1. Winter Wonderland
2. White Christmas
3. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
4. The Christmas Waltz
5. Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)
6. Deck The Halls
7. The Bells Of St. Mary's
8. Jingle Bells
1. Blue Christmas
2. What'cha Gonna Get Me For Christmas
Big thanks to Inkydog for the help on the artwork above. Bonus points if you can tell me where it's from. I left a bit of a clue in there for you, but last time I checked, this didn't exist out there on the web anywhere. I had a much cleaner version to share, but my layers got corrupted at the last minute. so apologies for the mottled backgrounds.
OK, I've only got one track for Chanukah this year, but it's a pretty good one, very traditional.
1. Chanuke, O Chanuke! by Martha Schlamme With Orchestra Conducted By Robert DeCormier from Martha Schlamme Sings Jewish Folk Songs (Vanguard VRS-9011, Mono, 1957).
Don't know much about Martha, but Robert DeCormier worked with Harry Belafonte for a few years, including his Christmas LP the year after this one. I think he was originally credited as Bob Corman, but that was fixed once people realized his name wasn't offensive to anyone.
And so we come to the end. It's not been a very long season, but I hope it was good. I haven't been able to dig up as many records as in years' past, due to both the Covid and my girlfriend moving in with me. But thanks to Discogs, I was able to grab some stuff I've been wanting for a while, and find some new things that I didn't know existed. For instance, I just found out yesterday there's a Christmas track on the Irma La Douce soundtrack. Too late for this year, but something to seek out for next year. It seems to be an unending quest. So what's in the pile tonight?
1. Jingle Bells Samba by The New York Percussion Trio-Murry Solomon, Guest Bass-Ray Wright, Conductor & Arranger from Holidays For Percussion (Vox ST-VX 25.740, Stereo, 1958). The final track from this great record, and maybe the best track. This is something that should be better known if you ask me.
2. In Bethlehem (Narrative) by Johnny Cash from the LP The Holy Land (Columbia KCS 9726, Stereo, 1969). A rerun, but you don't pass up an album with a lenticular cover when you find it.
3. I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing by Mike Douglas-Featuring The Joe Massimino Orchestra With The Sweet Tones from Singing A Happy Song (Wonderland WLP-5002, Stereo, 1979). An album from a children's label from Mike Douglas? I guess you never know what you'll find. I think Merry Clayton was listed as one of the Sweet Tones, so it has that going for it.
4. Christmas Time (Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree/Jingle Bells) by an unknown artist from Popular Photography's Sound For A Picture Evening (Ziff-Davis Publishing/Capitol Custom SRB 567/568, Stereo, 1965). An LP of music for your slideshows, and our second version of Jingle Bells this evening.
5. Christmas In Tennessee by Luke Gordon from Country & Western (Mount Vernon Music MVS 156 ("Electronic Process Of Stereo Reproduction"), 1963). A surprise when I turned over an LP I hadn't seen before. Sometimes I take the time to turn over every LP that doesn't look familiar, and sometimes I get lucky. Most of the time, I do not.
6. Jingle Bells by Artie Barsamian And His Orchestra from Minute Man Goes East (Virgo HP 1801, Mono, 1963). One of those faux-Middle Eastern records, but this one held a nice little surprise. And it's the third version of Jingle Bells tonight. I'm nothing if not consistent.
There you have it, the last night of Christmas In July for the season. Hope you enjoyed it, I know I did.
Another great selection of tunes for you today, so I'm just gonna jump right in.
1. Cuban Christmas by American Percussion Society, Paul Price-Conductor from Breaking The Sound Barrier, Vol. 1-Percussion (Urania UX 106, Mono, 1956). Now this one should be better known!
2. Danse Arabe by Ralph Marterie And His Orchestra from Swing Baby (Mercury MG 20124, Mono, 1955). Just found this record yesterday, if you can believe it. Looks like I shared a version from a 10" 78 last Christmas, via the Internet Archive, but I don't think it's the same version.
3. The Shepherds Song by The Adult Choir Of The Congregational Church Of Manhasset, New York, Ministry Of Music-Robley And Jean Lawson from Sacred Music (No Label, G8-OP-8168/8169, Mono, 1956). This may be the only dud in the bunch today.
