Captain Jean-Luc

Up next is a collection of Noels from France (via Canada). I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I know Noel means Christmas, so it's got to be Christmas related. It might be a little different to the other stuff I normally share, but that doesn't mean you won't enjoy it. I don't speak French so I can't tell you exactly who or what is going on here, I just hope I got the names and titles correct. So for this fine Sunday, here is Jean-Luc, Frère de Taizé-Les Noëls De Daquin (Select (Canada) SSP-24.238, Stereo). Well, I do know that all the music was written by a guy named Daquin a long time ago, that's not nothing.

1. Noël 10: Grand Jeu Et Duo
2. Noël 7: En Trio Et En Dialogue
3. Noël Suisse: Grand Jeu Et Duo
4. Noël 5: En Duo
5. Noël 9: Sur Les Flûtes
6. Noël 4: En Duo Sur Les Jeux d'Anches
7. Noël 11: En Récit Et En Taille

MEGA

Dunaway (Not Faye)

I miss the good old Saturdays when I could inundate you with posts, sharing something every hour all day long, usually with some theme tying everything together. But I've long since exhausted my pile of records to share and I'm dripping and drabbing them out one at a time for the past month or two. Keep in mind that what takes a month to share out now is what I shared every five days for the entire Christmas season, and even quicker if there was a Saturday in the mix. But I'm very happy to still be able to share these things with you here as we get close to the end of February. I think this Christmas music makes it a little easier to keep Christmas in your heart. And as Bing, Ella and others have said before, the secret of Christmas is the Christmas things you do all year. (And no, I will not be doing this all year. Even I have limits.) That's a long boring way to introduce today's share about which I know next to nothing. It's another of the many religious shares I've brought you this season, though this time it appears to be a husband and wife team. Duets are always a welcome treat, it's like getting the best of both worlds, male and female vocals combined. I'm sure you'll enjoy this whole package. This is Phil And Marlene Dunaway-The Beauty Of Christmas (Spectrum Records LPS-2818, Stereo). Enjoy!

1. Ring The Bells
2. Away In A Manger
3. The Straw Carol
4. Silent Night
5. No Room
6. Behold That Star
7. The Friendly Beasts
8. O Holy Night
9. Christmas Dinner
10. C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S

MEGA

Finally Friday

Been a long week 'round these parts, but it's finally Friday. Just a few more hours to the weekend. Since you've been such good visitors and you're still coming around almost two months after Christmas Day has come and gone, here's a nice little record that's a little more commercial than some of the privately-released stuff I've been sharing of late. Of course, it's all in Italian, but that should make it more interesting, not less. No American standards here, either, it's all original stuff like you might hear in Italy if you get away from the more touristy spots. Never had the chance to visit Italy during the holiday season, but I'm sure it's a wonderful place to visit when it's time for Babbo Natale to come around. To put you in that Italian Christmas mood, this is Roberto Murolo-Christmas In Italy-Natale Napoletano (Request Records SRLP 8182, Stereo, 1972). Enjoy! I know this was released here in the US, but I'm pretty sure it was recorded in Italy and just licensed to the US distributor. Sounds authentic to my ears.

1. Pastorale Natalizia (A Christmas Pasture)
2. 'A Zampogna (The Bag Pipe Player)
3. Natale 'Nzieme A Tte (Christmas With You)
4. Lettera 'E Natale (A Christmas Letter)
5. Zampugnariello (The Young Piper)
6. Zampugnaro 'Nnammurato (The Piper In Love)
7. Nott' 'E Natale (Christmas Eve)
8. 'E Zampugnare (The Bag Piper)
9. Natale (Christmas)
10. 'A Nuvena (The Novena)
11. Lacreme Napulitane (A Neapolitan's Tears)
12. 'Na Prumessa D'Ammore (A Love Promise)

MEGA

Up With This

I told myself I wasn't going to share this, but here it is. Someone left a comment on the Up With People Christmas record in the archives (look in the comments there for a link), and that reminded me of this later effort by the then-current iteration of the group. I recorded this a few years ago and really didn't like it, so it's been in the can for a while. I went ahead and scanned the sleeve in this year and when it came up in conversation, I decided why not put it out there. Most people don't know that Up With People recorded two Christmas records (at least two, there may be more, they persisted longer than you think). I'm not a fan of this one, it sounds too polished and professional compared to their more folksy work from the Sixties. I guess once you've performed at a few Super Bowls (Five! And a pre-game show in 1991!), you can never go back to being homespun. This is Up With People-Holiday Greetings From Up With People (Up With People 1127, Stereo, 1980). Enjoy, if you can.

