First In A While

I have not found a new picture by Demilio in a long time, and then this popped up today in a stack of records!  I'm sure most of you don't remember, but I used to collect and post LP covers that this artist did for the London label (originating with Decca UK, I believe) back in the 50's.  I know nothing about him, and only a little about what albums he did.  This particular one is from Stanley Black-Carnival In The Sun (London LL 1100). Isn't it great?  You can see more of these covers if you search the blog here.

...To All Of You

Another day, another share.  If this one looks familiar, I don't know why.  All you have to do is closely examine the tracklist to see that it has different artists (mostly) than the record with the same cover shared out yesterday.  Took me a while to realize I hadn't bought the same record again, though that happens a lot more often than I like to admit.  (Do I have this in stereo?  With the insert? Is this cover different?  Is that copy I got yesterday in decent shape?  Does this inner sleeve feature different advertising?)  Anyhow, this is another record that has a few celebrity greetings and intros for songs, and will go great on your Christmas CD that I know you're hard at work on now.  Or if you're done with it, squirrel this away for next year (and don't forget to send me a copy!).  This is Songs For The Season (#2) (Narwood Productions For The US Army Reserve, Stereo).

1. Andy Williams

2. Eydie Gorme

3. Danny Davis

4. The Lettermen

5. Vic Damone

6. Jack Jones

7. Lena Horne

8. Hank Thompson

9. Booker T.

10. Johnny Mathis

Zippyshare

RIP Florence Henderson

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Florence Henderson yesterday.  2016 has been a rough year as far as the deaths of beloved celebrities and the trend looks like it's going to continue. Like just about every other kid in America my age, I grew up watching reruns of The Brady Bunch.  I didn't realize at the time that it was just a ripoff of a couple of different movies, but then everything is derivative of something.  I'm not aware of any Christmas music put out by The Brady Bunch, so this promo record for The US Navy will have to do.  Florence introduces a track and gives a short spiel about those poor folks serving in the military and being away from home in the holiday season.  I first shared this in 2007, and I don't think it's seen the light of day since.  It even took me a while to find my files tonight when I thought about it.  If memory serves, this was the first ever record of this type I ever found.  I included 4 or 5 of the introductions on a tape I made back in the 90's, even though they all use very similar scripts.  My tapes weren't very creative, I assure you.  Perhaps that's why I don't do them anymore.  Anyhow, please join me in honoring a small part of the life of television icon Florence Henderson and download A Different Kind Of Christmas (The United States Navy).

1. Eddy Arnold
2. Phyllis Diller
3. Jack Webb
4. Norm Crosby
5. Florence Henderson
6. Robert Young
7. Gary Crosby
8. Shirley Jones
9. George Maharis
10. Edie Adams

Wow, lots of TV icons in there!  I had forgotten some of those.

Zippyshare

From All Of Us...

While there're still plenty of days before Christmas, I've got a few spoken word Christmas greeting records I want to share out. I'll begin with this record from The US Army Reserve inviting you to support their mission in your local neighborhood.  I'm not sure of the year on this one, but I want to say early to mid-70's.  That's going by the dates on some of the songs included, and the few traces I found of this record on the internet.  So if you're looking for some interesting Christmas introductions for your comp this year, this is a good place to start.  This is Songs For The Season (Narwood Productions for The US Army Reserve, Stereo)

1. Mel Torme
2. Danny Davis
3. Patti Page
4. Tex Ritter
5. Sandler & Young
6. Skitch Henderson
7. Liberace
8. The Lettermen
9. Hank Thompson
10. Anne Murray

Zippyshare

Help Wanted

I think I need an intern.  Anybody out there know how to record vinyl & shellac, declick it, de-noise it, change the EQ, change the speed, cut the audio into tracks, tag all the tracks, scan the artwork, stitch the artwork, edit the artwork, create MP3s, add the artwork to the MP3s, bundle it all up, upload the package to a host, then type all the info into a blog post along with somewhat witty banter, and do it multiple times a day?  Must be familiar with Audacity, ClickRepair, iTunes, ICE, Gimp, Zippyshare, Blogger, 7-Zip and the Windows OS in general.  You also have to answer emails about why people can't download files shared out nine years ago on a hosting platform that no longer exists.  I'm afraid it's an unpaid internship and you don't get to keep the records. Oh, and credits earned are unlikely to transfer.  Vinyl hipsters need not apply.  Leave your resume and a cover letter in the comments. (That should give me more time to go out and dig some crates!)

Return Of The Blue Christmas

One of a few remasters I hope to bring you this year, I got a new copy of this EP recently in a trade (Hi, Simon!) and I was excited because now I have the cover.  I didn't even know there was a cover until last year at record show when a dealer showed me a couple shopping bags full of Christmas singles that weren't for sale.  Among the many treasures he let me see in those bags was this EP cover. But now I have a copy of my own, and I'm sharing it with you. I think I first shared this with you back in 2007, but here it is sounding better than ever, and with a nice picture sleeve to boot!  Please enjoy Blue Barron-Santa Claus Is Coming To Town EP (MGM X1055, 1953, Mono).

1. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
2. Red Cheeks And White Whiskers
3. Santa Claus Lullaby
4. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

Zippyshare

Air Force Two

This is the record that was released the year following the one I just shared, and it's more great stuff from your local Air Force recruiter.  I first shared this back in 2012, and I was so happy to have found it and shared it.  It's another rare one, this time featuring Sandler & Young on one side, and The Free Design on the other.  Believe me, you want those tracks from The Free Design.  Looks like I never typed out all the tracks on this one, looks like there are an awful lot of them.  But don't let that deter you, you want this one!  Please grab yourself a digital copy of The United States Air Force Presents The Now Sound Of Christmas And A Christmas Party 1968 Featuring Sandler & Young And The Free Design With The United States Air Force Band (Advertising Division, Hq. U.S. Air Force, Stereo, 1968).

