Christmas In July 2026-Part 9

Day nine, not quite a third of the way through the month, just getting started really. Seems like a lot longer though. I'm trying to do a little bit more commentary this year, don't know if you've noticed. In the far distant past I always said a little something about every track, but in recent years I've just posted the track list, said something generic about the whole collection and called it done. This year I'm trying to get back to that old habit of trying to post some little tidbit about each track. It's tough when there are ten tracks from the same album, trying to come up with something new every day is not the easiest thing. And then all those demo tracks from publishers trying to sell you their arrangements, I'm rapidly running out of ways to talk those up. But I'm doing my best to keep it a little interesting around these parts. Enough blather though, let's jump in the pile for this Thursday.

1. Doc Williams-Snowdeer (Collectors Series #1, 1957)

I'm a sucker for any song with the word 'snow' in the title. That's almost always an automatic record for the pile. I can only think of one exception, I think it's some song from Porgy And Bess. It really didn't do anything Christmassy for me.

2. Greater Milwaukee Touring Youth Symphony-Conductor: Hazel Johnson Wunsch-Bugler's Holiday (European Concert Tour 1971, 1971)

Not really a Christmas song, though I think it turned up on a Boston Pops Christmas record once, with Al Hirt on trumpet. That's a good enough reason for me to include it here.

3. Arthur Lyman-Sound Of Music Medley: (a) The Sound Of Music (b) My Favorite Things (c) Do Re Mi (d) Climb Every Mountain (The Shadow Of Your Smile, 1966)

The second-coolest guy in exotica, and as far as I know one of the few exotica artists to record a full Christmas LP. Pretty sure I've brought you this one before, but I couldn't pass it up when I noticed it.

4. Conducted By Paul J. Smith-Snow Frolic (People And Places: Switzerland/Samoa, 1956)

This is from the LP I chose to put at the top of the post with that great postcard image of the Swiss Alps and some alpen-horn blowers. I've been to Switzerland and it really does look like that. Green in the valley, snow and ice high above the treeline. We went to the top of a mountain on a skilift and the altitude made breathing painful. I understand that you get used to it but it felt a bit like someone was sitting on my chest for a few hours and something was burning inside my lungs.

5. Continental Strings And Brass-Go Tell It/Children (Go Tell It On The Mountain/Children Go Where I Send Thee Medley) (How Majestic Is Your Name, 1984)

I always pick up religious albums and check for Christmas songs. My hit rate with them is much higher than most other genres of music. This one is a bit late in the game for me, but it'll do. Hard to believe this is over 40 years ago now. I'm old...

6. Eydie Gormé-Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year (Love Is A Season, 1959)

Another great track from this LP, but still not the best one. It's coming, trust me!

7. Hope Publishing Company, Somerset Press, Agape-Come, Lord Jesus! (The Very Best Sacred Choral Music, 1979)

Is this the only publisher's demo track in the pile today? I must have screwed up somehow, I know I have a lot of these left for you. I'll have to double up on them tomorrow, sorry.

8. The Arlingtones, Jay Giallombardo-Director-Silver Bells (A Chorus For All Seasons)

More of that great barbershop harmony!

9. Gooding Amusement's German Organ-Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer (Christmas With The Gooding Band Organ, 1984)

I suspect the people who designed and built this organ never imagined a song about a reindeer with a red nose would be played on it. I'm sure they had novelty songs at the time, maybe even Christmas novelties, but Rudolph kind of takes the cake.

10. The Choir Of Leeds Parish Church-Directed By Simon Lindley-Michael Harris, Organ-O Come, All Ye Faithful (Favourite Hymns And Christmas Carols, 1984)

Last but not least is a track from an LP issued to help restore and maintain this church. I wish more places would put out Christmas music like that. That's all I have to say for today, so I'll shut up now. Don't forget to come back tomorrow for more. Enjoy!

MEGA

Christmas In July 2026-Part 8

We're moving into the second week of Christmas in July and we've still got a long way to go. I felt like I had a lot of music to share back in April when we finally wrapped up Christmas at Christmastime sharity, but then the finds just started coming out of the woodwork. Sometimes I go months without finding a single record I can plunder, but for a while there I was coming home with ten songs in a week. Then one day I went to the huge book store up in Largo (an hour away!) and came home with 44 new records to grab tracks from. On average, I get two tracks from each record, so that added almost 90 songs to the pile. So what was recently planned to be an average year is now going to be our biggest season in maybe the last five or six. I love finding this stuff and sharing it with you folks is just icing on the cake.

