Check In Time
This is the time of the season when I ask anyone stopping by leave a comment telling me who they are, where they're from, and if you have a favorite download this year. Be a sport and play along. And go...
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Enjoying this years music. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI'm Ken From Maryland If I have to pick just one my, favorites so far have been the "Wally" downloads. Thanks again.
Thanks for stopping by. The Li'l Wally stuff is surprisingly popular for some reason...
DeleteHi there Ernie, I have been following for you for years. I'm from Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada
ReplyDeleteSadly, most of your zippyshare and the other older posts - I have never been able to download. I love your eccentricity :) You have really opened my mind to different types of genre. I'm really enjoying the Lil' Wally posts, lately :)
Thanks for stopping by from the Great White North. Yeah, all that old stuff is gone, but much of it has new links in the comments. It was a lot harder in the old days to find a file host that was reliable, and if stuff didn't get downloaded often enough, they'd delete it. :(
DeleteGreetings from the PNW (WA state).
ReplyDeleteYou have become the internet's GoTo Christmas music blog. I try to visit often and have enjoyed the downloads for years. I am not sure of my favorite but I was really excited to download the Mars Production share.
Thanks for the comment, hope to visit that coast someday. I love the productions stuff, but it's not as popular as I would have liked. But all that matters is that I liked it, right? :)
DeleteGreetings from Connecticut!
ReplyDeleteI'll be ramping up the listening over the next week, but so far Mr Russian (Please Don't Shoot Down Santa's Sleigh) from the Poems for Songs collection stands out as both delightfully cringeworthy, and unfortunately relevant.
Also a holly-jolly shoutout for Christmas at the White House, that has become one of my favorites.
Thanks for sharing!
-MRC
I loved the Burl, I hunted forever to find that educational version. It was one of my most popular shares in a long time. And of course the song-poem stuff is a category all it's own. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteHi, this is Buster from the WWW. I have enjoyed your blog since 2008, and have downloaded many hundreds of items. In fact this week I have amused myself by assembling 11 playlists with 18 items on each. One cut I really enjoyed was "Merry Texas Christmas, You All" from Eldon Britt. Hadn't heard that one before! But were have all the bell-ringers and children's choirs and bell-ringing children's choirs gone?
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your support, Buster. Wish I had more bell ringers and children's choirs this year, but it just wasn't in the cards. At one point earlier in the year, I was struggling to find things to record and share, believe it or not. :)
Deletehello! a long time follower here from Minneapolis, MN... love all of your shares Ernie, but i must confess, i'm having a hard time keeping up with everything over the last year (78s and all)!!! it's piling up! i try to chime in here and there, when i have something to add, and will continue to do so. thank you for all you do! Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteSay hi to the ghost of Prince for me! Thanks for stopping by, and believe me, I think I've overwhelmed myself this year, but it's fun. :)
Deletei'm cat waller from los angeles and i'm loving the radio ads, bumpers, and such.
ReplyDeletehttps://catwallerstunetown.blogspot.com/
Sorry to hear about you getting drunk and hitting your head. You gotta be careful, we're waiting for your annual collection this year anxiously!
Deletethanks, man. i just gotta get 'unblurry'.
DeleteLongtime visitor from Oregon. My favorite so far this year is the Ramsey Lewis Trio song. Thanks for sharing so much varied music!
ReplyDeleteI seem to be popular in the Northwest. You guys gotta send me some copies of that Christmas In The Northwest series! And I first found out about that Ramsey Lewis song over at The 'Fa, only to discover two copies in my own archives. I didn't know it was anything unique or special. Silly me.
DeleteHey - I'm downloading from South Korea.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite download so far this season has been The Mighty Tubadours record. Mostly I enjoyed the dissonance between what I was expecting from the album, and then what I ended up actually experiencing - what an album! The arrangements are incredible, and liner notes are quite entertaining. Has received a couple play throughs so far this year, and will definitely become a new staple in our house.
Thank you always, the time you put into this is very much appreciated. Sending lots of love. Jah bless!
South Korea! OK, you win the prize for being the farthest away! Thanks for stopping by. I really was surprised by how much I liked that Tubadour record. You think you know what something's going to be, and then it turns out to be much more!
DeleteMerry Christmas from Brooklyn!
ReplyDeleteGreeting, Brooklyn! I just ordered a big batch of Christmas 45 from a record store up there. Wish I could have gone in person, but my GF doesn't live on the UES anymore.
