Major Christmas

I think it's high time I shared some more chimes with you!  I've been slacking the past couple of days.  Here's one I grabbed for the great cover, and it appears to be a label that's more known for production music and sound effects than commercial music.  That might explain why there's no artist credited here.  I just credited it to the label, same as I did when I recorded an old 78 of their sound effects some years ago.  Great cover, though!  Speed this up to about 100 RPM and it's really cool!  This is Major Records-Chime Music For Christmas With Vibraharp (Major Records 1000, Mono).

1. O Come All Ye Faithful
2. Silent Night
3. First Noel
4. Angels We Have Heard On High
5. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
6. Good King Wenceslas
7. What Child Is This?
8. Deck The Halls
9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
10. Little Town Of Bethlehem
11. Angels From The Realms Of Glory
12. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear

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Kennedy's Second Term

Here's a classic oldie that I've been able to re-encode for you at a higher bitrate, as well as add a different cover to the share!  You might remember this share from 2012 as the one that is twice as long as anything I've ever shared from a single LP because the record spins half as fast.  That's right, 16.66666666 RPM is the speed of this one, not the usual 33.333333333 or 45 RPM. Somewhere in my collection I have another LP from this same label and artist of non-Christmas songs, and I thought I had another Christmas album from them until I realized it was the same tunes with a different cover.  It's good stuff!  I think you'll enjoy 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

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Not 100% sure which came first, but I've seen the cover with the woman on it a couple of times now, but the cover below I've only ever seen once.

Return Of A Good Man

From the request lines, here's a share from 2010 that hasn't seen the light of day since then.  It's one of those things that probably came out half a dozen times attributed to five different artists with just as many different covers.  But someone wrote me a note about how they had this record as a child, and I'm a sucker for such stories.  So maybe this is something you had and you want to hear it again, or maybe you just want to see what you might be missing.  This is Al Goodman-Christmas Sing-A-Long With Al Goodman (Pirouette FM-39, Stereo).

1. Deck The Hall
2. The First Noel
3. Jingle Bells
4. White Christmas
5. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
6. Go Tell It On The Mountain
7. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
8. Joy To The World
9. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
10. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
11. O Come All Ye Faithful
12. Good King Wenceslas
13. O Christmas Tree
14. I Saw Three Ships
15. The Christmas Hymn (Echo Song)
16. Hail To Christmas

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Mexico!

From Spain yesterday, I'm jumping back across the Atlantic to Mexico.  Why?  Just because they supposedly speak the same language.  I know there are more dialects of Spanish than you can shake a stick at, but it's a nice connection so I'm going with it. Lots of familiar songs here that I'm sure you'll recognize, but still plenty of tracks to expand your Christmas horizons a little bit.  This is Christmas In Mexico (Capitol "Capitol Of The Word" T10092, Mono, 1957).  I have a theory that the reason many of these recordings have dropped out of sight over the years is because they were made in mono.  We'll eventually get into the later stereo issues, and those records have been reissued a few times, but not these earlier ones in mono.  It's a shame, because mono recording in hi-fi was pretty much perfected at this point, and they sound really good.  You'll really enjoy many of these tracks from this whole series.

1. Coro Misioneros Del Espiritu Santo-Cantos De Posadas (Posadas Song)
2. Mariachi Pulido-Alegre Navidad (Merry Christmas)
3. Niños Cantores De Morelia-Noche De Paz (Silent Night Holy Night)
4. Los Cuatro Soles-Canto De Navidad (Christmas Song)
5. Coro Misioneros Del Espiritu Santo-Aldehuela De Belem (Little Village Of Bethlehem)
6. Carmela Rey-Navidad Blanca (White Christmas)
7. Coro Misioneros Del Espiritu Santo-Coro De Las Campanas (Chorus Of The Bells)
8. Toni Aguilar Con El Mariachi Jalisco-Amarga Navidad (Bitter Christmas)
9. Niños Cantores De Morelia-Gesu Bambino (Child Jesus)
10. Linda Arce-Nieve (Snow)
11. Coros De Alberto Herrera-Campanas De Navidad (Jingle Bells)
12. Coro Misioneros Del Espiritu Santo-Echen Confites Y Canelones (Throw Christmas Candies)

