Ski Season 3

The third and last of the skiing related remasters of the day (didn't I say earlier there were only two? What do I know?) is this set of songs featuring two different groups. I suspect that one of the groups' songs were stuff that the label had rights to for some strange reason and they didn't know what to do with them. So they created a studio group to record some other songs and put the whole thing out as an album. I see on Discogs that this is available in stereo, but I don't have one. I recorded my same old mono copy, the only one I've ever seen, the one where the front cover is no longer attached to the back cover and the vinyl is covered in scratches. I'm not happy with the sound on this one, but I'll have to keep sharing it until I get something better. If anyone has the stereo version, hit me up! This rip is still better than what I shared with you back in 2008, I even got it to play through so there are no skips this time! And between a close listen and close read of the liner notes, I think I was able to separate out the tracks by The Yodelin' Guides from The Blazers this time. To complete today's skiing trilogy, this is The Blazers & The Yodelin' Guides-Track!-Songs Of The Skiers (Kapp KL-1218, Mono, 1960).

1. The Blazers-Ski Trails
2. The Blazers-Winter Song
3. The Blazers-There's A Tavern In The Town; Vive La Compagnie
4. The Yodelin' Guides-S.B.B. (The Swiss Railroad Song)
5. The Blazers-She'll Be Skiing Down The Mountain; The Man On The New Pair Of Skis; Wham! Went The Skier
6. The Blazers-The Happy Wanderer
7. The Yodelin' Guides-Hop-Sah-Sah
8. The Blazers-Ski, Ski, Ski
9. The Blazers-We're The Gang; Give A Cheer
10. The Yodelin' Guides-The Weggis Song
11. The Blazers-Beer Barrel Polka
12. The Blazers-It Happened In Sun Valley

MEGA

Ski Season 2

As promised, I have another non-Christmas album for the snow skiers out there. I mention that it's for snow skiing since I live in Florida and if you say skiing to someone here, they assume you mean water skiing. Of course, we can't do much of that this time of year. Well, I guess you could, but that water sure is cold. Not as cold as the snow they ski on though. This next LP is a remaster of something also first shared in 2011 and is making a very welcome return today. This record has a bit more winter content and many of the songs could be dropped into a Christmas mix without too much concern. If you go back to the old post you can read all about this one and the various bona fides of the brothers shown sharing a single pair of skis there on the cover. Trust me when I say they were quite a bunch. I believe that there are some conflicting ID's given in the contents so even after all these years I'm unsure of which is which. Maybe you can figure it out. In the meantime, please download and enjoy The Wegeman Brothers, Ray Whitaker Orchestra-Gentleman Skiers-Ski Songs By The Wegeman Brothers (Raynote RN 5008, Mono, 1959).

1. Winter Wonderland
2. Two Boards
3. Wacky Waxer
4. Oola
5. Here's To The Skier
6. Sven
7. Skiers Medley
8. Skiers Lament
9. Under The Take-Off
10. Sun Valley
11. Winter Song
12. Ski Heil

MEGA

Ski Season 1

Christmas is over now, so I want to push out a couple of remasters that are winter-related but certainly not Christmas. This first one is part of a long, long series of folk-comedy records that Oscar Brand put out over many years in the sixties. He ridiculed all the branches of the US armed forces and put out a long series of bawdy song records that seemed to have been particularly popular with the college kids of the time. But on this record he turned his wit to the skiing set. His songs seem to alternate between enjoying the hobby and lamenting it's many, many headaches. The language is certainly dated but I'm sure many of these songs would resonate with skiers today. First shared here in 2011 and remastered for you here in 2023, this is Oscar Brand And The Ski Bums-A Snow Job For Skiers-Ribald Songs For The Stretch Pants Set (Elektra EKS-7228, Stereo, 1963).

