The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 12

Another day, another great collection of Christmas music.  Here goes...

Track one is an interesting little medley I found on a radio station promo that doesn't seem to exist out there on the internet anywhere.  If you can find anything more about this disc, please let me know.  The track is called The Sound of Christmas, the artist is 101 Strings, the album is called American Holidays on one side and American Holidays And Special Occasions on the other.  No catalog number, either, I'm afraid, it's in mono, and each track is a locked groove so the DJ doesn't embarrass himself if he forgets to stop the record.  Nice track, and I've got a couple more from this disc that I'll share later.  I'm trying to figure out if these tracks are unique to this record, or if they were just retitled and released elsewhere.

Track two is a gospel bluegrass version of Children, Go Where I Send Thee, and it's just just as nice as that description makes it sound.  I found this on an LP from The Marshall Family (their first, apparently) entitled Come Springtime (Rebel SLP-1541, Stereo, 1975).  I don't know anything else about these folks, but this is a nice version.

Track three is a seasonal song called When Winter Comes A'Calling by Peter Todd And His Orchestra from the LP Till We Meet Again (RCA Camden CAL 418, Mono).  Again, I have no idea who this artist is, but I saw the winter song on there and grabbed it.

Track four, which I think is a repeat is from Fred Waring And The Pennsylvanians.  It's Hanover Winter Song from the LP Alma Mater Memories (Capitol ST1949, Stereo, 1963).  Good stuff.

Lastly, a rerun that I think is showing up for the third time around here, but I can't pass it up when I see a copy.  Blue Christmas (not the song you're thinking of) by The Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra Conducted By Mitchell Powell from the soundtrack LP The Apartment (United Artists UAS 6105, Stereo, 1960).  I like it, I hope you do, too.

There you go, five more selections for you.  Here's the download link, enjoy!

The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 11

Some really top-shelf stuff tonight, all recorded by me back in 2013, but not shared with you until now.

Track one is the great German version of The Little Drummer Boy entitled Der Trommelmann by Marlene Dietrich Mit Orchester from her LP Die Neue Marlene-Marlene Deitrich Singt Chansons (Electrola-Odeon (Germany) STE-73788, Stereo, 1964).  I've had this track forever on various comps, but never the original LP from which it was drawn.

Second is a version of Greensleeves, from The Arthur Lyman Group and their LP Cotton Fields (HiFi Life SL1010, Stereo, 1963).  This certainly would not sound out of place on Lyman's Christmas LP.

Third we have Judy Holliday & Gerry Mulligan performing an original composition called It Must Be Christmas released on Holliday With Mulligan (DRG Records SL 5191, Stereo, 1980).  This appears to have been originally recorded back in 1961, but not released for nearly 20 years.  Not sure as to the reason, but it's a good song that should be better know.

Fourth is White Christmas, another track from Eddie Fisher With Axel Stordahl And His Orchestra and their album The 21 Academy Award Winning Songs, 1934-1954 (RCA Victor LOC-1024, Mono, 1955).  Short and sweet.

Fifth and last is Jingle Bells Mambo, a great take on a classic song by Pete Rugolo And His Orchestra, taken from his album Adventures In Rhythm (Columbia CL 604, Mono, 1955).  I shared this out once before on a Christmas compilation Jen and I put together for our first Christmas together, so you've probably heard it before.  I couldn't resist sharing it again because it's so good.

There you have it.  Five great tracks that have been in the vault for a while, but now they're out there for you to enjoy.  Here's the download link, see you tomorrow.

The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 10

Here we are, 33 and 1/3% of the way there.  Well, sort of.  Anyhow, here're five good tracks for the 10th of July.

In the words of Kris Kristofferson, Jesus was a Capricorn, and so I think that makes a song called Capricorn a good track for the blog.  Well, at least it's a seasonal track.  This is from Any Time (Mercury SR 60073, Stereo, 1959) by Hal Mooney And His Orchestra.  I ripped the whole record, I have a thing for LPs with a theme and all unique music, and this one features all twelve signs of the zodiac..  I can think of a few others from this same era, one of all famous male singers, one of all pretty famous girl names, one of colors, quite a few of drinks, you get the idea.

Track the second is Happy Christmas by Romaine Sala, Soprano; James A. Miller, Tenor & Recorder; Samuel Lehman, Boy Soprano; Mary Oyer, Cello; Charles Burkhart, Piano & Recorder; Helen S. Miller, Piano (whew!) from the LP Happy Time Nursery Songs (Herald Press 10" 33 RPM HP 1001-33 1/3 , Mono).  I think this record was designed to accompany a song book you could buy with all sorts of nice little songs.  Short versions, but sweet.  More to come from this one.

Track three is Jonah Jones doing The Bells Of St. Mary's from Jazz Bonus (Capitol ST 1773, Stereo, 1962).  As is the case every year, I recorded this track in mono earlier, then stumbled across the stereo version.  I didn't realize it until I tried to save the file and it said the name was a duplicate.  So if I accidentally share the mono version with you later on, I apologize.

Number four, and the start of the rerun tracks, is The Dukes Of Dixieland and Clara Ward And Her Gospel Singers performing Go Where I Send Thee from the album We Gotta Shout! (Columbia CS 8842, Stereo, 1963).  And indeed, they do shout.  If you don't remember this one from before, play it loud.

Track five is sort of a rerun, but I first shared it from a 78 copy many years ago.  I think it was one of the first things I ripped from a 78, in fact.  This time around, I found it included as a track on a collection of square dance tunes called, appropriately enough, Square Dances (RCA Victor LPM-1238, Mono, 1956), performed by Carson Robison And His Pleasant Valley Boys, Calls By Lawrence V. Loy.  Pretty cool.

There you go, a pretty diverse selection tonight.  Here's the download link, now go get some sleep, tiger.

The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 09

Boy, do I have some goodies for you today!  If you don't like some of these tracks, you don't like Christmas!

Track one, and clearly the best, is Blossom Dearie and Bob Dorough dueting on Baby It's Cold Outside, from Blossom's live LP Needlepoint Magic (Daffodil BMD 105, Stereo, 1979).  I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing when I picked this up, I imagined I was the only person in the world who knew it existed.  Then I saw it show up on a Christmas comp last year.  Oh, well, I'll keep digging.  If neither of those names means anything to you, hit up the Google.

Track dos is Hallelujah (from the chorus of the same name) as performed by The Elmer Iseler Singers And The "Synthescope" Digital Synthesizer Ensemble from the album The Electronic Messiah (Moss Music Group, CBC Series D-MMG 113, Stereo, 1982).  A little later than the time period I usually feature around here, but I couldn't resist.

