Sunday, December 31, 2006

Volume 1 For Hi-Fi Living

As the year draws to a close, I wanted to start a new series of shares with you. Christmas shares are still 11 months away, but I like the attention I get when I share stuff out, so I'm going to try to share more with you this year from my off-the-wall record collection. Many months ago, I shared the doodle from the back of this record with you, and it was the only time I was ever able to track down the artist and say howdy. That doodle actually appears on all 12 of the records in this set, and sometime during this past year, I managed to lay my hands on every single record in the set. So, with a little luck, I'll be able to get all 12 volumes up here for your enjoyment. This set was marketed to people who were new to the world of hi-fi, and needed something to play to show off their new equipment. I've found very few references to this set online, with the exception of people trying to sell the individual records. I suspect it's a bit difficult to put the entire set together these days, since they couldn't have sold too many of these. They all appear to be in mono (which makes sense with a release date of 1957), and with the advent of stereo in 1958, who wanted to buy mono records to show off on the hi-fi? But you'll enjoy them. The first one is quite mellow, but it has it's moments. Be sure to keep coming back and complete the set! Here's Hill Bowen And His Orchestra-I Could Have Danced All Night; Vol. 1 For Hi-Fi Living (RCA Custom RAL 1001, 1957). I've never seen any other records in this number series (RAL). Is it possible this was all they ever used it for?

The Front Page

I thought you might want to see the front page of my annual calendar project. This is what's on the cover, an osprey I shot out at Myakka River State Park. You can see what it looked like on Christmas morning below. That's my grandmother opening up the calendar for the first time.

The Last Day Of The Year

Almost let today pass without getting these calendar pages up. There's only one day in this week, so you don't have to look at them for long. The upper picture, from last year's book, is a red form of aloe plant. I shot this at a local nursery that has an open house twice a year. It's great for looky-loos like myself, who don't by anything. Well, actually, I think I always wind up buying something. Then it lives on my porch for a while until the unbearable heat and lack of water kill it. The photo below is from the calendar book for 2007, and shows some snow on a pine tree. This was in Twinsburg, Ohio, and is just outside the building where I work up there. People always look at me funny when I'm up there, because I'm usually out traipsing around taking pictures of things that they see every day, but are all new and different to me.

Saturday, December 30, 2006

Fall Arrives In Florida


Here you go, the day before New Year's Eve, and Fall finally gets here. At least it gets here for this one poor leaf on a sea grape. Can you tell I haven't been out shooting for a while? I get so excited when I get out behind the lens. I'm hoping to be able to do it again tomorrow. I may even get up before sunrise and try to get some really great pictures of the sun coming up. We'll have to wait and see how ambitious I am at 5 in the morning.

An Aquatic Elf?


See what I miss when I don't leave the house for a while? This mermaid Santa was down on Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach atop one of the stores. I suppose this is the sort of thing I give up when I stay home for a month and post Christmas music to the blog. Not that it's a bad thing, sharing out all that music, but you should know the sort of things I have to give up in exchange for it.

Bird Of The Day


Anyone who's familiar with the blog knows that I can't pass a bird without taking a picture. Which sometimes makes it difficult to get anywhere in a hurry. Today I got some great shots of this vulture circling overhead. Luckily, I don't think he was looking for me in particular...

The Weathervanes Of Manatee County


Maybe it was the heat, or the salt air, or the smell of Coppertone, but I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the weathervanes around Bradenton Beach. I thought I could find more than this, but all I spotted were these four. And two of them are dolphins. But here they are. I noticed that only one of them actually had the four points of the compass correctly oriented for some reason. Laziness, I suppose.


Back To The Beach


I went out to take some pictures today for what seems like the first time in ages. You'll no doubt be happy to know that the beach is still there. The sand is still white, the sea is still green, and the sky is still blue. And I still can't keep the horizon straight...

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Oodles Of Doodles CCXI

Here are a couple of doodles that I scanned way back in August, but never shared with you. I'm going to try to do a better job of getting these doodles to you for a while. It keeps me off the streets and out of trouble, I suppose. These little bits of cover art hail from The South Seacombers-South Sea Moods (RCA Victor LPM-1698, 1958). Doesn't the girl above remind you of Tropic-Ana, the mascot for Tropicana from many years ago? Maybe that's just me.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Waltz Time

I found another LP cover done by Demilio, though it's not signed anywhere I can see. The style is unmistakable, though. I don't know what it is about the people with the big oval heads that I like, but they are irresistible. And no, the oval heads don't really remind me of Stewie Griffin. This detail is from the cover of Mantovani And His Orchestra-Waltz Time (London LL 1094)

Almost forgot, here are links to the other record covers I've found by this same illustrator:
Edmundo Ros And His Orchestra-Ros Mambos
Robert Farnon And His Orchestra-Two Cigarettes In The Dark
Stanley Black And His Orchestra-Some Enchanted Evening

Monday, December 25, 2006

25 Days Of Christmas-Day 25

Here you go, the very last track on my Christmas compilation, 25 Days Of Christmas. I hope you've enjoyed this collection of off-beat tracks as much as I have. It hardly seems like I've shared out 25 different tracks. (Maybe that's because I shared out two tracks twice...) Sometime in the next week or so, I'll try to get some art made up for it, so don't forget to check back. For tonight's track, I decided to bring you something from my namesake, Tennessee Ernie, who oddly enough is not credited with his last name on this early release. You'll enjoy this track, I'm sure, especially if you're like me and spent most of today with family gathered around a number of different dining room tables. This track reminds me of both Grandpa Jones from Hee Haw, and a Christmas track from Bing Crosby called Christmas Dinner, Country Style, but this precedes both of them by quite a few years. I guess it's all about the food as much as it is the presents. Oh, and of course the fellowship. And the love. And all the other stuff that comes together this one time of year. So here's my last track for you, Tennessee Ernie-Christmas Dinner (Capitol 7" 45 RPM single F1830, 1951). I hope you had a Merry Christmas!