1. Why The Hell Do We Ski
2. Skier's Proposition
3. Ski Racks And Boot Sacks
4. Old Ski Tow
5. Ballad Of The Snow Bunny
6. Ski Instructor
7. Back To Town
8. Come Along Boys
9. Roll Your Leg Over
10. Summit Ski Meet
11. Hills Of West Virginia
12. Stretch Pants Lament
13. Skier's Daydream

MEGA

Back On The Mountain

Here's another remastered skiing LP for you. This one is pretty far removed from the last, though I first shared it out at about the same time in 2006. The theme this time is still skiing, but the music is more country rock, certainly rooted firmly in the early seventies instead of the early sixties. But you'll still enjoy it, especially in the new rip at a higher bitrate. Please download and enjoy Six Family Mountain-Takin' A Ride With The Wind (NSP (National Ski Patrol) NSP-1001, Stereo, 1971).

1. Takin' A Ride With The Wind
2. Snowbird
3. A Reason For Winter
4. Wrong Mountain Blues
5. Let It Shine
6. A Nice Place To Live
7. Chumley's Bus
8. Nobody In The Canyon
9. Country Mountain Shakedown
10. Vanishing Skyline

MEGA

Back To The Lift Tower

Now that Christmas is over, I can post this skiing album that I had the chance to remaster this year. This is something I first shared way, way back in 2006. It's a collection of funny songs that tell all about the hard life that is the ski bum. It's a very folky thing, very much a product of it's time. I'm sure you'll enjoy it, so please download Ray Conrad-"The Cotton-Pickin' Lift Tower" And Other Skiing Songs (Prestige International PR-INT 13039, Mono, 1961).

1. Round-Bottomed Bogners
2. The Cotton-Pickin' Lift Tower
3. Skiing Billy
4. In The Mountains Near Alta
5. Two Cubes With A Slug Of V.O.
6. The Ski Instructor
7. The Mineshaft Song
8. The Last Ride
9. Skier's Bible School
10. Stretch Pants Lament
11. An Ounce Of Prevention
12. The Skier's Daydream

MEGA

Downhill

I have a soft spot for songs about skiing. I don't know why, but in my head they get lumped together with the records about Winter, and those records get lumped in with Christmas. You probably don't share this strange association, so I decided to wait until after Christmas to share out this skiing record from the great Vaughn Monroe. Monroe recorded a few Christmas singles in his career, and had a hit with Let It Snow, but he never made a whole Christmas album, and there aren't quite enough of those singles to make one. But if you throw in these ski songs, you can get a whole lot closer. I don't know the impetus behind this record, but I wonder if it might have been a favor by Monroe for Charles Grean, the conductor of both sides and writer of one side. Monroe cut a few novelties in his career, and this is certainly in that category. It's interesting stuff though. Download and give a listen to Vaughn Monroe-Orchestra Conducted By Charles Grean-The Song Of The Skier (In This White World) b/w Learn To Ski By Mail (In Ten Easy Lessons) (MGM 7" 45 RPM K12968, Mono, 1960).

MEGA

Ho Ho Ho (Not Santa)

A rare non-Christmas album around these parts, but I think you'll give me a pass once you give it a listen.  This is for the most part a skiing album, but there are a few winter tunes thrown in for good measure.  I posted this way back in 2011 and it hasn't been back before now.  I re-encoded it for sharing this year, I think it sounds really good.  Over the years I've gotten a few good comments about this one, so be sure you go back and read the comments at that original post. Just for the record, one of these guys went on to perform as The Jolly Green Giant in TV commercials.  I wish I could tell you which one he is, but I notice that two comments call out two different guys as Keith Wegeman, so I'm not sure what to tell you. Interesting stuff here either way.  This is The Wegeman Brothers With The Ray Whitaker Orchestra-Gentlemen Skiers-Ski Songs By The Wegeman Brothers (Raynote RN5008, Mono, 1959).