DeleteI am in Nova Scotia, Canada. I have been reading your blog for as long as I can remember, probably starting in the single aughts. Sadly, I do not have a favourite download from this year because I am unable to listen to what I download until after the holiday season concludes. That doesn't mean I am not listening to music you have previously shared, and some of my favourites are Christmas with Melis, Ring the Bells on Christmas Day by the Holiday Bells, the albums by various organs maestros (Lenny Dee, Eddie Dunstedter), and the Ramsey Lewis Trio albums. I have so many albums from your shares I have lost track. So while I may not be enjoying the fruits of your current labour yet, I am enjoying your past efforts while I bake cookies. Thank you for all you do and for being a shining exemplar of the Christmas spirit. Merry Christmas. :)
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem. Do I listen to the stuff I just recorded, the stuff I shared, the stuff I shared in earlier years, the stuff I just downloaded, the stuff I downloaded last year, the goodies my readers send me? I mean, there just aren't enough hours in the day. But it's a good problem to have. :)
DeleteHave been enjoying your blog since the early part of this century. Use your wonderful Christmas downloads to help me assemble my annual Christmas compilations I give to friends and family each year. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteWhere is my copy of this compilation? I love to hear what visitors use of my music. Send me a link, I'd love to download your collections old and new. I just downloaded a bunch from a visitor this morning going back to 2005! That's as long as I've been blogging this stuff!
DeleteI'm Ron from Cincinnati. Been enjoying your blog from near the beginning. Thank you for all your labors. Hard pressed to pick a favorite. Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.
ReplyDeleteHello Cincinnati! Why is your airport in Kentucky? Thanks for stopping in and leaving a comment. It means a lot to hear from the people that enjoy what I do around here.
DeleteKurt in NYC. I especially liked The Mighty Tubadours.
ReplyDeleteKurt, I'm gonna come stay at your place next time I'm in NYC. I could be spending all that hotel money at the record stores down in the village! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteFrom the southern Oregon coast, thanks for your ample Christmas cheer. I gotta go with all the Li'l Wally, bringing me back to my polka roots.
ReplyDeleteI think you're the third visitor from the Northwest, I didn't know I had so many visitors from out that way. I think I'm asleep by the time you guys get to downloading, given the time difference. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI'm Pete from England. Thanks for everything you do. I couldn't possibly pick a favourite download this year, but I do want to thank you for also posting images of the sleeves and the disk labels as well - there's some really interesting design going on there. Merry Christmas, and thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting us all the way from England! When I started this venture, I didn't want to just do things halfway. I didn't like the blogs where they didn't share scans, or cut the songs into tracks, or not tag things. So I tried to do things the way I wanted to find them when I downloaded 'em. I'm not perfect, but I think I do a good job. And the labels are cool looking, aren't they?
DeleteRandy from Roswell here, thanking you yet again for your tireless relentless efforts at spreading the benefits of your expertise. I have downloads from you dating back to July 2006, and a daunting backlog of shares that I have not yet listened to. Thanks again for your hard work.
ReplyDeleteYou need to get to listening then, Christmas will be here before you know it! Thanks for taking time to leave a comment. :)
DeleteAloha from Hawaii! I have been following your blog for years now and love the huge variety of musical finds. I could not possibly name a single favorite, as there are just too many to choose from. Mahalo nui for your dedication!
ReplyDeleteWatch out for that volcano out there! I may get hurricanes once in a while, but molten rock is much scarier. Thanks for leaving me a comment, and send me some authentic Hawaiian Christmas records!
DeleteHello! And Merry Xmas! 12 Volt Joe, here in beautiful, windy Lansdale, PA. I have been really jazzed by a lot of the stuff this year - but perhaps my favorite download is the Mistletoe collection. I especially like the track - I believe it is called - "Got to Get Some Mistletoe" - great stuff! Thanks so much for all you do - and making our days merry and bright!
ReplyDeleteThat was a fun collection of stuff. They just all kinda came to me at about the same time from the Internet Archive. I keep hoping they turn up a copy of The Paris Sisters-Man With The Mistletoe Mustache so I can revisit the set. Thanks for the note and Merry Christmas!
DeleteGreetings from cold snowy Illinois! My favorites so far this season are the Michael Damian, Eydie Gorme, Jerry Vale, Neil Hefti, Julius LaRosa, and Julie London records (which was already a favorite of mine before I found this blog earlier this year.
ReplyDeleteAnother fave of mine this season is the Four Lads "Mary's Little Boy Child." Looking forward to listening to the Art Lund 45 before the season is over.
DeleteSounds like you've been a busy listener. Hope you've also taken the time to get all your shopping done! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
DeleteSeasons Greetings and Happy Christmas!
ReplyDeleteLongtime follower Jim Retzer here. broadcasting from the chill midwinter depths of Phoenix, Arizona.
I love your oddball and budget offerings, and just as much your earnest gospel recordings - which introduce me to sincere performances I might not otherwise find.
Your efforts are much appreciated and eagerly looked forward to.
Thanks for the note. I think you're the first to chime in from AZ. Didn't I share out a couple of AZ Christmas records a few years ago? Pretty sure...
DeleteHi Ernie, Greetings from a very wet Pennsylvania! I've been following your site since 2007. The Christmas Around the World series a few years back was one if my favorites. Just when I think you can't bring any more cheer, you clean up and organize the Internet Archive's Christmas 78s. Truly amazing. Thank you as always for your many gifts!
ReplyDelete- Steve in PA
Thanks for checking in Steve. More Christmas around the world coming up soon, with a few new places and a few old places to visit. Enjoy!
DeleteTexas! I've greatly appreciated you blog for years now!