4. When The Snow Is On The Roses by Roy Drusky from Jody And The Kid (Mercury SR 61173, Stereo, 1968). Well, OK, this one probably isn't going on your Christmas mix either.
5. The Skater's Waltz by Eric Vaughn-The Medallian Strings And Percussion from Wine, Women And Waltzes-The Sound Of The Blue Danube (Medallion (Kapp) MS-7519, Stereo, 1961). Another stereo spectacular!
In and out, wiki wiki today. Download and enjoy!
Found a couple more records today with Christmas tracks on them, so the barrel isn't quite as empty as it was. Here are five more tracks for the collection this year.
1. Boxing Day by Ronnie Gilbert from Alone With Ronnie Gilbert (Mercury MG 20917 For Broadcast Only Not For Sale, Mono, 1964). This is the second track from this LP, and after I shared it, Buster pointed out that Ronnie was a member of The Weavers. I think I need to research my shares a little better, I had no idea who she was.
2. Jingle Bells Imitations by Bobby Rydell & Chubby Checker-Orchestra Conducted By Dave Appell from Bobby Rydell/Chubby Checker (Cameo C 1013, Mono, 1960). This is the third and last holiday-related track from this album, and I think it's my favorite. They really have a good time with it.
3. The Great Snow Man by Bobby Bare And The Hillsiders from The English Country Side (RCA Victor LSP-3896, Stereo, 1967). I saw this record yesterday and thought it was a stereo upgrade of something I had shared before. Turns out my share of a couple years ago was also in stereo, so this is pretty much useless. Enjoy!
4. Baby, It's Cold Outside by The John Parker Orchestra from Conversations In Music (Medallion (Kapp) MS-7504, Stereo, 1960). From one of those super stereo demonstration LPs that were popular at the time.
5. Sleighride by Pete King And His Orchestra from Shipstads & Johnson Ice Follies Of 1967-31st Edition (Dot SLP 25757, Stereo, 1967). Again, the third, final and probably best song from the LP.
And that's it for tonight. More tomorrow, I promise.
Another day, another small handful of tracks. Getting down to the real nitty gritty here, but there's still some good stuff left in the pile.
1. Christmas Assembly by Sarasota High School; Judy Hennessey And Mark Frankel-Narrators from Sailor Sounds 1963-64 (Century Custom V-18455, Mono, 1964). A great little bit of found sound from an album made for the local high school.
2. Brotherhood Medley: We Need A Little Xmas (Excerpt) by Wayne & Marin Foster from To-Get-It Together (Happynest SLP-007, Stereo). Not sure why they decided to through a bit of Christmas into an otherwise non-Christmas medley, so I snipped the important bit out and spared you the rest. You're welcome.
3. Cold December by Mike Auldridge & 'Old Dog' from Mike Auldridge & 'Old Dog' (Flying Fish FF 054, Stereo, 1978). Nice little folky track for you.
4. Christmas Long Ago by Donna Sanders & Steve Roland-William Roy And Carl Norman At The Plural Pianos from Seven Come Eleven-A Gaming Gambol (Columbia Masterworks (Columbia Record Productions) 55477/55478 "Julius Monk's Upstairs At The Downstairs Presents...", Mono, 1961). Some more stuff from Julius Monk.
5. Danse Of The Mirlitons by Flute Trio-Directed By Frederick Wilkins from Flutists' Showcase (Golden Crest CR 4020, Mono). I guess I should have been surprised to find this track on a flute-centric album, but I was pretty stoked to see it on there.
And that's it for tonight. More good stuff tomorrow, I promise.
Real quick, here's a share for tonight. No time to go into any detail, download it or not, it's nothing spectacular. More tomorrow.
OK, I've got a few minutes on my hands, here's the tracklist for yesterday's share.
1. The Birth by Mary Macgregor, Steve Brainard And The Children-Arranged And Conducted By David Karr from He Lived The Good Life.
2. The Bells Of St. Mary's by Perry Bechtel from Banjo-The Greatest Of The All.
3. Angels We Have Heard On Nigh by Jack Conner from Christian Faith Anthology Vol. 3 (AKA Christian Faith Concert).
4. Hallalujah (SIC) Chorus by The Adult Choir Of The Congregational Church Of Manhasset, New York, Ministry Of Music-Robley And Jean Lawson from Sacred Music.