Track three is Jingle Bells as performed by The Hi-Lo's.  Well, that's what the label says.  Pretty sure this isn't the group you might think of when I say it's The Hi-Lo's.  What do you expect from a budget label?  Anyhow, I snagged this from Reflection In Rhythm With The Hi-Lo's! (Tiara TST 559, Stereo).  Well, at least it's a Christmas song.

Track four is If Winter Comes (Summer Will Come Again), a winter-themed selection by The Tyree Glenn Quintet from Let's Have A Ball (Roulette R 25115, Mono, 1958). Nice enough, I suppose.

Track number five is The Wedding Of The Painted Doll by Lawrence Welk, His Accordion And Orchestra, a rerun from Nimble Fingers (Coral 2x7" 45 RPM EC-82005, Mono, 1955).  Still got a track off this one to go, so you have that to look forward to.

There you go, some good stuff, some bad stuff, and some stuff in between.  And four new tracks, how about that?  Here's the download link, get after it!

The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 08

After listening to all that Christmas music on CaptOT's radio show last night, I'm more determined than ever to get through the whole month here.  So I need to get busy and record a ton more vinyl so I don't run out of shares.  But first, there's today's music...

Track one is something I just sat down and recorded.  Great title, but it doesn't really sound too much like Christmas music.  This is Santa Claus Blues by Turk Murphy And His Jazz Band from When The Saints Go Marching In (Philips B 07035 L (Holland), Mono, 1954).  How did I come across a copy of this from Holland when it was realeased right here in the USA on Columbia?  Who knows?  I may have seen it a dozen times before I noticed a Christmas In July track on it.  Serendipity plays into a lot of what I do.

Track two is by the great Lighthouse Singers.  Years ago, I found a small 7" EP by them that was full of Christmas music.  Took me forever, but I eventually found their full LP and shared it here at the blog.  And for those of you that downloaded it back then, here's a bonus track for you.  Ave Maria from their LP Songs Of Reverence (Vik (RCA) SPV-1, Mono, 1955).

Track three, and the start of tonight's reruns is Baby, It's Cold Outside by Marty Gold And His Orchestra from one of his entries in the Stereo Action series, Stereo Action Goes Hollywood (RCA Victor LSA-2381, Stereo, 1961).  I think I've now found two or three records from the series in mono, which kinda defeats the purpose...  One of them may be a sampler for radio stations, which I can kinda understand if they wanted the stuff to get played, but the other two look like regular consumer releases.

Track four, the great Chet Atkins with Dennis Farnon And His Orchestra doing Greensleeves from the album Chet Atkins In Hollywood (RCA Victor LSP-1993 RE, Stereo, 1961).  Funny, two tracks in a row from LPs with Hollywood in the title.  I didn't plan that, honest.

Track five, and maybe the best here, is The Bells Of St. Mary's by David Carroll And His Orchestra from the LP RePercussion (Mercury MG 20389, Mono, 1958).  It start out and ends kinda slow, but that middle section swings.  Give it a listen.  Lots of percussion all-stars in his orchestra for this LP.

And that's it.  Here's the download link, give 'em a listen, lemme know what you think in the comments.

The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 07

Got some good stuff for you tonight.  So when you're done listening to CaptOT's Christmas In July radio special, download my stuff and give it a listen.

We begin with a track from The Anita Kerr Singers With Orchestra called Snowbound from one of their very rare LPs for SESAC entitled Love--Well Seasoned (Sesac N-2609/10, Mono).  Not sure how many of these records she made, but there's a full-Christmas one and this seasonal one, and they're next to impossible to find.  I was so excited when I found it, it was one of the big reasons I wanted to share out Christmas this July.  Give it a listen, you can't go wrong.

Track two is Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year by Leslie Uggams-Arranged And Conducted By Glenn Osser (who backed Jane Froman earlier this month) from the album So In Love (Columbia CS 8871, Stereo, 1963).  Leslie recorded some Christmas music early in her career, but never a Christmas album, so this will have to do.

Track three begins the repeats, it's My Favorite Things by The Lennon Sisters-Arranged And Conducted By Jimmie Haskell from The Lennon Sisters' Favorites (Dot DLP 25481, Stereo, 1963).  I'm not going to get into an argument about whether or not this is a Christmas song, but it fills the blog.  :)

Track four is Snowfall by George Shearing-String Choir Conducted By Billy May from the album The Shearing Touch (Capitol ST1472, Stereo, 1960).  I guess this one shows up plenty of places, so you don't really need me to tell you about it.

Track the fifth is The Skater's Waltz by Will Glahé And His Orchestra, taken from the LP The New Beer Barrel Polka (London Phase 4 SP 44069, Stereo, 1965).  I love those fancy Phase 4 albums, with their far-out 4 on the covers.

There you go, some good stuff in there tonight.  Here's your download link, enjoy!

Christmas In July, Radio Style

Those of you near a radio tonight, or, more likely, near a computer, can listen to a Christmas In July special by our good buddy CaptOT!  He's doing an all-request show, and yours truly made a request.  So maybe he'll play my song from among the thousands of requests I'm sure he received.  So head on over to WBOI and give him a listen.  He's on from 8 to 10, EDT.  Tell him Ernie sent you, not Bert.

The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 06

A quickie tonight, I've got other stuff to do...

Track one is the new selection, another track from Red Carter and his half-Christmas LP Santa's Musical Grog (Frog Recording, Ltd. RG 001, Stereo).  Tonight's selection is Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.  Did I mention before that side one is subtitled Santa's Selections?

And track two is sort of a rerun, but when I shared it out before it had a skip in it.  I've since found a better copy of it, so you can give it a listen now without fear of missing a revolution of the record.  Here is a 27:21 version of The Nutcracker Suite narrated by Captain Kangaroo himself, Bob Keeshan, also starring "Full Orchestra And The Sandpiper Chorus".  The LP is A Child's Introduction To The Nutcracker Suite (Golden Records LP 143, Mono, 1958).  I think this is a reissue, not the original from 1958, but that was the best date I could find.

And because it's such a long track, that's all I'm sharing tonight.  Put it on and let it play.  Here's the download link.  See you all tomorrow.

The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 05

What a long, strange Fourth it's been.  Not that I did anything at all today, but still.  Let's just jump right into some music.

First off with some new stuff.  Track one is Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! by Les Brown And His Band Of Renown from the LP All-Weather Music (Coral CRL 57039, Mono, 1956).  Good stuff.

Number two is Chet Baker And The Carmel Strings, a little West Coast jazz take on Christmas Song, from Quietly There (World Pacific WPS-21847, Stereo, 1966). More good stuff.

Number three begins the reruns, but they're good stuff. Latin Snowfall is a bit from the soundtrack to the movie Charade by Henry Mancini And His Orchestra (RCA Victor LSP-2755, Stereo, 1963).  An oldie but a goodie.

