Christmas In July 2026-Part 31

Welcome to the last day of the month! This is the date where we usually share out all of the New Year-themed tracks I've gathered up and today is no exception. But first, a short story. This blog started a little over 21 years ago and it's tumbled along from year to year with modest increases in the number of visitors here and there, with big spikes around Christmas because, well, that's my jam. But in the past couple of years, something has changed. I couldn't figure out what that something was for the longest time but I think I finally have a reasonable explanation. What's happened is that the blog traffic has shot through the roof. We never had 100,000 hits in a single December before, but we got over a million in December last year, slightly less than we got in November before that, an off month! Since than we've had a few months with well over a million hits for absolutely no fathomable reason. Day before yesterday, we got half a million hits in a single day. None of these increased hit rates were resulting in more comments or more downloads, so I suspected it was some sort of bot traffic, like search engines indexing the site. But it was too much, too frequently and from too many difference sources. Some investigation revealed that it was people looking for content to train their AI models. A company comes in, hits every single one of the thousands of posts I've made over the years (6647 total, not counting this one), then hits them all a second time just for fun. Sometimes they focus on a single post for whatever reason, loading it thousands of times in just a few short minutes. My recent traffic numbers are just crazy. I can't tell you which Christmas in July post got viewed the most because there are so many hits on some random post from 2012. I'm not lamenting the rise of AI, mind you. Instead I'm laughing at the thought of the crazy stuff I post on here being incorporated into some database somewhere where it can be spit out again in some unrelated situation. Who knows when the Christmas harp and it's prevalence in modern music will pop up somewhere, but I'll have a hand in making it slightly more important. And Christmas in July? That's going to be right on the tip of every AI agent's tongue for the next decade or more. Just imagine the outsized influence I'm going to have in this niche category! Anyhow, just me on my soap box. Let's get to the music, shall we?

1. Edmund Lyndeck, George Hearn, David Vosburgh & Norman A. Large-Orchestra & Chorus Conducted By Paul Gemignani-New Year's Eve (A Doll's Life, 1982)

Today's new year sharity begins with a pair of tracks from the soundtrack to a musical from Comden & Green. Looks like I've shared these with you before, but I didn't remember them and the cover didn't look familiar. I think that means I share too much...

2. Peter Gallagher & Betsy Joslyn-Orchestra & Chorus Conducted By Paul Gemignani-New Year's Eve (Reprise)/Stay With Me, Nora (A Doll's Life, 1982)

Ditto whatever I said about the track above since this comes from the same LP. I usually try not to share out two or more things from the same album at the same time, or two of the same song, but today is special If it's related to New Year's Day or New Year's Eve, it's coming out in the pile today.

3. Lynn Roberts, Carmen Baron & Juda Campbell-Feliz Año Nuevo (Holiday Songs For All Occasions, 1978)

A nice little Happy New Year song for you in Spanish, you don't get that every day. Feel like I've shared this one out before but I'm too lazy to look.

4. Myro Glass, Baritone, With Beth-El Choir-Piano, Organ And Orchestra Directed By Walter Goldman-B'rosh Hashono (On New Years) (Synagogue, Israeli And Yiddish Music, 1958)

This track is from the album shown up at the top pf the post. I thought I was going to get some Chanukah music from it when I first picked it up, but then I was excited to get a New Year's song instead. Not that I don't need some good Chanukah music, but I like finding things that I wasn't expecting. And yes, that is the front of the album. I believe the back side was blank.

5. The Daphne Hellman Quartet-Springtime In Scotland: Loch Lomond; The Campbells Are Coming; Comin' Thro' The Rye; Auld Lang Syne (Holiday For Harp, 1959)

You have to sit through a medley to get to the New Year's content on this one, but it's not so bad.

6. The Nighthawks-Auld Lang Syne (S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A. Presents The Nighthawks)

Your only barbershop entry of the day. What did I just say about sharing the same song more than once a day? Well, you're getting this one a lot more than just the once.

7. Ladies Of The Courte, Spoken By Lorna Stephen, Herald's Proclamation By Tom Grieve-Auld Lang Syne (Melodie At Dalhousie Courte, 1975)

I think this is some sort of dinner theater presentation in Scotland. Gotta love finding the interesting records out there. Not sure how much actual New Year content there is here, but the tune is familiar.