Previous tracks:

Harry Kari-Oh! Oh! Don't Ever Go
Dorothy Collins-Mister Santa
Connie Canuso-Somebody Painted Rudolph's Nose A Chocolate Brown
Sandy Offenheim-If Snowflakes Fell In Flavours
Up With People-Jingle Bell Beat
The Ames Brothers-Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
Jimmy Boyd-Santa Got Stuck In The Chimney
Lou Monte-Italian Jingle Bells
Les Paul-Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
The Harmonicats-Winter Wonderland
Steve Allen and Ricky Vera-Can I Wait Up For Santa Claus?
Ricardo Montalban & Randy Newman-La Campanilla
Ralph Carmichael-The New Hallelujah
Lawrence Welk With The Lennon Sisters-Santa From Santa Fe
Billy May-March Of The Toys
The Davis Sisters-The Christmas Boogie
Anna Russell-Please Santa Claus
Kathy Dunn-Santaville
The Williams Brothers-The Holiday Season
The Ed Sullivan Orchestra-I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
The Banjo Barons-Jolly Old St. Nick & Jingle Bells
Johnny Brandon-Santa Claus, Jr.
Johnny Mathis-Have Reindeer, Will Travel
The Crew-Cuts-Twinkle Toes

Merry Christmas To You

Here's the last full record I wanted to share with you this year. I shared out a single track from it last Christmas, but this year you get the whole thing. Trust me, you'll love it. Here's Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer And Other Christmas Favorites (Wonderland WLP 148). I hope you all have a Very Merry Christmas!

The Week With Christmas!

For those of you who have been waiting for it, here's the picture from this week's calendar page. Not very Christmas-like, is it? This iguana makes his home on Gasparilla Island, near Boca Grande. Oh, and the picture below? That's the very first page of next year's calendar, which my Grandmother will get as a Christmas present later this morning. So don't let the cat out of the bag. I guess this one isn't a very Christmassy picture either. This is the St. Pete Pier.

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Christmas Sharity Recap 2006-Week Five

It's Christmas Eve, and I'm almost done posting for this season. I think I have one record to post tomorrow, and I assure you, it's nothing special. But to help you get caught up, here's the complete list of what I've shared out this year. I get nervous when I stop and look at this list. It's been a lot of work, but it's also been a lot of fun. I don't know how I'm going to do this next year...

Week The Fifth:

Thurlow Spurr And The Spurrlows-Christmas; Time For Song (rerun) (131)
Christmas Surprises From The Ralph Hunter Choir (rerun) (145)
Thurlow Spurr And The Spurrlows-Go Tell It On The Mountain (47)
Domenico Savino-Music For Christmas Eve (78)
Domenico Savino-Hi-Fi Christmas Party (mono-74) (stereo-102)
Yogi Yorgesson-Yingle Bells (rerun) (145)
John Klein-Let's Ring The Bells All Around The Christmas Tree (61)
John Klein-Noel Bells (56)
Robert Way-New England Sleigh Ride (rerun) (91)
Ruth Welcome-Christmas In Zitherland (rerun) (110)
John Klein-The Bells Of Christmas (42)
Herbie Koch-Christmas Bells Of Stone Mountain (55)
Raymond LeFevre-Merry Christmas (rerun) (151)
Henri Rene-Home For Christmas (109)
Paul Mauriat-The Christmas Album (rerun-20) (Remaster-87)
Jimmy Roselli-The Christmas Album (113)
David Rose-Merry Christmas To You (73)
Lionel Barrymore-A Christmas Carol (49)
Gary Mann-Blues For Baby Jesus (47)
Loretta Young-The Littlest Angel/Gregory Peck-Lullaby Of Christmas (34)
Sy Mann-Everybody's Christmas Favorites (Rerun-mono) (stereo-31)
Gisele MacKenzie-Joyeux Noel (rerun) (63)
Gisele MacKenzie-Christmas With Gisele (45)
The McGuire Sisters-What Child Is This (15)
The McGuire Sisters-Ave Maria (12)
The McGuire Sisters-Greetings From The McGuire Sisters (39)
'Twas The Night Before Christmas (9)

Week The Fourth:

