Mother Mary

Getting late, Christmas Eve is tomorrow, I need to go do some shopping. Who knows what stores will be open tomorrow. Who knows what stores are still open tonight, but I'm gonna find out. Real quick, this is a collection of songs dedicated to the mother of Jesus, one of the other stars of the Christmas story. I found out that there was a second volume from this guy of similar songs, but I don't have it. Maybe by this time next year I'll be able to share part two with you. In the meantime, this is Bill Peffley-Mary Songs (A Balance House Publication CS101, Stereo, 1972)

1. Jesus Living In Mary
2. Walk With Mary
3. Mary, Give Us Your Eyes
4. Child Of Joseph
5. I Sing Mary
6. A Man Called Joseph
7. Let The People Come
8. Mary's Child
9. Mary Of Nazareth
10. Go Tell The World About Mary

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Gold (No Frankincense, No Myrrh)

I can't believe I've waited this long to share this one with you. I think many blog visitors are going to really dig this one. It's all strings and they really nail the warm sound of the Beautiful Music that really says Christmas to some people. This group apparently headlined The Flame Room, a restaurant at the historic Radisson Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. Please don't confuse The Radisson Hotel with the Radisson Inn hotel chain (though they do seem to be related), this was one of those grand old hotels like you might see in a movie from the 40's. The Golden Strings were formed in 1963 expressly for performances in The Flame Room, and performed there nightly until the hotel closed in 1981. The building itself was destroyed by implosion in 1982. So that puts a date on this record between '63 and '81, but I'm guessing it's close to the end of that range. You'll really enjoy this one I'm sure. Please give a download to The Golden Strings-Holiday Request Album (Sound 80 S80-173-8128S, Stereo). There was a business card from Gold Bond Stamp Company attached to the cover of this record, I've included a copy of that in the download. That might help provide some clues as to the date of this record, but I couldn't get anywhere with it.

1. We Wish You A Merry Christmas; Deck The Halls; We Three Kings Of Orient Are; Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; Silent Night; Joy To The World
2. White Christmas
3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas; I'll Be Home For Christmas; Sleigh Ride
4. Hallelejuah (From "The Messiah")
5. O Holy Night; O Little Town Of Bethlehem; First Noel; God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen; Adeste Fidelis
6. Christmas Song; Silver Bells; Jingle Bells
7. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear; O Hearken Ye; What Child Is This; Angels We Have Heard On High (Westminster Carol)
8. Selections From "The Nutcracker Suite"

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Santa And His Sack

Santa will soon be headed all around the world, and I'm sure he'll go much faster than I've been going around here. I've tried to take you to as many different places as I can, but it's taken all month and we've only toured around Europe, South America and some Caribbean Islands. And this share takes us back to Europe for a country we've skipped up to now, Denmark. At least this time the music is authentic as it's produced there for the local market. It's good stuff, some of which you'll recognize but a lot of which is liable to be new to you. If you're a fan of Christmas music that's different from what you're used to, then this might be just the thing for you. This is Jul Med Dansktop-Kunstnere (Philips (Denmark) 6403 506, Stereo, 1971). Enjoy!

1. Birthe Kjær With Helmer Olesens Orkester-Glade Jul
2. Johnny Reimar With Helmer Olesens Orkester-Dejlig Er Den Himmel Blå
3. Bo Bendixen With Helmer Olesens Orkester-Sikken Voldsom Trængsel Og Alarm
4. Two Danes With Helmer Olesens Orkester-En Rose Så Jeg Skyde
5. Grethe Og Peter With Helmer Olesens Orkester-På Loftet Sidder Nissen Med Sin Julegrød
6. Ulla Bach With Helmer Olesens Orkester-Det Kimer Nu Til Julefest
7. Johnny Reimar With Helmer Olesens Orkester-Nu Er Det Jul Igen
8. Birthe Kjær With Helmer Olesens Orkester-Barn Jesus I En Krybbe Lå
9. Grethe Og Peter With Helmer Olesens Orkester-Et Barn Er Født I Betlehem
10. Ulla Bach With Helmer Olesens Orkester-Julen Har Bragt Velsignet Bud
11. Bo Bendixen With Helmer Olesens Orkester-Højt Fra Træets Grønne Top
12. Two Danes With Helmer Olesens Orkester-Dejlig Er Jorden