Number four is Eddie Fisher With Axel Stordahl And His Orchestra performing Baby, It's Cold Outside from the LP The 21 Academy Award Winning Songs, 1934-1954 (RCA Victor LOC-1024, Mono, 1955).  With so many songs on one LP, it's a bit short, but sweet.

Last, and certainly not least, a nice rerun but this time in Stereo, I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm by Sarah Vaughan & Billy Eckstine-Orchestra Conducted By Hal Mooney, from the LP The Best Of Irving Berlin (Mercury SR-60002, Stereo, 1958).  This LP was originally released only in mono, but I guess they recorded it on multitrack so they could go back and do stereo mixes.  I remember the LP was missing a track that the mono version had, but this was, for my money, the best song on there.  Really good stuff!

All five of these songs were ripped from my vinyl back in 2013, but I never shared them until now.  Here's the download link, enjoy!

The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 04

Happy Fourth of July to all my visitors in America.  To the rest of you, Happy July Fourth!  Well, it was funny to me...  Let's jump into the music, shall we?

The first track is also the first of many songs from this album I hope to get to over the course of the month. In fact, the whole first side of the album is Christmas music, so I really could have saved it for Christmas, but I needed more stuff to share here in July.  The song is Winter Wonderland, the artist is Red Carter, and the album is Santa's Musical Grog (Frog Recordings, Ltd. RG 001, Stereo).  Good stuff here, you should be looking forward to the rest of the songs form this LP.

Next up is Ave Maria Lola, a mash-up between Gounod's Ave Maria and The Kink's Lola.  OK, not really, but that was what I was hoping for.  Not really anything Christmas related about this one at all I'm afraid, sorry.  But I'm sticking with it.  It's by El Cubanito And His Cha Cha Orchestra from their LP Hot (Musidisc M-6007, Mono, 1959).

Third is Skater's Boogie by Jo Ann Castle from 12 Great Hits In Ragtime (Dot DLP 25433).  Interesting, I'll give it that.  I'll also give you the fact that it's a rerun.

Fourth is a version of Greensleeves as performed on the duo harps of Dorothy Remsen And Catherine Johnk, with The Stanley-Johnson Orchestra, from the album Have Harp Can't Travel (Liberty LST 7118, Stereo, 1959).  This one is all about the cover image, but I'm not sharing that.  Sorry.  But look it up, it's a blast.

Track 5 is another repeat, The Bells Of St. Mary's by Roger King Mozian from the MGM stereo show-off series entry Spectacular Brass (MGM SE3844, Stereo, 1960).  Not too shabby.

And...there's a secret sixth track in there who's name shall not be spoken, but I found it today tucked onto the end of a ten inch record, and I thought it fit the theme quite well.

I'm also going to wish you a happy Fourth once again and throw in a Fourth of July track for you from The McGuire Sisters.  Enjoy!

Here's the download link, now go blow something up.

The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 03

A little late today, as I was busy last night actually recording some tracks to share with you.  Hopefully, that means you get better songs today, at least I like to think so.

Track one is something I'm quite excited about, I had no idea it existed (but I see several on Amazon right now, at a not-too-exorbitant price).  You'll really dig The Airmen Of Note With Nancy Wilson performing What Child Is This from The Airmen Of Note & Friends (USAF SM-306, Stereo, 1968).  This was a promotional LP sent to radio stations and interested parties, featuring tracks from other, even rarer records.  I've never seen the original LP with The Airmen and Nancy Wilson, but if you want to send me a copy, that would be really swell!  This is as good as it gets folks, so enjoy!

Track two is something else I picked up and recorded yesterday (sometimes you just get lucky!), One Little Candle by Jane Froman.  No, it's not really a Christmas song, but I think I first heard it in the context of  Christmas, and it's stuck there.  This is from her album Faith (Capitol T726, Mono, 1956), orchestra and chorus duties are handled by Glenn Osser.

Track three is odd because I found just the vinyl.  No sleeve, no art, nothing.  I usually don't pay any attention to such loose records, but sometimes I do, and this time I got paid for my trouble.  (The Airman LP above was also free of a sleeve, but I found the sleeve in a box further down the table, with the wrong LP inside.  So I corrected the error and kept moving.)  This one is Go Tell It On The Mountain by Bob Vernon from The Inspiration Of Bob Vernon (Capitol T-2778, Mono, 1967).  This is a pretty nice version of the track, with spoken interludes between the verses quoting the Bible version of the birth of Jesus.

Track four is a rerun, but it may be well worth visiting in the wake of that Mad Men finale.  This is I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing by The Korean Children's Choir from the album To The World With Love (Word WST-8523-LP, Stereo, 1972).  Again, not really a Christmas song, but I've always thought of it in terms of that famous Coke advertisement, and the Christmas version as well.  And a Christmas choir consisting of kids who probably didn't speak English as their first language!  There you go!

Lastly, the first of a few tracks from Lawrence Welk, His Accordion And Orchestra.  This time it's Doll Dance, and the record is Nimble Fingers (Coral 2x7" 45 RPM EC-82005, Mono, 1955).  We'll revisit this record again (and again) as the month goes on, for more tracks only very tenuously related to Christmas.  Probably a rerun, but I didn't check.

So it that it?  Five tracks for the third.  Here's the download link, enjoy yourselves!

The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 02

Day one went so well, why not do another?  Where to start, where to start...

Track one, that's a good place to start. Jimmie Davis, 2-time governor of Louisiana and country music/gospel recording artist, in a Christmas song from what may have been his last LP,  This One's For You (Canaan (Word) CAS-9907, Stereo, 1983).  This track, entitled Going Home For Christmas, was a bit of a surprise.  I knew Davis had recorded two Christmas LPs back in his prime for Decca, and I'd found at least one single that wasn't on either of those LPs, but I never expected to find a Christmas song on one of his later albums.  But there it was.  I like when that happens!

Track two is Waltz Of The Flowers by Joe "Fingers" Carr from Joe "Fingers" Carr Plays The Classics (Capitol T649, Mono, 1955).  This may be a rerun, I'm not sure and I can't be bothered to check, but it's a cool version.

Track the third, which I know is a rerun, is Mele Kalikimaka, everybody's favorite Hawaiian Christmas song, here performed by The Honolulu Symphony Orchestra Conducted By George Barati from their LP White Ginger Blossoms (Decca DL 74564, Stereo, 1964).  I always look for this track on the Hawaiian albums I find, but it's very rarely there.

Track 4, The Christmas Tree by David Rose from David Rose Plays David Rose (MGM SE3748, Stereo, 1959).  Another rerun, but a really good track that deserves more exposure.  He wrote and performed this song while working as the bandleader on The Red Skelton Show.  Or something like that.  I may have the details mixed up, but you can look it up.