1. Medley Of Traditional Carols: Deck The Hall; The First Noel; It Came Upon The Midnight Clear; Angels We Have Heard On High; Joy To The World
2. Carol Of The Bells
3. The Little Drummer Boy
4. Carols From Other Lands: We Wish You A Merry Christmas; Ding Dong! Merrily On High; Tu Scendi Daile Stelle; Un Flambeau, Jeanette, Isabella; Il Est Ne, Le Divin Enfant; Als Ich Bel Meimen Schafen Wacht; El Rorro; Fum, Fum, Fum; We Wish You A Merry Christmas (Reprise)
5. Winter Medley: Sleigh Ride; Ring Those Christmas Bells; Silver Bells; Winter Wonderland; Sleigh Ride (Reprise)
6. What Child Is This?
7. O Come, All Ye Faithful
8. Children, Go Where I Send Thee
9. Do You Hear What I Hear?

MEGA

Seeing Double

I knew this sleeve looked familiar! I shared a record with this same cover image earlier in the season, commenting about how familiar it was. I'm sure when I recorded this record I had intended to share both on the same day, but it was yet another plan that fell under the wheels when I went to New Mexico for Christmas. This is The Temple Ladies Chorale-The Glorious Sounds Of Christmas (Tennessee Temple University 94580, Stereo). I keep telling myself I need to hold back some of these stock cover sleeves, then share a whole days' worth of records with the same cover. But I'm too lazy to make that happen. Maybe someday...

1. Carol Of The Bells
2. Blessed Little Baby
3. Forever Worthy
4. Jesus, Jesus Rest Your Head
5. Fum, Fum, Fum
6. Silver Bells
7. Joy To The World
8. Sing Alleluia! Christ Is Born
9. Ivory Palaces
10. Infant Holy
11. Away In A Manger
12. Jesus Our Lord We Adore Thee
13. Noel, Noel Bells Are Ringing

MEGA

Tuna Fish

Here's another one of those records where i really have little to no idea what's going on. I think Tuna De Cayey is a band, but it may also be a type of band. And Uni-Coop is some type of store maybe, or an exchange, or a buying club? I'm not sure, I can't keep it straight. The only mention I see of this LP on the internet is a copy for sale at eBay. No idea how I stumbled onto a copy, but I could have had this thing for decades, I dunno. It's not your usual Christmas music, but you might enjoy it if you give it a chance. This is Tuna De Cayey-Navidades Con Uni-Coop (Producciones Alvarez-Miranda (Puerto Rico) No Number, Stereo).

1. Trulla Navidena
2. Plena Navidena
3. Hasta Aqui Llegamos
4. Son Borinqueno
5. Mosaico Del Lechon
6. Noche De Paz
7. Parranda Del Sopon
8. La Gata
9. Candela
10. Si No Me Dan De Beber Lloro
11. Puerca Sinverguenza
12. Tengo Un Swing

MEGA

We Are The Musicmakers

Up next is a budget LP full of Christmas medleys to tickle your earlobes. Well, maybe. Each side was presented as a long medley, but they weren't recorded as medleys and the edits in many cases were just horrible. So I cut it into tracks were those edits seemed especially bad and tried to make it a little more listenable. Some of the songs are still in medleys, I thought those sounded OK. There are still some abrupt fades and cuts on some of the tracks, I assure you those are not my fault, that's how these songs were pressed into the vinyl. But all faults aside, it's worth a listen. This is The Musicmakers-Christmas Party Sing-Along 20 All Time Favorites (Hallmark/Pickwick (England) SHM 811, Stereo, 1973). Oh, it does say Pickwick on the label, I guess that explains a lot.

