Chanukah On Labor Day-Part 2

Well, I know it's a long way from Labor Day, but it's still part two of what I started way back then.  Been real busy trying to get ready for Christmas if you've been wondering what I'm up to.  I've got tons to do between now and then, so blog posts are going to be pretty light for a while.  But come Christmas, hold on to your hats!  Tonight I've got five more Chanukah songs that I recorded for you back in August that I should have shared with you in September, but here it is October.  Oh, well.  Track one is Hanukkah Song by John Klein from his LP Around The World On A Carillon (Columbia "Adventures In Sound" WL 135 (Vinyl is marked XLP 43458 from Schulmerich, no mention of Columbia), Mono)).  This is probably my favorite of the bunch, just because it's John Klein.  The other four tracks are all by The Jack Elliot Orchestra And Chorus from their album Hebrew Holidays In Song (Capitol ST 2167, Stereo, 1964).  The titles are Maoz Tzur (Rock Of Ages), S'Vivon (Dreidel), Mi Y'Malel (Who Can Retell) and Chanukah, Oy, Chanukah.  I wasn't sure those were all Chanukah songs, but the back of the label was nice enough to tell me which songs were appropriate for what holiday.  Anyhow, there's the last half of something I started last month.  Here's the download link, hope you enjoy them!

Chanukah From 2009-Better Late Than Never

I'm finding that I was quite the slacker last year.  Not only did I never share out the 32nd day of Christmas In July, I also skimped on my Chanukah shares for the month.  I found these three tracks a couple of weeks ago, and I figure it's high time I get them out there for you to enjoy.  First up is Kathy Lecinski with Chanukah Oh Chanukah from her album Look At The Holidays (A Good Apple Record PB 1586, Stereo, 1982).  Next up is The Lockhart Cougar Chorus with Chanukah Holiday from their record Lockhart Cougar Chorus 82-83 (Private Pressing, Marion C. Cabrera, Principal; Krystyn Arnold, Director, Stereo, 1983).  Last and best is The Weavers doing Mi Y'Malel from The Weavers On Tour (Vanguard VRS-9013, Mono, 1957).  Sorry it's taken me so long to get these up.  Here's the download link, I hope you enjoy them.

Chanukah On Labor Day-Part 1

As I'm searching for Christmas music from non-Christmas albums to share out during my Christmas in July celebration, I occasionally come across Chanukah songs as well, although they are few and far between.  And I usually share them out on the first day of August, as soon as my July celebration ends.  But Christmas in July ran all the way into September this year, so this time around you get Chanukah on Labor Day.  Simple, eh?  So what do you get?  Four tracks from the album Hanukkah And Other Hebrew Songs (Tylent TT-1013, Stereo, 1972) by The Gerald Dargis Chorale And Orchestra.  Those four tracks are: Hanukkah Song, A Song Of Hanukkah, and two medleys, Haukkah Holiday: 1. Hanukkah 2. Light The Menorah and Two Songs For Hanukkah: 1. Candlelight 2. Spin My Top.  On top of all that, you get to hear The Weavers performing Sholom Chaverim from their album The Weavers At Carnegie Hall (Vanguard VRS-9010, Mono, 1957).  I think that one alone is worth the price of admission, which is free.  Hope you enjoy these songs, here's the download link!