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T.C. Stubblefield Returns

Some years ago I shared a weird record out right after Christmas, one that I didn't know much about and was intrigued about. Now I know a little bit more, and I have another record by the same fellow. This album features many of the same tracks as the other, the dig difference being a large medley on the other one that was taken from the movie that record was meant to promote. So that means the record I have for you here today has more tracks. I still can't tell you which came first, and I can't tell you much about the artist. But I've grown to like the artist a bit, and I enjoy it when his songs come on the player. I believe this record has been issued twice, and I do have the other cover somewhere, but I've lost track of it at the moment and can't offer you scans of both. But I can offer you this one, so here is Troy Cory-Troy Cory's Songs Of Christmas (AKA Christmas Is:) (Cinema Prize C25 74 B, Stereo)

1. Christmas Around The World
2. Jingle Bells
3. I'll Have A Blue Christmas
4. Silver Bells
5. White Christmas
6. I'll Be Home For Christmas
7. An Old Christmas Card
8. C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S
9. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
10. Silent Night
11. O Come All Ye Faithful
12. Merry Christmas

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Take A Picture

Some nice Christmas tunes on the piano here, courtesy of Haskell Cooley. Don't know anything about him, or JoLee Cooley who I assume is his wife. She wrote a couple of originals here and they aren't too bad. Give 'em a try, you might like 'em. What else are you gonna do, go Christmas shopping?  Too late for that. This is Haskell Cooley-Pictures Of Christmas (Herdline HR-104, Stereo, 1978). How does he get all these sounds out of that little tiny piano on the cover? That's smaller than the one Schroeder plays!

1. Pictures Of Christmas
2. What A Wonderful Day Christmas Is!
3. Winter Wonderland
4. Do You Hear What I Hear?
5. Silent Night
6. Christmas Coming Down
7. Keep Christ In Christmas
8. Jingle Bells
9. Away In A Manger
10. Joy To The World

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Kings Of Diamonds

Christmas is so close I can almost see it from here. Not many days left but I've got a few shares I want to squeeze in between now and then. I only recently ripped this one when it turned up unexpectedly in the archives. I think I really just wanted to share that great cover with you but I didn't want to do that without sharing some music with you at the same time. Best part of the music here are a few selections from long-time blog favorite Jose Melis, early music director of The Tonight Show. Pretty sure everything here also shows up on his album, but they've translated all the titles into Spanish so it's a little difficult to tell what's what without giving it a listen. And that's exactly what I'm asking you to now. Please download and listen to Festival De Navidad (Tropical (Seeco) TRLP-5057, Mono).

1. Las Gladiolas Con Dommy Acevedo Y Su Conj.-Trulla Navidaña
2. Jose Melis Y Su Conj.-Noche De Paz
3. Ramito Jr.-Yomo Toro Y Sus Guitarres-Ruego
4. Jose Melis Y Su Conj.-Durante Una Media Noche Clara
5. Los Rubies-Cantan: Glorya Y Dommy-Los Parranderos
6. Jose Melis Y Su Conj.-Oye! Los Andelitos Cantan
7. Las Gladiolas Con Dommy Acevedo Y Su Conj.-Que Linda Es
8. Jose Melis Y Su Conj.-Adeste Fidelis
9. Los Rubies-Cantan: Dommy Y Gloria-Hossanna
10. Jose Melis Y Su Conj.-Melodias Navideñas: Pueblecito De Belen; Noel; Noche De Paz
11. Ramito Jr.-Yomo Toro Y Sus Guitarres-A Mi Puerto Rico
12. Jose Melis Y Su Conj.-Vayan Con Dios Caballeros

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The Violins

This one is a Cuban orchestra recording in South Florida. Not sure of the date, and kinda hard to tell but maybe one of you sleuths can put a good date on this one for me. The music is nice, I'm sure you'll enjoy it if you give it a chance. This is Los Violines de Pego-Alegre Navidad Con Los Violines de Pego (Teca LIS-651, Stereo).