1. Winter Wonderland; Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
2. Jingle Bells
3. The Little Drummer Boy
4. Mary's Boy Child
5. Little Donkey
6. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night; Good King Wenceslas
7. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
8. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
9. White Christmas; Rudolf The Rednosed Reindeer
10. The First Noel; Away In A Manger; Silent Night
11. The Christmas Song; Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
12. Hark The Herald Angels Sing; O Come, All Ye Faithful
13. Auld Lang Syne

MEGA

Farr (Not Jamie)

Up next, it's a family affair on a nice little religious record that attracted me with the cover. I buy so many records based on the cover that you might say I judge the records by their cover. You're probably not suppose to do that, but my only other option would be to carry a record player with me everywhere I go, and that just doesn't seem very feasible. This one is enjoyable enough, but it's not really anything special. I've shared so many of these religious records this season that they have all tended to run together. I remember at least one of them featured a moog on a couple of tracks, but I can't for the life of me remember which one it was. I figured someone would chime in about it during the season, but no one said anything. I remember it playing at random at some point and I had to go see what it was. Wish now I'd made a note about it. Anyhow, if you're still around at this late date, this is The Farr Family With The Sunday Strings-For Unto Us A Child Is Born-Alleluia (Hymntone Records HPS 7716, Stereo, 1974). Enjoy!

1. Gloria
2. Excerpt From Gloria In Excelsis
3. Silent Night
4. A Gift Of Love
5. Away In A Manger
6. Do You Hear What I Hear?
7. Carol Of The Star
8. Alleluia
9. Jesus Bambino
10. The Little Drummer Boy
11. In The Bleak Mid-Winter

MEGA

The Joy Of Christmas

Back into the random religious records we plunge with this plainly covered record from another artist that's never made it to the big time. The stacks are filled with records like this, people who likely got lots of compliments from church members and friends, got hooked up with a local radio show, then decided to record an album and release it. Whether they tried to sell it or give it away we don't know, but somehow a copy made it's way down through time and landed in my collection. I hope that someday a relative or friend of this artist (or any of the many artists I share here) will chime in and tell us a little more about this person and their life. It happens occasionally and it's always a good feeling. The internet sometimes brings things together that have been separated for a long time. Anyhow, I'm blathering because it's late and I'm tired. This is Ralph McGilvra-Christmas Joy From The Gospel Hour (The Gospel Hour TH 1070 (label) AKA TH70 (front cover), Stereo). There are a couple of duets hidden here among the usual male vocals, so don't be surprised when you listen.

1. Joy To The World
2. Ralph McGilvra & Georgia Horne-Down From His Glory (Duet)
3. Ring The Bells
4. There's A Song In The Air
5. Ralph McGilvra & Georgia Horne-Away In A Manger (Duet)
6. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
7. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
8. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
9. O Holy Night
10. Ralph McGilvra & Georgia Horne-That Beautiful Name (Duet)
11. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
12. Ralph McGilvra & Georgia Horne-Silent Night, Holy Night (Duet)
13. O Come, All Ye Faithful
14. If Jesus Had Not Come

MEGA

Lipton, Not Tea

Does anyone else remember the Claymation commercials for Lipton's brand of bottled tea in the late eighties to early nineties? They would have animated celebrities drink the tea in some odd situation and then an imitator's voice would say the tagline, "That's Brisk!". The only one I can clearly remember is Frank Sinatra as voiced by Joe Piscopo. Maybe there was another one with Rocky drinking a bottle after he knocked out his latest opponent. I was reminded of this by the last name belonging to the artist on this latest share, Celia Lipton. I doubt really if she has anything to do with the tea company, but that's where my mind headed when I was trying to think of something to write here. The front of the record kindly tells us that this record went gold in the UK, though I suspect that also means it's a year or two old since that sort of thing doesn't happen overnight. Odd that it would show up on an unknown label if it was such a big hit. It's nice enough though, I think there's plenty here to enjoy. This is Celia Lipton-With Love...Merry Christmas (Independent Record Corp CMLS1392, Stereo, 1987). Enjoy! (Oh, says here she married the guy who invented the paper milk carton!)