Zippyshare (Full sides, complete show as presented on the record)
Zippyshare (Everything cut into tracks with weird and abrupt fades)

Air Force One

One of the finds I was most excited about this season is this little beauty right here.  One of a series of albums put out by the Air Force in the sixties as a way of driving recruitment efforts, it pairs a couple of big stars with the USAF in-house band, The Airmen Of Note.  I've brought you several other editions from this series in the past, and I even brought you a track lifted from  this one and put out on a sampler back during Christmas In July last year.  But this year, I finally grabbed a copy of this one, the one I've been waiting years to find.  I just happened to look it up one day and someone was selling it on Amazon, so it pays to keep checking.  My only bit of sad news is that it's a mono copy.  I did a bit of research, and I do believe there are stereo copies out there, but they have to be few and far between.  So before I get too excited about this and type another dozen paragraphs, please download and given a listen to this otherwise unreleased music from Nancy Wilson, The Doodletown Pipers, Boris Karloff (fresh off of his Grinch work!) & The Airmen Of Note in From The Nation's Capitol The United States Air Force Presents Christmas (United States Air Force No Number "A Public Service Program", Mono, 1967).

Side 1-It's Christmas Time With Nancy Wilson & The Doodletown Pipers
Side 2-Timmy Discovers Christmas With Boris Karloff

Zippyshare (Two long radio shows as presented on the record)

1. Intro
2. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (Nancy Wilson)
3. Magic Little Music Box (Nancy Wilson)
4. We Need A Little Christmas (The Doodletown Pipers)
5. What Child Is This (Nancy Wilson)
6. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (The Airmen Of Note)
7. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve (Nancy Wilson)
8. Go Tell It On The Mountain (The Doodletown Pipers)
9. O Holy Night (Nancy Wilson)
10. Christmas At Our Place (The Doodletown Pipers)
11. Finale
12.  Promo
13. Intro
14. Overture
15. Timmy Discovers Christmas (Boris Karloff)
16. Outro; Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
17. Promo

(I actually chopped it into quite a few more tracks than this, but they're all just called Intro To... or something like that.)

Zippyshare (Everything chopped up into individual tracks, with sometimes abrupt fades)

Whew, I'd forgotten how much work it is to post stuff up here!  I'm not going to be sharing as much this year a in years past, it's just too much work!

And...We're Back!

Well, here we go.  2016, who'd have believed it!  I don't have a whole lot to say, other than welcome to Ernie (Not Bert) and our somewhat annual celebration of the Christmas music that you've never heard before.  Well, actually, a lot of it you will have heard before because I shared it out years ago and you downloaded it then, but maybe there'll be a new record to share here and there.  For those of you just joining us, I like to share out old Christmas records around here, things that I find in junk stores across the state, things that have fallen out of favor over the years.  All of it is lovingly transferred by me from my old copies of the vinyl or shellac, images are scanned in and stitched together to give you a reasonably good likeness of the physical copy I worked with.  I make no promises of audio fidelity or good music or pretty pictures.  But hopefully you'll find something worth your time and effort.  I know I enjoy putting all this stuff on random play and then letting it play away.  Please remember, this blog runs on comments, so don't be afraid to leave a note now and then.  And big thanks to Inkydog for his help restoring the cassette scan you see above.  I'd never seen that version of the Maxell Blown Away guy before, but when I discovered it, I had to buy the tape and share the picture with you.  Merry Christmas!

It's Coming...

2006 Redux

For many years now, I've been sharing out this collection of tracks that I've touted as the best of my Christmas in July shares from 2006.  One thing I've not done is change it.  I've been sharing out the same old files ripped from vinyl in 2006.  But now I'm changing that.  Those of you who've come around in July know that I try to share out Christmas songs from non-Christmas albums, and frequently I re-record things I've shared out before, either because I found a stereo copy or a cleaner record, or just because I felt like it.  So what I did was found all the tracks from this comp that I had rerecorded at some point, and dropped them into place.  I updated all the tags so it still looks the same, but hopefully the sound will be a little better on 16 of the 31 tracks. Listening to this today, I think it really holds together well, though that may just be because I've been listening to these songs for many Christmases now.  I'm sure you'll enjoy it if you've never heard it before, and returning visitors can appreciate the new sound. This is The Best Of Christmas In July 2006 From Ernie (Not Bert). (The links below should take you to the first time I shared out the track in question.)