1. Winter Wonderland
2. Two Boards
3. Wacky Waxer
4. Oola
5. Here's To The Skier
6. Sven
7. Skiers Medley
8. Skiers Lament
9. Under The Take-Off
10. Sun Valley
11. Winter Song
12. Ski Heil

MEGA

Ski 5

Last of the ski albums, I promise. Well, I've actually got one more, the only other one I know of, but it's available on CD, so you aren't gonna get it here.  Anyhow, this is one of the better ones I've shared because it's one of the more well-known and talented artists.  Oscar Brand must have recorded 100 albums, and some of them are thrift store staples.  But some of them, like this one, are fairly hard to find, so I was excited when it turned up earlier this year.  It was even in nice shape, so I think I got some good sounding music out of it.  Oh, before I forget, some of the songs on here were written by Ray Conrad, who's ski-themed LP I reshared earlier this evening.  OK, I'm tired of posting and chatting for the night, so without further ado, this is Oscar Brand and The Ski Bums-A Snow Job For Skiers-Ribald Songs For The Stretch Pants Set (Elektra EKS-7228, Stereo, 1962).  Classic cover shot on this one, too.

1. Why The Hell Do We Ski
2. Skier's Proposition
3. Ski Racks And Boot Sacks
4. Old Ski Tow
5. Ballad Of The Snow Bunny
6. Ski Instructor
7. Back To Town
8. Come Along Boys
9. Roll Your Leg Over
10. Summit Ski Meet
11. Hills Of West Virginia
12. Stretch Pants Lament
13. Skier's Daydream

MediaFire

Ski 4

You knew I was building to something, right?  Why else would I post 1, 2, 3 old shares that didn't have much to do with Christmas right in the middle of the Christmas Sharity season?  Anyhow, I'm building to this little gem of an album, featuring famous people that you know but have never heard of.  The Wegeman Brothers were Olympic skiers from a skiing family, though they do not appear to have ever brought home the gold.  More to the point, Keith Wegeman (don't ask me which one he is in the cover picture, 'cause I'm not sure) performed as the Jolly Green Giant in early TV commercials!  I don't think it was him going Ho, Ho, Ho (sound like anyone you know?), but it was him you saw in the background, all green with envy, err, I mean chlorophyll.  So there you have it.  This is really a pretty good LP, I think you'll enjoy it.  It's got a couple of Christmas tracks on there, and they're more than worthy of your time.  So get busy and download Gentlemen Skiers-Ski Songs By The Wegeman Brothers (Raynote RN5008, Mono, 1959).  Oh, the 'orchestra', such as it is, is credited to Ray Whitaker, and there's a guitar credit to Billy Strange.

1. Winter Wonderland
2. Two Boards
3. Wacky Waxer
4. Oola
5. Here's To The Skier
6. Sven
7. Skiers Medley
8. Skiers Lament
9. Under The Take-Off
10. Sun Valley
11. Winter Song
12. Ski Heil

MediaFire

Ski 3

Have I not reposted this since it first showed up in 2008?  Doesn't appear so.  Also appears that one of the songs skips, so I probably need to find it and see if I can do a better job with three more years of experience under my belt.  But it'll have to do for tonight.  Pretty good stuff on this one, especially if you liked the previous two ski albums.  This is The Blazers & The Yodelin' Guides-Track! Songs Of The Skiers (Kapp 1218, Mono, 1960).

1. Ski Trails
2. Winter Song
3. There's A Tavern In The Town-Vive La Compagnie
4. S.B.B. (The Swiss Railroad Song)
5. She'll Be Skiing Down The Mountain-The Man On The New Pair Of Skiis-Wham! Went The Skier
6. The Happy Wanderer
7. Hop-Sah-Sah
8. Ski, Ski, Ski
9. We're The Gang-Give A Cheer
10. The Weggis Song (This track skips at one point. Sorry...)
11. Beer Barrel Polka
12. It Happened In Sun Valley

MediaFire

Ski 2

Another in tonight's recap of some old skiing music shares.  This, to me, is a much better album than that last one.  This one is funny and less 70's-ish, if you get my drift.  But it take different strokes to move the world (yes it does).  Even if it's just for the cover, you need to download Ray Conrad-The Cotton-Pickin' Lift Tower And Other Skiing Songs (Prestige International INT 13039, Mono, 1963 perhaps). This one is much better than that previous one.