The Best Of Christmas In July 2006 (rerun) (139)
John Davidson-My Christmas Favorites (rerun) (64)
The Mexicali Brass-Winter Wonderland (100)
Christmas With The Mexicali Brass (113)
Tijuana Voices Sing Merry Christmas! (128)
A King Family Christmas (rerun) (78)
Christmas With The King Family (rerun) (69)
Marilyn King-My Favorite Things (rerun) (24)
The Rainbow Sound Of Bianco-Joy To The World (Stereo-54) (rerun-Mono-15)
A Visit From Saint Nicholas (67)
Lorne Greene-Must Be Santa (rerun) (150)
The Ray Charles Singers-Christmas At Home (92)
Felix Slatkin-Season's Greetings (102)
Lynn Anderson-The Christmas Album (rerun) (123)
Merry Christmas From Buck Owens And Susan Raye (rerun) (99)
Mitch Miller-Christmas Songs And Carols (102)
Merry Christmas With The KE-Notes (66)
The Jimmy Joyce Singers With Orchestra by Billy May-A Christmas To Remember (rerun) (136)
The Pied Pipers Sing Favorite Christmas Carols (rerun) (124)
The Moishe Oysher Chanukah Party (93)
Saint Patrick's Cathedral Choir Sings Christmas Carols (69)
Saint Patrick's Cathedral Choir Sings Christmas Songs-Volume 2 (58)
The Caroleers-Twas The Night Before Christmas (rerun) (96)
The Caroleer Singers And Orchestra-Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (rerun) (86)
Christmas With The Don Les Harmonicats (77)
Nelson Riddle-Avon Wishes You A Happy Holiday And A Joyous New Year (112)
Nelson Riddle-The Christmas Song (57)
Hugo Winterhalter-Christmas Magic (rerun) (109)
Hugo Winterhalter-Sleigh Ride (rerun) (52)
Hugo Winterhalter-Blue Christmas b/w White Christmas (52)

Week The Third:

Muzak Christmas (rerun) (100)
Bob Coe-White Christmas/Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town (rerun) (??)
Richard Keys Biggs-Christmas Bells (51)
The Sisters Of Divine Providence-Christmas Mosaic (76)
The Happy Crickets-Christmas With The Happy Crickets (rerun) (100)
Woody The Woodchuck-Christmas Sing Song (rerun) (25)
The Surfers-Christmas From Hawaii (rerun) (175)
Emilien Allard-Noels au Carillon de l'Oratoire Saint-Joseph (86)
Skitch Henderson-Winter Holiday (88)
The Ray Charles Singers-Winter Wonderland (rerun) (138)
The Ray Charles Singers-Here We Come A-Caroling (rerun) (145)
George Feyer-Echoes Of Christmas (rerun) (101)
Arthur Lynds Bigelow-Ring! Christmas Bells (64)
Christmas In Cleveland (50)
Eddie Dunstedter-The Bells Of Christmas (rerun) (85)
Eddie Dunstedter-The Bells Of Christmas Chime Again (rerun) (83)
The Three Suns-Uncle Mistletoe/Sleigh Ride (107)
Leo Addeo-Organ And Chimes Play Christmas Carols (51)
The John McCarthy Chorale-Merry Christmas Sing Along (38)
The Town Pipers-Christmas Greetings (rerun) (79)
Big Tiny Little-Christmas With Big Tiny Little (rerun) (147)
George Wright-Merry Christmas (rerun-stereo-54) (mono-23)
George Wright-Christmas Time (50)
The Sandpipers-Frosty The Snowman (rerun) (96)
101 Strings-Christmas Moods (rerun) (100)
The Lighthouse Singers-Christmas Carols Volume II (65)
Lew White-Christmas Time (38)
Billy Crystal-The Christmas Song (rerun) (122)
Merry Christmas From The Command Family Of Recording Stars (16)
Ashley Miller-Christmas Carols (65)
Songs To Sing At Christmas Time (112)

Week The Second:

Merry Christmas From... (rerun) (27)
Dennis Day-Christmas Is For The Family (rerun) (103)
Holiday People-Holiday Disco (101)
Max Fagen-Christmas Disco Party (145)
Warner Bros Stars-We Wish You A Merry Christmas (73)
Ephrem Zimbalist, Jr.-Adeste Fidelis (55)
Walter Schuman-The Voices Of Christmas (rerun) (198)
Mitch Miller-Be A Santa (84)
Cyril Stapleton-Children's Christmas Album (rerun) (71)
Ethel Smith-Christmas Music (10)
Godfrey Malcolm & Fredrico-Chimes Of Christmas (68)
Menudo-Feliz Navidad (rerun) (54)
Jose Melis-Christmas With Melis (122)
Charo-(Mamcita) Donde Esta Santa Claus (rerun) (240)
Bruce Woodman-Christmas Carols With A Latin Lilt (74)
60 French Girls & The Christmas Bell Ringers-Joyeaux Noel (rerun) (123)
Yank Lawson & Bob Haggart-Hark The Herald Angels Swing (rerun) (114)
William Clauson-Canciones De Navidad (52)
Natal No Brasil (65)
The Snap-On Male Chorus-Carols Of Christmas (rerun) (63)
A Kimball Christmas (rerun) (48)
Christmas Classics 1963 (83)
Frank Chacksfield-Music For A Merry Christmas (110)
The Three Suns-Christmas Party (rerun) (119)
The Three Suns-Your Christmas Favorites (rerun) (45)
The Three Suns-The Sounds Of Christmas (rerun) (75)
The Three Suns-Raggin' The Scales (72)
Lester Lanin-Christmas Dance Party (127)
A Christmas Sampler (rerun) (56)
Dick Leibert-Sing And Rejoice (rerun) (35)
Dick Leibert-The Sound Of Christmas (rerun) (25)
Dick Leibert-The Happy Hits Of Christmas (rerun) (77)
Dick Leibert-A Merry Wurlitzer Christmas (81)
Buddy Cole-The Organ Plays At Christmas (30)
Buddy Cole At The Pipe Organ-Pipes And Chimes For Christmas (52)