1. Clebanoff-Bobsled
2. Ted Heath/Edmundo Ros-Baby It's Cold Outside
3. Lionel Hampton-Gin For Christmas
4. Marty Gold-High On A Windy Hill
5. Eastman-Rochester Pops-Brazilian Sleigh Bells
6. Dinah Washington-I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
7. Henry Mancini-Latin Snowfall
8. Yuji Takizawa & His Blue Bones Orchestra-White X-mas
9. Will Glahé-The Skater's Waltz
10. Esquivel-Sun Valley Ski Run
11. Billy Vaughn-The Chipmunk Song
12. Percy Faith-Little Bells And Big Bells (Glocke Und Glockchen)
13. Lawrence Welk-The Merry Christmas Polka
14. Jerry Murad's Electronic Harmonicats-March Of The Toys
15. Richard Hayman & His Harmonica Orchestra-Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers
16. Ian Fraser & His Orchestra-Sleigh Ride
17. Eddie Layton-Winter Wonderland
18. The Smothers Brothers-Swiss Christmas
19. David Rose-Christmas Tree
20. Eydie Gormé-Winter Night
21. Bernie Green With The Stereo Mad-Men-The Skater And His Dog
22. Enoch Light & The Brass Menagerie-My Favorite Things
23. The Four Freshmen-Santa Claus Is Flat Gonna Come To Town
24. David Carroll-The Ski Song (Slalom)
25. The Monterey Brass-We Need A Little Christmas
26. The Three Suns-Busy Holiday
27. Six Fat Dutchmen-Sleigh Bell
28. Billy May-Snowfall Cha-Cha
29. Dick Schory's New Percussion Ensemble-Holiday In A Hurry
30. Armengol-Ave Maria
31. The Crew-Cuts-Auld Lang Syne

Zippyshare

Thanks again to CaptOT for the artwork way back when! Go listen to his radio shows!

The Soundtrack

Here's another oldie that someone asked about.  Let's see, 2007 was when I first shared this one out, so you can go back there to read all about it.  I should take a look around the internet and see if I can track down the video that this music accompanied, but I'm too lazy.  Maybe someone will link to it in the comments.  Anyhow, here is The Norman Luboff Choir-The Night Before Christmas (Elba Productions, Stereo, 1968).

1. Savory Serenade
2. Wintertime
3. Lullaby Time
4. The Night Before Christmas
5. The Morning Of Christmas

Zippyshare

Three On A Match

Here is a trifecta of re-shares from the request lines.  We begin with a great LP from the great Warner Bros. label that's almost completely forgotten today.  And that's a shame because it's one of the very few Christmas records featuring Billy May.  He leads the orchestra behind The Jimmy Joyce Singers, but for a couple of instrumental tracks he steps to the forefront.  This is a remaster from a stereo copy of a share from way back in the first year of the blog, 2005.  I'm sure you will enjoy The Jimmy Joyce Singers With Orchestra Conducted By Billy May-A Christmas To Remember (Warner Bros WS 1237, Vitaphonic Stereo, 1958).

1. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
2. The Twelve Days Of Christmas
3. An Old Fashioned Christmas
4. Jingle Bells Around The World
5. Christmas Hop
6. Medley Of Foreign Carols
7. Round About Christmas
8. Santa Claus Sleigh Ride
9. The Story Of Christmas
10. Christmas Dinner Country Style
11. Reprise Medley
12. Medley Of English Carols

Zippyshare

Next up are a group of also-rans who worked for Jack Halloran.  I call them that because they recorded a hit song, but then didn't release it until it had been a hit for someone else.  That song is Little Drummer Boy.  You can read my original post from 2007 if you like, but Google the details and dive deep into the rabbit hole that is music copyright.  Fun stuff.  Anyhow, this is The Jack Halloran Singers-The Little Drummer Boy (Dot DLP 25233, Stereo, 1959). You also get three different covers for this one.  The music you're downloading comes from the one above.  The one below is a later reissue, and the one two doors down is the original.

1. The Little Drummer Boy
2. Christmas Is A-Comin'
3. I Wonder As I Wander
4. While Shepherds Watched Their Sheep
5. Lullaby For The Infant Jesus
6. The Holly And The Ivy
7. Deck The Halls
8. Adeste Fideles
9. Joy To The World
10. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
11. Pat-A-Pan
12. Mary's Little Boy Child
13. Go Tell It On The Mountain
14. The Prince Of Peace
15. Angels We Have Heard On High
16. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
17. The First Noel
18. Silent Night
19. We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Zippyshare

Last but not least, here's a great little record that was never sold in stores, but was instead available only through RCA's record club.  That makes it a little tough to find these days, but I love sharing out stuff that's hard to find.  This is another of the records I shared out in 2005, and I've brought it back many times since then, redoing it when I found a stereo copy, and then later on when I got a little better at ripping.  So I think it sounds pretty good now, but download it and see for yourself.  This is The Rainbow Sound Of Bianco, His Harp And Orchestra-Joy To The World-Everybody's Favorite Christmas Music (RCA Victor Club Record CSP-104, Stereo, 1962).


1. Medley: We Wish You A Merry Christmas Silent Night
2. White Christmas
3. Jingle Bells
4. O Holy Night
5. Medley: Away In A Manger; The First Noel
6. Medley: Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful); Joy To The World
7. Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem
8. We Three Kings Of Orient Are
9. Silver Bells
10. Medley: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; Deck The halls
11. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
12. Medley: Sleigh Ride; We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Zippyshare

PS-Nobody requested this one, I just thought it was a good record to bring out and share again.

Speaking Of Christmas

Here's another request from a while back that I'm just now getting to.  Lots of cool Christmas wishes here from a whole lot of different artists, some popular, some not. This was first shared out 'round here back in 2011, and I'm bringing it back tonight.  Here is This is Holiday Greetings From The Epic, Portrait And CBS Associated Families (Epic Portrait Associated/CBS EAS 2864, Stereo, 1987).