1. We Need A Little Christmas
2. The Christmas Song
3. Winter Wonderland
4. Child
5. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
6. Jingle Bells
7. White Christmas
8. Sleigh Ride
9. Puppet On A String
10. Let It Snow, Let It Snow
11. Silver Bells
12. I Dreamed A Lovely Dream

MEGA

Hilarious

When I first spotted this record on the shelf, I thought perhaps I had mis-filed it. Didn't look much like a Christmas record. But a quick scan of the contents told me I was wrong and it was indeed a Christmas record. I guess I should have known that because it does say Christmas right there on the front cover. I think this is another vestige of my abandoned project to share a Christmas record from every state in the union, representing Alabama in this case. I have no explanation for the title, other than it appears to be an annual thing with the University Of Alabama music department. This is University Of Alabama Singers & Jazz Ensemble-Hilaritas (Boutwell Recording Studios for Hilaritas, Music Department, The University Of Alabama, NR14998/NR14898, Stereo, 1983). Enjoy!

1. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year; Have Yourself A Merry Christmas; I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas; Do You Hear What I Hear
2. Little Jack Frost Get Lost; I'll Be Home For Christmas; Let It Snow
3. O Come All Ye Faithful
4. Sing We Now Of Christmas; Away In A Manger; I Wonder As I Wander; Lullay; Shepherd's Carol; Hark, The Herald Angels Sing; How Far Is't To Bethlehem; Jingle Bells
5. The First Noel
6. Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire; Deck The Hall; Angels We Have Heard On High; We Wish You A Merry Christmas

MEGA

Pop Music

Been a while now since I've shared a Christmas album full of actual pop music with you, so here's the closest thing I still have in my pile of Christmas goodies. Not sure if you want to count George Beverly Shea and The Korean Children's Choir as popular music, but at least it's not another church choir. There are some bigger names here that I'm sure you'll enjoy, like Tennessee Ernie Ford, Lawrence Welk and Pat Boone, but even those might not fall under the head of pop. What attracted me to this album was the possibility that some of these tracks were exclusive to this disc. I'm not sure all of these artists released full albums on Word Records, who put this collection together for Guideposts in 1977, and there are no note on the back of the LP about how tracks were licensed elsewhere. I didn't dig much deeper than that, but maybe one of my loyal visitors will be able to clue me in on what's what here. Please have a go at The Guideposts Treasury Of Christmas Hymns (Word GPR 002, Stereo, 1977). Some of these artists have been shared here at the blog from full albums of their own. You might be rewarded richly if you do a few searches.

1. Tennessee Ernie Ford-O Little Town Of Bethlehem
2. Lawrence Welk-O Come All Ye Faithful & Away In A Manger
3. The King Family-It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
4. Pat Boone-Hark The Herald Angels Sing
5. George Beverly Shea-O Holy Night
6. Evie-Mary's Little Boy Child
7. Richard & Patti Roberts-Go Tell It On The Mountains
8. Ralph Carmichael-Little Drummer Boy
9. Korean Children's Choir-Silent Night
10. Jim Roberts & Norma Zimmer-Silver Bells

MEGA

Saint Who?

Time for another album from a group you've never heard of from a church you've never heard of named after a saint you've likely never heard of. I tried to do a little research on the church and found that it had closed back in 2008, the congregation being folded into another church so close that the parishioners walked down the street to symbolically join the other church. I'm not sure who the group singing on the record is, could be the church choir or maybe some other group affiliated with the church. And lastly, I looked to see who St. Casimir was, turns out he was linked to Poland and Lithuania, which makes sense because the church in questions appears to have been founded by Lithuanian immigrants in Pittston, PA in 1890. So as I've said before, some of these records can really lead you down a deep rabbit hole of history if you're interested in such things. And there's also some music if you're interested. This is Saint Casimir-Listen To A Christmas At Saint Casimir's (Studio 'V' 1171095, Stereo, 1970). Well, it's not really by St. Casimir, since he passed away in 1484, but I didn't know what else to call the performers here. Enjoy!