1. Feliz Navidad
2. Felicidades
3. Blancas Navidades (White Christmas)
4. Hermoso Bouquet (Cantares de Navidad)
5. Navidad Navidad (Jingle Bells)
6. Cha Cha Cha De La Navidad
7. Arbolito
8. De La Montaña Venimos
9. El Guanajo Relleno
10. Somos Boricuas
11. Llego La Navidad
12. Noche De Paz; Hogar Dulce Hogar; Silent Night; Home Sweet Home

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Cana-Day, Part 11

This is the end of the line for our celebration of all things Canadian Christmas today. It's a vocal record for which I have no info to share other than what you see on the cover. Well, I do see at Discogs that he has two three four five a bunch of earlier Christmas records that I need to track down. It's always something. This is Fernand Gignac-Avec Mes Meilleurs Voeux (La Roseraie/Disques Imperial (Canada) R-1003, Stereo, 1981). Hope you've enjoyed this series of records from the Great White North. Just remember what the Ontario Lottery told us once: Santa Claus Is Canadian! Enjoy!

1. Noël Blanc
2. Prière À La Vierge
3. Il Peut Neiger
4. Symphonie De Noël
5. Minuit Chrétien
6. Joyeux Noël
7. Valse De Noël
8. Royaume Du Bonhomme Hiver
9. Souvenirs D'un Vieillard
10. Merci Noël
11. Lettre Au Père Noël

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Cana-Day, Part 10

The final record in the organ portion of our Canadian content day, as well as the final record I have from Lucien Hetu is up now. We're moving on into the 70's here, as you can tell by the fashion on display on the cover. The music is still everything you could want it to be. This is Lucien Hétu-Un Noël d'Amour (RCA Gala (Canada) CGPS-391, Stereo, 1972). I do have one more of his records, but it's a two-fer that combines two of the records I've already shared. I didn't figure it was worth the effort on that one, so I just skipped it.

1. Jingle Bell Rock
2. Noel De L'Ouest (Out Of The East)
3. Parade Des Soldats De Bois (Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers)
4. The Christmas Song
5. Jolly Old St. Nicholas
6. Le Sentier De Neige
7. Les Douze Coups de Noël (The Twelve Days Of Christmas)
8. My Favorite Things
9. Les Voix De Noel (Do You Hear What I Hear)
10. Un Noel D'Amour

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Cana-Day, Part 9

Some of the best Can-Con of the day here in this share, If you haven't been paying attention today, it's time to tune in and listen up. This music will get you out of the floor and dancing the night away, at least until Santa comes. There are two covers of American hits here, can you spot them without listening? I paid real money for this record at a record store a couple years ago, and I feel I got my money's worth. This is Levis Bouliane Et Ses Blue Stars-Reveillon Chez Levis Bouliane Et Ses Blue Stars (Meteor (Canada) MET-8017, Mono, 1962).

1. Dansez Autour Du Sapin Vert
2. Le Twist Des Fêtes
3. Le Reel De Noël Au Tennessee
4. Noël Dans Mon Église
5. Valse Du Réveillon
6. Père Noël, Veux-Tu Danser?
7. Un Noël Loin De Toi
8. Reel Jingle Bells
9. Un Orphelin À Noël
10. Je Ne Crois Plus Au Père Noël

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Cana-Day, Part 8

Back to the Canadian organ here for part six of our tribute to the Christmas records of Canada. No Lucien Hetu this time (but he's coming back sooner or later), instead we get a double shot of Fernand Lapierre. Well, not really twice the music, but two different versions of the same record. You see, he's cleverly dubbed a little bit of cocktail lounge sound over the entire length of the record to try and make it sounds like the soundtrack to an elegant night out on the town. The problem to my ears is that whoever did the work used a short loop of sound effect that is clearly repeating over and over and over again to the point of annoyance. I guess it was too hard to create a longer loop that you wouldn't notice. So I made a version where each whole side is one long track (as if you were listening to the side all the way through on your own personal record player) and a version where it's cut into tracks with only a small bit of the loop the fades out at the end of the track. I think it's a little less annoying that way, but your mileage may vary. This is Fernand Lapierre á l'orgue Hammond-Noël Avec Fernand Lapierre (Trans-Canada Maximum (Canada) TCM 968, Stereo).

