Here's a weird one for you. This has been in my pile to rip for a long time and I finally got around to it this season. Wish I'd done it sooner, it's a very interesting record. Would it be as interesting if he weren't trying to imitate Bing Crosby the whole time? I don't know, but it certainly adds something to the proceedings. It's almost all newly written songs, so there's barely a familiar song in sight, just that echo of Bing everywhere. Give it a listen and see. This is
John Fields-
October Thru December (Earth & Sky ES 1124, Stereo, 1979). The address on the back on this one is a suburb of Orlando, right here in Florida, so you aren't going to find this one anywhere else in the world. Enjoy! (Does this cover look familiar? You may have seen it on
this Roger Williams reissue.)
1. Santa-Land
2. Christmas Is Kinda Nice
3. It's Christmas Again
4. Blitzen
5. Christmas
6. October Thru December
7. An October Day
8. Fall Song
9. If Everyday Was Christmas
10. Christmas Medley: Winter Wonderland, White Christmas, Silent Night
11. Reprise
MEGA
Hi Ernie, Thanks for posting this. Another vocalist to listen to on my daily journeys. The real Bing is right up there with his Christmas releases. So, I hope this passes the test as a fake.
ReplyDeleteIt also reminds me to locate my Complete Crosby Christmas MP3 playlist.
I always wonder how these sound a-likes ever make it in show business? Well here in Berlin, we have this Stars in Concert show running for years? If you cannot see them live, see their fakes. Even the dead come back to life. I for one am not that desperate.
PS: Wow wee... You have spent a load of time putting things together for everyone at Christmas. With so many shares. Bless you.
PPS: Did you put out a Best Of from the 2022 season? Maybe, I missed it. Or a 2nd Best Of?
Thank you again for all this hard work, and it is only the 6th of December!
I don't see any evidence that he was trying to be Bing or copy him, I think he was just heavily influenced by his style.
DeleteAnd no, I'm a couple years behind on the Christmas in July Best-of collections. I've got all the tracks in a folder, just need to pull them into a set someday.
Wonder if he was a local Bing Crosby "tribute" singer? (since Bing has passed two years earlier, at the time this album came out)
ReplyDeleteThere's no mention of any such thing on the record, I think he was just heavily influenced by Bing's style. There are worse influences I suppose. :)
DeleteOK, you have a Bing clone and a King clone, what about a Wayne Newton clone? Or Engelbert Humperdinck?
ReplyDeleteI'm digging, I'm digging...
DeleteWorse than the Bing impersonation is the aggressive double tracked vocals on some of the tracks.
ReplyDelete'Twas a good idea at the time, or so they thought.
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