Christmas In July 2009-The Missing Thirty-Second Day

I just noticed that I never posted my 32nd day last year.  And I thought I lost it in the big computer crash of '09, but there is was in a folder of old shares!  So here, with only a year and a month's delay is Christmas In July 2009-Day 32!  Just so you don't have to read my blatherings, here's the download link at the beginning.  Now, if I can figure out what's in the file, and why I waited until the end of the month to share it...  Let's see, 16 files in there, so you get more than this year.  I see three tracks from Brass Of The Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, Conducted By Alfred Newman from the album Hallelujah! (Capitol SP8529, Stereo, 1960).  I think these are stereo versions to replace mono ones I'd shared previously.  The three tracks are Hallelujah from The Messiah, We Three Kings Of Orient Are and Deck The Hall.  Next are a couple of tracks by Ruby Murray With The Norrie Paramor Orchestra, Christmastime In Ireland and Christmas In Killarney, from Irish-And Proud Of It (Parlophone (EMI) P-33SX 1402, Mono, 1962).  Not sure why I recorded these, since I think I have them in stereo someplace...  Sixth is another version of My Favorite Things from the album My Favorite Things (Decca DL 78975, Stereo) by The Stratford Strings.  Again, no idea why I recorded this and didn't share it (or did I?).  Seventh and eighth are March Of The Toys by Billy May And His Big Band first from Hey It's May (Pickwick SPC-3010, Fake Stereo) and again from Pow! (Capitol Star Line T1377, Mono).  I remember looking for a stereo copy of this, and finding out it was fake stereo, and then finding the non-budget label record it had been released earlier on.  Now this one I do remember, it's a stereo copy of the great David Rose track The Christmas Tree from David Rose Plays David Rose (MGM SE3748, Stereo, 1959).  This is a good one!  Number ten is a cleaner copy of Baby, It's Cold Outside by Meri Ellen And Her Cohorts Featuring Don Elliot from The Hi-Fi Antics Of Meri Ellen And Her Cohorts (Design DLP 63, Mono, 1958).  I always liked this track.  Two tracks from The Chad Mitchell Trio in what I think may have been slightly improved sound from my old share, The Marvelous Toy and Twelve Days from Singing Our Minds (Mercury SR 60838, Stereo, 1963).  Lucky thirteen is a slightly cleaner rip of Ave Maria from 29 Strings And Then Some (RCA Victor LPM-1457, Mono, 1957) by Mario Ruiz Armengol And His Orchestra.  14 and 15 are Snowfall and Winter Wonderland, both by Dennis Farnon And His Orchestra from The Enchanted Woods (RCA Victor LSP-1897, Stereo, 1959).  This was either me finding a stereo copy, or forgetting that I'd already recorded and shared it in stereo.  Only some basic research will solve that mystery, and I'm awfully lazy!  Last up is what I think was supposed to be a cleaner copy of The Three Suns' Busy Holiday from either For Listening And Dancing or Twilight Time & Body And Soul (Pickwick PTP 2012, Mono), a Pickwick double album release that combines two earlier budget releases.  The records themselves still had the names of the single-disc releases, but they were stuck in the double LP sleeves.  Budget albums are a world unto themselves sometimes.  And there you go, 16 tracks that have waited more than a year to be released, hope it was worth the wait. (In case you're looking down here at the end for it, I included the download link at the top of this post just to confuse you!)