1. Le Party De La Veille
2. C'Est Noël Rock
3. Joyeux Noël
4. Merci Noël
5. La Neige
6. Dansons Autour Du Sapin Vert
7. Noël Des Pauvres
8. J'Ai Vu Maman Embrasser Le Père Noël
9. Noël Blanc
10. Pot-Pourri De Valses

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Cana-Day, Part 7

Are you tired of the Can-Con yet? I hope not because I've got plenty more of it coming down the pipe. This next one may not count as Can-Con actually because it's French in origin, but was evidently repackaged for the Quebec market. Enjoy the smooth dulcet tones of Gerard Lenorman-Noëls Du Monde (CBS (Canada) FLS 90427, Stereo, 1976)

1. Noël Perdu
2. Minuit Chrétiens
3. Berceuse A L'enfant Blond
4. Douce Nuit, Sainte Nuit
5. Il Est Né Le Divin Enfant
6. Petit Papa Noël
7. C'est Le Noël Du Monde
8. Les Anges Dans Nos Campagnes
9. La Prière (Le Vous Salue Marie)
10. Mon Beau Sapin
11. Demain C'est Votre Fête A Vous
12. On Oublie Quelquefois De S'aimer (Greensleeves)

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Cana-Day, Part 6

I'm back with more Canadian content, back with more Canadian organ music and back with more from Lucien Hetu. (How many different series am I trying to run today?) If you like what you've gotten from him before, then you're going to love this because it's more of the same. I don't think that's a bad thing, do you? This is Lucien Hétu-Joyeux Noël (RCA Victor Serie Gala (Canada) CGPS-240, Stereo, 1966)

1. Joyeux Noël
2. Le Bonhomme De Neige
3. Noël C'Est L'Amour
4. Cloches De Noël
5. La Parenté
6. Sainte Nuit!
7. J'Ai Vu Maman Et Le Père Noël (I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus)
8. Noëls D'Autrefois
9. Les Noëls Avec Toi
10. Vive Le Vent (Jingle Bells)

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Book Of Lists 5

Getting close to Christmas now, but I've still got lists for you. You no doubt remember Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass. They hit it big in the sixties and released a record with one of the most iconic images of all time, a seemingly naked woman covered in a pile of whipped cream, an image that's been parodied over and over. Those parodies would be a great list in and of itself, but wouldn't have much to do with Christmas. What does have a Christmas connection is all the bands that copied the Tijuana style of happy trumpet sounds put out by Herb and his gang, a group of artists I call the Tijuanabees. So this list is a bunch of the records that came out in the wake of HA&tTB with a Christmas theme. Most of these are vintage but there are still artists today making happy Christmas music in this same vein. Feel free to add those records in the comments and I'll think about adding them to my main list.

The List!

Cana-Day, Part 5

How about some more vocal stuff here for our fifth post of music from Canada? I'm afraid I don't know much about any of the artists I'm posting today, so I'm searching for things to say and failing miserably. I'm just gonna have to let the music do the talking. That's exactly how I felt when I was finding some of these things on Discogs. I was buying stuff based on the cover alone, I had little idea of what I was gonna get. Hopefully you'll be as happy about it as I was. This is John Littleton Avec Les Petits Chanteurs De Saint-Laurent-John Littleton Chante Noël (Select (Canada) SSP-24.203, Stereo, 1968)

1. Minuit Chrétien
2. Stille Nacht
3. C'est Noël Sur Notre Terre
4. White Christmas
5. La Marche Des Rois
6. Noël D'amour
7. Doucement
8. Noël Louisianais
9. Noël Polonais
10. J'entens Dans La Nuit Claire
11. C'est Noël Tous Les Jours

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Cana-Day, Part 4

Music from Canada, part four. Hope you're holding on tight because it's a wild ride. Up next is another organ extravaganza for Christmas. This is Guy Lemaire-Point d'Orgue Noël (Les Danse Disques-Bec (Canada) DB-6, Stereo, 1976)