01: Greg Allman
02: Ana
03: Big Trouble
04: Bill Carter
05: Robin Zander of Cheap Trick
06: Rick Neilsen of Cheap Trick
07: Cherrelle #1
08: Cherrelle #2
09: Angela Clemmons
10: Charlie Daniels
11: Mary Davis
12: Gloria Estefan And Miami Sound Machine
13: Fabulous Thunderbirds
14: David Hallyday
15: Hiroshima
16: Insiders #1
17: Insiders #2
18: Tuesday Knight
19: Krystol
20: Lion
21: Aimee Mann of 'Til Tuesday
22: Teena Marie #1
23: Teena Marie #2
24: Kathy Mathis
25: Ozzy Osbourne #1
26: Ozzy Osbourne #2
27: Ozzy Osbourne #3
28: Quiet Riot #1
29: Quiet Riot #2
30: The Radiators
31: REO Speedwagon
32: S.O.S. Band #1
33: S.O.S. Band #2
34: Dan Siegel
35: Charlie Singleton
36: Survivor
37: Robert Tepper
38: Wa Wa Nee #1
39: Wa Wa Nee #2
40: Weird Al Yankovic #1
41: Weird Al Yankovic #2
42: Weird Al Yankovic #3
43: Weird Al Yankovic #4
44: Weird Al Yankovic #5
45: Pia Zadora

Zippyshare

If your favorite artist isn't on that first record, maybe they're on here?  From the 2010 sharity season, this is Holiday Greetings From The Epic, Portrait and CBS Associated Family (CBS Records EAS 1393 12" Same On Both Sides, 1988, Stereo).  Dig it!

1. Gregg Allman of The Gregg Allman Band
2. Billy Always
3. Basia
4. Robin Zandar of Cheap Trick
5. Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick
6. Cherrelle
7. Alice Cooper (2x)
8. Gloria Estefan (3x)
9. Europe (2x)
10. The Fabulous Thunderbirds
11. The Godfathers
12. Peter Coyne of The Godfathers
13. Gregory Hines
14. Insiders
15. Living Colour
16. Alexander O'Neal
17. Ozzy Osbourne (2x)
18. Quiet Riot (2x)
19. The Rave-Ups
20. Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon
21. Rhythm Cords
22. Dan Siegel
23. Slammin' Watusis (2x)
24. Henry Lee Summer (2x)
25. Jim Peterik of Survivor
26. Tony Terry
27. 'Til Tuesday
28. Luther Vandross (2x)
29. Gino Vanelli
30. Stevie Ray Vaughan (2x)
31. Weird Al Yankovic (3x)


Zippyshare

OK, now you're just getting greedy.  Again from 2010, this is The Best For '89 From The Entire Capitol Family (Capitol 12" 33 RPM SPRO-79471 (Same on both sides), 1989, Stereo).

1. Paul Shaffer
2. Anne Murray
3. Peter Blakeley
4. Steve Miller
5. Heart
6. Shadowfax
7. Crowded House (2x)
8. Megadeth
9. Flesh For Lulu
10. Climie Fisher
11. Johnny Clegg & Savuka
12. View From The Hill
13. Sequal
14. The Reivers
15. Melba Moore
16. Hazell Dean
17. Pat McLaughlin
18. Aslan
19. Tracie Spencer
20. Suave
21. Poison
22. Pete Bardens
23. Willie Dixon
24. Chapter 8
25. 101 North
26. Lloyd Cole & The Commotions
27. Bert Robinson
28. MC Hammer & The Posse
29. Richard Thompson


Zippyshare

Well, at least this one is from more of the time period that I usually share out around here...  Please enjoy Holiday Greetings Voice Tracks (Columbia 7" 45 RPM JZSP 111921/2 Green Vinyl Promo).  Again, this one was first shared in 2010, though I'd had it for years and years before that, I just never could get a decent rip.

1. Jimmy Dean
2. Jerry Vale (2x)
3. Andy Williams
4. Patti Page (2x)
5. Percy Faith (3x)
6. Ray Conniff (4x)

Zippyshare

If anybody has more of these, I'd love to hear 'em!  Send me a link, or post it in the comments! 

Lopez Here

Another request, one of those great lost albums that will hopefully come back to life soon through the hard work of Real Gone Music.  But until then, you can download Vincent Lopez And His Orchestra-Christmas Music (Coral CRL 57189, Mono, 1957).  I first shared this back in 2012, and The Captain shared out his version waaaaaaaaay back in 2008.  I miss The Captain's blog.

1. Sleigh Ride
2. White Christmas
3. Whistlin' Otto (The Baby Reindeer)
4. Dance Of The Reindeers
5. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
6. O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum
7. Here Comes The Fattest Man In Town
8. Toyland
9. Frosty The Snowman; All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth; Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
10. Jingle Bells
11. The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)
12. Christmas Rush
13. Silver Bells
14. Merry Christmas Polka
15. Cantique De Noel (O Holy Night)
16. I'd Like To Find You In My Stocking
17. Joy To The World
18. Oh, Little Town Of Bethlehem
19. Adeste Fideles
20. Silent Night
21. Merry Christmas To You

Zippyshare

There was a reissue of this later on, but it's missing a bunch of tracks.  Avoid it if you can, but buy it if you must.

Half Speed

I was reminded of this record twice recently, so I figure that must mean it's due for a reshare.  The first thing that reminded me of it was when I saw it shared out on another blog.  I'm 99.9% sure it was my share being shared out, since nobody else would ever take the time to record an oddball LP like this.  But that happens a lot in this game.  The other thing that happened was I found the sister record to this one at the Salvation Army, still sealed.  It's not Christmas, but it's put out by the same people and plays at the same 16-2/3 RPM.  There aren't a lot of records that spin at that speed, and even fewer of them made for adults.  Some kiddie records were made to play at that speed, and a lot of spoken word stuff.  Many record players from back in the day would spin at that speed, probably because it was an easy multiple of 33-1/3 RPM.  Anyhow, I shared this out back in 2012, and I'm bringing it back tonight.  Don't be fooled by imitations, demand the real deal!  This is Will Kennedy's Stereo Orchestra-Stereo Christmasland (Dancetime 12" 16-2/3 RPM LP WK-5000-S, Stereo).