1. The Harry Simeone Chorale-One Little Candle (The Harry Simeone Chorale, 1966)

Harry really kept trying to have another big Christmas hit after stealing The Little Drummer Boy out from under Katherine Davis and Jack Halloran. This is probably not one of those attempts, but I thought it was worth sharing and mentioning. Little Drummer Boy was a great song and a great arrangement, but he shouldn't have taken the lion's share of the credit like he did. Rant mode off...

2. Flip Phillips And His Orchestra-I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (Flip Wails, 1956)

I shared this song with you before during my Christmas celebration of all things 45 a couple years ago, but I found it recently on this LP with a great cover painting, so you're getting it again.

3. Gooding Amusement's German Organ-White Christmas (Christmas With The Gooding Band Organ, 1984)

A week in and I feel like I've given you a track off this LP every day. But they're good tracks, I hope you're enjoying them. Records like this with lots of tracks I can share are good for my morale. They make me feel like I'm sharing enough music to make the days interesting. When I'm only sharing three tracks a day, I feel like it's not really worth the effort. But ten a day is a good number.

4. The Concordia College Choir-Victor Hildner, Director-Christmas Comes Again (The Concordia College Choir, 1956)

Another record with lots and lots of tracks to share. Not as good as the band organ stuff, but still worth a listen.

5. Bob Bradburn-Count Your Blessings (Happy Holiday With CHQT Radio's Bob Bradburn And The Jasper Place High School Stage Band)

This is not the song that you think it is. Bob Bradburn claims the writing credit for it, but based on some of the other things on this album that he claims to have written, he's not to be trusted. Anybody heard this one before by someone else?

6. Called By Dick Kraus, Music By The Berkshire Mountain Boys-Jingle Bells (Square Dance Country Style, 1961)

This may be the only square dance I have to share with you this July, so enjoy!

7. Hope Publishing Company, Somerset Press, Agape-A Christmas Antiphonal (The Very Best Sacred Choral Music, 1979)

Isn't this a great arrangement? Would you like to purchase the sheet music? I can hook you up, just let me know.

8. Charter Wind Ensemble Under The Direction Of Caesar Giovannini And Bill Holcombe-We Wish You A Merry Christmas (Charter Sound Series Volume 5-Concert Band, 1973)

This one, too. I can get it for you wholesale!

9. Jenson Publications-Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Jenson Publications Presents...Warner Bros. Finest For Concert Band, 1983)

You want more sheet music? No problem!

10. Joan Cushing & Ensemble-Prepare Ye The Way Of The Snowplow (A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Shoreham, 1990)

Now this is interesting. It's a comedy song and dance show out of DC from the late 80's-early 90's. There's lots of humor here that may go over your head if you weren't around at the time. I'm sure I'm missing most of the references, but I did know about Mayor Marion Berry and his cocaine habit. I had a good chuckle on one of my visits to DC when I saw his name on the big elaborate gate in Chinatown. I'm sure there aren't many copies of this thing floating around out in the world, except maybe in the basement corner of Joan Cushing's house. 

MEGA

Christmas In July 2026-Part 7

Well, today marks the end of the first week of sharing. I think it's turning out pretty well. At the very least, I haven't missed any days yet (though that's more down to the fact that I'm posting these ahead of time to leave myself a little breathing room. I'm not far ahead of real time, but I am in the future a bit). Do you have any favorite tracks so far? Have you even listened to anything? Are you one of those folks who's saving it all in a pile to listen to come Christmas? I think half the fun is experiencing a little bit of Christmas in the middle of the year, trying to get that odd combination of cold outside yet warm fireside glow inside. But to each his or her own. If you wanna wait, be my guest. In the meantime, let's jump into the pile for day seven.

1. The Concordia College Choir-Victor Hildner, Director-Listen, Lordlings, Unto Me (The Concordia College Choir, 1956)

An unknown-to-me song from this college group. It was on the Christmas side of the record so I have to assume it was a Christmas song. Someone may correct me though.

