Chimes III

We continue the inevitable march to the new year with another record that looks the same as that last one, but once again has been fully re-recorded. This time it's in stereo, so the reason for the re-recording is pretty obvious. Enoch Light was always on the cutting edge of what was possible with stereo sound, so he certainly wasn't going to try to put out last year's mono recordings while the public was demanding music they could listen to with both ears. This time around the recording is David Harkness And Fredrico-Christmas Chimes (Grand Award GA 221 S.D., Stereo, 1960). Is David Harkness a real person? Doesn't look like it. Discogs says it's Dick Hyman again, which seems possible. Hyman was probably on the payroll of Grand Award by this point, and he was already familiar with the music after having recorded that first album only a few years earlier. He could probably play this stuff in his sleep by this time. The Discogs entries for all these albums are fairly mixed up, claiming some of the recordings are the same when they clearly are not. One of these days I'm going to have to get in there and straighten it all out. But not tonight, I'm tired.

1. Joy To The World
2. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
3. Silent Night
4. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
5. Beautiful Savior
6. Good King Wenceslas
7. Shepherds Shake Off Your Drowsy Sleep
8. The First Noel
9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
10. Angels We Have Heard On High
11. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
12. We Saw Three Ships
13. O Come All Ye Faithful
14. Away In A Manger
15. Oh Christmas Tree
16. God Give Ye Merry Christmastide
17. Deck The Halls
18. We Three Kings Of Orient Are

MEGA

Are you confused yet? Well, it's about to get worse. The LP at the top was later reissued as the one shown above on a label called Brigade. I have no idea who they were or who owned them, but they reissued a few albums associated with the Grand Award label. And they reissued this one, but credited it to Godfrey Malcolm instead of David Harkness. I tell you, they were trying hard to confuse the consumer. I shared this way back in 2006, but I had no idea about any of this reissue and renaming nonsense. Here is Godfrey Malcolm And Fredrico-Chimes Of Christmas (Brigade P-1320S, originally issued on Grand Award, Stereo). Actually, I see where I got the story wrong when I reposted this LP in 2018 alongside the original Waldorf LP, claiming they were both the same. They are not.

1. Joy To The World

2. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

3. Silent Night

4. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear

5. Beautiful Savior

6. Good King Wenceslas

7. Shepherds Shake Off Your Drowsy Sleep

8. The First Noel

9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

10. Angels We Have Heard On High

11. O Little Town Of Bethlehem

12. We Saw Three Ships

13. O Come All Ye Faithful

14. Away In A Manger

15. O Christmas Tree

16. God Give Ye Merry Christmastide

17. Deck The Halls

18. We Three Kings Of Orient Are

MEGA