Christmas In July (In September)-The Thirty-Second Day

Just in case you thought it was over, I'm back with more Christmas goodies for you.  As I often try to do, I like to share a little bit more with you on the thirty-second day, and it's mostly versions of things that I've already shared with you, but that may sound a little better, or may be in stereo instead of an earlier mono version I shared out, or even stuff that I just didn't want to share the rest of the month.  So today I've got 15 tracks for you, which should bring my total shared for the month to just over 200.  Hope you got the whole set.  Let's begin with a unique track that I just couldn't see much reason to share during the regular month.  It's Harry Nilsson singing Remember Christmas from the LP Son Of Dracula (Rapple ABL 1-0220, Stereo, 1974).  There's nothing in this song about Christmas that I can hear, and even the label only refers to it as Remember Christmas in one spot.  Elsewhere, it's called Remember.  So this may be a track you decide not to keep.  Track two is a much better sounding version of Bing Crosby singing The Secret Of Christmas, which I first shared here.  This is from the soundtrack to the movie Say One For Me (Columbia CL 1337, Mono, 1959).  I actually recorded a couple of other songs from this soundtrack that may show up some time in the future.  Turns out this LP is available in stereo, but it's really hard to find.  If you like, you can download it from iTunes, but I think that's cheating.  Next up is a version of Sleigh Ride from an LP called Leroy Anderson Favorites (Treasure Productions TLP807, Mono).  Turned out that it's the same as a version of Sleigh Ride I had shared from another budget release, but I can't find which one right at the moment.  That's what happens when you share out too many versions of the same song.  It's not any better this time around.  Next up are two stereo tracks by The Gene Lowell Chorus from Halls Of Ivy (Warner Bros WS 1244, Stereo, 1959) which I had previously given you in mono.  They are Auld Lang Syne and Winter Song, both worthy additions to their full-length Christmas album.  Another two tracks making their stereo re-debut are Auld Lang Syne and Snowfall, this time by the All-Star Orchestra Conducted By Bobby Byrne from The Great Themes Of America's Greatest Bands (Grand Award GA 225 SD, Stereo, 1959).  Good stuff.  Now how about a stereo copy of Blue Holiday by Andre Previn And David Rose?  This time around it's from Like Blue (MGM SE 2811, Stereo, 1960), while the mono version I shared was from a re-issue called The Previn Scene.  Odd...  Next up are a couple of Christmas tracks by Fred Waring And The Pennsylvanians from a best-of LP that was available only at their concerts, A Very Special Hour With Fred Waring And The Pennsylvanians (MCA Special Markets 2xLP DXS-511, Fake Stereo).  I thought these might be different versions than the ones on the Waring Christmas LPs, but they're just the same old The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) (Gordon Goodman is credited as soloist on this one) and Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (this one co-credits The Teen Trio & Poley McClintock).  A really good track that I just didn't think I could get away with sharing during the month is a version of Holiday For Strings by Hal Mooney And His Orchestra from the LP I pulled two other tracks from, Woodwinds & Percussion (Mercury PPS 6013, Stereo, 1961).  Even though I shared a couple of version of this David Rose classic last year, I know it's not really a Christmas song.  But this is a great version!  How about a clean stereo version of the great Latin Snowfall by Henry Mancini And His Orchestra from the soundtrack to Charade (RCA Victor LSP-2755, Stereo, 1963)?  Don't know why it took me so long to find this in stereo, but it sure was worth the wait, I love this track!  Some times I don't pay attention to what I'm recording until it's too late.  So you get a copy of My Favorite Things as performed by The Trapp Family Singers And Chorus that's exactly the same as the one I shared before.  Actually, I think the reason I couldn't tell at first that I'd already recorded it was because I didn't enter the LP title and catalog info into that old post, so let me be sure to put it in here.  This is from The Sound Of Music (Warner Bros WS 1377, Stereo, 1960).  Another old fave that I found a stereo version of this year is The Ski Song (Slalom) by David Carroll And His Orchestra from the LP Contrasts (Mercury Wing SRW 12508, Stereo, 1959).  Another stereo newbie here is a medley called Skye Boat Song-Bonnie Dundee-Hundred Pipers-Auld Lang Syne by The Dagenham Girl Pipers from The World Famous Dagenham Girl Pipers (Capitol ST 10125, Stereo, 1958).  Pretty impressive, if you like bagpipes.  I was starting to think this list would never end, but that's the end of it.  Now I have to go back and add boldface and italic, then put in some hyperlinks to the original shares and any extraneous stuff that I mentioned, oh, and add the download link, almost forgot that.

Christmas In July (In September)-The Thirty-First Day

Well, here we are, the last day of the 'month'.  I thought it would never get here.  As is my tradition, I like to share New Years songs with you on the last day of the month, so that's what you get tonight.  I'm sure you'll enjoy them all just as much as all the Christmas stuff I've already doled out.  Well, maybe not this first track.  It's a radio commercial by Henry Morgan called New Year's Resolution from the LP The Best Of Henry Morgan 1946-47 (Command Performance Records LP-2, Mono).  I had hoped it would be a little funny skit, but it's just a slightly humorous ad for some brand of razor.  Oh, well, live and learn.  Next up, and infinitely more interesting is Let Us All Sing Auld Lang Syne by Fred Waring And His Pennsylvanians from Alma Mater Memories (Capitol ST1949, Stereo, 1963).  Nice little song here.  And lastly, I've got four different versions of Auld Lang Syne, which pales in comparison to the sixteen (!) versions I gave you back in 2008, but it's still not too shabby.  Version one is by The Ferko String Band Under The Direction Of Capt. Joseph A. Ferko from the LP The Ferko String Band Volume No. 3 (Regent MG 6085, Mono).  Version two is performed on a Swiss Coffin Music Box, from an album I've shared from earlier this year, The Story Of The Music Box (Book Records 10" Collector's Series #1011, Mono, 1952).  Version three is a short one from Irving Fields And His Trio and their album Year Round Party Fun (Oceanic OCP 511, Mono).  I think we've heard from Irving Fields already this year (and last!).  Version four is by the great Pete King Orchestra And Chorale, the album is Songs To Celebrate (Kapp KS-3284, Stereo, 1962).  This is a great companion to their Christmas LP.  And there you have it, six tracks to help you ring in the new year.  Here's the download link, don't party too hard at midnight tonight.