1. Round-Bottomed Bogners
2. The Cotton-Pickin' Lift Tower
3. Skiing Billy (Duet With Rosalie Sorrels)
4. In The Mountains Near Alta
5. Two Cubes With A Slug Of V.O.
6. The Ski Instructor
7. The Mineshaft Song
8. The Last Ride
9. Skier's Bible School (Duet With Rosalie Sorrels)
10. Stretch Pants Lament
11. An Ounce Of Prevention
12. The Skier's Daydream

MediaFire

Ski 1

Perhaps it's time I brought back a few of these old ski-related albums. Not much Christmas-related stuff on this one, but some of them do have some holiday stuff on there.  And I don't think too many people would complain if you dropped a track about snow into your holiday mix.  This one dates back to 2006 here on the blog, I used to share it out the day before Thanksgiving, just as a lead-in to the big holiday sharity shindig.  If you missed it back then, then please help yourself to Six Family Mountain-Takin' A Ride With The Wind (National Ski Patrol NSP-1001, Stereo).

1. Takin' A Ride With The Wind
2. Snowbird
3. A Reason For Winter
4. Wrong Mountain Blues
5. Let It Shine
6. A Nice Place To Live
7. Chumley's Bus
8. Nobody In The Canyon
9. Country Mountain Shakedown
10. Vanishing Skyline

MediaFire

Oodles Of Doodles CCCXLV

Here are a couple of great doodles from the back of the record I just shared with you, The Blazers & The Yodelin' Guides-Track! Songs Of The Skiers (Kapp 1218, Mono, 1960). Pretty cool, eh?

A Day Early-Part 3-Finally, Something New

I promised something new today, and here it is. The third installment of today's ski-themed post is this gem from The Blazers and The Yodelin' Guides. I think this one is the best of the three I'm throwing up today, so if you only get one of them, this might be the one. I think that you'll really get a kick out of this one, and it has a couple of songs that might even qualify as seasonal, not just skiing. Be my guest and get a copy of The Blazers & The Yodelin' Guides-Track! Songs Of The Skiers (Kapp 1218, Mono, 1960). This record was pretty beat up, so it's got quite a lot of noise on it that I couldn't do much with. And one track even has a skip in it, so if you like your vinyl clean as a whistle, perhaps you should skip this one.

1. Ski Trails
2. Winter Song
3. There's A Tavern In The Town-Vive La Compagnie
4. S.B.B. (The Swiss Railroad Song)
5. She'll Be Skiing Down The Mountain-The Man On The New Pair Of Skiis-Wham! Went The Skier
6. The Happy Wanderer
7. Hop-Sah-Sah
8. Ski, Ski, Ski
9. We're The Gang-Give A Cheer
10. The Weggis Song (This track skips at one point. Sorry...)
11. Beer Barrel Polka
12. It Happened In Sun Valley

In addition to putting up track listings for you this year, I'm trying to scan in the labels of all the new shares. Old shares aren't going to have this added bonus, but all the new ones should have scans of the A and B side labels included in the download. You'll also find scans of the front and back covers in there, but you knew that, didn't you? I try to do a good job for you.

PS-I'm aware of only one other skiing LP, but I don't have it in my collection. If you're lucky, you can still get it over at the excellent Stax-O-Wax blog. Tell her I said howdy!

