Detective Ernie

First, Happy Boxing Day to you!  Second, I meant to get this out during the season, but I forgot about it, and probably wouldn't have had time to do it anyway, so here it is today, the second day of Christmas.  Perhaps I'll be inspired to go all the way to day 12, perhaps not.  I guess we'll have to wait and see.  Anyhow, I have a little bit of a treat and something extra for you today.  The album you see above is the original issue of Larry Welk's second Christmas album from 1957.  Put away any prejudice you may have against Lawrence Welk and his champagne music you may have from watching his TV show with your grandparents back in the 70's, this ain't that.  This is the sound of Christmas in the fifties!  Fun stuff!  When this album first came out, it had the tracklisting you see below and detailed out on the back cover.  But at some point it changed, and they never changed the back cover!  The only way to tell the difference other than listening to the vinyl was to look at the label.  And while I still don't know why they made the change, I think I know when!  This album was re-released in fake stereo not too long after it's initial release. and I think that's when they made the change.  The original cover featured the catalog number in the upper left corner, but the reissued cover features it in the lower left.  It was moved to allow the Stereo banner to go across the top on the stereo copies without having the mono catalog number displayed.  I've put a detail of the second mono cover down at the bottom, and you can make out where they had to airbrush out the original number since I guess they couldn't find the original photo.  So that's the when, but why?  I have no idea.  Pretty much every copy I've ever seen in the second version, even a budget retitled reissue on Pickwick.  Seems like history just forgot about it, but not me!  For your listening pleasure tonight, I present the original record, with the original, instrumental track 4 medley, and as a bonus, I'm throwing in the later track 4 vocal medley, sourced from a nice mono copy without all the echo that got added later.  Aren't you excited?  I wish I could remember where I first heard about this replaced track, but it's escaped me.  Credit where credit is due, I believe.  So if you're still with me after all that, this is Lawrence Welk And His Champagne Music-Jingle Bells (Coral CRL 57186, Mono, 1957), with bonus track!  Dig it!

1. Jingle Bells
2. Let's Have An Old-Fashioned Christmas
3. The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)
4. Christmas Carols: Deck The Halls; Good King Wenceslas; The First Noel; God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen; Come All Ye Faithful; Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; It Came Upon The Midnight Clear; Joy To The World; Oh, Little Town Of Bethlehem; Silent Night
5. Santa Claus Is Here Again
6. Sleigh Ride
7. The Christmas Waltz
8. Santa From Santa Fe
9. Silver Bells
10. Ring Those Christmas Bells
11. Merry Christmas From Our House To Your House

And the replacement medley:

4. Christmas Carols (Come All Ye Faithful-Deck The Halls-Good King Wenceslas-God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen-The First Noel-Hark! The Herald Angels Sing-It Came Upon A Midnight Clear-Joy To The World-Little Town Of Bethlehem-Silent Night)

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