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A Rerun From Spain

Have you had enough music from Spain yet?  Well, before I move onto the next country, I figured I'd throw up this old favorite from 2008. I remember thinking this one was really good, and I've been meaning to go back and remaster it, but I don't know where my original LP is and I haven't seen another one. So you're just going to have to make do with this old rip at a low bitrate.  It's also before my discovery of ClickRepair, so don't be surprised if there are more clicks and pops than you can shake a stick at.  I'll find it one day and call for a do-over.  This is The Madrid Concert Orchestra And Chorus-Victorino Echevarria, Arranger-Conductor-Christmas In Spain (United Artists UAS 6059, Stereo, 1959).

1. Zumba Zum
2. Long Live St Joseph And The Child (Viva San Jose Y El Nino)
3. Sleep Little Jesus (Dorm Jesuset)
4. Where Are You Going Little Shepherd? (Adonde Vas, Pastorcito?)
5. Tan-Tan
6. Sing Little Ones (Chicetes, Cantem)
7. And There Is A Star (Y Es Una Estrella)
8. To Bethlehem (A Betlem, Si Us Plau)
9. Between The Straw And The Ice (Entre La Paja Y El Hielo)
10. From Egypt To Bethlehem (De Egipto Para Belene)
11. The Child Came Down From Heaven (El Nino Bajo Del Cielo)
12. Lotan-Dago
13. The Tambourines Are Playing (Suenen Las Panderetas)
14. Bolo, Bolo, Bolo

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Medallion Of Honor

I've shared out so many records with you here at the blog over the years, it's almost an embarrassment of riches.  Lots of things have finally been released on CD or digital downloads, so there are lots of things I can't share anymore, so that kind of narrows it down.  But there are still a lot of things I can select from.  Sometimes something pops into my head or I'll search through old posts to find something that tickles my memory.  Such is the case here.  It's a release on a sorta major label that was parts of a fancy sound series, but it's been forgotten today.  These stereo show-off records were all the rage for a while, from the late 50's to the early 60's, and just about every label had their own version.  Not many of them featured Christmas records, though, so that's where this one stands out.  If you don't have it from the original share in 2007, go ahead and download it now and give it a listen.  This is The Medallion Orchestra And Chorus, Directed By John Paul Krance-The Sound Of Christmas-Deck The Halls (Medallion (Kapp) MS-7512, Stereo, 1960).

1. Joy To The World-Deck The Halls-The Wassial Song
2. Carol Of The Bells-The Little Drummer Boy
3. The Christmas Song
4. Hark The Herald Angels Sing-Away In A Manger-It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
5. White Christmas
6. Oh, Little Town Of Bethlehem-The First Noel
7. Oh, Tannenbaum-Angels We Have Heard On High
8. Silent Night
9. Jingle Bells-Winter Wonderland
10. We Three Kings Of Orient Are-God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
11. What Child Is This?-The Coventry Carol
12. Adeste Fideles

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More Spain!

As it happens, there are international Christmas records other than those put out by Capitol in the late 50's, and I happen to have one of those right here.  Since it's also from Spain, same as the share this morning, I figure I'll go ahead and throw it up here so you can compare and contrast. I don't have a year for this one, but I'm going to guess early to mid-sixties. It's hard to tell with some labels, you don't see them everyday and you can't associate certain dates with certain variations.  All of that is beside the point, you just need to listen to the music and pretend you're in Madrid listening to the local bands.  This is Navidad En España-Christmas In Spain (Montilla FM-186, Mono). This one may be more authentic than the Capitol record.  Not really any songs that Americanos might recognize. Well, one, maybe two...