2. The Accordion Masters With Rhythm Accompaniment-Skater's Waltz (The Accordion Masters Play Twelve Favorite Waltzes, 1958)

This is the track from our featured LP cover above. I love to find accordion songs to share with you. They're usually much better than the harp records I find.

3. Bill Mann With The Concert Orchestra Of Stockholm-Go Tell It On The Mountain (Go Tell It On The Mountain, 1965)

A rerun from years past, but still a nice one. I love it when a non-Christmas record announces it's Christmas content right there on the cover in big letters. Despite it's using a Christmas song for the title, this is the only Christmas song on the record.

4. Bowmar Orchestral Library-Chinese Dance (Stories In Ballet And Opera)

Another installment of The Nutcracker Suite from this demo record. Well, I've been calling it a demo record, but IIRC there are no ads on it to buy the music. This may have been more along the lines of a studio library record with royalty-free performances you could use as needed. I think the cover is pretty generic with a sticker for the title and catalog number. Anyone familiar with this series?

5. Gooding Amusement's German Organ-Here Comes Santa Claus (Christmas With The Gooding Band Organ, 1984)

One more good track from this actual band wagon. It's a giant steam powered organ and percussion device that made music and it was on wheels to be moved from location to location. I think it had been converted to run on compressed air instead of steam, but the mechanism to play the music is still the same.

6. The Choir Of Leeds Parish Church-Directed By Simon Lindley-Michael Harris, Organ-Christians, Awake, Salute The Happy Morn (Favourite Hymns And Christmas Carols, 1984)

More music from this fundraising album. I wonder if they ever got the church back in tip-top shape? Looks like they're doing pretty well for themselves these days, so I guess they got the funds they needed back in 1984.

7. Faron Young-If We Make It Through December (A Man And His Music, 1974)

This may be my favorite track today. I never gave much though to people covering this Merle Haggard track but I guess they did an here's a little proof. I bet if I keep digging I'll find more covers.

8. The JM Choral Group-Novices And Postulates Of The Religious Of Jesus And Mary-Mother Marie Laetitia, R.J.M., Director-What Child Is This? (Patterns In Song, 1960)

There's a long history of singing nuns here at the blog, and this is more of the same. We do not, however, have much history of flying nuns, though there was that one track...

9. The Arlingtones, Jay Giallombardo-Director, Soloist: D. Allan-I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas (A Chorus For All Seasons)

Not sure why they lengthened the title of this song, unless they were hoping to get away without paying any royalties to Irving Berlin. I think they're going to need to be a little smarter than that.

10. The Crane Wind Ensemble, State University Of New York At Potsdam-Anthony J. Maiello, Director-March Of The Plastic Soldiers (Music For Concert Band, 1985)

And bringing up the rear is a song from a demo LP for the arrangements. I love when they announce the name of the song before they play it. Enjoy!

MEGA

Christmas In July 2026-Part 6

 Day six, time flies when you're having fun. Let's see what's in the pile.

1. Madison Junior And Senior Choir, David Alan Ayers-Director-Ring Those Christmas Bells (The Joy Of Christmas And Greats From America Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow)

More school singers. I think we've heard from these people before and we'll hear from them again.

2. Reginald Foort, F.R.C.O.-Nutcracker Suite: Trepak (Waltz And Ballet, 1956)

This track is from the LP shown above. It's a bit of a weird duck because they reused the reverse side for two different albums. There are two track lists on there and only one of the two listed albums had any Christmas content. I was digging though a huge stack of albums and found the other record that could go in the sleeve earlier. Found this one almost two hours later on the other side of the room, so I was happy that both of them were actually there. I feel like I had a copy of this LP and tried to record it for sharing before but the vinyl was in really poor shape. It was covered in little craters like there was too much of some chemical in the vinyl at the pressing stage and it had outgassed over the years. Hard to describe but completely unplayable. This one didn't present any such issues.

3. Gooding Amusement's German Organ-Frostie, The Snowman (Christmas With The Gooding Band Organ, 1984)

Frostie, like the drink at Wendy's, not the popular snowman of TV fame.

4. Hope Publishing Company, Somerset Press, Agape-Singing Noel (The Very Best Sacred Choral Music, 1979)

Advertising. I said there was less of this sort of thing this year and I stand by that claim. I'm hoping to get it all out of the way early and leave some good stuff for the end of the month. Just be patient.