The Missing Shares

Hmmm, yesterday I had 629 shares hosted at RapidShare, and today, after uploading Christmas In July 2010-Day 30, I see that I only have 391 shares hosted.  If those are really all gone, I'm going to be pretty ticked off.  I'm hoping it's just a transient thing, perhaps a server down or something.  Heaven knows how I'll figure out what's there and what's gone...  If anybody notices something that's missing, gimme a buzz.

Christmas In July (In September)-The Thirtieth Day

Well, here we go, the first day of Christmas In July In September.  If I'd known it was going to drag out this far, I might have just canceled it for the season.  But here we are, well over a month past our Best-By date, and I can finally see the end.  So here goes...  Let's begin with a version of the Hallelujah Chorus as performed by The Baptist Bible College Choir-S.K. Grundy, Director.  This comes from their LP The Little Brown Church In The Dale (Diadem DLP 145, Mono, 1962).  Nothing too exciting here, let's move on to another bible college, this time in Detroit, The Detroit Bible College Choir, Leon Anderson-Director.  This time the song is Christmas Cantata (III Movement), and I don't know if it's much better.  The LP is Gloria In Excelsis Deo Chorale (Custom Pressed By Recorded Publications Company AZB-55371/55372 (Recorded From Client's Furnished Tape), Stereo, 1961).  At least we get another interesting quote from the label, this time the pressing company distancing themselves from the recording.  You gotta have faith in your product!  Next up is Sun Valley Jump by Glenn Miller And His Orchestra.  I know, I'm stretching the Christmas connection here to the breaking point, but I always associate this song with It Happened In Sun Valley, and that's a nice winter song, so why not this one, too?  I pulled this from Glenn Miller's Original Film Soundtracks Volume 2 (20th Fox FOX 3021, Mono, 1959).  We get into a little bit more of a true Christmas mood next with Mary Had A Baby by that group I first brought to you yesterday, Obernkirchen Children's Choir-James Benner, Piano-Edith Moller, Conductor, and their album Obernkirchen Children's Choir In Japan AKA Holiday In Japan (Westminster Gold (ABC) WGS 8238, Stereo, 1973).  And then we go back into the organ music you all love so dearly with Tom Hazleton performing something called Our Winter World Of Love.  This is from the LP What The World Needs Now Is...-Tom Hazleton At The Unit Orchestra (Concert Recordings CR-0117, Stereo, 1972), a record where all the tracks feature the word Love in their title.  How quaint.  And that's your five tracks for tonight.  But since you've been a good audience, and not complained that I've taken too long to get these shares posted, here's a bonus track.  It's Lawrence Welk And His Champagne Music performing a medley called Viennese Waltz Time: Blue Danube, Skater's Waltz, Estudiantina.  This is from his LP Mr. Music Maker (Dot DLP 25164, Stereo, 1959).  That's it for tonight, check back tomorrow for the end of Christmas In July In September!  Oh, almost forgot, here's the download link.