1. Gloria In Excelsis
2. O Hearken Ye
3. Rejoice And Sing
4. Do You Hear What I Hear
5. Bekite Ziurekit
6. Gloria In Excelsis Gieda Angelai
7. As With Gladness
8. My Shepherd Is The Lord
9. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
10. A Christmas Amen
11. An Acclamation For A Christmas Gospel
12. The Miraculous Star
13. Now Let Us All Praise God And Sing
14. The Heavens Declare
15. Marija, Marija
16. O Come, All Ye Faithful
17. Sveikas Jesau Maziausis
18. Sheep May Safely Graze
19. A Great Amen

MEGA

Tiny Dancer

I feel like today is the day where I break the record for longest Christmas season. I've really drug it out this year but you've got to strike while the iron is hot. I've got all these records ripped and mostly ready to go, so I may as well post them. I'm not sure if I've broken a record for the most days total since Thanksgiving was so late last year, but I'm too lazy to go back and count. Suffice it to say, we're in uncharted territory here.  And in the interest of really dragging it out, here's another record you likely don't need. This is Lynn Stanford-Christmas Music For Ballet Class Volume Two (Bodarc BOD 89-15, Stereo, 1989). This is volume two, and yes I have volume one somewhere. I appear to have recorded it a few years ago, but never scanned the artwork for it. Hopefully I'll come across the record sometime soon and I'll be able to finish up the package.

1. Plie: Away In A Manger
2. Tendu: Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
3. Degage: Masters In This Hall
4. Rond De Jambe A Terre: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
5. Frappe: Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
6. Fondu: I Saw Three Ships
7. Rond De Jambe En L'Air: I Wonder As I Wander
8. Developpe: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
9. Petite Battement: Here We Come A - Wassailing
10. Grand Battement: Oh Christmas Tree
11. Stretch: O Holy Night
12. Tendu: Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
13. Slow Pirouette: Blue Christmas
14. Waltz Pirouette: I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
15. Adagio: Ave Maria
16. Allegro: French Christmas Carol
17. Pique: Do You Hear What I Hear?
18. Grand Allegro: Good Christian Men, Rejoice
19. Reverence: Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire

MEGA

Again With The Lutherans

Today's share is a recording from a small Lutheran-linked college in Minnesota. But beside that, being from Minnesota, it's a small reminder of the situation in Minneapolis. This is not a political blog, but the killing of US citizens by masked government agents is unacceptable. That's all I'm going to say about that. This is an interesting choir recording that is possibly the most recent recording I've ever shared on the Delta label, known for pressing records of school and civic group performances across the country. I always assumed they had called it quits by the 80's, but here's something from 1983 that appears to show they were still going strong. Note that the date comes from the catalog number. I've cross referenced a few dozen of these releases and the date (when available) on the release always matches the last two digits in the first half of the catalog number on the label. They didn't always do that, but at some point they started and it makes dating these things a little easier. This is The Gustavus Choir-Christmas (Delta DRS83-3028, Stereo, 1983). There was a concert program from a performance this group did in 1985 inside the sleeve. I went ahead and scanned that in for you as well even though it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the performance captured on this vinyl.

1. Joy To The World
2. I Wonder As I Wander
3. Now We Sing Of Christmas
4. Away In A Manger
5. O Come, O Come Emmanuel
6. Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly Light
7. O Come All Ye Faithful
8. A Christmas Carol
9. In Dulci Jubilo
10. Coventry Carol
11. Once In Royal David's City
12. In The Bleak Midwinter
13. Wake, Awake

MEGA

Water Under The Bridge

I've been holding onto this record for a long time now because I'm not sure of what exactly it is. I like to think it's a Christmas record, but it's not really. There are too many songs that don't seem to have anything to do with Christmas on it. But on the other hand, there seems to be too many Christmas songs here to throw it in to the Christmas In July category and only record part of it. So I've decided to give you the whole thing and let you decide. Be sure to share your opinion of this oddity in the comments after you give it a listen. This is The Watersons-Frost And Fire (Topic Records (UK) 12T136, Mono, 1965). Enjoy!