1. Rudolph, The Red Nose (sic) Reindeer
2. Greensleeves
3. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
4. I Saw Three Ships
5. O Tannenbaum
6. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
7. Silent Night
8. Over The River And Through The Woods
9. Adeste Fidelis
10. Joseph O Joseph
11. Deck The Halls
12. By The Christmas Tree
13. Unto Us Is Born A Son
14. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
15. Good King Wenceslas
16. Come, All Ye Shepherds
17. Jolly Old St. Nicholas
18. Joy To The World
19. Winter Wonderland
20. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
21. The Christmas Song
22. Angels We Have Heard On High
23. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
24. Wassail Song
25. The First Noel
26. Shepherds, Shake Off Your Drowsy Sleep
27. White Christmas
28. O Sanctissima
29. Away In A Manger
30. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
31. Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming
32. We Three Kings
33. O Holy Night
34. O Come, Little Children
35. The Holly And The Ivy
36. Jingle Bells

Zippyshare

Music In A Box

Continuing on with a loose theme of resharing things out of the ordinary, here's an album recorded from music boxes that has nothing to do with Rita Ford or some old museum!  A track from this one popped up on random play today and I enjoyed it, so here it is for you!  I first shared this out back in 2008, so it's been around for a while though I don't think it's grown stale.  For some pleasant background sounds, please download The Sounds Of Christmas-The Wonderful World Of The Music Box, Bells And Chimes (Warner Bros. WS 1238, Stereo, 1958).

1. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
2. The First Noel
3. Jolly Old St. Nicolas
4. Away In A Manger
5. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
6. O Christmas Tree
7. O Come All Ye Faithful
8. Silent Night
9. Joy To The World
10. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
11. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
12. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
13. Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly
14. Jingle Bells
15. Winter Wonderland
16. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
17. White Christmas

Zippyshare

Kimball, Not Gum Ball

I got an odd request for something that I didn't think anybody liked, so here it is.  From 2005, one of my least popular shares ever.  I've never remastered this one, so it's low, low, low bitrate, and the sound itself might be a little dodgy. (I've gotten a bit better over the years, I like to think.)  I have found another copy or two in the past ten years, and given a little thought to a re-recording, but never got around to it.  Someday...  In the meantime, you'll have to make do with this copy of A Kimball Christmas (KPO 82-004, Stereo, 1982).

1. Byron Melcher-Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers
2. John Norton-Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
3. Hal Vincent-Mary's Little Boy Chile
4. Bill Ryder-Silver Bells
5. Byron Melcher-Just A Closer Walk With Thee
6. Byron Melcher-Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
7. Hal Vincent-Blue Christmas
8. John Norton-Christmas Medley
9. Wade Bray-Sleighride
10. Bill Ryder-O Holy Night

Zippyshare

That Other Ray

I was surprised to discover recently that Ray Charles has passed away this year at the ripe old age of 96.  To be honest, I wasn't aware that he was still alive, but it's my own fault for not checking.  I've been preaching the gospel of the other Ray and his Christmas tunes since 2005, so this year marks 10 years!  Just in case you've somehow missed it for all this time, here's Ray's official Christmas record, The Ray Charles Singers-Here We Come A-Caroling (MGM E3467, Mono, 1956).

1. Here We Come A Caroling
2. Silent Night
3. Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly
4. The First Noel
5. O, Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)
6. Lullay, Thou Little Tiny Child
7. Angels We Have Heard On High
8. What Child Is This (Greensleeves)
9. I Saw Three Ships
10. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
11. Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabelle
12. Away In A Manger
13. Good King Wenceslas
14. O, Little Town Of Bethlehem
15. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
16. We Three Kings Of Orient Are
17. God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen
18. Rise Up, Shepherd, An' Foller
19. Joy To The World
20. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
21. Here We Come A Caroling

Zippyshare

  And then there's this...I'm still not entirely sure about this one, though I first shared it with you in 2006.  This LP has the same tracklisting as Here We Come A-Caroling, but it's in stereo.  Is it a re-recording?  Is it fake stereo?  Was the original recorded in multi-channel years before that was a common practice, then remixed?  It's going to take some serious sleuthing to figure all that out, and I don't have the drive.  So maybe you can figure it out.  Just leave me a comment with your answer.  Either way, this is The Ray Charles Singers-Christmas At Home (MGM SE-4166, 1963).

Zipyshare

If two albums of (the same?) Christmas music isn't enough for you, here's a seasonally inspired LP from Mr. Charles and his singers.  I think it's every bit as good as the Christmas record, which is doubly impressive since he cranked it out in the same year.  So don't be afraid to download The Ray Charles Singers-Winter Wonderland (MGM E3387, Mono, 1956). This is a 2012 remaster of something I've been sharing since way back in 2005.

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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While you're here, you may as well go ahead and download the other three seasons...   Set these aside for now and break them out when seasonally appropriate.  You'll be glad you did.

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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Still not enough?  Find a couple more tracks here and here.

