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