5. Silent Night by The Bell Singers from Let There Be Music.
Time for another installment of Christmas In July! Are you excited? I hope so!
1. Silent Night by The Adult Choir Of The Congregational Church Of Manhasset, New York, Ministry Of Music-Robley And Jean Lawson from Sacred Music (No Label, G8-OP-8168/8169, Mono, 1956). Not the best place to start the day, but it gets better.
2. Lazy Holiday by The New York Percussion Trio-Murry Solomon, Guest Bass-Ray Wright, Conductor & Arranger from Holidays For Percussion (Vox ST-VX 25.740, Stereo, 1958). Another great track from this great LP, though the connection to Christmas is tenuous at best.
3. December In Your Heart by Glenn Yarbrough from Let The World Go By (RCA Victor LSP-3983, Stereo, 1968). Kinda odd, in that I had never heard this song before, then I found two versions of it this season for Christmas in July, each under a different title. You never know what's going to happen when it comes to old records.
4. Fire And Ice by Robert Frost from Robert Frost Reads The Poems Of Robert Frost (Decca DL 9033, Mono, 1957). Short and sweet.
5. Polonaise From "Christmas Night" by The United States Navy Band-Lieutenant Commander Anthony A. Mitchell, USN, Leader from A Musical Salute To You-Zero Defect Presentation Record (Naval Air Systems Command (AIR-5024) For The Naval Material Command Zero Defects Program XSV 124950/124951, Stereo). One of my first rips for the season, and a good one.
6. Greensleeves by Korla Pandit from Korla Pandit At The Pipe Organ (Fantasy 3286 Translucent Red Vinyl, Mono, 1959). I was excited to find this because somehow Korla Pandit records have escaped me all these years. I don't even have his Christmas record. It must be a regional thing because they seem to be common in other areas, but I never see them here in Florida.
And that's it for today. Download and enjoy!
What day is it? Oh, Tuesday, that's right. Time for another share. But first, a note in case you downloaded yesterday's share and haven't looked back at it. I had the wrong tag on the Sam Cooke file, I had it listed as Brook Benton. So if you downloaded the old version, go back and grab the correct one now before I create anymore confusion in your Christmas library. Now, on to today's music.
1. All Hail The Virgin's Son by The Adult Choir Of The Congregational Church Of Manhasset, New York, Ministry Of Music-Robley And Jean Lawson from Sacred Music (No Label, G8-OP-8168/8169, Mono, 1956). I wish this were recorded a little bit more clearly. It's not a bad song.
2. O Mary Dear Mother (Nigerian Carol) by The Yale Glee Club-Fenno Heath, Director-Tennor Soloists: Laz Ekwueme, Grad., Daniel G. Wright, '67 from The Yale Glee Club In Concert (No Label LP-321, Stereo, 1967). I was all excited when I found this record, only to discover that I'd shared it before. That's happening to me more and more. I guess I'm just getting old and forgetful.
3. Lovers On Christmas Eve by Joanna Gleason & James Naughton With Ken Bichel from I Love My Wife (Atlantic SD 19107, Stereo, 1977). An interesting soundtrack, and a track I wouldn't have found if it hadn't popped up at random in a Discogs search. The LP didn't really say who was doing what, but I think I pieced it together from some info out on the web somewhere.
4. Wagon Wheels; Please Help Me I'm Falling; Till I Waltz With You; Jingle Bell Rock by The Three Suns from Country Music Shindig (RCA Victor LPM-3354, Mono, 1965). A long medley from the very last Three Suns record ever recorded. I included an edit of just the Jingle Bell Rock bit, too, for easy comparison. It's not the Ding Dong Dandy version, that's for sure. I shared this one a few years ago, but I couldn't resist when I saw another copy of the album.
5. Overture-The Skaters Waltz by Pete King And His Orchestra from Shipstads & Johnson Ice Follies Of 1967-31st Edition (Dot SLP 25757, Stereo, 1967). I shared another song from this album earlier this season, and I got several comments about it. I don't know if this track is as good, but it's still pretty good.