Christmas, 2015

I know, I know, you want me to share such-and-such with you from 8 years ago because you grew up with it or your mom liked it or whatever.  OK, I get it, I appreciate it, but I can't reshare everything or keep the old shares up, it's just too much work.  And too many shares are going to draw the attention of someone who might not like Christmas sharing.  But like last year, maybe I can throw up something now and then just to keep the home fires burning.  And the first interesting request of the year came in almost a month ago for something I hadn't thought of in a long time...

This is Tammy, one of the many dolls that used to compete for shelf space with Barbie and I'm sure many other forgotten dolls of the sixties.  And sure enough, she put out a Christmas album.  For slightly more info, you can go and read what I wrote about her back in 2010, or you can just download Tammy-Merry Christmas With Tammy (Little World Records (Ideal Toy Corp., Midnight Music) LW-906, Mono, 1965).

1. Intro
2. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
3. O Christmas Tree
4. Deck The Halls
5. Silent Night
6. Winter Wonderland
7. Joy To The World
8. Greensleeves
9. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
10. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
11. O Come All Ye Faithful
12. Jingle Bells
13. The Story Of The Night Before Christmas-With Pepper!
14. We Wish You A Merry Christmas


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And if Tammy is too cool for you, there's always Heidi.  Heidi first graced my blog back in 2008, so she's been around a long, long time. I'm sure you want to see what life was like back before George Lucas went to film school, so go give a listen to Heidi-The Night Before Christmas (Majorette M-304, Mono, 1965).

1. Introduction
2. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
3. Silent Night
4. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
5. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
6. O Christmas Tree
7. Deck The Halls
8. Frosty The Snowman
9. Joy To The World
10. The First Noel
11. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
12. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
13. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
14. And The Night Before Christmas Story

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The Return Of Chanukah In August-Day 1

If you've hung out around here in the past, you might remember that Christmas In July is always followed up by Chanukah in August.  You might also remember that Chanukah songs are much fewer and farther between than Christmas songs, so we only get one day of Chanukah songs instead of 31.  And two of these are from the same album and artist, because pickin's are really slim here.

Track one is The Hanukkah Song by Tom Glazer With Jeffrey Alden-Orchestra Conducted By Tony Mottola from that same old album I Like Holidays! (RCA Camden CAL-1055, Mono, 1964).  How many different ways can you spell Chanukah in English?  I know it's quite a few, and the different spellings seem to go in and out of favor.

The other two tracks I have for you are Chanukah (The Feast Of Lights) & Chanukah (Is Here At Last), both of which are surprisingly good, and both are from the LP Happy Holidays-The Spirit Of The Jewish Holidays In Modern Song (Maris 93059 (Printed and Mfg. by Crown Album Corp., Phila, 47, Pa., USA), Mono).  The artist is Sue Brason And Chorus With Orchestra Under The Direction Of Len Lewy.  I was pretty impressed by both of these tracks, they don't sound like some of the Chanukah music I've found in the past, they really fit right in with all the other stuff I've shared in the past month.  I'm sure you'll enjoy them as much as I did.

That's it, just three tracks.  Here's the download.  Now I can go back into hibernation for a while.

The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 31

Here we are, the very last day of Christmas in July.  What a long, strange trip it's been.  Tonight is pretty much the same as last night, more songs for New Year's.  Here goes...

Auld Lang Syne starts us out in a version by Connie Francis And The Jordanaires-Conducted By Joe Mele from another LP that's a thrift store staple, Sing Along With Connie Francis (Mati-Mor Superecords 8002, Mono).  This is a promotional LP for Brylcreem that I see all the time, but never paid much attention to until recently.  And sure enough, there was a track I could use.  Version two of Auld Lang Syne is by Van Alexander And His Orchestra (who graced us earlier this month with Gordon MacRae, I think) from the album Let's Dance The Last Dance (Capitol T1457, Mono, 1959).  Version three is by Ann Moray from a half-song, half-spoken word LP, The Love Songs Of Robert Burns (Spoken Arts 754, Mono, 1959). And fourth is a parody version, or at least a new funny verse, by Tom Glazer With Jeffrey Alden-Orchestra Conducted By Tony Mottola from that same LP of theirs I've been doling out to you for much of the last week, I Like Holidays! (RCA Camden CAL-1055, Mono, 1964).  It's pretty funny, but short.

Next up is New Year's Day, a nice little track by 101 Strings from the radio promo LP American Holidays And Special Occasions (Special Radio Copy-No Number, Mono).  I think there was a standard release of this LP, but it omitted one of the short tracks, which was probably just an edit of the longer version.

Track six is the first of the reruns tonight, it's Happy New Year-Reprise, a short little part two to a track I shared yesterday, again by The McGuire Sisters-Directed By Dick Jacobs from the LP Children's Holiday (Coral CRL 57097, Mono, 1957).

And bringing up the rear is Nat King Cole-Arranged & Conducted By Gordon Jenkins from his posthumous LP The Unforgettable Nat Cole Sings The Great Songs! (Capitol ST 2558, Stereo, 1966).  Jenkins wrote this song and recorded it about three times, I've shared those with you here before, as well as this version with Nat.  They're all nice songs, something I think should be more popular than it is, but I could say that about a lot of the things I share here.

Anyhow, that's it for tonight and for the month.  Here's the download.  Hope you had a great time!  Leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite tracks were.  I've already started a best-of folder for a future collection from this month.  No promises about when that might be completed, but you never know.  Thanks for all your support his month, it's been good to be back.

The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 30

In previous years, I've saved all of my New Year's themed tracks for the last day of the month, but I had so many of them this year, I'm splitting them up over two days, today and tomorrow.  And I've got seven different tracks for each night, so that's a lot of tracks!