A Day Early-Part 2

Here's the second rerun of the day from two years ago, another ode to the joys of skiing. I can't say much about the pastime that I didn't cover in my previous post, so I'll just skip right to the good stuff. If you don't already have it, go download Ray Conrad-The Cotton-Pickin' Lift Tower And Other Skiing Songs (Prestige International INT 13039, Mono). This one is much better than that previous one. Here's the track listing:

1. Round-Bottomed Bogners
2. The Cotton-Pickin' Lift Tower
3. Skiing Billy (Duet With Rosalie Sorrels)
4. In The Mountains Near Alta
5. Two Cubes With A Slug Of V.O.
6. The Ski Instructor
7. The Mineshaft Song
8. The Last Ride
9. Skier's Bible School (Duet With Rosalie Sorrels)
10. Stretch Pants Lament
11. An Ounce Of Prevention
12. The Skier's Daydream

A Day Early

Well, here it is, the day before Thanksgiving, and I'm itching to get started with the Christmas sharity. But I've got a few albums that really aren't Christmas that I want to get out there, so I've decided to get them out of the way today. This first one is a rerun from a while back that I haven't re-highlighted in a while, and like the other records you'll get today, it deals with skiing. Now, being from Florida, skiing to me has always been something you do on liquid water, not the frozen kind. And it involves a boat, not a lift. But I guess there are some people out there who think it's fun to strap some sticks to their feet and throw themselves over the side of a snow-covered precipice. More power to them. I wish them the best of luck. I tried it once, but it didn't work out so well. Anyhow, this is a rerun from two years ago, but if you missed it then, here it is again. This is Six Family Mountain-Takin' A Ride With The Wind (National Ski Patrol NSP-1001, Stereo).

1. Takin' A Ride With The Wind
2. Snowbird
3. A Reason For Winter
4. Wrong Mountain Blues
5. Let It Shine
6. A Nice Place To Live
7. Chumley's Bus
8. Nobody In The Canyon
9. Country Mountain Shakedown
10. Vanishing Skyline

(Yes, I'm going to try to give you track-listings this year. I figure it will help the folks out there who are in search of a particular song. I don't know if that will last the whole season or not, since it adds significantly to the amount time it takes to throw up a post, but we'll see.)

More Of The White Stuff

Those of you who experienced the Christmas Share-A-Thon last year at Ernie (Not Bert) know that I always tried to get two shares up a day. I didn't always make it, and sometimes all I could throw up was a single with two measly tracks, but I tried. So this year I intend to keep up that tradition. When possible, I like to have a theme as well, and since the holidays really haven't started yet, our theme has to be something else. And since I have a second album for skiers, here it is, making our theme 'Skiing'. This LP doesn't have the humor of our previous share, but it's got some decent tracks. The style is 70s country-rock. Think Eagles, or something similar. Maybe not as good, but you get the idea. Please download and give a listen to Six Family Mountain-Takin' A Ride With The Wind (National Ski Patrol NSP-1001). I think I shared the doodle from the back of this LP with you sometime last year... Oh, and what's with these two LPs both having a slangy contraction in their title? Curious...

'Twas The Day Before Thanksgiving (Oodles Of Doodles CCVI)

I can't wait anymore. Everybody is already posting their Christmas music, and I'm feeling left out. But you aren't supposed to have anything to do with Christmas until the afternoon of Thanksgiving, right? So, how about if I cheat a little and share out a non-Christmas album? Something that fits into the winter theme, but doesn't involve any holiday at all. So, how about a folk album about skiing? Yep, here's a great LP all about how great it was to go skiing in the 60s. There's some very dated terminology in here, but I'm sure you'll get the point. I only ever went skiing once (if you want to call it skiing...) and I often know what he's talking about. I had to think about Round Bottomed Bogners for a minute, but I figured it out. Oh, and there are some great little doodles around the edge of this LP that to me look like the Schmoo, but your mileage may vary. So please, download and enjoy this, the first share of the season from Ernie (Not Bert): Ray Conrad-The Cotton-Pickin' Lift Tower And Other Skiing Songs (Prestige International INT 13039) !