1. Here We Come A-Wassailing
2. The Derby Ram
3. Jolly Old Hawk
4. Pace-Egging Song
5. Seven Virgins Or The Leaves Of Life
6. The Holly Bears A Berry
7. Hal-An-Tow
8. Earsdon Sword Dance Song
9. John Barleycorn
10. Harvest Song: We Gets Up In The Morn
11. Souling Song
12. Christmas Is Now Drawing Near At Hand
13. Herod And The Cock
14. Wassail Song

MEGA

Io-way

Here's another state that I don't think I've visited this season, or maybe ever. Nope, I'm wrong on both counts. Looks like we already visited Iowa here at this post very recently, and in the past we've enjoyed some chimes from a big bank headquartered in the state. So much for my memory and thank goodness for the search feature. I guess I'm not as excited about this post as I was before I realized I had already done Iowa, so I'll shut up and give you the share. This is Iowa State University-Jubilate-Christmas Festival Of Music 1967 (Recorded Publications Company JZB-04171/04172, Stereo, 1967). Enjoy!

1. Festival Chorus-Our Father
2. Festival Chorus & Iowa State Symphony-Behold A Star From Jacob Shining
3. Festival Chorus-Hodie Christus Natus Est
4. Oratorio Chorus-O Wondrous Night
5. Oratorio Chorus-Mexican Christmas Procession
6. Oratorio Chorus-Lo! How A Rose E'er Blooming
7. Festival Chorus-The Blessed Son Of God
8. Festival Chorus-Ideo Gloria In Excelsis Deo
9. Iowa State Symphony-Canzonetta
10. Iowa State Singers, Oratorio Chorus And Iowa State Symphony-Thus The Word Was Made As Flesh
11. Men's Glee Club-Make We Joy Now In This Fest
12. Iowa State Singers-Guiding Star Carol
13. Iowa State Singers-Auf Dem Berge
14. Iowa State Singers-Wondrous Love

MEGA

Down South Somewhere

I guess I was mistaken when I said I was done with the Latin American posts for the season. I found this one in the pile that I somehow missed before. I'm not sure where this one is from actually, it's a US release but the music is from elsewhere. Could be Puerto Rico, which is technically the US and not Latin America, but I don't know for sure. Could be music from any number of countries and I don't want to make any incorrect assumptions. Maybe someone out there will recognize some of these artists or their songs and they can chime in and tell us where this music comes from. But first, you need to download it and give it a virtual spin. This is Bailables De Navidad Y Año Nuevo En Quisqueya (Kubaney K-31007, 1981). Hmm, maybe it's safe to say this is Caribbean music? I think I'm gonna go with that.

1. Cuco Valoy Y Los Virtuosos-Cosas De Navidad
2. Cheche Abreu-Extravio
3. L. Paniagua-Dime Si Vendras Esta Navidad
4. Frances Santana-El Vironay
5. Felito Cruz-Flores De Amistad
6. Johnny Ventura-La Noche Bueno Llego
7. Negrito Truman-Van Llegando
8. Tipica Dominicana-La Negra Pola
9. Los Ahijados-Que Viva La Noche Buena
10. Los Virtuosos-La Biblia