I'm starting off with a plethora of Auld Lang Syne, the most popular of New Year's songs.  This first version is by Ivor Raymonde from his LP Scottish Sing-Along (London International Series SW 99027, Stereo, 1962).  The second version is Tom Glazer With Jeffrey Alden-Orchestra Conducted By Tony Mottola from the kiddie LP I Like Holidays! (RCA Camden CAL-1055, Mono, 1964). The third version is from that thrift store staple The First Family (London Records (UK) HA-A 8048, Mono, 1962).  Somehow, I found a UK copy, I can't explain it.  Anyhow, this one is performed by Vaughn Meader, Naomi Brossart, Norma MacMillan & Earle Doud.  I can't tell you how many times I've looked at this LP without really picking it up and checking for Christmas music.  One day I did, and there it was. The last version for tonight is actually a medley of Auld Lang Syne and Happy Birthday performed by the greatest crooner of them all Bing Crosby, ably assisted by the Ken Darby Singers And Victor Young And His Orchestra from the small LP entitled Auld Lang Syne (Decca 10" 33 RPM DLP 5028, Mono, 1949).  This version was easy to spot since it involved the title of the album.  I love the easy ones!

Starting into the other tracks, we've got another tall tale from Johnny Bond, this one entitled New Year's Day, again from the LP 10 Little Bottles And Other Tall Tales And Songs For Boozers! (Starday SLP 333, Mono, 1965).  I'm afraid this one isn't much better than the one I shared earlier this month.

Up next is The McGuire Sisters take on Happy New Year, a rerun around these parts but worth revisiting.  The LP is Children's Holiday (Coral CRL 57097, Mono, 1957).

And last up is Fred Waring And The Pennsylvanians doing Let Us All Sing Auld Lang Syne, which I probably should have listed above, but it's sorta kinda not the same song.  This is a rerun, and it's from the album Alma Mater Memories (Capitol ST1949, Stereo, 1963).

And I think that's it for tonight.  Be sure to come back tomorrow for part two of the New Year's songs.  Oh, almost forgot, here's the download link for tonight.

The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 29

Really, really getting down to the nitty gritty tonight.  But I think you'll enjoy it anyway.  Here goes...

Track the first is Lilacs In Winter, a country weeper from The Wilburn Brothers.  I ripped this from their LP Little Johnny Down From Down The Street (Decca DL 75173, Stereo, 1969).  I don't think you can ever have too many country weepers in your Christmas collection.

Track the second is Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming by The St. Louis A Cappella Choir-Director Dr. William B. Heyne from the various artists LP The Lutheran Hour (RCA Victor LSP-1863, Stereo, 1958).  I believe this is a collection of songs from a popular radio show of the time.

Track the third is the final song from that great album by Red Carter, Santa's Musical Grog (Frog Recording, Ltd. RG 001, Stereo).  I kept hoping someone would chime in with some more info on this album, but I still don't know anything more about than I did that day I bought it at the Habitat ReStore in Port Charlotte a couple months ago.  Oh, this evenings selection from the album is Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.

Track the fourth is a rerun of the ever popular Sleigh Ride, this time by Werner Müller And His Orchestra from the LP Werner Müller Plays Leroy Anderson (London Phase 4 SP 44057, Stereo, 1965).  I had thought about doing one night of nothing but tracks from Phase 4 albums, but I forgot and shared some of them too soon.  Maybe next year.

And track the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth is Snowfall by Claude Thornhill And His Orchestra.  Version number one is from the LP Dancing After Midnight (Columbia CL 709, Mono, 1955).  The other four versions are all from the LP Snowfall-A Memory Of Claude (Monmouth-Evergreen MR 6606, Electronic Stereo, 1967).  This LP, released not long after Claude's passing contained extracts from two tapes provided by his widow to a former member of his band.  The tracks from side one date to the 1940's, while the two versions from side two are from a demo tape he made in the 60's.  Those two versions also feature narration over the song that I find pretty cool.  These would work well on a mixtape somewhere.

Anyhow, that's it for tonight, hope there's something in there you like.  Here's the download link, catch you on the flip side.

The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 28

Not far to go now...  Hope I have enough stuff left to make it through.

Track one, and easily the best one tonight, is Christmas Time In Nassau by Johnathan (Johnny) Kemp With John Chapman's Confidential Club Orchestra from the LP Confidential Carnival-Authentic Bahamian Calypsos (Goombay) (Island Artists LP 1002, Mono).  This is something I recorded last year, but never shared.  It's probably the best Christmas track I've ever found on a Caribbean tourist record.  I pick up a lot of them and look for Christmas music, but they're few and far between.

Track two is Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Choir-Kay Morris, Organist And Director Of Music performing He Is Born from With A Voice Of Singing (Mark Custom Records MC-8922 (Falls Church, VA), Stereo, 1971).  This is the last track I've got from this LP.  I think it was a pretty good addition to the collection.

Track three is Cradle Song by Ethel Smith from her LP Seated On Day At The Organ (Decca DL 78902, Stereo, 1959).  I don't think this is really a Christmas song, I was probably confusing it with Luther's Cradle Song, but close enough.

Track four is Ave Maria by The De Paur Chorus-Leonard De Paur, Conductor-Soloist: Luther Saxon from the LP The Spirit Of Christmas/God Is With Us (Columbia CL 725, Mono, 1955).  The A side of this record is all Christmas, but the B side only features this one sorta-Christmas track.  I think it was originally released as a pair of 10" LPs, but I've never seen either one.  I hunted for this record for a long time to complete my pair of Leonard De Paur Christmas albums.