Lastly, Jingle Bells by Danny Kaye-Conducted By Leith Stevens from the soundtrack album The Five Pennies (Dot DLP 29500, Stereo, 1959).  Another rerun, but another good one.

Nice mix of things tonight.  Too many reruns, but that's what you get.  A couple of these tracks came from a folder of Christmas in July tracks I recorded back in 2013, and the other three were recorded but never shared last year.  I didn't record very much in those couple of years, but there is a little bit there.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I do, here's the download link.  Don't forget to tell your friends we're back online for the month!

Programming note: I removed the SiteMeter tracking counter from the blog.  I didn't have much trouble with it over the years, except it sometimes seemed to go down at bad times.  But I saw where it had been acting funny the past few days, and I read some not-so-good things on other blogs about it.  So if you've had any trouble on my site getting redirected strange places, that may have been the source.  But it's gone now.

The Return of Christmas In July-Day 1

Here's a little surprise for those of you who might still peek at my blog once in a while.  I've got my own little room over at Jen's house, and I'm filling it up with records.  Sometimes I have a minute or two to spare, and I've recorded a handful of tracks that qualify for Christmas in July.  With a little luck, I'm going to try to share those out with you for the next month.  I make no promises as to how many, or how often, we'll just have to see how this goes.  Lots of what I have is re-recordings of things I shared a long time ago, but I also have enough new stuff to make it worth your while.  So here goes...

Day one starts with a new track, The Star And The Wise Men by The Sarasota Messengers Quartet from their LP The Sarasota Messengers Quartet & The Southern Harmony Trio (Record Manufacturing Corporation 8011-47 (Private Press for The Bahia Vista Mennonite Church, Sarasota, Florida), Stereo).  Why not start with something local?

Track two, which I think is also new to the blog, is a medley of Honolulu Punch-Hawaiian Holiday-Mele Kalikimaka by The Banjo Barons-Arranged And Conducted By Marty Manning from Golden Hawaiian Hits (Columbia CL 1983, Mono, 1963).  Nice little medley with just a hint of Christmas thrown in at the end.  Wish I had found this one in stereo, but now I know to look for it.

Track three is a rerun, Skitch Henderson performing Snowfall with The Tonight Show Orchestra, recorded when he was bandleader on the Tonight Show.  Yes, they had a bandleader before Doc.  This is from the LP More Skitch Tonight (Columbia CS 9250, Stereo, 1966).

Track four, another rerun, The Virgin Mary Had A Baby Boy by The George Mitchell Choir-Conducted Be Robert DeCormier (well known for his work with Harry Belafonte) from the album Where Have All The Flowers Gone (Liberty LST-7316, Stereo, 1963).  A good track, well worth a revisit.

And finally, the last track and the last rerun of the night, My Favorite Things by The Norman Paris Quartet from their stab at the soundtrack to The Sound Of Music (Harmony (Columbia) HL 7235, Mono, 1960).  Meh, it's filler.

There you go, here's the download link.  Get it while you can, I make no promises.  Sorry if I sound a little rusty, I've been away from the blog for a long time, it may take me a while to find my footing.

Half

Merry Christmas and a half to you!  And happy birthday to me!  :)

An Ending

Bad news, folks.  I'm going to have to call an end to my re-sharing for the season.  There's been a death in Jennifer's family and there's not really time to post anything more to the blog.  Sorry.  There's no good time for these things to happen, but it's certainly worse when you loose someone close during the holidays.  Thanks for your understanding.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

It's Like Candy

The requests keep coming in, and I keep trying to fill them with old rips.  This is a stereo version of an LP I first shared in mono way, way back in 2005, my first year in the blogging and sharity businesses.  Please enjoy Pete Fountain-Candy Clarinet (Coral CRL 757487, Stereo, 1966).

1. The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)
2. Santa Claus Medley: Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town; Jingle Bells
3. Winter Wonderland
4. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
5. Blue Christmas
6. Candy Clarinet
7. Jingle Bell Rock
8. I'll Be Home For Christmas
9. The Little Drummer Boy
10. Silver Bells
11. White Christmas
12. Christmas Is A-Comin' (May God Bless You)

Zippyshare

Stone Christmas

Another request here, a couple records that haven't seen time on the blog in many years. This first one is by Herbie Koch, and features the carillon currently located at Stone Mountain, Georgia.  I had the chance to visit Stone Mountain a couple of years ago, and walked out to visit the carillon.  It's on a little spit of land that extends out into a lake, so it's very picturesque.  It could stand with a little refurb work, though. I guess the current generation (well, the past few generations...) just don't appreciate the sort of music these big bells can create.  Anyhow, here's a rerun from back in 2006, Herbie Koch-Christmas Bells Of Stone Mountain (Stone Mountain 777S-8037).

1.  Joy To The World
2. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
3. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
4. Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming
5. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
6. O Come, O Come Emmanuel
7. O Holy Night
8. Deck The Halls
9. What Child Is This?
10. Good Christian Men, Rejoice
11. The Little Drummer Boy
12. O, Come All Ye Faithful
13. We Three Kings Of Orient Are
14. Silent Night

Zippyshare

Also in 2006, I shared out this other LP played on the carillon at Stone Mountain, only this time it's played by the slightly more well-known John Klein.  So if this looks more like what you're after, please download John Klein-Noel Bells (Stone Mountain SM-201, Stereo).

1. Angels We Have Heard On High
2. O, Holy Night
3. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
4. Good Christian Men Rejoice
5. As Lately We Watched
6. The First Noel
7. We Three Kings Of Orient Are
8. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
9. Joy To The World
10. Away In A Manger
11. Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly
12. O, Little Town Of Bethlehem
13. Good King Wenceslas
14. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
15. O, Come All Ye Faithful
16. Silent Night

Zippyshare
I said two, but there was a third one from 2006.  I didn't notice in time, but this seems to be all the same music as the John Klein one shown above, just in a different cover and with the order shuffled around.  So maybe this is the one you had back in the day.  If so, please be my guest and download John Klein-The Bells Of Christmas (Americana AR-6, Stereo).

1. Angels We Have Heard On High
2. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
3. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
4. The First Noel
5. O, Little Town Of Bethlehem
6. Good King Wenceslas
7. As Lately We Watched
8. O, Come All Ye Faithful
9. O Holy Night
10. Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly
11. Away In A Manger
12. Good Christian Men Rejoice
13. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
14. We Three Kings Of Orient Are
15. Silent Night
16. Joy To The World

Zippyshare

PS-When I was at Stone Mountain, I stuck my head in the main gift shop, but I didn't see any records (or CDs) of music from the carillon.  Oh, well...

Merrily We Roll Along

Here's another request fulfilled, something I first posted in 2012, and if memory serves, The Cap't posted earlier than that. But you want it back, you got it back, if only for a little while.  For those of you who don't have a player piano handy, this is The Piano Rolls And Voices-All Time Christmas Hits (RCA Victor LSP-4000 (Vocal Arrangements By Dick Hyman), Stereo, 1968).

1. Winter Wonderland
2. Silver Bells
3. It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas
4. Sleighride
5. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
6. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
7. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
8. The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)
9. All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
10. Frosty The Snow Man
11. White Christmas

Zippyshare

Christmas In The City

Well, today I'm going to take a little tour around the US, hitting up a few cities and sharing out some of the local Christmas music.  I thought once about trying to find and share a Christmas LP from each state, but I don't think I'd be able to do it, at least not in a reasonable amount of time.  Here in Florida, we get a lot of people moving in from other states, so there's a nice steady stream of local Christmas music from other places to select from, but finding a specific state would be rough.  Anyhow, here are five that I've shared out in the past, starting with Cleveland, Ohio.  From 2006, this is Christmas In Cleveland (Delta Records Of Ohio, Processed and Pressed by Columbia, XCTV-84680/1, Mono).

1. Bay High School Choir-Joyous Christmas Song
2. Bedford High School A Cappella Choir-Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming
3. Berea High School Choir-Hallelujah (The Mount Of Olives)
4. Cathedral Latin High School Glee Club-Carol Of The Drum
5. Cleveland Heights High School Choir-O Holy Night
6. East High School Choral Club-Traditional Medley-The First Noel-Silent Night
7. Glenville High School Choral Club-16th Century Church Music-Gloria Parti-Palestrina
8. Holy Name High School Choir-Ring Christmas Bells
9. John Marshall High School Choir-Christmas Was Meant For Children
10. Lakewood High School Choir-Now Is The Carolling Season
11. Lutheran High School West Choir-Jesous Ahatonhia
12. Magnificat High School Senior Choir-Adeste Fidelis
13. Notre Dame Academy Choral Club-To The Manger
14. Our Lady Of Lourdes High School A Cappella Choir-The Sleigh (a la Russe)
15. Parma Senior High School Concert Choir-Away In A Manger
16. West High School Choral Club-Heavenly Light


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And if Cleveland isn't your home, there's always Detroit.  This one hails from a period when Detroit was much more robust than it is today.  The auto industry has left the city in pretty poor shape these days.  But from back in the day, this is Christmas In Detroit-A Collection Of Seasonal Music By Outstanding Detroit Choral Groups (Dedicated To The Tuberculosis And Health Society, Produced By Special Recordings, Inc., Pressed By Columbia Records, Mono, 1962). From 2010, a popular year, as you'll soon see.

1. Varsity Glee Club-Wayne State University-Deck The Halls
2. Varsity Glee Club-Wayne State University-Good King Wenceslas
3. Duns Scotus College Choir-Jesu Redemptor
4. Duns Scotus College Choir-Viva Viva
5. Duns Scotus College Choir-Sleep Well
6. University Of Detroit Chorus-Gloria Patri
7. The Ford Chorus-Ford Motor Company-Silver Bells
8. The Ford Chorus-Ford Motor Company-God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
9. Civic Center Chorus-The Star Carol
10. Civic Center Chorus-Ave Maria
11. St. Paul's Cathedral's Choir-Silent Night
12. Anonymous Announcer-Thank You
13. Lutheran Choralaires-Oh, Come All Ye Faithful
14. Lutheran Choralaires-Oh Emanuel
15. The ACappels-We Three Kings
16. Edison Glee Club-The Detroit Edison Company-I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas
17. Edison Glee Club-The Detroit Edison Company-Carol Of The Bells
18. Orpheus Club Of Detroit-Go Tell It On The Mountain
19. General Motors Chorus-General Motors Corporation-Jingle Bells
20. General Motors Chorus-General Motors Corporation-Hark, The Herald Angels Sing
21. Shamrock Chorus-Catholic Central High School-Mary Had A Baby
22. Shamrock Chorus-Catholic Central High School-Silent Night

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From the north to the south, how's about a little bit of stuff from Houston, TX?  Things are bigger in Texas, you better believe it.  But is the Christmas music any better?  Probably, but I'll let you be the judge.  Give a listen to Crash's Christmas Album To Benefit University Children's Hospital At Hermann (CCA Records 1-1986  (Houston, TX), Stereo, 1986). Oh, I shared this one out back in 2010.

1. Crash-The Christmas Song
2. Dave Ward-I Saw Mommie Kissing Santa Claus
3. Sir Shaun Rabb-Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
4. The Concert Chorale Of Houston-Carol Of The Bells
5. Paul Christy-Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
6. Jim Westmoreland-Frosty The Snowman
7. Milo Hamilton-A Visit From St Nicholas
8. Dave Ward, Pat Hunt & Tommy Lee Bradley-O' Little Town Of Bethlehem
9. Matt Alan-Jingle Bell Rock
10. Kevin Bass-O' Come All Ye Faithful
11. Marvin Zindler And The Miracle Minstrels-Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
12. The Concert Chorale Of Houston-Coventry Carol
13 George Grenias-Silver Bells
14. The Concert Chorale Of Houston-Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella
15. Crash-White Christmas

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OK, not technically from a city, but certainly an icon from Cincinnati, Ohio, this is Bob Braun, longtime sidekick to Ruth Lyons, an even bigger icon from back in the day.  This one first saw the blog light of day back in 2008, please have a gander at Bob Braun, Orchestra Conducted By Leroy Holmes-Christmas In Your Heart (United Artists UAS 6664, Stereo, 1968).

1. Christmas In Your Heart
2. Everywhere The Bells Are Ringing
3. Do You Hear What I Hear
4. A Marshmallow World
5. A Child's First Christmas
6. Let's Light The Christmas Tree
7. Christmas Lullaby
8. Winter Wonderland
9. That's What Christmas Means To Me
10. I'll Be Home For Christmas
11. Christmas Medley

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And that brings us back to Chicagoland, with this little 10" sampler from the local bank.  If memory serves, this is the second record from these folks, the first one looking very similar.  I never shared it out (my copy is cracked), but my good friend Inkydog shared it once at his now-deleted blog, A Cheerful Earful.  Good old Inkydog, we miss his blog.  Anyhow, this is Songs Of The Season 1960 (First Federal Savings And Loan Association Of East Chicago, Indiana  10" 4628/4629, Mono, 1960). This is another reshare from back in 2010. It was a very good year, as they say.

1. Standard Oil Torchlighters-Break Forth O Beauteous Heavenly Light
2. St. Luke's Lutheran Adult Choir-The First Noel
3. St. Luke's Lutheran Adult Choir-Silent Night
4. St. Stanislaus Boys' Choir-Wesola Nowine Brachia Sluchajcie (Polish Carol)
5. St. Stanislaus Boys' Choir-Tryumfy Krola Niebieskiego (Polish Carol)
6. Rabbi Ulrich Steur, Narrator-Mrs. Walter Hathaway, Organist-Richard Lewke, Soloist-Hanukkah Explanation-Jewish Traditional Selection-Rock Of Ages
7. St. Thomas More Girls Choir-O Come, O Come Immanuel
8. St. Thomas More Girls Choir-Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming
9. St. Thomas More Adult Choir-Gloria From The Midnight Mass
10. Purdue University (Cal. Ext.) Mixed Choir-Oh Holy Night
11. Purdue University (Cal. Ext.) Mixed Choir-Carol Of The Bells
12. First Christian Reformed Church Choir Of Munster-Good Christian Men Rejoice
13. Standard Oil Torchlighters-Angels We Have Heard On High


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It's A Sunshine Day!

Guess what classic Christmas LP is now available for legal download here in the USofA?  Yep, it's The Three Suns 1959 opus, A Ding Dong Dandy Christmas!  No sign of a CD release, unfortunately, but you never know.  They released a huge batch of classic old Christmas records recently, from a handful of different labels, about half of which were things I'd shared out before.  One of them was completely new to me, though. John Facenda-The Nativity appears to be a big release from 1958 with a fancy gatefold and a bound-in book.  I want an original of that one! Anyone want to hook me up?  :)

Randolph

Nobody asked for these LPs from The Randolph Singers to make a new appearance here at the blog, but I liked 'em and here they are again.  I believe that over the years I have found at least two different covers for each volume, but I've never seen the original 10" releases.  There's always something more out there to find.  Anyhow, these are good choral records recorded in the early 50's from the under-appreciated David Randolph.  Start with The Randolph Singers-David Randolph, Director-Christmas Carols Vol. 1 (Westminster WP 6022, 1951, Mono). I first shared this out back in 2010.

1. Silent Night
2. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
3. God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen
4. What Child Is This? (Greensleeves)
5. The First Noel
6. Bring A Torch, Jeanette
7. Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming
8. Angels We Have Heard On High
9. Oh Come, All Ye Faithful
10. Let Carols Ring (Swedish)
11. Hush, Oh Heaven (Tyrolean)
12. Patapan (Burgundian)
13. Virgin's Cradle Hymn (English)
14. Carol Of The Bells (Ukranian)
15. Quid Petis, O Fili? (English)
16. Shepherds, Tell Me (French)
17. Quickly, My Friends (Provencal)
18. Lullay My Liking (English)
19. Saint Staffan (Swedish)


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And here's the second volume, which I shared out much earlier than volume one because I couldn't find it for a long time.  This is The Randolph Singers, David Randolph, Director-Christmas Carols-Volume 2 (Westminster WL 5200, 1952, Mono).

1. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
2. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
3. Good King Wenceslas
4. We Three Kings Of Orient Are
5. Away In A Manger
6. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
7. The Coventry Carol
8. The Boar's Head Carol
9. Joy To The World
10. Cantique de Noel
11. Deck The Halls
12. Cradled In A Manger
13. Sing We Noel Once More
14. How Far Is It To Bethlehem
15. The Twelve Days Of Christmas
16. Jesus, Jesus, Rest Your Head
17. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
18. Fum! Fum! Fum!
19. I Wonder As I Wander
20. Wassail Song

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And then there's this nifty little promo item I found and shared with you in 2010, again featuring Mr. Randolph, et. al. I do so love it when a theme develops!  Please give a listen to David Randolph Singers-1961-A Special Christmas Music Medley (Wallace Laboratories 7" 33 RPM 1961, 1961, Mono).


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In A Fielding Of His Own

Another request fulfilled, this time with one of my favorite records of 2012 and something of a rarity.  This is one of those records that I've only ever seen once, and almost passed by without a second glance.  It's on a label that seems to border on budget, and when I first saw it in a stack, I blew past it without much thought.  But for some reason I flipped back to it and took a closer look.  I decided it might be something worth listening to, so I picked it up.  And wow, is it good!  If you like your Christmas sprinkled liberally with brass, then this is the record for you.  Have a good long listen to Jerry Fielding And His Brass Choir-Favorite Christmas Music (Signature SM 1028, Mono, 1959).

1. Joy To The World/Hark The Herald Angels Sing
2. Winter Wonderland/Jingle Bells
3. The First Noel
4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/O Come All Ye Faithful
5. Oh Tannenbaum/Cantique De Noel
6. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer/Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
7. The Twelve Gifts Of Christmas
8. Auld Lang Syne/White Christmas
9. Silent Night
10. The Christmas Song/Let It Snow/Let It Snow, Let It Snow
11. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear/Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem
12. Deck The Halls/Here We Come A-Caroling


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The Force Is Sorta OK WIth This One

With all the hubbub about the new Star Wars trailer, I figure I should get into the act as best I can.  This Christmas LP is by a singer named Kenny Baker, who I'm pretty sure has no connection what-so-ever with the Kenny Baker who played R2-D2 in all the movies.  But it's fun to imagine.  This is also pretty far from the Meco Star Wars Christmas album, so don't look for a connection there.  In fact, best I can remember, there's only one mention of a wookie anywhere on this record.  But if you're feeling up to it anyway, give a download to Kenny Baker-Carols For Christmas From Kenny Baker (International Records LP 5125 (AKA Christmas Carols From Kenny Baker-Kenart LP KA-6), Mono, 1958).  The LP pictured down at the bottom is another cover I found with the same music on the vinyl.  A re-issue, you might say, designed to fool the poor record buyer into buying the music all over again...  Oh, almost forgot, I first shared this with you in 2010.

1. O Holy Night
2. Joy To The World
3. Medley-It Came Upon A Midnight Clear and Hark, The Herald Angels Sing
4. Angels We Have Heard On High
5. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
6. The First Noel
7. Good King Wenceslas
8. Silent Night
9. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night
10. Medley-Away In A Manger and O Come All Ye Faithful
11. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
12. White Christmas
13. Deck The Halls and Carol Of The Shepherds
14. Jingle Bells

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Christmas With Wally

Behind this horrible scan of a very shiny cover lies a great lost Christmas record.  It's a gold foil thing that looks great in person but my scanner couldn't make heads or tails of it.  But you're after the music, not the picture, right?  And this is pretty good music.  You can read all about it in my original post from 2010, and there are some very informative comments as well, so don't miss those.  But before you can give it a listen, you have to download Wally Stott, His Orchestra And Chorus-Happy Holiday-Christmas In Stereo (Warner Bros WS 1341, Stereo, 1959).