6. The Twelve Days Of Christmas by The Gentlemen's Agreement from Final Edition (The Gentlemen's Agreement GA 103, Stereo). A rerun, but one of my favorite barbershop quartet finds over the years.
7. Lo, How A Rose by The Bell Singers-Winifred Settle, Director-Janis Haiser, Accompanist from Let There Be Music (No Label FR-703 (Sponsored By Southern Bell Girls Club-Louisville, KY), Mono). Yawn.
And there you go, another great batch of songs Thanks for tuning in and listening, we'll see you again tomorrow.
Welcome to Monday, here's a new Christmas In July In August share for you!
1. Out In The Cold Again by Brook Benton Sam Cooke-Arranged And Conducted By Sammy Lowe from My Kind Of Blues (RCA Victor LSP-2392, Stereo, 1961). An exciting find just a week or so ago, and a fairly expensive one, too. I grabbed this record, and a couple others just to make enough to put it on my CC. When they rang it up, the total was way more than I expected at a thrift store. Sure enough, they were charging me $3 each for the dollar records. :( I haven't been back, and I may not go back anytime soon, that's just crazy. (Whoops, I somehow wrote Brook Benton everywhere when it's supposed to be Sam Cooke. It's still the right music, just tagged incorrectly. I updated the file if you want to download a correct copy. 3 Aug 21)
2. January In Bombay by Chet Atkins With Harihar Rao from It's A Guitar World (RCA Victor LSP-3728, Stereo, 1967). Certainly not Christmas, but the title seemed like a maybe. And any old excuse to include Chet Atkins. I had no idea he'd ever dabbled with a sitar, and I guess he's just duetting with one here, but it's pretty unexpected.
3. Snow Deer By Billy Gray from Western Swing In Hi-Fi (Decca DL 8730, Mono, 1958). Nice little instrumental.
4. Winter Moon by Carole Danell from Selections From The Haunted House And Other Spooky Poems And Tales 7" 33 RPM (Scholastic Records 7" 33 RPM CC 0688, Mono, 1970). Rare selection here from a 7" record. You remember these old Scholastic records, you used to listen to them in school. Some of them featured a book and maybe a filmstrip to go along with them.
5. Sleigh Ride by The New York Percussion Trio-Murry Solomon, Guest Bass-Ray Wright, Conductor & Arranger from Holidays For Percussion (Vox ST-VX 25.740, Stereo, 1958). I think I shared this song previously from a sampler, but it was mislabeled Sleigh Bells. After hearing it, I had to hunt down the original on Discogs. It was well worth the effort.
6. Another version of Out In The Cold Again, this time by Rusty Warren, Arranged & Conducted By Jack Pleis from Rusty Warren Sings Portrait On Life (Jubilee JGM 5025, Mono, 1964). A rerun, but I wanted to share it again after she passed away this year at the ripe old age of 91. Most of here albums were sex themed comedy, but this was a rare all-singing album. It didn't sell very well, so most people don't know about it.
Here we are in August, and as usual, I've still got Christmas in July shares for you. I'm going to keep going just as long as I can, but I don't think it's going to be more than another week or so. Unless one of my avid fans sends me a whole box of records with Christmas in July tracks on them Anyone...anyone? I was afraid so. We'll survive. Let's take a look at the selections for today.
1. Sweet Little Jesus Boy by Nelson T. Huffman, John Barr-Organ Accompaniment from Life Of Jesus In Song (No Label LOJ, Stereo). I think this is the second and last track this season from this artist and record. Probably not going to make the annual Best-Of collection.
2. Children, Go Where I Send Thee by The Dry Branch Fire Squad (Ron Thomason-Lead, John Baker-Tenor, Mary Jo Dickman-High Baritone) from Spiritual Songs From Dry Branch (Rite Record Productions RT 001, Stereo, 1977). Nice homey acapella version.
3. Winter's Comin' On Again by Dick Curless from Hard, Hard Traveling Man (Capitol ST-552, Stereo, 1970). I was hoping for more truckin' content here, but it's not bad.
4. O Come, All Ye Faithful by The Bell Singers-Winifred Settle, Director-Janis Haiser, