Christmas In July-The Ninth Day

Good Evening!  Welcome to day nine, which is actually happening on day ten.  Odd, that.  Let's jump right in, shall we?  Track one is a new one from Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra And Chorus.  Surprisingly, this doesn't come from that ABC-Paramount record I've been slowly distributing, but from an RCA budget release called Big And Sweet With A Beat (RCA Camden CAL-443, Mono, 1958).  I'm not sure but I think this LP collects up random sides recorded previously by Mr. Winterhalter.  The track is entitled Blue December, and I think it's a keeper.  Track two is Christmas Night In Harlem by Paul Whiteman & Orchestra With Johnny Mercer And Jack Teagarden from the LP Fiftieth Anniversary (Grand Award 2xLP 33-901, Mono, 1956).  This is a nice collection of remakes in nice sound of tracks from Mr. Whiteman's past.  I was a little shocked to discover a Christmas song hidden in there since I already had a copy of this LP, and had had it for years.  I guess you have to pay attention.  Track three is I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm from Country Club Saturday Night (RCA Camden CAL-332, Mono, 1956) by Jerry Jerome And His Country Club Orchestra.  No idea who these guys are, really.  Track four is Hanover Winter Song by Fred Waring And His Pennsylvanians.  Anything by Fred Waring is more than welcome here at the blog.  This comes from his LP Alma Mater Memories (Capitol ST1949, Stereo, 1963).  Track five is another one by The Bellwethers, this time it's Ukranian Carol Of The Bells.  I don't know what makes this Ukranian, it sounds like the same old Carol Of The Bells to me, but perhaps it's originally Ukranian.  Anyhow, this is from The Bells Of Crystal Cathedral (The I.T. Verdin Company/UA Recording UAS-989-9297, Stereo).  Doesn't look like today is the day I'm gonna get caught up around here.  I'm putting records into boxes, and you can only imagine how long that takes...  Anyhow, here's the download link, go get it!

Christmas In July-The Eighth Day

Here we are, celebrating the Eighth day of Christmas in July on July the Ninth.  I know it doesn't make any sense, but I was busy yesterday and didn't get to throw up a share.  I'll try to make that up this weekend and get back on track.  To make up for my tardiness, I'm giving you what I think is my best track of the season, Go Tell It On The Mountain by Brook Benton.  This is a really great song, and it's buried away in the middle of If You Believe (Mercury MG 20619, Mono, 1962), an album of sacred music.  Oh, this is good stuff.  I wish all my finds could be this nice.  Next is a version of the Bing Crosby classic Christmas In Killarney, here performed by The Bill Shepherd Singers from the LP Irish Sing-Along (Decca DL 4053, Mono, 1963).  This one is pretty good, too, but not as good as Bing.  Third is classic piano bar crooner Matt Dennis from a budget label release Saturday Date With Matt Dennis (Tops LP1596, Mono, 1957).  The track is titled Hitch Up The Sleigh, and it's not the only song from this album that you'll hear this month.  Fourth is another track by Hugo Winterhalter from his LP A Season For My Beloved (ABC-Paramount ABCS-447, Stereo, 1963), A Marshmallow World.  That brings us to the final track, Waltz Of The Flowers, a slightly different version by David Rose And His Orchestra, Tenor Sax Solo By Bob Cooper, from the LP Concert With A Beat (MGM SE3852, Stereo, 1960).  The credit for saxophone should tell you that this isn't your normal run of the mill Tchaikovsky.  That's it, five more tracks for your Christmas in July enjoyment.  Here's the download link, see you tomorrow.

Christmas In July-The Seventh Day

Bit of a quicky here tonight, if ten tracks can be considered a quicky.  All ten of these tracks come from the same 10" LP entitled The Story Of The Music Box (Book Records 10" Collector's Series #1011, Mono, 1952).  Oh, the LP comes in the back of a thin, spiral bound book that tells all about the music box.  Neat little package.  The sound is a little rough, too, but there's some nice Christmas carols on here, if music boxes are your thing.  We hear from a few different types of 19th century music boxes here, including the Household Regina, the American Olympia, the Concert Regina and the Console Regina.  Interesting names, those.  The carols in question are Silent Night, O Sanctissima, Song Of The Virgin Mary, Ave Maria-Gounod, Hark The Herald Angels, First Noel, Skaters' Waltz, Adeste Fideles and two version of Jingle Bells.  You'll either like this one or you won't, so if it sounds like your kind of thing, please be my guest.  Here's the download link.  See you back here tomorrow!  Oh, and if you like the idea of a 10" record, head on over to my buddy Buster's place, a little blog called Big 10-Inch Record.  He specializes in them.

Christmas In July-The Sixth Day

Day six already?  This month is flying by.  Another hodge-podge of stuff for you tonight.  Let's begin with the first of three tracks from old pal Hal Mooney And His Orchestra.  Couple years ago I brought you some really great stuff from another of his Mercury LPs, and this year I found another one.  Woodwinds And Percussion (Mercury PPS 6013, Stereo, 1961) is the name of it, and tonight's track from it is Baby, It's Cold Outside.  I think you'll dig this almost as much as the ones from 2008.  Next up is something else from The Bellwethers who you first heard back on the third day of my Christmas bonanza.  This is also from their LP The Bells Of Crystal Cathedral (The I.T. Verdin Company/UA Recording UAS-989-9297, Stereo).  This time it's Good King Wenceslas.  Third on the list today is Ice And Snow by The Swiss Band Organ from the LP Folk Songs Of The Alps (Tradition (Everest) TR 2081, Stereo, 1968).  You heard another track from this LP back on the third also, but by a different group.  Fourth up is a medley of tracks from Greenwillow, the Frank Loesser musical that includes the track Greenwillow Christmas.  I first heard this song in a version by The Browns featuring Jim Ed Brown, and I've always liked it.  I'm sure you'll like this version as performed by Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra.  This is from their LP Music Of Frank Loesser (RCA Victor LSC-2486, Stereo, 1961).  Last up is our first second version of Snowfall for the year, in a short (and narrated!) version by The Steel Pier Big Band, Directed by Frankie Lester.  This is from the LP The World Famous Steel Pier Big Band (Steel Pier Records SP-1, Stereo, 1973).  This appears to have been released just a couple of years before the Steel Pier in Atlantic City went under for what many believed was the last time.  But it's evidently recently seen a rebirth and is now a tourist trap once again.  Good to know that there's something to do in Atlantic City besides gamble.  That concludes tonight's list.  I hope there's something in there that interests you.  If not, try back tomorrow and I'll hopefully find something that's more to your liking.  Here's the download link, have a good one!

Christmas In July-The Fifth Day

Good day to all!  It's rained here all day long and quite frankly, I'm getting tired of it.  I live in Florida, not some country where they have monsoon season.  But that's neither here nor there, you came 'round for some Christmas music, and I've got some dilly pickles for you tonight.  I don't even know where to start.  How about with a record that I just bought a couple of hours ago, and which is rapidly becoming my favorite find of the season?  It's The Jackie Davis Trio performing The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) from the LP Organistics (Kapp KL-1030, Mono, 1956).  I don't know why I like it so much, but it's got that swingin' organ sound that would explode less than ten years later.  I think you'll enjoy it.  Track two is a bit of a shocker.  How about Frank Sinatra conducting an orchestra performing a 'tone poem' called White, The Young At Heart?  This is from the instrumental LP Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems Of Color (Capitol W375, Mono, 1956).  Something about the sleigh bells in this one makes it sound all Christmassy to me, and I hope you think so as well.  Up next is another organ track that swings quite a bit less than that leadoff track, it's Ray Colignon performing The Skaters (which you may recognize as The Skater's Waltz) from Skating Waltzes-Ray Colignon At The Hammond Organ (Harmony/Columbia HL 7275, Mono, 1960).  It's certainly not the worst version that I've ever shared...  Fourth is That Man Over There from Meredith Wilson's adaptation of Miracle On 34th Street called Here's Love, performed here by Edmundo Ros And His Orchestra from New Sounds Of Broadway (London PS 352, Stereo, 1964).  Anything Christmas related from Mr. Ros is more than welcome here at the blog.  Lastly I've got the first of several tracks from Hugo Winterhalter and his album A Season For My Beloved (ABC-Paramount ABCS-447, Stereo, 1963).  I had no idea this even existed last year, then I found a mono copy.  Some months later I found a second mono copy.  And just last month in Ohio I stumbled across a stereo copy, and that's what you're getting tonight.  As you might have guessed from the title, there are a number of seasonal tracks on this one, and the first one I'm sharing with you in the Claude Thornhill classic Snowfall.  Mr. Winterhalter has been a favorite around the blog.  I've shared his only full-length Christmas release with you before, as well as a single or two and a random track.  All good stuff!  I think that's it for the night.  I'm sure you'll agree that it's a pretty good selection of stuff today, I hope you enjoy it.  Here's the download link, and I'll see you all after work tomorrow.

Happy 4th!

Here are a few shots of the fireworks last night down on Bradenton Beach. I think I was quite lucky to get these shots, because about ten minutes after the show ended, the clouds let go and I got drenched. So that's why you aren't getting any fireworks pictures from tonight. Sorry.

Christmas In July-The Fourth Day

Happy July the 4th to everyone out there in blog land!  I went out last night to try and shoot some fireworks, and I got drenched.  So I'm not even gonna try tonight, I'm gonna sit right here by the computer and share some tunes.  Actually, I'm going to go ahead and share some tunes now, get it out of the way, then I'm probably going to watch some TV.  Tonight you get a side-long version of The Nutcracker Suite from Stanley Black and The London Festival Orchestra.  I ripped this from side 1 of Tchaikovsky-Nutcrackers Suite OP.71/Serenade For Strings In C Major, OP. 48 (Phase 4 SPC 21022, Stereo, 1968).  It's a pretty good version, running a little over 20 minutes.  I didn't want to leave you with just the one version though, so I found an LP copy of the Fred Waring And The Pennsylvanians version, which I'd previously shared out from a scratchy old 45 here.  The LP is called A Very Special Hour With Fred Waring And The Pennsylvanians (MCS Special Markets 2xLP DXS-511, Simulated Stereo).  Maybe you'll like this rip more than the other one, maybe you won't.  Oh, this LP was marked as being available only at Fred Waring concerts, if you're curious.  So that's it, two versions of The Nutcracker Suite, one fairly straight, one a bit twisted.  Interesting way to celebrate the 234th anniversary of the independence of my nation, but such is my way.  Here's the download link, have a great holiday.  We'll see you back here tomorrow.

Note To Self

Do not start installing that fancy programmable thermostat you bought at Lowe's today after midnight.  You'll forget to turn off the main power when you disconnect the old thermostat, short out the blue wire, and you'll fiddle with the new one (which won't work) until two in the morning as your condo gets steadily hotter.  Then when you give up and put the old one back in, it won't work either.  You'll have to tear apart the air handler after moving a five foot high stack of records.  Inside there you'll find what appears to be a car fuse that looks blown.  Your car doesn't use those types of fuses, but it uses something close, and it has some spares, but not in the right amperage, but close.  Plugging in the incorrect type of the wrong size fuse seems to work, thank goodness, because it's late, and you'll want to go to sleep, but only with cold air blowing on you.  Oh, and the air handler can be working just fine, but it won't blow cool air if you don't put the front cover back on it.  Confound it, I still have to install the new thermostat...