1. Happy Holiday
2. Wassail Song
3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
4. Christmas Sleigh Bells
5. Shepherd's Chorus
6. The Holly And The Ivy
7. The Christmas Waltz
8. Away In A Manger
9. Good King Wenceslas
10. Snowfall
11. Silent Night! Holy Night!
12. White Christmas


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Something You Missed

You may have thought that I wasn't doing anything during my blogging hiatus.  Well, that's true in the sense that I certainly wasn't blogging, but I was still hunting down and discovering odd things pressed into vinyl grooves.  Head on over to Buster's Big 10-Inch Record blog and you can find a neat little 10" I shared with him (and he with his readers) a few weeks ago after the passing of Mike Nichols.  And then there was a fairly obscure EP from Sauter & Finegan before that.  I think Buster described me as a reformed blogger, but I guess I've relapsed a little, at least for the holiday season.

Oh, and something called the IBM Symphony was from me as well, though that was shellac, not vinyl...

Jazzy

This record was on my mind recently because I found a second copy of the vinyl.  Some things I see all the time, but others I stumble upon once and that's it.  This is something I had only ever seen once until I found that second copy.  So, since I saw it twice, you get it again, too. You can read all about it on my original post back in 2011, or you can just know that it's light jazz with some great vocals.  This is Glenn Zottola And His Allstars Featuring Maxine Sullivan-Christmas In Jazztime (Dreamstreet DR-110, for WYRS 96.7 FM, Stamford, CT, Stereo, 1986).

1. Let It Snow
2. Jolly Old St. Nick (with Maxine)
3. Winter Wonderland
4. White Christmas (with Maxine)
5. Silent Night
6. Jingle Bells (with Maxine)
7. Christmas Song
8. Greensleeves
9. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

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And if Jazz is what you're after, you should certainly help yourself to this one. This share dates all the way back to the beginning, and it's been a lot of fun.  You can't go wrong with The World's Greatest Jazzband Of Yank Lawson & Bob Haggart-Hark The Herald Angels Swing (2011 Remaster) (World Jazz WJLP 5-2, Stereo, 1972).

1. Hark The Herald Angels Swing
2. Little Drummer Boy
3. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
4. Silent Night
5. Joy To The World
6. Jingle Bells
7. White Christmas
8. I'll Be Home For Christmas
9. The Christmas Song
10. Winter Wonderland
11. Deck The Halls

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Incompatible

I don't know why, but someone requested this oldie from 2007.  Blech.  Download at your own risk. This is The Music City Choral And Orchestra With Lead Vocals By Troy Green-White Christmas And Other Holiday Favorites (Modern Sound Christmas Album #4).  This one may actually be on CD, I've seen some of these Modern Sound things show up here and there.  They were budget then and they're budget now. I see that I didn't even do a good job of making the sleeve look presentable.  Heaven knows what the music must sound like.  Like I said, let the buyer beware!

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The T Word

I'll probably regret this, as my ISP is sure to object, but I turned all the torrents back on.  That means everything I shared out two years ago, all 124 records (give or take), are now up for grabs.  So search through the archives and see if there's anything in there you missed.  And don't forget to let them seed for a while, your fellow Christmas aficionados will thank you.

Let Me Be Frank

Another record I got a request for is this little gem from Phase 4 stalwart Frank Chacksfield.  I'm a little surprised I've never seen this on the actual Phase 4 label, but I guess he didn't want to go back and revisit the Christmas canon after he'd made such a nice little EZ listening record.  This is a pretty old share, and the only remastering it ever got was when I found a stereo copy for the 2007 season.  So don't expect a very high bitrate or any fancy use of ClickRepair.  I don't think I was even scanning the LP labels at this point. But you get what you pay for, and in this case that is Frank Chacksfield And His Orchestra-Music For A Merry Christmas (Richmond S 30056, Stereo, 1959).

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A Handy Tip

If you're looking for something to download besides Christmas music, head on over to Willard's Wormholes.  He's sharing the entire series of Warner Bros. Loss Leader albums from the late sixties through the early 80's.  This is a great series that introduced several generations of record buyers to what was new and cool, with quite a bit of wit and subversiveness thrown in for good measure, often through liner notes penned by Dr. Demento.  And if you insist on Christmas content, dig deep for tracks from Arlo Guthrie, The Beach Boys and Martin Mull. If I'm excited about it, you know it's got to be good!  Well, maybe...

Christmas X 60

Another old favorite that I got a request for recently was this collection featuring Les Djinns Singers and The Christmas Bell Ringers.  I don't think the Christmas Bell Ringers are anything that anyone is going to get too excited about, but the 60 French girls that make up Les Djinns Singers sure will make your holiday a bit happier.  And the cover ain't so bad either.  So from this very blog back in 2005 (and remastered for the 2011 season), this is 60 French Girls-Joyeaux Noël by Les Djinns Singers and The Christmas Bell Ringers (ABC-Paramount ABCS-397, Stereo, 1961).

01. Les Djinns Singers-Minuit, Chretriens (O, Holy Night)
02. Les Djinns Singers-Nuit Des Nuit (Silent Night)
03. Christmas Bell Ringers-Good King Wenceslas
04. Les Djinns Singers-Il Est Ne Divin Enfant (He Is Born A Divine Child)
05. Les Djinns Singers-Noël 'Trois Anges Sont Venus Ce Soir' (Christmas 'Three Angels We've Seen This Night')
06. Christmas Bell Ringers-Hark, The Herald Angels Sing
07. Les Djinns Singers-Non Beau Sapin (O Tannenbaum)
08. Les Djinns Singers-Pour Noël (For Christmas)
09. Christmas Bell Ringers-God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
10. Les Djinns Singers-Noël, C'est L'Amour (Christmas, This Is Love)
11. Les Djinns Singers-Noël Blanc (White Christmas)
12. Christmas Bell Ringers-O, Come All Ye Faithful

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A Little Something-Something

It's that time of year again.  Here in Florida, the temperatures plunged into the 40's for a day and a half, and that must mean that Winter is near.  And with Winter comes Christmas, and with Christmas come the requests.  Here on the blog, for many, many years, I shared out Christmas music that I loved.  Stuff that I had ripped from my collection of vinyl purchased over the years from many a thrift store, usually for $1 or less.  Who knew that so many people would love the same music and enjoy it like I do.  But times change, and so did I.  When I met Jennifer, Christmas music seemed a lot less important than it had in the years before.  Jennifer is still in my life, and a bigger part of it than ever, but I still miss the Christmas music.  This time of year, the letters and requests come in almost daily.  Everyone misses the shares, or just discovered the site, and they want to download this or that, or have me email it to them so that their holiday festivities will once again be whole, like they were when they were young.  I wish I could fulfill all those requests, but there just aren't enough hours in the day. 95% of what I shared were junk records that time has nearly forgotten, trashed pieces of vinyl that don't sound very good even with all the TLC in the world.  I often think that anyone with half an ounce of good intentions could go visit a couple thrift stores and do what I did, but I guess that's just not the case.  But anyhow, I've digressed from my point.  I'm going to try to share out a few old things this year.  Nothing new, just a few things that I've gotten requests for, and maybe a few old favorites.  Don't expect anything too regular.  And if Zippyshare starts giving me issues, don't expect reposts!  I'm a grumpy old man and don't put up with that mess. The first thing I wanted to get back out there is this dusty old record from way back in the day, The Ray Charles Singers-Winter Wonderland (MGM E3387, Mono, 1956).  This was one of the first things I ever ripped and shared, but this is a cleaner rip from 2012, I think.