Week The First:

Ray Conrad-The Cotton Pickin' Lift Tower (39)
Six Family Mountain-Takin' A Ride With The Wind (23)
Spencer Ross-Thanksgiving Day Parade (Rerun) (39)
The Merriest Of Christmas Pops (168)
Fred Waring-Twas The Night Before Christmas (Rerun) (216)
Fred Waring-Nutcracker Suite (78)
Pete Fountain-Candy Clarinet (Rerun) (35)
David Wayne Narrates The Little Star Of Bethlehem (42)
Eddie Layton-Organ Music For Christmas (75)
Mike Douglas-My Kind Of Christmas (Rerun) (131)
Sammy Kaye-Christmas Day With Sammy Kaye (131)
Sammy Kaye-Christmas Serenade (104)
Sammy Kaye-Year 'Round Favorites (52)
The Moog Machine-Christmas Becomes Electric (Rerun, Remastered) (244)
Avon Campaign 21 (Rerun) (58)
Danny Robinson-Deck The Halls (71)
Buddy & Bunny Burden-Christmas Favorites (Rerun) (54)
A Family Christmas Album (72)
Slim Boyd-Christmas Country Style (135)
Santa Claus Conquers The Martians (Rerun) (204)

There you have it. What a list! I hope you found something good in there. Don't forget, the numbers in parantheses are the number of times a track has been downloaded as of tonight. Well, approximately. I've lost count on some of them for various reasons.

25 Days Of Christmas-Day 24

Christmas Eve, and that means this is the next-to-the-last song for my compilation, 25 Days Of Christmas. I'm back to the singles again, this time on Capitol, and an artist you've heard here before, but may not realize it. Turns out that tonight's artist and the one featured here are one in the same. Hard to believe but true. Check it out. Go ahead, I'll wait. Now do you believe me? OK then, please download Harry Kari And His Six Saki Sippers-Oh! Oh! Don't Ever Go (Capitol 7" 45 rpm F2618, 1953). A little bit of ethnic humor here, so I hope you're not offended. It's just Christmas as seen through the eyes of someone who's new to the game. I think you'll enjoy it.

Previous tracks:
Dorothy Collins-Mister Santa
Connie Canuso-Somebody Painted Rudolph's Nose A Chocolate Brown
Sandy Offenheim-If Snowflakes Fell In Flavours
Up With People-Jingle Bell Beat
The Ames Brothers-Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
Jimmy Boyd-Santa Got Stuck In The Chimney
Lou Monte-Italian Jingle Bells
Les Paul-Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
The Harmonicats-Winter Wonderland
Steve Allen and Ricky Vera-Can I Wait Up For Santa Claus?
Ricardo Montalban & Randy Newman-La Campanilla
Ralph Carmichael-The New Hallelujah
Lawrence Welk With The Lennon Sisters-Santa From Santa Fe
Billy May-March Of The Toys
The Davis Sisters-The Christmas Boogie
Anna Russell-Please Santa Claus
Kathy Dunn-Santaville
The Williams Brothers-The Holiday Season
The Ed Sullivan Orchestra-I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
The Banjo Barons-Jolly Old St. Nick & Jingle Bells
Johnny Brandon-Santa Claus, Jr.
Johnny Mathis-Have Reindeer, Will Travel
The Crew-Cuts-Twinkle Toes

Twas The Night Before Christmas

This record was requested last year when I posted the doodle from the flip side. The copy I had then was in terrible shape, so I wasn't able to record it until I finally found a nicer copy this year. This recording is designed to be played only once a year, on Christmas Eve, to help put excited little children to bed. And that's why it's here. Download and play it for your little ones, and maybe they'll be a little easier to get to bed tonight. I know I'll sleep better tonight, knowing I'm finally done with all my Christmas work. Here's your link-'Twas The Night Before Christmas (RCA Camden CAS-1101, 1968). And to all a good night!

25 Days Of Christmas-Day 23

Here is another track from this massive compilation of Christmas tunes called One Hundred Favorite Songs Of Christmas (MCA Special Markets SR 8726 DXS 504). (The other track I shared from this compilation is here.) Whenever I need an interesting tune, I know I can find something interesting in here. Shame that the quality of the tracks is pretty poor due to their cramming 100 tracks on 8 sides... The track I want to share with you today is a version of what was my favorite Christmas song for many years. I had no idea that anyone other than Lenny Dee had ever recorded it, but someone at FaLaLaLaLa showed me the error of my ways. This wasn't the version they mentioned, which means there is yet another version out there somewhere. The life of a completist is never easy. Here's a great track for my 25 Days Of Christmas collection, Dorothy Collins-Mister Santa. Dig that great xylophone action! (I recorded this track five different ways, and processed it half a dozen more ways, but I still think the recorded sound is much thinner than what I was hearing when I played the vinyl. It's in fake stereo, which I thought might be the problem, but recording it in stereo or mono didn't seem to make any difference. Anybody have an idea what may be going wrong here? It doesn't sound bad, but it doesn't sound right, either...) One more track later today and I'll be all caught up on my compilation!