1. Escolania Del Santisimo Sacramento De Los Padres Sacramentinos, Dir. Padre Jose Luis Calvo, Orq. Dirigida Por Rafael Ibarbia-Fum Fum
2. Escolania Del Santisimo Sacramento De Los Padres Sacramentinos, Dir. Padre Jose Luis Calvo, Orq. Dirigida Por Rafael Ibarbia-Dime Nino
3. Escolania Del Santisimo Sacramento De Los Padres Sacramentinos, Dir. Padre Jose Luis Calvo, Orq. Dirigida Por Rafael Ibarbia-Rin Rin
4. Escolania Del Santisimo Sacramento De Los Padres Sacramentinos, Dir. Padre Jose Luis Calvo, Orq. Dirigida Por Rafael Ibarbia-Arre Mi Morena
5. Escolania Del Santisimo Sacramento De Los Padres Sacramentinos, Dir. Padre Jose Luis Calvo, Orq. Dirigida Por Rafael Ibarbia-Noche De Paz
6. Escolania Del Santisimo Sacramento De Los Padres Sacramentinos, Dir. Padre Jose Luis Calvo, Orq. Dirigida Por Rafael Ibarbia-Esta Noche Es Noche Buena
7. Escolania Del Santisimo Sacramento De Los Padres Sacramentinos, Dir. Padre Jose Luis Calvo, Orq. Dirigida Por Rafael Ibarbia-Campana Sobre Campana
8. Escolania Del Santisimo Sacramento De Los Padres Sacramentinos, Dir. Padre Jose Luis Calvo, Orq. Dirigida Por Rafael Ibarbia-Chiquirritin
9. Escolania Del Santisimo Sacramento De Los Padres Sacramentinos, Dir. Padre Jose Luis Calvo, Orq. Dirigida Por Rafael Ibarbia-Arre Borriquita
10. Escolania Del Santisimo Sacramento De Los Padres Sacramentinos, Dir. Padre Jose Luis Calvo, Orq. Dirigida Por Rafael Ibarbia-Jesusito De Mi Vida
11. Escolania Del Santisimo Sacramento De Los Padres Sacramentinos, Dir. Padre Jose Luis Calvo, Orq. Dirigida Por Rafael Ibarbia-Las Barbas De San Jose
12. Marisol-Mi Cancion De Navidad
13. Carmen Jara Acompañada De La Escolania De Los Angeles Custodios De Madrid-Despierten Pastores
14. Carmen Jara Acompañada De La Escolania De Los Angeles Custodios De Madrid-Nana De Maria
15. Marisol-Regalitos A Jesus
16. Miguel De Los Reyes-Villancico Gitano
17. Carmen Jara Acompañada De La Escolania De Los Angeles Custodios De Madrid-Pastores En Belen
18. Carmen Jara Acompañada De La Escolania De Los Angeles Custodios De Madrid-Como Vengo Del Campo

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The Other Bradley's Back

Might as well go ahead and share out this other Owen Bradley Christmas LP while I'm at it.  I think this was first shared 'round these part a full ten years go back in 2008!  I don't have to tell you anything about Owen Bradley, especially since you just learned a little bit in my last post.  This one is a little less exciting than the previous one because it's just him, no quintet.  But don't let that stop you from giving it a try.  This is Owen Bradley-Organ And Chimes Played By Owen Bradley (Coral CRL 57071, Mono, 1956).

1. We Three Kings Of Orient Are
2. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
3. Silent Night
4. O Holy Night
5. The First Nowell
6. Joy To The World
7. Deck The Halls
8. Ring Out The Bells-The Bells Of Christmas
9. The Birthday Of A King
10. O Come All Ye Faithful
11. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
12. Away In A Manger

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Bradley's Back

Owen Bradley was one of the architects of the Nashville countrypolitan sound, but he made some albums under his own name that really didn't have anything to do with that sound.  And this is one of them.  It's credited to his quintet, but it's really just an organ and chime record with the occasional accompaniment by some sort of Three Suns wanna-be.  I like it!  This is yet another one of those records that was only available via torrent back in 2012, so grab it before it goes back into hiding. This is Owen Bradley & His Quintet-Joyous Bells Of Christmas (Decca DL 8652, Mono, 1957).