Christmas In July (In August)-The Twenty-Ninth Day

Hooray!  Welcome to the end of Christmas in July in August!  Not that I'm done with my original Christmas in July, it's just that tomorrow is September, and that means we aren't in August anymore.  But however you look at it, we're getting pretty close to the end.  And tonight is a little special in that you get six tracks instead of the normal five.  Why is that, you ask?  Because I'm bringing you both part one and part two of Dickie Goodman's Santa And The Satellite!  I remember this being a lot more exciting when I was a kid, but times change.  I pulled this from the LP Mr. Jaws And Other Fables By Dickie Goodman (Cash/Private Stock CR 6000, Stereo, 1975).  Track three is Babes In Toyland: In The Toymakers Workshop; Never Mind Bo-Peep; Go To Sleep, Slumber Deep; Toyland; I Can't Do That Sum, a nice medley from the Victor Herbert show, performed here by Nathaniel Shillkret And His Orchestra With Soloists from the LP The Music Of Victor Herbert AKA Listen To The Music Of Victor Herbert (RCA Camden CAL 228, Mono).  I've got two different copies of this record, with slightly different covers and titles.  The main cover illustration is by Jim Flora, by the way, so you don't see too many of these floating around.  Track four is a different version of Ave Maria than the ones I usually find, this one written by Arcadelt and performed by the Obernkirchen Children's Choir-James Benner, Piano-Edith Moller, Conductor.  I found this on the LP Obernkirchen Children's Choir In Japan AKA Holiday In Japan (Westminster Gold (ABC) WGS 8238, Stereo, 1973).  More from this one tomorrow.  Track five is Christmas Morn, Hymn 23 from the album His Arm Encircles Me-Hymns And Solo Settings For Poems By Mary Baker Eddy Recorded In The Mother Church (This Recording Is Produced By The Trustees Under The Will Of Mary Baker G. Eddy, Manufactured By Columbia Record Productions XCSV 140999/141000, Stereo).  The artists are John Robert Dunlap, Accompanied By Ralph Jerles On The Mother Church Organ.  I'm afraid I can't understand half of what he's singing here...  Last track is a peppy string-laced version of Greensleeves by Enoch Light And His Vibrant Strings.  Never seen any other albums credited to that particular ensemble, but that's the credit on this LP, Something To Remember You By (Grand Award GA 242 SD, Stereo, 1959).  I've tried to stay away from too many versions of Greensleeves (AKA What Child Is This) this year, but I thought this one was worth mentioning.  And that's it for tonight.  Here's the download link.  Come on back tomorrow for the first day of Christmas In July In September!

Christmas In July (In August)-The Twenty-Eighth Day

Twenty Eight down, just a few more to go.  Five good ones for you today.  Well, a couple of good ones and some filler.  It's late, what did you expect?  Let's start with Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring by none other than The Trapp Family Singers With Father Franz Wasner, Conductor.  The album is Sing Along With The Trapp Family (Baronet B-101, Mono), but I don't know much about it.  I've seen Trapp family recordings on RCA Victor, Decca and Warner Bros, but Baronet is new to me.  Track two is a cover of Latin-American Christmas Lullaby, one of the originals off the great Ralph Hunter Christmas album that I've been bringing to you for a couple of years now.  This version is by Columbiana County Choir-Ferris Ohl, Guest Conductor from the LP Sounds Of Music-Eighth Annual Columbiana County Music Festival (Century Custom Recording Service V14354, Mono, 1962).  Good to see that someone was paying attention to Ralph Hunter back then.  Next up is Ding Dong Merrily On High, another track from The Choir Of Malvern College Chapel With The Choir Of Hillstone School, Organist-Nigel Hancock and their album Music From Malvern College Chapel (Wealden Studios (UK) WS 175, Stereo, 1978).  I believe this is the last track from that one that I'm sharing.  Fourth is a version of Jingle Bells as it might have been played on a theater organ back during the silent film era.  This is from the LP Music For Silents (Malar MAS-2027, Stereo, 1977) and is performed by Gaylord Carter who apparently used to accompany those silent films.  The final track for tonight is My Favorite Things by Dimitri's Hollywood Orchestra & Chorus from their low-budget album Rodgers & Hammerstein's The Sound Of Music (Clarion 602, Stereo).  The less said about this one, the better.  And that's it for tonight.  Here's the download link, see you back here tomorrow.

Christmas In July (In August)-The Twenty-Seventh Day

Number 27, here we go!  Track one tonight is In The Vinter, perhaps best described as an ethnic comedy performed by Oscar Brand with Dave Sear from the LP Absolute Nonsense (Riverside RLP 12-825, Mono, 1958).  Short but sweet.  The second song is the ubiquitous Skaters Waltz, this time performed by the Continental Orchestra from Waltz Time (RCA Camden CAL-149, Mono, 1957).  My ear tells me that this was recorded much earlier than 1957, but that's when it got put onto this record.  Track Three is a version of Away In A Manger by The Choir Of Malvern College Chapel With The Choir Of Hillstone School, Organist-Nigel Hancock from their album Music From Malvern Chapel (Wealden Studios (UK) Ws 175. Stereo, 1978).  I think this is the third share from this LP, and I'm not done yet.  Track four is a long Christmas Carol Sing-A-Long by Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra-Julius Rudel, Musical Director, from the album Christmas In Concert And More... (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra/Buffalo Savings Bank (No Catalog Number), Stereo, 1979).  You've heard from this LP before, but this is the last time it shows up this year.  Last is a little something called The Great Snowman.  Unfortunately, it's not the kind of snowman that you might find at Christmas time, but I decided to throw it in anyway.  This is by The Geezinslaw Brothers and their LP The Geezinslaw Brothers And Chubby (Capitol ST 2885, Stereo, 1968).  That's it for tonight.  I think this makes 7 posts in a row, or at least something pretty close, or not at all.  I'm really trying to get this thing closed out.  Here's the download link, see you next time!