5. The Mc Nulty Family-Miss Fogarty's Christmas Cake (A Night In Ireland With The Mc Nulty Family-Volume 1, 1958)

I think I've shared this before, but not from this particular LP. I don't know why it was typed as Mc Nulty on the vinyl instead of the expected McNulty, but that's what it said. I wonder if there was ever a vomlume two?

6. St. Cecilia's Men's Choir, Conducted By C. Irving Guyer-O Holy Night (Glory To God In The Highest, 1965)

More music from those guys at St. Cecilia. I wonder if they ever sang the Simon & Garfunkel song in lighter performance moments?

7. The Northern Illinois University Wind Ensemble-Stephen Squires, Conductor-Medley Christmas (Alfred Concert Band Music (1988), 1988)

More, slightly better advertising music.

8. Werner Müller And His Orchestra-Bugler's Holiday (Werner Müller Plays Leroy Anderson, 1964)

Leroy Anderson's less popular Christmas song that's not really a Christmas song at all, but let's pretend it is.

9. Frank Patterson-Ave Maria (Frank Patterson, 1981)

I hope this one sound OK, it was recorded really low on the vinyl. I tried to adjust for it, but it was almost down in the surface noise. I think they were trying to cram too much music onto a single LP side.

10. Jenson Publications-Away In The Manger (Jenson Publications Presents...Warner Bros. Finest For Concert Band, 1983)

Last and likely least, some more arrangement demo music. Enjoy! 

MEGA

Christmas In July 2026-Part 5

Well, now that the holiday is out of the way, we can jump in with earnest. Not that I'm going to do anything interesting that I wasn't doing before, it just sounds good. Here's another ten Christmas songs from non-Christmas albums for you. Enjoy!

1. Hope Publishing Company, Somerset Press, Agape-Tambourine Noel (The Very Best Sacred Choral Music, 1979)

We start out with a demo song from an arrangement publisher. Yawn.

2. Richard Maltby And His Orchestra-Shepherd's Song (Brilliant Big Band Ballads And Blues, 1962)

Not strictly a Christmas song, but it will do in a pinch. I think I've shared this one before.

3. Poldi Zeitlin, Pianist-The Wooden Soldiers' March (Tchaikovsky 24 Pieces For The Piano-Masterwork Series For The Young Musician, 1952)

Another short song from this collection of short Tchaikovsky piano pieces.

4. Stanley Black Conducting The London Festival Orchestra AKA The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra-Arab Dance (Tchaikovsky-Nutcracker Suite/Serenade For Strings, 1967)

I grabbed a bunch of tracks from this one so you'll see it a few times this season, as you have in others. Only this time I noticed that the name of the orchestra is different on the cover than what's shown on the label. Very odd...

5. The Yoder Families-The Friendly Beasts (Come Let Us Join Our Cheerful Songs)

Lots of families named Yoder around here, seems to be a popular name in the Amish and Mennonite communities. I found this record in a small thrift store run by a Mennonite charity, so I wasn't surprised at all.

6. Ted Alan Worth-San Francisco Civic Chorale Chamber Chorus-Carol Of The Bamboo Flute (Great Hymns Of Faith-Praise To The Lord)

I feel like I've shared some organ tracks by this guy before, but this album featured a chorus on many of the tracks. Makes for a much more listenable experience.

7. Tuskegee Institute Choir-William L. Lawson, Director-Mary Had A Baby (Spirituals, 1971)

This track is from the record highlighted up top. Of course I've shared it out before at which time I came up with a very different date for it of 1955. So I guess this is a reissue. Good stuff whatever the date.

8. The Mennonite Hour Male Quartet-O Come, O Come Immanuel (Hymns That Live 10" 33 RPM)

More of those Mennonites!

9. Stuttgart Festival Band-William Harrison, Conductor-God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (Have Band Will Travel-Music Minus One Trombone)

Music that's missing the trombone part, though I'm not sure you'll notice.

10. Jenson Publications-Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Jenson Publications Presents...Warner Bros. Finest For Concert Band, 1983)

And we end where we began, with a track trying to sell you an arrangement. It's like commercials on Amazon Prime, they just keep coming... 

MEGA