Previous tracks:

Connie Canuso-Somebody Painted Rudolph's Nose A Chocolate Brown
Sandy Offenheim-If Snowflakes Fell In Flavours
Up With People-Jingle Bell Beat
The Ames Brothers-Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
Jimmy Boyd-Santa Got Stuck In The Chimney
Lou Monte-Italian Jingle Bells
Les Paul-Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
The Harmonicats-Winter Wonderland
Steve Allen and Ricky Vera-Can I Wait Up For Santa Claus?
Ricardo Montalban & Randy Newman-La Campanilla
Ralph Carmichael-The New Hallelujah
Lawrence Welk With The Lennon Sisters-Santa From Santa Fe
Billy May-March Of The Toys
The Davis Sisters-The Christmas Boogie
Anna Russell-Please Santa Claus
Kathy Dunn-Santaville
The Williams Brothers-The Holiday Season
The Ed Sullivan Orchestra-I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
The Banjo Barons-Jolly Old St. Nick & Jingle Bells
Johnny Brandon-Santa Claus, Jr.
Johnny Mathis-Have Reindeer, Will Travel
The Crew-Cuts-Twinkle Toes

Three McGuire Sisters

About five years ago, I started to make a Christmas CD. I had boxes and boxes of Christmas records to choose from, and grabbed tracks from many of them. That was the year I finally realized that there was much better stuff in all those dusty old records than on the shiny new CDs in the other room. One of the things I grabbed to audition was a box set of five records called One Hundred Favorite Songs Of Christmas on MCA. I grabbed a few songs from this set before I stumbled across a song called The Cactus Christmas Tree. It was the exact sort of song I was looking for that year, something that wasn't the usual version of the same old carol, yet had the unmistakable feel of a Christmas song. Less than halfway through the track though, the record skipped, and skipped badly. I spent two hours trying to get the track to record, but never did succeed. A few minutes on the internet told me the track was originally from The McGuire Sisters album you see above. Simple enough, I'd start looking for that record. Five years later, I still hadn't found the record. Well, at least not a copy I could afford. It turned out to be quite rare and valuable. Whenever one popped up on eBay, I'd put in a bid and loose at the last second after a flurry of bids that usually drove the price up into the $50 range. Then finally, just a few weeks ago, a member of FaLaLaLaLa put up a copy for auction. I put in my usual bid, then sat there at the end of the auction, waiting to see who'd come along this time and take the record from my grasp. Perhaps it was a minor Christmas miracle, but no one else bid. I won the auction, and three days later, I had the record in my hands. As soon as I got it on the turntable, I knew this was the record I wanted to share with my friends. So please be my guest and download this great record that has remained virtually unheard since it's release in 1958. It's a great mix of secular and religious music, with a little help from Neal Hefti and Dick Jacobs. I almost didn't share this one with you folks, since it turns out a CD released this year has some, but not all, of the tracks. (That CD also has a version of Frosty The Snowman from sources unknown, so you need to go buy it!) But I decided to go ahead and get this out there anyway, I just saved it for the day before Christmas, so only those folks who are really looking for it will stumble across it. Consider this my present to you. Here is The McGuire Sisters-Greeting From The McGuire Sisters (Coral CRL 57225, 1958). Enjoy!

Update: This one is out on CD now, although it's a little hard to tell. There's a collection on the Jasmine label that includes all the songs from this LP, plus all the songs from the Christmas With Arthur Godfrey LP. Not sure how the McGuire Sisters got stuck on there, but who am I to question how such things work. You can order this from Amazon via this link. Wait, maybe I'm mistaken. Try this disc instead.

Two McGuire Sisters

Here's another great track from the one and only McGuire Sisters. (I'm building to something here, can you tell?) Don't waste a moment, go download The McGuire Sisters-Ave Maria from Christmas Through The Years (MCA Special Markets For First Financial Marketing Group DL 734596) in glorious simulated stereo. This compilation of artists originally on the Decca, Coral and Kapp labels borrows it's cover from an original Christmas LP from Wayne King. I did a terrible job of scanning the cover, I'm afraid. The text is much easier to read on the original, as the sky is much darker than it appears above. So keep in mind if you're flipping through stacks of dusty vinyl looking for this one that it doesn't really look like this...

One McGuire Sister

Here's a great track from blog favorite The McGuire Sisters. This track originally hails from a compilation of holiday tracks from Frank Sinatra's Reprise label. I'd love to share this whole LP, but chunks of it have shown up on CD over the years. Maybe someday they'll release the whole thing... I did want to share all three different covers I've found for it though. So have a look at those, if you'd like. But first, download this track, The McGuire Sisters-What Child Is This from Frank Sinatra And His Friends Want You To Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Reprise R9-50,001, 1963). Note on the cover above that this record cost $5.98 when it was new. That's the stereo price. I've got a mono copy somewhere, and it's a dollar less...