Christmas In July (In August)-The Twenty-Sixth Day

Is that right, twenty-six?  Getting towards the end now.  What have I got tonight?  Let's begin with The Weavers singing Go Where I Send Thee from the classic The Weavers At Carnegie Hall (Vanguard VRS-9010, Mono, 1957).  Track two is Nutcracker Suite: Trepak, Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairies, Dance Of The Flutes, Waltz Of The Flowers by Reginald Voort and his LP Waltz And Ballet (Cook Laboratories 1058, Mono, 1956).  Up third is Buddy Clark and Dinah Shore With Orchestra by Ted Dale doing the old chestnut for duet Baby It's Cold Outside from Buddy Clark's Greatest Hits (Columbia CS 9434, Fake Stereo).  When I recorded this, I knew something was missing.  It turns out they've edited the first 8 seconds or so of the song out of there.  So I dropped in a version I had that included the opening as I first heard it.  Somewhere around here I've got the original 78, so I'll have to listen to that someday to be sure I've got the whole thing.  Fourthly, we've got The Holly And The Ivy from that record you first heard yesterday, Music From Malvern College Chapel (Wealden Studios (UK) WS 175, Stereo, 1978).  The performers here are The Choir Of Malvern College Chapel With The Choir Of Hillstone School, Organist-Nigel Hancock.  Last up is Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring by Milford Myrhe from A Carillon Recital At The Bok Singing Tower (Morse's Music MM-2000, Stereo).  Milford seems to have taken over the post of Chief Carilloner at Bok Tower from Anton Brees upon his death in 1967.  That's it for tonight.  Here's the download link, have a good evening.

Christmas In July (In August)-The Twenty-Fifth Day

Whew!  Day 25.  Let's go.  Track one is Benny Goodman And His Orchestra doing My Favorite Things.  I haven't brought you too many versions of this song this year, so I hope you'll let me get away with this one.  I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to share any Benny Goodman here at the blog before, so enjoy this.  It's from The Sound Of Music (MGM E3810, Mono, 1959). Track two is by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra-Julius Rudel, Musical Director and their album is Christmas In Concert And More... (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra/Buffalo Savings Bank (No Catalog Number), Stereo, 1979).  This is a locally produced album, probably sold only around the Buffalo area, so I was lucky to find it.  Tonight you'll hear a medley of March and Waltz from The Nutcracker Suite, and there's another medley from it coming up soon.  Third is Once In Royal David's City by The Choir Of Malvern College Chapel With The Choir Of Hillstone School, Organist-Nigel Hancock from the LP Music From Malvern College Chapel (Wealden Studios (UK) WS 175, Stereo, 1978).  This one came to me all the way from Merrie Olde England, which is a lot further away than Buffalo NY.  Fourth is Jimmy Ruth And Rusty telling you a little Christmas Story, the second track I've shared from their record, Special Occasions-Songs & Stories For Children (Singchord (Zondervan) ZLP 967, Stereo, 1977).  Fifth and finally is Mr. Tony Bennett performing a song called Tell Her It's Snowing from his LP Listen Easy (MGM/Verve MV-5094, Stereo, 1973).  The orchestra on this is by Don Costa, so enjoy it.  I'm not a huge fan of Tony Bennett, but he's all right, I suppose.  Hope you enjoy tonight's selection of music.  Here's the download link.