1. White Christmas
2. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
3. Winter Wonderland
4. Here Come Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)
5. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
6. Jingle Bells
7. Adeste Fidelis
8. Silent Night
9. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
10. The First Noel
11. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
12. Oh, Little Town Of Bethlehem
13. Joy To The World; God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Away In A Manger

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Spain!

From Portugal we move right next door to Spain, which isn't really a very long trip. Trust me, we're going to eventually make it all the way around the world at least once, if not twice.  Christmas is still a long way away and I have a big stack of records.  Not too much I can say about this one, as with all these records, it's a mix of local favorites with the occasional familiar carol thrown into the mix.  Those familiar carols were probably spread via missionaries in most cases, but I suspect that motion pictures later became a much bigger influence.  Not too many missionaries had White Christmas in their hymnals.  Anyhow, this is Christmas In Spain (Capitol "Capitol Of The World" T10094, Mono, 1957).

1. Orfeo Laudate-Una Pandereta Suena (A Tambourine Plays)
2. Lita Franquis Y Conjunto Canario-A Jesus Adorar (Let's Adore Jesus)
3. Coro Y Organo De Barcelona-Noche De Paz (Silent Night)
4. Capilla Clasica Polifonica-Villancico Del Vestidito (Carol Of The Little Dress)
5. Escolania De Ntra. Sra. Del Sagrado Corazon Y Capilla Clasica Polifonica-La Virgen Fue Lavadera (The Virgin Was A Washerwoman)
6. Coro Y Orquesta De Barcelona, Solista: J. Segarra-Navidades Blancas (White Christmas)
7. De Niños De Barcelona-Arre, Borriquita (Get Up, Little Donkey)
8. Escolania Del Monasterio De Montserrat-Pobre Gitanilla (Poor Little Gypsy)
9. Escolania De Ntra. Sra. Del Sagrado Corazon Y Capilla Clasica Polifonica-Camina La Virgen Pura (So Walks The Pure Virgin)
10. Orfeo Laudate-La Virgen Es Panadera (The Virgin Is A Baker)
11. Orfeo Laudate-Armen Estrepito (Make Noises)
12. Coro Y Organo De Barcelona-Adeste Fideles

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Stories (Not Soaps)

Here's another one from that brief period so many years ago when downloads were Torrent only, this particular one from the second day of 2013.  I was reminded of it because I found a sealed copy of the album last weekend which I hope has the books inside.  Maybe it's just a single book, I don't remember.  I wonder if it will have all the stories in it, or just one of them?  Anyhow, that'll have to be something to look forward to for next year, because I don't have time to do anything with it this season.  Instead, I've re-encoded my old files at a higher bitrate and brought it back for your Christmas story needs!  This is Christmas Story Teller (Golden Records/Wonderland/A.A. Records GST-8, Stereo, 1972).

1. How Lovely Is Christmas
2. Jingle Bells
3. The Night Before Christmas
4. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
5. The Twelve Days Of Christmas
6. Frosty The Snowman

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Not The Blues Brothers

Back in 2012 there was a period of time where I shared out things using only Torrents, and I know there were a few people who didn't like it.  It was great for me because I could host everything myself and turn it on and off as necessary.  But some people were put off by it, and didn't download anything for a while.  I mention that because this share is one of those things that was only ever shared out via Torrent, so you probably never got a copy of it.  I've also re-encoded those old files at a higher bitrate, so even if you did download it then, you should grab it again.  This also came out right at the beginning of 2013 after a lot of people have quit listening to Christmas music, so that's another reason you may have never seen it. Don't miss it, it may not be back for a while.  This is The Blues Busters-Merry Christmas (Weed Beat WB 132 (Jamaica)/Tower Records T-027 (New York), Stereo, 1983).

1. Jingle Bells; We Wish You A Merry Christmas; Deck The Halls; Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer; Santa Claus Is Coming To Town; The First Noel; Joy To The World; We Wish You A Merry Christmas (Chorus)
2. The Christmas Song
3. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
4. Silent Night
5. Auld Lang Syne

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Muzak From 3M!