At Long Last

I've been getting requests for this LP since I shared out the doodle on the back of it way back in July of 2005. Problem is, it's not in very good shape. I had to work at it to get a non-skipping rip. But one night I finally got it, so now I can share it with you. If there are any skips in there now, I don't know about them, and you're just going to have to live with them. I do wish this was a stereo version, but beggars can't be choosers. Oh, just for the record, I paid $1 for this vinyl four or five years ago. I had no idea what it was, or who it was, I just liked the goofy cover with the dogs and the girl who got the fur coat that she wanted for Christmas. Who knew it was so good! Here's Gisele MacKenzie-Christmas With Gisele (RCA Victor LPM-2006, Mono, 1959). Don't miss the EP from Gisele that I just posted from last year. I think it's got some of the tracks that later showed up on this LP, but at least you get a cover from this same photo shoot.

Update: Looks like someone finally wised up about this record. It's now available for download on iTunes. So I can't share it anymore, but you can download a nice MP3 version of it.

Twas The Day Before Christmas


Finally, the big day is almost here, and that means I have to get rid of all the Christmas music I have lined up to share. Oh, and I have this one last record from last year to share out. Why did I wait until this last day to put this one back up? Well, you'll see. Hurry up and download Gisele MacKenzie-Joyeux Noel (Vik EXA-271, 1957). Everyone loves Gisele, right?

Update: Looks like someone finally wised up about this record. It's now available for download on iTunes. So I can't share it anymore, but you can download a nice MP3 version of it. Actually, what they've got is the whole LP that this EP is pulled from, but you get the idea.

25 Days Of Christmas-Day 22

I'm trying to get caught up on my tracks for 25 Days Of Christmas, so here's your second selection for today. Wait, it's 6 minutes after midnight, which means it's now tomorrow. So you're going to get more than one track today instead of yesterday. Oh, well. Tonight's track is from 45, a seldom-seen single that I stumbled across last year. Help yourself to this little tale of poor Rudolph and his run-in with some vandals: Connie Canuso-Somebody Painted Rudolph's Nose A Chocolate Brown (Applause 8-1246). The flip side of my copy is badly damaged. I got it to play through, but it sounds like somebody took a wire brush to it. So if anybody has a cleaner copy, I'd sure appreciate a copy. That side is Santa Claus And His Sleigh. Thanks!

Previous tracks:

Sandy Offenheim-If Snowflakes Fell In Flavours
Up With People-Jingle Bell Beat
The Ames Brothers-Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
Jimmy Boyd-Santa Got Stuck In The Chimney
Lou Monte-Italian Jingle Bells
Les Paul-Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
The Harmonicats-Winter Wonderland
Steve Allen and Ricky Vera-Can I Wait Up For Santa Claus?
Ricardo Montalban & Randy Newman-La Campanilla
Ralph Carmichael-The New Hallelujah
Lawrence Welk With The Lennon Sisters-Santa From Santa Fe
Billy May-March Of The Toys
The Davis Sisters-The Christmas Boogie
Anna Russell-Please Santa Claus
Kathy Dunn-Santaville
The Williams Brothers-The Holiday Season
The Ed Sullivan Orchestra-I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
The Banjo Barons-Jolly Old St. Nick & Jingle Bells
Johnny Brandon-Santa Claus, Jr.
Johnny Mathis-Have Reindeer, Will Travel
The Crew-Cuts-Twinkle Toes

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Stereo Mann

Here's a new version of a share from last year that I found in Stereo for you. I originally recorded this record last year because it was by Sy Mann, and I had just downloaded his Moog Christmas record. I had hope that maybe this one was as good, but it's not. It's still not bad, though. And I'm excited to bring you a stereo copy this year. Funny thing is, the stereo version omits one song (It Came Upon A Midnight Clear) that's on the mono version, so you may want to go get that version. (The track is listed on the back of the record, but not on the label, and it's certainly not on the vinyl. I guess the stereo tracks wouldn't fit on the record. Or maybe they just wanted to save a little more money. I don't know...) Anyhow, please download and give a listen to Sy Mann At The Wurlitzer-Everybody's Christmas Favorites-Organ & Chimes (Palace STXM-901).

25 Days Of Christmas-Day 21

Here's another track I'm going to go out on a limb and say you've never heard. This is one of those educational LPs that were all the rage in the 70s, from the likes of Hap Palmer and others. This particular one is by Sandy Offenheim, and other than the title track, doesn't have much to do with Christmas. Well, I suppose this track isn't really Christmas, but at least it's about snow, which is close enough for our purposes. Please be my guest and download the latest track for my online CD collection, 25 Days Of Christmas, Sandy Offenheim-If Snowflakes Fell In Flavours, from the LP (Berandol BER 9001) of the same name.