MEGA

Down Mexico Way

One last share in Spanish and I'll move back into the church choirs and school choruses. If you haven't enjoyed any of the previous shares from Latin America, I think this one might be more up your alley. It's composed almost entirely of popular American carols, all played with a Latin lilt that I'm sure you'll really enjoy. This was issued in the US as part of the popular Capitol Of The World series but I'm pretty sure it was originally recorded and issued in Mexico for the local market. That seemed to be the way Capitol did their releases like this, just license an existing recording of interest and issue it for American audiences. Don't make the same mistake as me and assume that Hermanos Zavala is a person. Hermanos is Spanish for brothers (or so I am told, I don't speak the language), so this is a group effort. And it's not just brothers, I think the wives get in on the act too. It's great stuff. Big shout out to my friend The King Of Jingaling who asked me for something off this record earlier this season. That prompted me to record it real quick and I enjoyed it so much I finished it up and am sharing with you folks. This is Hermanos Zavala-Arranged And Conducted By José Antonio Zavala-Christmas In Mexico (En Navidad) (Capitol Of The World ST 10488, Stereo, 1968). As often happens around here, I found a second cover for this one. You can see it down at the bottom of this post and I included it in the download file. Note that there was another Christmas entry from Mexico in the Capitol of the World series besides this one. I didn't realize they visited any countries more than once in the series. I need to try and run the series at some point but I know there are some I'm still missing. Anyone got a copy of Christmas In Australia they want to give me? And China, too.

1. Cancion De Navidad (The Christmas Song)
2. Paseo En Trineo (Sleigh Ride)
3. Adeste Fideles
4. Rudolfo El Reno De La Nariz Roja (Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer)
5. Campanitas De Plata (Silver Bells)
6. Ave Maria (By Schubert)
7. Blanca Navidad (White Christmas)
8. Bendito Sea Dios (God Be Praised)
9. Estrella De Navidad (Christmas Star)
10. Cascabel (Jingle Bells)
11. Virgen De Guadalupe (The Virgin Of Guadalupe)
12. Noche De Paz (Silent Night)

MEGA

Up, Up And Away

February the third and time for yet another Spanish-language share. Don't worry, they're not all going to be in Spanish from here on out, I've just got a little stash of these that I've been hoarding for a while. This one is just out there, featuring a great cover and two side-long medleys that I think you'll enjoy. This is Pequeña Compañía-Nuestra Navidad (IEMPSA (Peru) 30.15.1456, Stereo, 1986). You can't say I don't travel pretty far to bring you the best in Christmas music!

1. Din-Don; Navidades Blancas; Campana Sobre Campana; La Canción Del Tamborilero; Santa Claus Nos Viene A Visitar; Los Peces En Río; Jingle Bells (Navidad, Navidad); Ande, Ande Ande
2. Noche De Paz; Ya Vienen Los Reyes; Alegría, Alegría; Rin-Rin; Dime Niño...; En El Portal De Belén; Nuestra Navidad

MEGA

Maria et Maria

Moving on into February, here's another Spanish-language share for you. This one is a bit older than the previous one, or at least the music is even if the LP is of a similar vintage. I believe this album collects up older tracks and reissues them. Not super familiar with the artist, either, but the notes on the LP seem to imply that she released some or all of the tracks under a different name. Both Maria Esther Robles and Maria D'Attili show up on the sleeve, but they appear to be the same person. Maybe I'm mistaken about that, but that's my understanding. As usual, if you know anything that would help to clear up the situation here, please leave me a comment and straighten me out. This is Maria Esther Robles (Maria D'Attili)-Navidad Con Maria Esther Robles (Fragoso ALP 13, Mono).  Found this one with two different covers in the archives, they're both in the download. Enjoy!

1. Las Reyes Magos
2. Pastorcillos
3. Villancico Yaucano
4. Pastores A Belén
5. Lirios Blancos
6. Alegría, Alegría, Alegría
7. Amanecer
8. Alma Criolla: Noche De Navidad
9. Venid Pastores
10. Belén A Medianoche
11. Aleluya
12. La Trulla

MEGA

February!

