Korean Children's Choir-Silent Night
10. Jim Roberts & Norma Zimmer-Silver Bells

MEGA

Saint Who?

Time for another album from a group you've never heard of from a church you've never heard of named after a saint you've likely never heard of. I tried to do a little research on the church and found that it had closed back in 2008, the congregation being folded into another church so close that the parishioners walked down the street to symbolically join the other church. I'm not sure who the group singing on the record is, could be the church choir or maybe some other group affiliated with the church. And lastly, I looked to see who St. Casimir was, turns out he was linked to Poland and Lithuania, which makes sense because the church in questions appears to have been founded by Lithuanian immigrants in Pittston, PA in 1890. So as I've said before, some of these records can really lead you down a deep rabbit hole of history if you're interested in such things. And there's also some music if you're interested. This is Saint Casimir-Listen To A Christmas At Saint Casimir's (Studio 'V' 1171095, Stereo, 1970). Well, it's not really by St. Casimir, since he passed away in 1484, but I didn't know what else to call the performers here. Enjoy!

1. Gloria In Excelsis
2. O Hearken Ye
3. Rejoice And Sing
4. Do You Hear What I Hear
5. Bekite Ziurekit
6. Gloria In Excelsis Gieda Angelai
7. As With Gladness
8. My Shepherd Is The Lord
9. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
10. A Christmas Amen
11. An Acclamation For A Christmas Gospel
12. The Miraculous Star
13. Now Let Us All Praise God And Sing
14. The Heavens Declare
15. Marija, Marija
16. O Come, All Ye Faithful
17. Sveikas Jesau Maziausis
18. Sheep May Safely Graze
19. A Great Amen

MEGA

Tiny Dancer

I feel like today is the day where I break the record for longest Christmas season. I've really drug it out this year but you've got to strike while the iron is hot. I've got all these records ripped and mostly ready to go, so I may as well post them. I'm not sure if I've broken a record for the most days total since Thanksgiving was so late last year, but I'm too lazy to go back and count. Suffice it to say, we're in uncharted territory here.  And in the interest of really dragging it out, here's another record you likely don't need. This is Lynn Stanford-Christmas Music For Ballet Class Volume Two (Bodarc BOD 89-15, Stereo, 1989). This is volume two, and yes I have volume one somewhere. I appear to have recorded it a few years ago, but never scanned the artwork for it. Hopefully I'll come across the record sometime soon and I'll be able to finish up the package.

1. Plie: Away In A Manger
2. Tendu: Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
3. Degage: Masters In This Hall
4. Rond De Jambe A Terre: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
5. Frappe: Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
6. Fondu: I Saw Three Ships
7. Rond De Jambe En L'Air: I Wonder As I Wander
8. Developpe: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
9. Petite Battement: Here We Come A - Wassailing
10. Grand Battement: Oh Christmas Tree
11. Stretch: O Holy Night
12. Tendu: Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
13. Slow Pirouette: Blue Christmas
14. Waltz Pirouette: I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
15. Adagio: Ave Maria
16. Allegro: French Christmas Carol
17. Pique: Do You Hear What I Hear?
18. Grand Allegro: Good Christian Men, Rejoice
19. Reverence: Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire

MEGA

Again With The Lutherans

Today's share is a recording from a small Lutheran-linked college in Minnesota. But beside that, being from Minnesota, it's a small reminder of the situation in Minneapolis. This is not a political blog, but the killing of US citizens by masked government agents is unacceptable. That's all I'm going to say about that. This is an interesting choir recording that is possibly the most recent recording I've ever shared on the Delta label, known for pressing records of school and civic group performances across the country. I always assumed they had called it quits by the 80's, but here's something from 1983 that appears to show they were still going strong. Note that the date comes from the catalog number. I've cross referenced a few dozen of these releases and the date (when available) on the release always matches the last two digits in the first half of the catalog number on the label. They didn't always do that, but at some point they started and it makes dating these things a little easier. This is The Gustavus Choir-Christmas (Delta DRS83-3028, Stereo, 1983). There was a concert program from a performance this group did in 1985 inside the sleeve. I went ahead and scanned that in for you as well even though it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the performance captured on this vinyl.

1. Joy To The World
2. I Wonder As I Wander
3. Now We Sing Of Christmas
4. Away In A Manger
5. O Come, O Come Emmanuel
6. Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light
7. O Come All Ye Faithful
8. A Christmas Carol
9. In Dulci Jubilo
10. Coventry Carol
11. Once In Royal David's City
12. In The Bleak Midwinter
13. Wake, Awake

MEGA