1. Noël Blanc (White Christmas)
2. Les Plaisirs D'Hiver (Winter Wonderland)
3. Le Petit Renne Au Nez Rouge (Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer)
4. Quand La Neige Tombe (Let It Snow)
5. Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas)
6. Vive Le Vent (Jingle Bell)
7. Le Père Noël Arrive Ce Soir (Santa Claus Is Coming To Town)
8. Le Bonhomme Hiver (Frosty The Snowman)
9. Cloches D'Argent (Silver Bells)
10. Promenade En Traîneau (Sleigh Ride)

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Cana-Day, Part 3

Part three of our salute to the Great White North and things are really starting to swing now. We've got some French Canadian party music here that to my ears sounds Cajun, probably because the ancestors of the folks we know as Cajuns came down from Canada many years ago and never looked back. But whatever you call it, it's good stuff. This is La Famille Demers-Le Temps De Fetes Chez La Famille Demers (Trans Canada Royal TCR-1078, Mono). Enjoy!

1. Le Temps De Fêtes
2. Le Reel Des Tourtières
3. Chevaliers De La Table Ronde
4. Le Reel Du Diable Rouge
5. Un Festin De Campagne
6. Le Reel Du Nouvel An
7. Le Temps Du Jour De L'An
8. Le Set Du Réveillon
9. Le Bon Vin M'Endort
10. Le Reel Du Père Noël
11. C'est Noël
12. Ce N'est Qu'un Au Revoir

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Cana-Day, Part 2

Part two of our salute to the music of Canada begins our subsection devoted to swingin' organ music. There's no shortage of Christmas organ on the record shelves in Canada if my own collection is any indication. I'll begin with the first of several new shares from Lucien Hetu (a name that has graced the blog before). I knew he was prolific but I had no idea until I started digging. Stay tuned all day for the continuing story of this wizard of the keys. We begin with this gorgeous LP from 1963. This is Lucien Hétu-Meilleurs Voeux de Lucien Hétu à l'Orgue de Théâtre Rialto de Gulbransen (RCA Victor Serie Gala (Canada) CGPS 132, Stereo, 1963).

1. Promenade En Traîneau (Sleigh Ride)
2. Quand Il Neige (Let It Snow)
3. Valse Des Patineurs (Skaters Waltz)
4. Katia (Il Peut Neiger)
5. Neige Sous Mes Pas
6. Noël Blanc (White Christmas)
7. Mon Noël D'Enfant
8. Noël Des Pauvres
9. Dans L'Temps Du Jour De L'an
10. Dans L'Temps Des Fêtes

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Cana-Day, Part 1

Time for a day-long tribute to our sister country due north, Canada! There's not a whole lot of difference between the music of the USA and that of Canada, most of the music that gets released in the US is also released north of the border. However, they have the added wrinkle of Quebec, a province where the official language is still French, so they have to provide product to those citizens in a language they want to hear. So they get lots of releases in French, some of which are native to Quebec and some of which are imported from France. Oh, they also have rules about what must be played on the radio. A certain percentage of the music played has to be of Canadian origin. You'll see little maple leaves with various letters on them that signify the specific Canadian content of a release. Not sure when they started that, but I think it's still going to this day. So the shares today should all qualify in some way, shape or form as Canadian content (except maybe the French imports, I'm not sure if that counts...). I'll start with a nice religious LP from the mighty RCA that says Canada right there on the front cover of the record. This is Richard Verreau Avec Les Disciples de Massenet-Charles Gouler, D.M., Directeur-Jeanne Martin à L'Orgue-À L'Église (Noëls et Chants Religieux) (RCA Victor Canada International "Classica" (Canada) CC-1003, Mono, 1959).