This is a record that I have only ever seen once, and I don't really know the story behind it.  It appears to be some form of Muzak that was being pushed by 3M in the late Seventies, but it must not have gone over too well. I see it is listed over at Discogs, so perhaps it's not as rare as I thought.  It's certainly very smooth and falls in the category of EZ Listening, so I'm sure some of you are really going to dig it. Oh, wanted to mention that the Seasons Greeting logo on the front is actually gold foil, the scanner can't seem to do anything with that, so it comes out dark like you see.  But if you're looking for one in the wild, that's not how it's going to appear in person. For what it's worth, I actually recorded this 3 years ago, but never got around to scanning the cover in until last night.  I think one of the tracks played at random and reminded me of it.  I hope it was worth the wait.  This is Odyssey Productions For 3M-Seasons Greetings-Instrumental Stereo Edition (3M/Sound Products, Stereo, 1979).  Do you think there were other editions, like maybe Mono Vocal or Jazz Trombone?  One can only imagine!

1. Happy Holidays
2. What Child Is This
3. Deck The Halls
4. White Christmas
5. Winter Wonderland
6. Jingle Bells
7. Sleigh Ride
8. Silent Night
9. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
10. The Christmas Song
11. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
12. We Wish You A Merry Christmas

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Christmas With Granny

I remember being so excited back in 2010 when I posted this that I took the rest of the week off, leaving it up there as the first post on the blog for a long time so that no one would miss it.  Since that time, I've come to think a little bit less of it, but not much.  I've tried to get a stereo copy, but to no avail.  The last one I went after on eBay shot up to $85 or so pretty quickly, and that was during the off-season.  I stumbled across a mono copy just a week or so ago and thought about remastering it for this season, but I think I'm going to hold out a little while longer.  There's bound to be a stereo copy out there somewhere with my name on it, I just have to find it.  If you don't know who Grandma Moses was, then shame on you.  You'll have to read up on her in the gatefold I so painstakingly scanned from the album.  I can see that I did it on the old office copier that was badly in need of some calibration and adjustment at the time, but it's good enough that you'll get the gist of things.  And someday I'll rescan that stereo copy I'm going to find.  And now, without further ado, here is Christmas With Grandma Moses (RCA Victor LOP-1009, Mono, 1958).

1. Alec Templeton's Music Boxes-One-Horse Open Sleigh
2. Grandma Moses-One-Horse Open Sleigh
3. The Ralph Hunter Choir-Jingle Bells
4. Grandma Moses-Carolers
5. The Ralph Hunter Choir-Angels We Have Heard On High
6. The Ralph Hunter Choir-I Saw Three Ships
7. The Ralph Hunter Choir-We Wish You A Merry Christmas
8. Alec Templeton's Music Boxes-Sweetest Story Ever Told
9. Grandma Moses-Father's Violin
10. Skitch Henderson, Hausmusik-Blue Tail Fly; Pop Goes The Weasel; Stephen Foster Melody
11. Grandma Moses-Early Songs
12. Skitch Henderson-John Brown's Body; Darling Nellie Gray
13. The Ralph Hunter Choir-Good Christian Men Rejoice
14. The Ralph Hunter Choir-The First Noel
15. The Ralph Hunter Choir-The Twelve Days Of Christmas
16. The Ralph Hunter Choir-Oh! Little Town Of Bethlehem
17. Alec Templeton's Music Boxes-White Wings
18. Grandma Moses-On Painting Snow Scenes
19. Skitch Henderson, Hausmusik-Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen; Lovely Evening; Over The Hills To Grandmother's House
20. The Ralph Hunter Choir-Over The Hills To Grandmother's House
21. Grandma Moses & Alec Templeton's Music Boxes-Silent Night
22. The Ralph Hunter Choir-Silent Night
23. Grandma Moses & Alec Templeton's Music Boxes-Silent Night (Reprise)

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Update-Dec 2024-Believe it or not, they've remastered and reissued this one. Digital only, but still. I never thought I'd live to see this one reissued. Check it out here.

Hi Fi Holiday

I'm a sucker for any old album that bills itself as Hi-Fi, so naturally I had to grab and share this one way back in 2008.  There's really nothing special about it, other than it has a nice cover.  Maybe this time around it will at least garner a comment or two.  Maybe.  Anyhow, this is Hank Sylvern-Christmas In Hi-Fi: Chimes, Bells And Organ (ABC-Paramount ABC-146, Mono, 1956).

1. Joy To The World
2. Away In A Manger
3. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
4. The First Noel
5. Deck The Hall
6. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
7. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
8. We Three Kings Of Orient Are
9. Jingle Bells
10. The Cherry Tree Carol
11. O Come, All Ye Faithful
12. Silent Night

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Portugal!

From Brazil, we move across the wide Atlantic Ocean to Portugal.  Why?  Because they share a common language, of course.  (I needed some reason, and that's good enough for me.) This one is a various artists collection, spotlighting several different artists, though all are Portuguese. Not a whole lot to say about this one except that there are only a couple of familiar tunes here, the rest of it is unfamiliar to me.  Please download and enjoy Christmas In Portugal (Capitol "Capitol Of The World" T10166, Mono, 1958).

1. Coro Salesiano De Mogofores-Pela Noite De Natal
2. Trio Odemira-Salve Menino Jesus
3. Coro Polyphonia-Natal Do Elvas
4. Carlos Ramos-Cançao Do Natal
5. Coro Salesiano De Mogofores-Esta Noite A Meia Noite
6. Trio Odemira-Noite Santa, Noite Silenciosa (Silent Night, Holy Night)
7. Rancho Dos Ceifeiros De Cuba-Deus Menino
8. Coro Polyphonia-Natal
9. Trio Odemira-Quando O Menino Nasceu
10. Coro Salesiano De Mogofores-Pastorinhos Do Deserto
11. Rancho Dos Ceifeiros De Cuba-Janeiras
12. Coro Salesiano De Mogofores-Adeste Fideles

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Spurred On

This is one of those records that I've been sharing out for years, and I don't think I've ever gotten it quite right.  Maybe this year will be my year.  I tried it last year but I'm pretty sure it was a mono record recorded in stereo.  This year I've got a stereo record, you can hear the difference.  And it's at full bitrate, unlike those early shares from years ago.  Now we'll see if it stays up for a while.  The copy I ripped is a later re-issue on the Word label, but I've also included a scan of an earlier issue from Chrysler, though it's a mono copy. And I see there is at least one old cover I've shared before that I failed to put in the download.  Sorry...  Pretty cool stuff here, especially on the B side, so stick with it if you aren't excited at first.  Those of you who've downloaded this before, tell everybody how great it is, and download this new rip.  Here's Thurlow Spurr And The Spurrlows-Christmas; Time For Song (Word Records WST-8310-LP, Stereo, 1966).

1. Joy To The World
2. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
3. Away In A Manger
4. The First Noel
5. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
6. Silent Night, Holy Night
7. Jingle Bells
8. White Christmas
9. Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer
10. The Little Drummer Boy
11. Winter Wonderland
12. The Christmas Song

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Some More Nuns

I may as well throw up this other record filled with nuns singing since I did one earlier.  This one has a pretty cool cover which I'm sure is why I picked it up one day long ago.  You can't judge a book by it's cover, but sometimes you have to judge records by their cover since there's no way to listen to them in the store.  This was first shared out back in 2007 and I'm bringing it back tonight!  This is The Glen Riddle Franciscans-Choral Group-Sisters Of St. Francis-We Sing Of Christmas (Private Pressing LPM-2).

 1. Joy To The World-The First Noel
2. What Child Is This
3. Carol Of The Drum
4. Go Tell It On The Mountain
5. In Dulci Jubilo
6. Carol Of The Friendly Beasts
7. Silent Night
8. Ring Those Christmas Bells
9. Carols: Un Flambeau Jeanette Isabelle-Es Ist Ein' Ros' Entsprugen-Alegria Alegria!
10. I Sing Of A Maiden
11. Sleigh Ride
12. Carol Of The Shepherds
13. O Come, All Ye Faithful

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Follow The Guide Posts

I'm still trying to get some of the spoken word stuff I recorded out a little early in the season, so here's an interesting one that seems to be pretty hard to find.  It was part of a large collection I bought off eBay a couple months ago that had come from an old radio station that never seemed to throw anything away.  Some of the more interesting things I hope to share out this season came from that stash, so it was money well spent.  These stories were put on vinyl by Guideposts magazine and sent to radio stations that might want to play them during the holiday season.  Maybe you'll want to do the same thing on your Christmas comp.  This is Dick Van Dyke & Irene Dunne-Christmas Stories From Guideposts (Guideposts Records GP 114, Mono, 1967). Unfortunately, they don't interact with each other, but each artist gets a side. Irene Dunne is side 1, Rob Petrie is side 2.

1. Silent Night
2. The Night The Chimes Rang
3. Trouble At The Inn
4. The Christmas Wish
5. Go In Good Health
6. The Christmas I Lent My Son
7. One Room, One Window
8. Christmas Is A Time For Joy
9. The Cobbler's Dream
10. Gary The Newsboy
11. The Radiant Christmas
12. The Original Christmas Story
13. The Winner
14. Let's Keep Christmas

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The Carols Those Nuns Used To Sing

Can I interest you in some nuns singing Christmas carols?  Sure, why not, I hear you saying.  I shared this out way back in '06, which is now 12 years ago.  My, how time does fly.  Seems like just yesterday.  Anyhow, this is The Sisters Of Divine Providence-Christmas Mosaic-Our Greetings In Carols (Gateway GLP-9014, Mono).

1. Joy To The World; O Little Town Of Bethlehem; The First Noel
2. The Christmas Nightingale; Christmas Carol Fantasy
3. Rise Up, Shepherd, An' Foller
4. Rise Up Early
5. There's A Song
6. Sleigh Ride; Deck The Halls; Jingle Bells
7. White Christmas; Carol Of The Bells
8. Go Tell It On The Mountain
9. O Come All Ye Faithful; We Three Kings
10. Christmas Gloria

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Boxes Of Christmas

If you aren't in love with the organ records, maybe you'd prefer an album of music boxes, still featuring bells and chimes though.  This is a nice oldie from 2008, something from the great Warner Bros label that you don't see every day.  It's nice to play in the background, being quiet and unobtrusive.  Have a listen to 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

MEGA

Brazil!

OK, it's time to get serious about my Christmas around the world theme with our first country.  I couldn't decide where in the world to start, so I randomly chose Brazil.  Why not?  Great cover on this one, with Santa up on top of the cable car coming down the mountain.  A little tear where someone had removed a label is the mark you see up at the top left, but it's not bad. You'll see similar marks on several of these albums, they all seem to have come from the same collection, though I don't think I picked them all up at the same time.  Odd.  Anyhow, for your listening pleasure, this is Côro Das Meninas Da Casa De Lazaro-Christmas In Brazil (Capitol "Capitol Of The World" T10168, Mono, 1958).

1. A Valsa De Natal (The Christmas Waltz)
2. Jingle Bells
3. A Doce Cancao De Natal (Sweet Song Of Christmas)
4. Boas Festas (Marcha) (Happy Celebration)
5. Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful)
6. Nasceu Jesus (Jesus Was Born)
7. Natal Das Criancas (Children's Christmas)
8. Noite Feliz (Silent Night, Holy Night)
9. Pinheirinho De Natal (The Christmas Tree-O Tannenbaum)
10. Feliz Natal (Happy Christmas)
11. White Christmas
12. Prece A Sao Francisco De Assis (Prayer To St. Francis Of Assisi)

MEGA

Noel, Noel

From the archives of 2008, this LP by the appropriately named Noel Stevens is one of those anonymous Christmas records that I'm afraid I have absolutely no memory of.  I think I may have shared this out once more in the following year, but nothing after that.  So after ten years, I figure it's time I bring it back for those who might be curious.  I love to exhume these things from the dust bins of history, but sometimes there's nothing I can do.  They're there for a reason, after all.  Please enjoy Noel Stevens Woodwind Quintette With Harpsichord-The Noel Sound (Fuller FR-0021, Stereo, 1967).