Previous tracks:

Up With People-Jingle Bell Beat
The Ames Brothers-Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
Jimmy Boyd-Santa Got Stuck In The Chimney
Lou Monte-Italian Jingle Bells
Les Paul-Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
The Harmonicats-Winter Wonderland
Steve Allen and Ricky Vera-Can I Wait Up For Santa Claus?
Ricardo Montalban & Randy Newman-La Campanilla
Ralph Carmichael-The New Hallelujah
Lawrence Welk With The Lennon Sisters-Santa From Santa Fe
Billy May-March Of The Toys
The Davis Sisters-The Christmas Boogie
Anna Russell-Please Santa Claus
Kathy Dunn-Santaville
The Williams Brothers-The Holiday Season
The Ed Sullivan Orchestra-I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
The Banjo Barons-Jolly Old St. Nick & Jingle Bells
Johnny Brandon-Santa Claus, Jr.
Johnny Mathis-Have Reindeer, Will Travel
The Crew-Cuts-Twinkle Toes

Two Stories For Christmas

Here are a couple of Christmas stories to brighten your weekend before Christmas. The link between these two is the writer, Charles Tazewell. Other than that, I don't know much. I believe they both came out as sets of 45s at one time, but I found them all together as long individual tracks on a single LP. Side one is narrated by Loretta Young, scored by Charles Paul and the orchestra is by Victor Young with the Ken Darby Choir. Side two features Gregory Peck with music by Carmen Dragon (father of The Captain from Captain & Tennille!). Both stories are really nice, so if you have little kiddies, be sure to download and listen to these. Here are Loretta Young-The Littlest Angel and Gregory Peck-Lullaby Of Christmas (Decca DLP 8009, 1949). I also found a later cover for this one, which I threw in below for your enjoyment.

Does Baby Jesus Get The Blues?

I'm not sure why anyone would want to give the blues to the baby Jesus. I mean, doesn't he have enough weight on his shoulders? But here it is, some blues for baby Jesus. This LP was recorded for E&E Insurance, a firm I'm not sure exists anymore. And the artist, Gary Mann, well, I'm not sure if he exists anymore, either. But he left this great album for us to enjoy. Think of Al Hirt's Christmas record. Now tone it down a bit, because this one isn't that good, and you've got at least a pretty good idea of the sound here. Mostly traditional stuff here, but there are a couple of originals, including the title track. You know you want to go give a listen to Gary Mann-Blues For Baby Jesus (The Educator & Executive Insurance Companies EE-101, 1972). This LP was re-released (perhaps the very next year) as Christmas With Gary Mann (EE-102), so I've thrown that scan in below for you.

Friday, December 22, 2006

Yet Another Christmas Carol

It seems that just about everybody and their little sister has recorded a version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. So I was bound to share one out sooner or later. Here's a version featuring Lionel Barrymore that seems to have been put out in association with MGM and The Longines Symphonette Recording Society. However, I don't think the Longines people actually recorded anything new for this release. I've seen the Lionel Barrymore version of A Christmas Carol in half a dozen different places, and I suspect it originates from a radio broadcast. The flip side is exactly the same as the A side of the David Rose LP I just shared with you. So clearly no expense was spared in the making of this record. Even the cover is cheap---they left the flip side blank. But I'm giving it to you for free, so don't complain too loudly. (From the downloads I've seen here on my site, you folks don't like these story-type records anyway. Too bad...) Here's A Christmas Carol (Longines Symphonette Recording Society/MGM LW-116).

The Night Before The Night Before The Night Before Christmas

Did I get the right number of 'night before's in there? I'm not sure. It's late and I'm tired. I pretty much ran out of old items to reshare with you today, which helps explain the dearth of postings today. Normally, I've been sharing two old records and two new records each day. However, there seem to be a few more days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, so I ran out of music! Well, I ran out of rerun music. I've still got a few records in the can to share with you that I recorded this year. And here's a good one. Lots of lush strings from a great bandleader, David Rose. Best known for The Stripper, David had a long career that was completely overshadowed by that one song. Oh, and Holiday For Strings, which everybody knows, but few people know it was by David Rose. The music on this record is served up medley style. Each side is one long melange of tracks, so get ready for some extended listening. I guess this is the way David liked his Christmas music. Earlier this year, Lee over at Music You Won't posted a 78 from David Rose, and it, too, features a long medley of Christmas tunes on each side. But enough about the artist, let's get to the music. Here's A Merry Christmas To You From David Rose And His Orchestra (MGM E3469, 1956). Enjoy!

Oh, I almost forgot. There is a great Christmas tune from David Rose that I shared out back during Christmas In July. You should definitely go get it!

25 Days Of Christmas-Day 20

Here's another interesting track for my online compilation 25 Days Of Christmas. Get yourselves a little NOW! sound action with Up With People-Jingle Bell Beat from Merry Christmas To You All (Pace 1105, 1969). I was all set to share out this whole LP last year when I found out that it's on CD. So if you like this track, you can go out and buy the whole thing. I was reminded of this track when it popped up on this year's Christmas mix from the great Andy Cirzan. I think this was the only track on his whole mix that I was familiar with. Well, one other track I think I had downloaded somewhere earlier this year, but still, he's got a lot of obscure Christmas music. I'm trying to get caught up before Christmas Day on my releases here, so keep checking back.