Track five is Hallelujah by The Eric Rogers Chorale And Orchestra from Glory, Glory, Hallelujah (London Phase 4 SP 44028, Stereo, 1963), and I think it's the only rerun of the night.  Seems like a very religious collection of tunes tonight, except for that first one.  Not too bad for this late in the month.

And that's it, five and out.  Here's the download, see you tomorrow.

The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 27

Wow, has it really been 27 days already?  Time flies when you're busy trying to rip a hundred or so albums.  Here's tonight's shares.

An odd little folkish song starts things out tonight, Taurian Canticle (Winter Ocean) For People And Dulcimer from Jaime Brockett 2 (Capitol/Oracle SKAO-601, Stereo, 1970) by Jaime Brockett.  No idea what this is all about, the liner notes are pretty cryptic.

Track two is Silent Night, Holy Night (Stille Nacht) by the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Choir from their LP With A Voice Of Singing (Mark Custom Records MC-8922 (Falls Church, VA), Stereo, 1971).  Nice, like it should be.

Track three is the first rerun of the night, but it's the great Ruby Murray with Norrie Paramor's Music singing Miss O'Leary's Irish Fruit Cake, which may or may not be a Christmas song, but we'll pretend for the sake of having something to share.  The album is called Irish (And Proud Of It) (Capitol ST10327, Stereo, 1963).

Track four is The Bells of St. Mary's by Gordon MacRae With Van Alexander, from the LP Songs For An Evening At Home (Capitol ST1251, Stereo, 1959).  Are you tired of this song yet?  I feel like it's been shared more than it's fair share this month.

Lastly, it's Henry Mancini, His Orchestra And Chorus, performing White Christmas from the double LP The Academy Award Songs-31 "Oscar" Winners (RCA Victor LSP-6013, Stereo, 1966).  Nice high spot to end with.

There's the tracklist for tonight, here's the download link.  Not far to go now, pickings are getting a bit slim I'm afraid.  Leave me a comment and tell me what your favorite tracks have been so far.  I need to get started picking out a few songs for an eventual best-of.

The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 26

And with this post, I should be back to current.  Hooray!

Track one is Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring by Igor Gorin With Carmen Dragon Conducting The Symphony from Your Requests (Allied Record Sales 10" 33 RPM Red Vinyl ARS Album LP 2000, Mono, 1954).  No idea who this guy is, but I knew the conductor, Carmen Dragon, from his work on the Capitol label and his son, The Captain.

Track two is Silent Night by James A. Miller & Friends, yet another track from the album Happy Time Nursery Songs (Herald Press 10" 33 RPM HP 1001-33 1/3, Mono).  Is this the last track I have form this record?  I think so.

Track three is Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year, presented by Percy Faith And His Orchestra from their LP Percy Faith Program (Decca 10" 33 RPM DL 5349, Mono, 1951).  This is awful early Percy, before he went to Columbia.  And this is the last track I'm sharing tonight from a 10" record.  I tried to find five tracks all from the smaller LPs, but I just couldn't.

Track four is another great rerun from Ruby Murray With Norrie Paramor's Music, this time it's Christmastime In Ireland, from that classic LP Irish (And Proud Of It) (Capitol ST10327, Stereo, 1963).  Really good stuff here.

Lastly, we've got Sleigh Ride by 101 Strings from their tribute album Victor Young & Leroy Anderson (Alshire S-5012, Stereo, 1964).  Can't have too many versions of Sleigh Ride.

And that's it for today.  Go get your download, I'm off to bed.

The Return Of Christmas In July-Day 25

Here's the first post of the day.  It's still early so I hope to be able to get a second post in today to be all caught up with the calendar.  Wish me luck.  Now, here's the music.

We start with one of the original Sesame Street performers, Bob McGrath, joined by The Jimmy Joyce Singers, singing I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony), a sorta-Christmas song from his LP Bob McGrath Sing For All The Boys And Girls (Disneyland 1357, Stereo, 1974).  Bob had been a member of Mitch Miller's singalong crowd, and even released a solo LP through Columbia.  I believe he was very popular in Japan, certainly more so than here in the states.  He also released a Christmas EP in Japan that I've never seen or heard.  So if anyone wants to shoot that my way, I'd love to hear it.

Track two is something a little special, it's Doris Day singing Christmas Story from the soundtrack to On Moonlight Bay (Columbia 4x10" 78 RPM C-267, Mono, 1951).  That's right, it's the only track so far this month taken from shellac!  I may have another, but so far it's resisted my attempts to get a skip free recording, but we'll have to give it another try.

Track three, which I think is a rerun, is Ave Maria by The Eric Rogers Chorale And Orchestra, from the LP Glory, Glory, Hallelujah (London Phase 4 SP 44028, Stereo, 1963).  Love those fancy gatefold covers!

Track four continues the rerun goodness with I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (From "On The Avenue") by Skitch Henderson, His Piano And Orchestra, from A Tribute To Irving Berlin (Columbia CS 9683, Stereo, 1968).

Fifth and finally we have another electronic version of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, this time entitled The New Hallelujah.  This one is something I shared before, but it's too good not to bring back.  Performers on this one are Ralph Carmichael (Conductor), Clark Gassman (Player) & Fred Werner (Programmer), the album is The Electric Symphony (The MOOG Synthesizer) (Light LS-5541-LP, Stereo, 1970).  This will get you up and dancing, I'm sure.

And there you have it.  Go download and enjoy!