Wow, it's February and I'm still posting stuff. Most years I stop on or around the twelfth day of Christmas, but this year I just had too much stuff in the can to stop. I told myself I'd finish up by the end of January but the stuff just kept piling up. I'm not sure how much further I can go but there are still records in the pile that need to be shared. I think 2020 holds the record for the longest I kept going. That was the year that I shared out refurbished 78s from the Internet Archive and I called it on February 7th of 2021, so I'm going to see if I can beat that. Ya'll keep coming around and I'll keep posting until I can't post anymore. Today's share is a bit of a mystery that I'm hoping someone out there can explain to me. I can't find any mention of this record out there on the internet. I can find one with a similar name and likely the same music, but it's got a different cover and the title includes a different year.  It's all in Spanish so I can't understand what they're singing or what info the sleeve may have for me. Someone out there is bound to know what's going on here and hopefully they can clue us all in. I'm not even one hundred percent certain that this is a Christmas record, though the song titles tend to make me think it is. I thought the graphics were pretty cool too. For the super curious, this is La Rondalla Brugal-Acompana: Rafael Solano Y Su Conjunto-Navidad 1974 (Brugal (Dominican Republic) No Number, Stereo, 1974).

1. Feliz Navidad
2. Si No Me Dan De Beber
3. Ya Vienen Las Navidades
4. Blanca Navidad
5. Jingle Bells
6. Candela
7. El Niño Pobre
8. Navidad Triste
9. Navidad
10. Adeste Fideles-25 De Diciembre

MEGA

Simple Saturday Bonus

To wrap up the month, I've got a special share of a record that I brought back with me from my trip to Santa Fe. This was the record that I was most excited about finding during my trip. It's part of a series of records I shared with you back on December 27th, all created by an outfit out of Dallas and all released by local radio stations across the country. Many of the records had a track or two produced locally, but this one was (almost) entirely performed by studio musicians (and is in fact exactly the same music as the version put out closest to me, one that I shared out here, so you're not really getting any new music with this one). But even if there's nothing new here, I was excited to find it and bring it home. This is The KOKE Choraleers-A KOKE Christmas (FairWest Studios FS-KOKE-84, Stereo, 1984). Couple things to note here. There is no band name on the album, though there is a long list of performers and soloists. For the sake of ID, I gave it a group name of The KOKE Choraleers, similar to what was found on one of the other entries in the series. There's also a different artist on track four, but there's no mention of them on the sleeve of this record. The credit is only found on the original issue from KVIL. That's a little confusing, but it's true. And as usual on these records, the final track features the call letters sung at the end of the song as a little reminder of who you got the record from. Oh, one last thing, KOKE is in Austin, Texas, so who knows how this record migrated to a Goodwill store in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

1. The Christmas Waltz
2. Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
3. I'll Be Home For Christmas; White Christmas
4. The South Texas State University Brass Choir-Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming; I Saw Three Ships
5. Medley: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence; Away In A Manger; Good Christian Men Rejoice; Adeste Fidelis
6. Medley: Joy To The World!; God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen; Angels We Have Heard On High; Silent Night
7. Johnny, Bring The Pine Tree In
8. Winter Wonderland; Let It Snow!
9. Do You Hear What I Hear?
10. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
11. We Wish You A Merry Christmas [KOKE]

MEGA

Loma (Not Yorba)

Here's another college choir for you, this time from Loma Linda University. I'm not even sure where that is at, I need to go look it up. Oh, OK, the Google tells me this is a Seventh-Day Adventist affiliated university in California. Now I know. Learn something every day. Maybe that's news to you, maybe you already new it, but I bet you don't have a copy of this album. But now you do! This is University Church Choir-Christmas Music From Loma Linda University (Chapel Records LP 5-129, Mono). I think this is one of those records I just grabbed for the cover, I think it's pretty interesting. No idea when it came out though, hopefully one of my faithful readers can suss out the details for me.

1. Excerpts From A Ceremony Of Carols: Wolcum Yole!
2. Excerpts From A Ceremony Of Carols: As Dew In Aprille
3. Excerpts From A Ceremony Of Carols: This Little Babe
4. Excerpts From A Ceremony Of Carols: Deo Gracias
5. Still, Still, Still
6. What Strangers Are These?
7. Three Little Carols: How Very Still; A Christmas Wish; Love Came Down
8. Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head
9. A Cradle Carol
10. Sing Ye, Sing Noel
11. Three Kings Have Journeyed
12. The Virgin's Slumber Song
13. What Is This Perfume So Appealing

MEGA