Previous tracks:
The Ames Brothers-Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
Jimmy Boyd-Santa Got Stuck In The Chimney
Lou Monte-Italian Jingle Bells
Les Paul-Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
The Harmonicats-Winter Wonderland
Steve Allen and Ricky Vera-Can I Wait Up For Santa Claus?
Ricardo Montalban & Randy Newman-La Campanilla
Ralph Carmichael-The New Hallelujah
Lawrence Welk With The Lennon Sisters-Santa From Santa Fe
Billy May-March Of The Toys
The Davis Sisters-The Christmas Boogie
Anna Russell-Please Santa Claus
Kathy Dunn-Santaville
The Williams Brothers-The Holiday Season
The Ed Sullivan Orchestra-I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
The Banjo Barons-Jolly Old St. Nick & Jingle Bells
Johnny Brandon-Santa Claus, Jr.
Johnny Mathis-Have Reindeer, Will Travel
The Crew-Cuts-Twinkle Toes

Thursday, December 21, 2006

All Apologies

I know I owe everyone a couple of tracks for my 25 Days Of Christmas, but I'm going to have to put you off another day. All the stuff I've been putting off is going to have to take a little precedence over that. This weekend is the last chance I have to do all of the Christmas shopping I've been neglecting since November. I've also got to get my annual calendar project printed up, and so far it's taken about 24 hours, with maybe 10 more to go. I promise I'll get all the tracks up as soon as I can, and I promise it'll be worth the wait!

Jimmy For Christmas

Here's another great LP for you to download before Christmas. Everybody has heard Christmas songs by crooners like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jerry Vale, and a whole host of others, but few people have heard Jimmy Roselli. I guess he tried hard to be a popular singers back in the late 60's, but it just never worked out for him. But he did put out a pretty good Christmas album in the process. So for a special treat, download Jimmy Roselli-The Christmas Album (United Artists UAS 6538, 1966). The scan you see is from a mono copy, 'cause my stereo LP had a water-stained cover. But trust me, the music you're downloading is in stereo. Also, the back of the stereo was in black and white, but the mono was in color. I shared the doodle from the back of this one a while back, if you're interested.

Update: Here's another one that is on CD, but I missed it. So you can't download it from me. Sorry. Go get it here! It's pricey, but available.

Paul For Christmas


Here's some more great sound from France that I know you are going to love. I released this last year, but I found a better copy during the past twelve months. I rerecorded it, did a little bit of noise reduction on it, and encoded it at a slightly higher bitrate. There are still some weak spots here and there, but it's still a great listen. I think you're really going to love Paul Mauriat And His Orchestra-The Christmas Album (Philips PHS 600-255, 1967).

Home For Christmas

I doubt if I've posted a more traditional Christmas image all year than this one. Doesn't this family just scream out with that 1950's ideal of what Christmas should be? Well, the music is like that, too. I recorded this over the summer because my good buddy The Captain had a mono version and wanted to hear the stereo. So now I'm going to inflict it, I mean share it with you. Here is Henri Rene-Home For Christmas, A Joyous Evening Of Yuletide Songs (RCA Victor CSP-109, 1964). There is such a wide variety of styles on here, I think you'll be shocked.

Groovy Christmas


The big day is getting a lot closer, and I'm trying to build up some momentum around here. I've saved up some goodies that I think you're really going to love for these last few days! Here's an oldie but a goldie. This LP was a real sensation when I shared it out last year, and I'm hoping it will be again this year. Just look at that LP cover above and tell me you don't want to download this. I didn't think so. Go get Raymond LeFevre And His Orchestra-Merry Christmas (4 Corners Of The World FCS-4257).

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Once More On The Carillon

OK, I think this is the very last record of carillon Christmas for the year, and quite possibly ever. I'm getting tired of it to tell you the truth, but I've got to get it out there. No one else is going to. And this one comes from none other than the official carillonneur of the state of Georgia, Herbie Koch! Pretty impressive, eh? This one also hails from Stone Mountain, and that carillon from Coca-Cola, so it sounds very similar to the other records I brought you. So I'm just going to shut up now and share Herbie Koch-Christmas Bells Of Stone Mountain (Stone Mountain 777S-8037).

Maybe More John Klein

This may or may not be some more John Klein at the carillon. I got this record all recorded up, then realized it had the same track list as the record I brought you last night from Mr. Klein. But it's in a different order, and on a different record label. Times on the tracks are pretty close to the same, though. So you be the judge. Download it and compare, or don't waste your time, go get something more interesting below. Either way, here's an album called John Klein-The Bells Of Christmas (Americana AR-6).

I know of at least one more LP of carillon Christmas out there from John Klein, but I don't have it. Lucky for you, it's shared out over at BongoBells, so go get it! Scroll down a little on that page, you'll see it.

Not More John Klein

Some of you with nice record collections and a knowledge of Christmas music may be wondering why I didn't share out this John Klein Christmas LP, A Christmas Sound Spectacular (RCA Victor LSP 2023, 1959). Well, simple. It's on CD. You can go buy it here (only $8!). I did want to show you the cover, though, since it's awesome, and point out the little RCA tags below. This in the only instance I've found where the tag is different on the mono version versus the stereo version. I'm sure you can figure out which is which. Also, I acquired a copy of this LP sometime recently, and I thought it seemed a little stiff when I picked it up. I looked in the sleeve, and there was an insert in there. It's a big long piece giving a history of bells and carillons. The first page of that insert is shown way down at the bottom of this post. And if you want to read the whole thing, you can download it here. Now, stay tuned for more John Klein!