ReplyDeleteWelcome Texas! Good to hear from ya!
DeleteHi, Ernie! My name is Shawn and I'd like to wish you a Merry Christmas from a cold and snowy Utah! I've loved the weekly 78s this year but also, with the high volume of 45s you've been posting, I've found enough good (bad) songs to make a playlist I call Xmas Songs For Torturing Your Teenagers. I plan to play it for my 3 teen kids during the upcoming break, while we work on puzzles or play cards, or maybe when they're stuck in the car as we drive around looking at lights. I hope to time how long it takes for my daughter to say "OMG CRINGE!" It'll probably be somewhere around the second verse of "Don't Forget my Mommy."
ReplyDeleteAh, Utah, never been, but the pictures look cool. We don't have rocks in Florida, much less giant red stone arches and canyons of fire. (I think that's Utah, right?) And that sounds like an excellent use of my music, I fully approve! :)
DeleteWell, I'm Moahaha which is obviously not my real name. But I am a norwegian living in Norway. During October/November I downloaded - and listened to every 2022 78RPM-share of yours. I found plenty favorites among those, but I think the beautiful and my new go-to-version of "Staffan Stalledräng" sung by Eva Dahlbeck tops it. Haven't been able to keep with you this December, but I loved Bunny Siglar's groovy take on Jingle Bells. Btw: this evening I'm going to be a Christmas-DJ at a local restaurant/bar. I'll play vintage tunes exclusively, and plenty of those songs were originally discovered here.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from Norway, lots of great Christmas music from that way. There was some concern about whether Staffan Stalledrang was a Christmas song or not, but my research seemed to confirm that it was. Heaven knows how I found it, but I was happy to have it. Good luck at your DJ gig!
DeleteThank you - it was great fun. Staffan is St. Stephen, Herod's stable boy who was the first to see the Star of Bethlehem. It's a song about Staffan and the star until the last festive verse that goes something like this:
Delete"Now there is fire in every kitchen, every kitchen, every kitchen.
With Christmas porridge and Christmas pig, Christmas pig, Christmas pig.
The stars twinkled so clear.
boys let's have fun.
Only once a year do we get a joyful Christmas"
Hi, Ernie! I'm from Massachusetts. I favor the singles, especially obscure songs on major labels, as it gives you an idea of what they thought might catch on as they looked for the next "White Christmas" or "Rudolph!"
ReplyDeleteThanks for the note! At least with the majors, you know you're going to get decent production values. When you get down to the 3rd or 4th tier labels, you're lucky if the song wasn't recorded on a dictaphone and pressed onto an old Xray. :)
DeleteHi Ernie-
ReplyDeleteLong time visitor here. I'm checking in from Coral Springs, Florida. I've been downloading a LOT but listening very little so far this year. I've got 2 young daughters, so finding Christmas music time can be tricky these days.
I'm a big fan of rockers and guitar based music, so the Romeos is a standout for me. I liked a lot of the songs from the Characters of Christmas post as well. I also make a Christmas mix for a small handful of friends. I used your Buck Owens intro this year! If you have a gmail account I'll send a link.
I'll also get a Christmas card out to you.
I can't thank you enough for what you do. Searching for Christmas tunes is a real highlight of my year. You do the heavy lifting, and we get to enjoy it. One of my all time favorite posts of yours is the Tim Dinkins "Christmas on the Moon" album. Merry Christmas, and Thank you!
Thanks for the note, and yes, please, send me a link to your comp, I love to hear 'em! Gmail is ErnieNotBert.
DeleteSent
DeleteBrad from Camas, WA. Trying like heck to keep up with you. Don't be surprised if I send you an invoice for a new hard drive....
ReplyDeleteWelcome, King! Thanks for the note. Only a week or so left, you can get some value out of your high speed internet this month. Imagine trying to do this on a dial-up connection... I shudder to think.
DeleteHi Ernie- Peter from L.A. here. Longtime visitor and enjoyer of all of the hard work you do on your blog. I was a little late to the party this year and haven't had a chance to listen to much as I'm prepping to move, but your posting pace for 2022 is astounding! Thanks as always for being so generous in your findings. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteAlways a pleasure to hear from you! How's the new Ameoba look? Well, I assume it's open by now... Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteThe new location of Amoeba is doing well. It's been open since April 2021, and while it's smaller than the prior iconic location they did a fantastic job of trying to make it look as much like the other one as they could. There's still lots of digging to be had there, but things don't stick around very long especially in terms of vinyl...now that the kids are into it, there's twice as many eyeballs pouring through the sections. I've put out records that have been snatched up within a half hour.
DeleteMy tenure there is coming to an end next week, as I'm moving out to the desert. But it's been a fun ride overall!
I guess the resurrection of vinyl is both a good thing and bad. Good luck in the new place, and Merry Christmas!
DeleteThanks, Ernie! Merry Christmas to you & Meredith as well!
DeleteRodney out of Ft. Worth thanking you for all the great music you've shared over the years.
ReplyDeleteHello Texas! Thanks for the note, and Merry Christmas!
Delete