1. Good King Wenceslas
2. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
3. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
4. Deck The Hall
5. What Child Is This?
6. The Twelve Days Of Christmas
7. Joy To The World
8. The First Nowell
9. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
10. Jesus' Lullaby
11. I Saw Three Ships
12. Silent Night

MEGA

AMC?

Next up is a choir group that I originally thought had something to do with the AMC General car, but it turns out to be an insurance company with a similar name.  But you're still stuck with it, same as I was.  This has sat here next to the computer for a couple of years before I finally got around to recording it, but it's not the worst thing I'll share with you all season.  This is The American General Chorus-Christmas Is Love (American General Insurance Company, Houston, Texas/Inspiration Records INS 1002, Stereo, 1972).

1. O Come All Ye Faithful
2. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
3. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
4. Silent Night
5. The First Noel
6. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
7. Joy To The World
8. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
9. O Holy Night
10. Christmas Hymn
11. While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
12. What Child Is This
13. Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming
14. Good King Wenceslas
15. Deck The Hall
16. God Rest You Merry Gentlemen
17. Away In A Manger
18. Jingle Bells
19. Jolly Old St. Nick

MEGA

Hands & Bells

Maybe you wanted some more handbells?  Well, here you go.  From 2010, well, shared by me in 2010 but actually much, much older, this is The Berkshire Bell Ringers-Berkshire Bell Ringers (Audio Fidelity AFLP 1804, Mono, 1956).

1. O Come All Ye Faithful
2. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
3. Cantique De Noel (O Holy Night)
4. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
5. Joy To The World
6. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
7. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
8. Silent Night
9. First Noel
10. I Wonder As I Wander
11. We Three Kings
12. Carol Of The Bells
13. Rise Up Shepherds And Foller
14. Good King Wencelas (sic)

MEGA

I know I've seen this in a different cover, I need to dig that one up and scan it, but it's not as nice as this one.

Bells & Hands

I was looking around for old shares that haven't seen the light of day in a long time, and I came across this one from 2010.  Frequent visitors will know that I have a thing for the sound of handbells, and that's what you get here, in spades! So why not bring it back for 2018?  If you like the sounds those Hershey Kisses make in their iconic bell TV commercial, then this is for you.  This is The Klokken Ringers-I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day (Omni Sound N-1043, Stereo, 1981).

1. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
2. Gloria
3. Variations On A French Carol
4. The Skaters, Op. 183
5. Now Sing We, Now Rejoice (In Dulci Jubilo)
6. O Come, All Ye Faithful
7. Joy To The World
8. O Tannenbaum
9. Away In A Manger
10. Hosanna
11. God With Us For All Time (Veni Emmanuel)
12. Un Flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle
13. Ding, Dong Merrily On High
14. Stille Nacht

MEGA

Not America's Kids

Following on from that last post, here's an album for kids, not by kids, and it's certainly not American.  OK, I guess there are kid's voices on here, but they're just singing with a band, not on their own.  This old share from 2005 is badly in need of a remaster, maybe I'll try to get to that next year, if I can turn up a nice new copy of this LP.  In the meantime, you're going to have to make due with this old one.  This is Cyril Stapleton And His Orchestra With Children's Chorus-Children's Christmas Album (Richmond S 30057, Stereo, 1959).

1. Christmas Alphabet
2. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
3. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
4. Christmas Island
5. White Christmas
6. I Saw Three Ships
7. Once In Royal David's City
8. Greensleeves
9. The Holly And They Ivy
10. Silent Night

MEGA