1. Venez, Divin Messie
2. Minuit, Chrétiens (Cantique de Noël)
3. Il Est Né, Le Divin Enfant
4. Ça, Bergers Assemblons-Nous
5. Dans Cette Étable
6. Les Anges Dans Nos Campagnes
7. Noël
8. Adeste, Fideles (Chant de Noël)
9. Gesu Bambino (Jésus Rédempteur)
10. Notre Père Qui Êtes Aux Cieux
11. Sancta Maria
12. Agnus Dei
13. Ave Maria
14. Ombra Mai Fu (de L'Opéra "Xerxes") (Largo)

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Listen To The Birdies

Headed south of the border now, way south in fact, all the way down to Ecuador! I've never been to Ecuador, but my fiancee lived there with her family when she was a child and had some fond memories of the place. She said this music didn't bring back any memories though, so I don't know if it's authentic or not. It's certainly interesting as it prominently features one of those little bird whistles you had as a kid, the kind you filled with water then blew into the pipe and it tweeted like a bird. You'll know it when you hear it, and you'll hear it again and again and again. The cover was wrapped in plastic in such a way that I couldn't remove it without destroying it, so I just scanned right through it and cleaned it up as best I could. It's not perfect, but then none of my scans ever are. At least this time I have an excuse. For your late night listening pleasure, this is Los Pibes Trujillo-Arreglos y Direccion De Segundo Bautista-Dulce Jesús Mío... (Onix (Ecuador) 50039, Stereo, 1973).

1. Claveles Y Rosas
2. Ya Viene El Niñito
3. Entre Paja Y El Heno
4. Duerme Niño
5. Lindo Niño
6. Bienvenido Seas
7. No Se Niño Hermoso
8. Dulce Jesus Mio
9. Niño Si El Amor
10. Desde El Alto Cielo

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Warm Christmas

This record came as a bit of a surprise as it's quite good and made me want to listen to it more than a few times. I believe this was created by an ad agency in Dallas for a radio station there, and it was designed to perfectly match their Beautiful Music format. I think they hit the nail on the head and this LP can stand up beside any of the music that was popular in that format. There's even one original song here that will be a welcome addition to the canon. This style of music is not for everyone, but if you're a fan, don't miss this. Please download and enjoy Bob Piper, Direction-Associate Singers Under Direction Of Jackie Dickson-Members Of The Dallas Symphony Orchestra-The Warm Sounds Of Christmas (Toby Arnold And Associates 610x33, Stereo, 1976).

1. Deck The Hall
2. Silent Night
3. Jingle Bells
4. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
5. Up On The House Top
6. The Warm Sounds Of Christmas
7. Joy To The World
8. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
9. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
10. Away In A Manger
11. O Come All Ye Faithful
12. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
13. Christmas Bells

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More Carols Those Kids Used To Sing

As I mentioned in that last post, I've got two records by these singers, and here's the next one, released two years after their first. I wonder if there are any of the same members here as on the other one. Maybe two years is too short of a time for a lot of turnover, so it's probably got many of the same children performing. Similar set of carols here, maybe a little bit more obscure stuff than the last one, but not too different. I love when they throw in a verse or two in Korean just to remind us of who's singing. Give it a download and let me know what songs you enjoy! This is The World Vision Korean Orphan Choir-We Wish You A Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year (Word WST-8361-LP, Stereo, 1965).

1. We Wish You A Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year
2. Caroling, Caroling
3. The Morning Star
4. O Leave Your Sheep
5. At The Sweet Birth Of Our Lord
6. Birthday Of The King
7. Silent Night
8. Deck The Hall
9. O Holy Child, We Welcome Thee
10. Angels O'er The Fields Were Flying
11. Sleep Of The Child Jesus
12. Lo, How A Rose
13. We Wish You A Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year

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Old Stuff

I've been meaning for a while here to highlight some old collections that can be found in the archives, if you know what you're looking for. You may or may not know that I share out Christmas songs from non-Christmas albums during the month of July around here for a celebration called Christmas in July. And each year I put together a collection of my favorite tracks pulled from the voluminous shares. It willows down the huge volume of stuff I share sometimes to a more palatable length and quality. So here are links to all the collections I've done in the past. (Looks like I still owe you collections from the past two years. Maybe I can take care of that sometime this year...)

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016 (No collection this year because I didn't do a Christmas in July)

2015

2014 (Again, no collection this year because I didn't do a Christmas in July)

2013 (Once again, no collection this year because I didn't do a Christmas in July. It's hard to find these tracks!)

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006 

And a couple years ago I searched through all the tracks that didn't make the best-of collections and put together ten collections of what I'll call second-best. I try not to repeat artists or songs on a single collection, so sometimes good things get left off because I've already used that song, or the same artist has two great songs and I have to use Solomon-like wisdom to choose which to use. Anyhow, all those second-best collections can be found at the below links. There's some really good stuff in there if you like the collections linked above.