8. Maurey Page At The Exciting Hammond Organ-Auld Lang Syne (Organ Oldies, 1962)

Yet another version of Auld Lang Syne brings op the rear of this short set of New Year's music today. Don't forget that we're going to keep the fun going for a few more days next month, so be sure to keep coming back for a little while longer. I assure you it will be worth your time. 

MEGA 

35-New Year Rock

It's late in the day so I'm sure I won't be the first, but Happy New Year to you and yours! Hope you're doing well today, not too hung over and out of sorts. I've got some more New Year's songs for you today, but don't play anything too loudly. Lots of interesting stuff today including the title record, recorded in South Africa! That may be a first for us, I'm not sure. Still pretty neat no matter how you slice it. Enjoy!

1. Danny Harrison-This Is Christmas
2. Danny Mendelsohn Singers-Auld Lang Syne
3. De Castro Sisters-Feliz Navidad
4. Dick Jones, Caller-The Rustlers-Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
5. Little Kid Lex-New Year Rock
6. Otis & Carla-New Year's Resolution
7. Ray Conniff-Arranged And Conducted By Ray Conniff-I Understand Just How You Feel (Auld Lang Syne)
8. Robert Winters & Fall-One More Year
9. Spike Jones And His City Slickers-Vocal Refrain By George Rock-My Two Front Teeth (All I Want For Christmas)
10. The Oklahoma Wranglers-Vocal Refrain By Skeeter Willis-Unhappy New Year
11. Tommy Tucker Time-Vocal: Don Brown, Kerwin Somerville And The Three Two Timers-Auld Lang Syne
12. Unknown Artist-The Blizzard Song
13. Kimbo Records-I've Got The Chicken Pox For Christmas (Instrumental)
14. Eddie Blazonczyk's Versatones-Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
15. The Cathedral Choir-The First Nowell
16. Amos 'N' Andy With The Jeff Alexander Choir & Bill Lee-Little Bitty Baby (A Christmas Spiritual)
17. Bob Coe At The Pipe Organ-White Christmas
18. Bob Moule's Dixieland Express-Let It Snow
19. Brook Benton-Arranged And Conducted By Fred Norman-Silent Night
20. Chas. Hicks Orchestra-New Year Polka
21. Don Mason-Shepherd Boy
22. Eagles-Funky New Year
23. Earl Grant-Jingle Bells
24. Ed Sullivan Presents Music Of Christmas-The Little Drummer Boy
25. Jesse Rogers And His '49ers-Blue Christmas
26. Jim McGuirt And Company Featuring Bob Ferrell-Resolutions
27. Jimmie Davis-Take Me Back To Babyland
28. Jimmy Dean With Ray Ellis And His Orchestra-When They Ring The Golden Bells
29. Jive Bunny And The Mastermixers-Auld Lang Syne
30. Julius LaRosa With The Columbus Boy Choir-Conducted By Archie Bleyer-Adeste Fideles
31. Kate Smith-Arranged And Conducted By Peter Matz-Christmas Eve In My Home Town
32. Lawrence Welk And His Champagne Music-The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)
33. Lindsay Crosby And Friend (Johnny Mercer)-Nelson Riddle Orchestra-Old Friends Of Mine (Auld Lang Syne)
34. Little Bobby Rey And His Band-Corrido De Auld Lang Syne (Dance Of The New Year)
35. Lloyd Price-Auld Lang Syne
36. Maury Logan-Happy New Year
37. Memphis Sounds Orchestra-Winter Wonderland
38. Michael Hitch-There Was Always Something Special At Christmas
39. Orion Samuelson & The Uff-Da Band-I Just Go Nuts At Christmas
40. Randy King-Merry Christmas
41. The Anita Kerr Singers & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra-Medley: Angels We Have Heard On High; What Child Is This?; Joy To The World
42. Vaughn Monroe And His Orchestra-Vocal Refrain By Vaughn Monroe And The Chorus-Auld Lang Syne
43. Tex Fletcher And Kit Stewart With The Hootenanny Orchestra-Happy New Year
44. The Leading Men-Auld Lang Syne
45. Henry Mancini-New Year's Greetings

MEGA