Isn't there a Christmas movie about
Boys Town? Maybe it's not a Christmas movie, but there is certainly a movie, and that was the first thing that I thought of when I spied this album. I also thought about an album that
Buster has
shared out before at his blog, but luckily this was a different LP altogether. I'm not super familiar with the concept of Boys Town, other than it seems to be a home for underprivileged boys that provides them with some sort of support system to help them grow into strong men. And that's a good thing. So to support that mission, they released this album back in the day. I think it's the sort of thing we can all support and enjoy. This is
The Boys Town Choir-Msgr. Francis Schmitt, Director-Mr. Frank Szynskie, Assistant-Mr. Malcolm Breda, Organist-
Christmas At Boys Town (Mastertone Recording Co. M-102, Mono).
1. Chimes-Magnum Nomen Domini
2. Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella
3. Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming
4. Pastores A Belen
5. With Heart And Spirit Reconciled
6. Inimicitias Ponam
7. Ave Maria
8. Chimes (Adeste Fideles)
9. Chimes-Winter
10. As I Out Rode This Enders Night
11. Widele-Wedele
12. What Cheer
13. Now Start We With A Goodly Song
14. De New-Born Baby
15. The Christ Child
16. Der Englishche Gruss
17. Chimes (Silent Night)
MEGA
Loved the film with Spencer Tracy, and looking forward to listening to this share. The obscure choral music often brings something special to the Holiday Table, IMO. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the mention, Ernie - I barely remembered posting that LP, even though it was just a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteThere was even a Men of Boys Town sequel.
ReplyDeletein answer to the call for weekly feedback, i began thinking about that 3M record. as with many amateur and student recordings, the music didn’t much impress me. instead, i was ruminating on, first, what motivates america to make its student population sing; and second, when those students grow up and become corporate employees, why are they further made to keep singing and even record? in this case, isn’t mining and manufacturing enough?
ReplyDeleteand then you started ruminating on the various media of which this ‘boys town’ selection reminded you, and that got me re-ruminating on the same and i came up with this:
http://gbugrb.blogspot.com/2011/03/addicts-sing.html
for you stay-at-homepage types, it’s a 1966 recording of heroin addicts who found their way to god, with pastor rosado and ‘word records’ acting as the “support system to help them grow into strong men” . [this is the same ‘word records’ upon which we find yesterday’s “mason swiss bell ringers”. go figure.] like their fellow american students and employees, the addicts too were made to sing for their supper. i’m not quite sure why that is.
before riaa began making its musical pogroms against the blogs, this record made the rounds. i don’t know who had it first. the above link has a sample if the music interests you. there’s more on youtube. for me, what’s interesting (or at least curious) is the fact that over and over again we take people who are common as dirt and parade them before the public as if they were something special. kids in my family were always taught three rules: children should be seen and not heard; silence is golden; and if you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all. you‘ll never hear any of them sing. me neither.
as the addict population grew, so did the singing group, which eventually became a mixed choir and recorded this sequel:
http://ecstaticwax.blogspot.com/2013/08/songs-of-drugs-and-devotion-2-addicts.html
according to the blog, the addicts met a gruesome end on the way to performing with the mormon tabernacle choir. you can believe it or not (and i’m not sure i do).
I don't think anyone is forcing the convicts to sing...
ReplyDeletei wonder what happens when they decide to stop singing.
ReplyDelete