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

More And More And More Guitars

I'm bringing back a share that I said I wouldn't because I don't think it's available for download anymore. I suspect the download that was out there was a needle drop by someone who didn't have the rights to sell the music anyway, but I don't know that for a fact. But it's not anywhere I can see it at the moment so I'm going to take a chance and post this new remaster. I shared this out briefly in 2016 but pulled it as soon as I saw it was available legally. Now I'm trying again. It's a great album that was one of a wonderful run of Christmas music from the then-new Warner Bros label in the late Fifties. Warners really put out some great stuff in the early days and they weren't afraid to take chances. This record tends a little towards easy listening and it really goes down smooth. If that sort of things appeals to you, then this is the record for you. And if that weren't enough to entice you into a download, how about a bonus track? I've added a version of Snowfall to the package, taken from another LP they recorded at around the same time as this one. I've shared it out during Christmas in July, so perhaps you already have it in your collection, but if not, enjoy! This is The Guitars, Inc.-Guitars At Christmas-The Festive Sounds Of Yuletide (Warner Bros WS1340, Stereo, 1959).

1. Jingle Bells
2. The First Noel
3. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
4. Caroling, Caroling
5. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
6. The Star Carol
7. Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly
8. Winter Wonderland
9. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
10. Sleigh Ride
11. Silent Night
12. Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
13. Some Children See Him
14. Come, Dear Children
15. Adeste Fidelis (O Come All Ye Faithful)
16. White Christmas

 17. Snowfall (Bonus Track)

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Perhaps the single bonus track I've included in the above share isn't enough for you. How about a single they released a couple years later for a different label with a couple of Christmas-adjacent songs? Would that make you happier? I thought so. This is Guitars, Inc.-Holiday Love b/w Little Toy (Hamilton 7" 45 RPM 45-50035, Mono, 1962). Enjoy!

MEGA

The Carols Those Kids Used To Sing

I haven't ventured outside the US for a share lately, so here's the first of two that take us to the Korean peninsula. This wasn't too long after the war that left the country split in two, a situation that's persisted to this day. It also split many families into pieces and left a lot of children with no parents. Various aid agencies stepped in to try and assist in handling this crises. One of the results was an album of Korean children singing mostly American Christmas carols, along with tours that took them around the world on what must have been the trip of a lifetime. I'd love to hear from some of these kids today to know if they have good memories of the experience, or if it was more of a dog and pony show as they slogged from city to city, far from home and in strange places. I hope it was a good experience for them, but you never know. Anyhow, this is The World Vision Korean Orphan Choir-A Concert Of Christmas Music (Word WST-8124-LP, Stereo, 1963). You can see that my copy was pretty beat up, even after I tried to clean up the cover as best I could. This was the only stereo copy I had in the archive, so I figured it was worth the effort rather than giving you a mono copy. Enjoy!

1. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
2. Angels Over The Fields Were Flying
3. Away In A Manger
4. Praise Ye The Lord Of Hosts
5. The First Noel
6. O Come, O Come Immanuel
7. Sing We Noel
8. Silent Night, Holy Night
9. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
10. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
11. The Little Drummer Boy
12. Jingle Bells
13. Beside The Cradle Here I Stand
14. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
15. O Holy Night

MEGA

Up The Steeple

From the deep archives of organ & chime music for Christmas in my back bedroom, here's a duet LP that features an interesting cover. The music isn't too bad, but it's hard to tell one of these records from another if you know what I mean. This is Georgiana Bowen & Gladys Csehy-Christmas Steepletime (Singspiration Steepletime Hi-Fi Series LP 144, Mono, 1957)

1. O Come All Ye Faithful
2. The First Noel
3. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
4. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
5. We Three Kings Of Orient Are
6. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
7. Joy To The World
8. Good Christian Men Rejoice
9. Silent Night
10. O Holy Night
11. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
12. Away In A Manger
13. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
14. Angels We Have Heard On High
15. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
16. There's A Song In The Air
17. Angels From The Realms Of Glory
18. O Sanctissima

MEGA