Christmas In July (In August)-The Twenty-Fourth Day

Diving right in, you get twelve tracks tonight from side A of an LP entitled Christmas With The Gooding Band Organ (Gooding Amusement, Columbus Ohio 850C-3214, Stereo), commemorating 75 years of the Gooding Amusement Company.  Unfortunately, they don't seem to have survived much past whenever that 75th anniversary was, because I can only find mentions of them here and there on the internet.  Heaven knows what happened to the great old band organ (built in Germany in 1910, so it would be 100 years old this year) you'll here in these tracks, hopefully it ended up in the collection of some museum somewhere.  The twelve tracks are all fairly short, most of them under two minutes in length.  Side two is random songs that didn't have anything to do with Christmas, so I figured this would fit in with Christmas in July instead of Christmas in December.  Anyhow, the twelve songs are Silent Night, Jingle Bells, White Christmas, Frostie, The Snowman, A Little Boy's Christmas, Silver Bells, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Here Comes Santa Claus, Christmas Medley, I Saw Mommie Kissing Santa Claus, Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer and Winter Wonderland.  I think you'll really enjoy this one.  Here's the download link, see you later, alligator!

Christmas In July (In August)-The Twenty-Third Day

Welcome to day 23!  Ready for some more scratchy Christmas music?  Here we go...  Track one is Lullaby For Christmas by Adele Silke, Soprano & Richard Bailey, Pianist, from the album Nursery Songs And Rhythms (Judson Records H8-OP-2535/6, Mono).  Track two is the great Ethel Smith in a track I've been hunting for a long time now, Sleigh Ride, from her album Galloping Fingers (Decca DL 8456, Mono, 1957).  Good version.  Third is The Winter's Past-Rhapsody For Oboe And Strings by Howard Hanson Conducting The Eastman-Rochester Symphony Orchestra.  The LP is entitled Americana For Solo Winds And String Orchestra (Mercury MG50076 (American Music Festival Series Volume 4 [grab volume 2 here]), Mono, 1954).  I'm not certain of that 1954 date, but I found an identically named LP with a different catalog number from that year, so I'm running with it.  I apologize for the horrible scratchy noise recurring for the first minute or so of this song.  There were two pieces of packaging tape stuck on this record, extending maybe 3/8 of an inch in from the edge.  I removed the tape, but I couldn't do much with the residue it left deep in the grooves.  Try to imagine it without that horrible noise...  Fourthly, we have Hank Snow, again from his LP Snow In All Seasons (RCA Victor LSP-4122, Stereo, 1969), this time with Roses In The Snow.  I think this is my last track by Hank this year.  Last is Skater's Boogie from 12 Great Hits In Ragtime (Dot DLP 25433, Stereo, 1963) by Jo Ann Castle.  This may be my favorite version of this great waltz this year.  So if any of that sounds at all interesting to you, please click this download link.  Thank you, please come again!

Christmas In July (In August)-The Twenty-Second Day

Day 22, it's all downhill from here.  What have I got for you?  Let's start with Jingles, The Christmas Clown by Richard Robinson & William Reeve.  This is the second track I've brought you from Songs For Children With Special Needs 3 (Bowmar 122, Mono).  This isn't the happiest song in the world...  Track two is Snowflower Polka by Dorine from Polka Favorites Volume 1-All Star Concertina (Recar PF4001, Mono).  Now we're starting to get happy!  Track three is happy, but in a much different way.  You have to listen closely to the lyrics on this one.  The track is called Winter and it's by the Dunster Dunces from Harvard and their LP Songs From All Corners ("Pressed but not recorded by Columbia Records" XTV 64384/64385, Mono, 1960).  Track four is another track by Belles & Beaus and their LP Canfield Choral Music Dept. Presents The English Handbell Sounds Of The Belles & Beaus (Canfield High School 7074N4, Stereo, 1974).  This time around it's Christmas Lullaby, and I think this is the last track from them that I have to share.  And the last track for this evening is The Little Drummer Boy by The Daughters Of The Cross With Peter Knight & His Orchestra from their LP Go Tell It On The Mountain (Chapter 1 (London) CPS 39002, Stereo, 1969).  I think this is the third and last track I'm sharing from this LP.  There you have it, five more Christmas songs for your collection.  Here's the download link, see you all tomorrow.

Christmas In July (In August)-The Twenty-First Day

Day 21, I can see the end from here.  Unfortunately, it's not gonna  be in August.  Christmas in September, anyone?  Anyhow, ten tracks tonight from an album of carillon music from The Singing Tower at Luray Caverns in Virginia.  The carillonneur is Charles T. Chapman and the LP is entitled simply Carillon Music (Alive 1034M, Mono).  The songs are The Bells Of Saint Mary's, Adeste Fideles, It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, O Little Town Of Bethlehem, Joy TO The World, Fairest Lord Jesus, I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In, The First Noel, Hark The Herald Angels Sing and Silent Night.  If that sounds like something you want to hear, here's the download link.  Enjoy!