1. Winter Wonderland
2. Button Up Your Overcoat
3. June In January
4. When Winter Comes
5. Snowfall
6. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
7. Winter & Theme For Indoor Sports
8. Moonlight In Vermont
9. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
10. When Winter Comes A-Callin'
11. Jingle Bells
12. By The Fireside


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And if that's not enough for you, here are Spring, Summer and Fall, too....

The Ray Charles Singers-Spring Is Here (MGM E3162, Mono, 1956).

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The Ray Charles Singers-Summertime (MGM E3529, Mono, 1957).

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The Ray Charles Singers-Autumn Nocturne (MGM E3145, Mono, 1954).

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And if you've managed to get this far, here's Ray's actual Christmas LP, The Ray Charles Singers-Here We Come A-Caroling (MGM E3467, Mono, 1956).

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Stand By...

Shameless Plug

Jen has started a new blog.  Go show her some love. So far, she's much more prolific than I've been in years and years.  :)

Merry Christmas To All

Before the season slips away entirely, I wanted to sneak in here and wish all of my visitors, both loyal and new, a very merry Christmas!  I know I've been MIA for the whole season, but the traffic logs tell me that plenty of folks are still stopping by and finding something or other of interest.  Thank you to those who've left comments or sent me personal notes.  I haven't had time to answer many of you, but all of your notes have been heartwarming.  Yes, Jennifer and I are still together.  We've been busy creating our first Christmas together, trying to make it from one busy day to the next while taking the time to enjoy the season, a little bit more even than I've had the chance to do in the past.  Since 2005 or so, I've been so busy with the blog at Christmas that I haven't had time to do some of the things I should have during the holiday season.  This year I've been shopping until late at night, listened to high school kids play The Nutcracker on the marimbas (and Jingle Bells on bagpipe!), gone to the office Christmas party, saw Santa Claus come riding in on a green '57 Thunderbird, ate soggy chicken while listening to Christmas madrigals and occasionally gotten to listen to some Christmas music.  And I wouldn't trade any of it for all the vinyl in Florida.

Some months ago I asked Jen if maybe she'd like to put together some sort of audio Christmas card that we could send to friends and family in lieu of the usual holiday card that gets tossed after the season ends.  She liked the idea, so we dove into my deep archives of Christmas music from vinyl, listening to hundreds of tracks some nights to sift through and find a CDs worth of music that we liked.  It took a while, and went through a few edits, but we finally came up with the list you see below, all pulled from vinyl in my own collection and spanning the entire history of my blogging life.  The bitrates on some of the older stuff may be low, but I don't think there is anything here that's unlistenable.  Put it on and I think it will bring a little bit of joy to your holiday for many years to come.  There are also a few surprises in here, things that I've never shared, and probably shouldn't share, but I'm not too worried about getting shut down at this point.

1. Pete Rugolo-Jingle Bells Mambo

A new track, something I'd never had before this year.  Would have made a great Christmas-In-July track, but I never got the chance to share it then.  Enjoy it now!

2. Kelly Schoppa-Merry Texas Christmas

Jen is from Texas, and this was the best version I could find.  It bothered her that they say 'You All' in there instead of Y'all.

3. Wayne King-Jing-A-Ling-A-Ling
4. The Surfers-Here Comes Santa In A Red Canoe
5. Vincent Lopez-Here Comes The Fattest Man In Town
6. Elvis Presley-Santa Claus Is Back In Town

From my copy of the original 1957 gatefold with all the pretty pictures of Elvis that have nothing whatsoever to do with Christmas. Just imagine hearing this for the first time...

7. Sarah Vaughan & Billy Eckstine-I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm

I shared this out in a mono version a long time ago, but stumbled across a stereo copy this summer. Jen wondered why I was so excited until I played it for her, so this one had to go on here.  Not sure when this came out since the music was recorded in 1957 before stereo records.  They must have gone back to the 3-tracks for this one. I know there were fewer songs on the LP than the mono version.

8. Hugo Winterhalter-Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Cha Cha
9. The Three Suns-Ding Dong Dandy Christmas
10. George Melachrino-Fairy On The Christmas Tree
11. Georgia Gibbs-Looks Like A Cold Cold Winter
12. Bing Crosby-Christmas Dinner Country Style
13. Margret Jonsson-Snögrubben Froste

I like to think of this as a little Easter Egg, which is the wrong holiday, but you get the idea...

14. Blue Barron-Red Cheeks And White Whiskers
15. The McGuire Sisters-The Cactus Christmas Tree
16. Russ Morgan-The Mistletoe Kiss
17. Ruby Wright-Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Xmas
18. The Town Pipers-Santa’s On His Way
19. The Sun Tones-The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot
20. Dean Martin-The Christmas Blues

Another track I probably shouldn't share out, so pretend it's not here...(But it's so good!)

21. The Davis Sisters-The Christmas Boogie
22. Mimi Hines-I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
23. Lawrence Welk’s Little Band-Outer Space Santa
24. Benny Martin-Santa Claus Is From The South
25. Louis Prima-Senor Santa Claus
26. Les Paul and Mary Ford-Jungle Bells
27. Tony Martin-Christmas In Rio
28. The Ames Brothers-Ting-A-Ling-A Jingle
29. Cicero Pig-December

This is for Sophie, Jen's daughter, who you see on the front cover spotting my giant lens in the audience.  Her birthday comes in December, so we had to make sure she got plenty of birthday-not-Christmas presents.  Oh, and a giant chocolate cake from PF Changs.  And vinyl.  I got her a record.  She seemed to like it. :)

30. Eydie Gormé-Winter Night
31. Poppa John Gordy-Santa Plays The Trombone (In The North Pole Band)
32. IBM 7090 Computer-Joy To The World

And there you have it, a whole lot of oldies but goodies.  That's what this blog has always been about, I suppose.  I hope you enjoy it.

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