Christmas In July (In August)-The Twentieth Day

Day 20, we're getting there!  What's in the list today?  We start with another selection from Children Sing Around The Year (Decca DL 4406, Mono, 1963), Medley: (a) Christmas Is Peppermint Candy (b) Ringa-Linga-Ling (c) Christmas Is A Love, sung by Rosemarie Jun And Robert Spiro.  Track two is another Hank Snow track from Snow In All Seasons (RCA Victor LSP-4122, Stereo, 1969), At The First Fall Of Snow.  Thirdly, we have Away In A Manger by Rusty from Special Occasions-Songs & Stories For Children (Singchord (Zondervan) ZLP 967, Stereo, 1977).  Fourth is The Strugglers playing Bonnie Lassie while the crown sings Jingle Bells from Two Beers And Everybody Sings (Warner Bros WS 1257, Stereo, 1959).  Lastly, and probably best, we've got Johnny Winter performing the classic Please Come Home For Christmas.  I'd heard of this, but never seen it until a couple of days ago when the LP turned up at the thrift store.  Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good.  This is from First Winter (Buddha BDS 7513, Stereo, 1969), a collection of early tracks released after Winter had his first big record.  That's it for today, here's the download link.  See you next week.

Christmas In July (In August)-The Nineteenth Day

Sorry I missed yesterday, I was over at Lee's blog causing trouble.  But I'm back tonight with five more Christmas sounds for your August enjoyment.  Let's begin, shall we?  Track one is something called Bad Bad Winter by Kay Weaver from an LP she shares with someone named Ralph Lowe called The Now Sounds Of Today (Columbine CRH-198, Stereo).  There's nothing much I can tell you about this LP, could be some sort of song-poem thing, could be a vanity release, not sure.  The two artists don't seem to perform together anywhere on the LP, so I don't even know what their relationship is.  Up next is Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy by Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra.  I think I already shared something with you from this album, Evening At Pops (Polydor PD 5032, Stereo, 1972). (Nope, looks like I haven't, but I will...)  Track three is Mary's Little Boy Child by The Daughters Of The Cross With Peter Knight & His Orchestra.  Again, I think I've shared another track from this album, Go Tell It On The Mountain (Chapter 1 (London) CPS 39002, Stereo, 1969), with you.  Good stuff here.  Track four is the first of several tracks by Hank Snow From his LP Snow In All Seasons (RCA Victor LSP-4122, Stereo, 1969).  This one is Snowbird, but I don't think it has anything to do with Anne Murray.  (Someone correct me if I'm wrong...)  Last up is White Christmas by Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians.  I pulled this from a medley of Irving Berlin hits on the album Berlin By Lombardo (Capitol ST1019, Stereo, 1958).  Short but sweet.  That concludes this evening's sharity.  Here's the download link, see you again real soon.

Christmas In July (In August)-The Eighteenth Day

Another day, another five Christmas songs.  Let's go...  Track one is Christmas Lullaby by Richard Robinson & William Reeve from Songs For Children With Special Needs 3 (Bowmar 122, Mono).  I've no idea where I find some of this stuff...  Track two is Ice Princess by Helmut Zacharias And His Magic Violins from Happy-Go-Lucky (Polydor (Germany) 46048 LPHM, Mono).  Track three is March Of The Toys by the great Tommy Dorsey And His Orchestra from Tribute To Dorsey, Volume II (RCA Victor LPM-1433, Mono, 1957, originally recorded August 1939).  Track four is Tchaikowsky: Medley From "The Nutcracker Suite" by The Tiffany Strings from their album The Tiffany Strings Play Popular Themes From The Classics (Tiffany 1011, Mono).  And that brings us to the final track, a 22 minute opus by the one and only Walter Carlos entitled Winter, consisting of an entire side of his double LP Sonic Seasonings (Columbia PG 31234, Stereo, 1972).  I personally didn't find this to be very wintery, and parts of it are downright boring, but you might like it.  That's it, four short tracks and one really long one for you.  Here's the download link, enjoy the music!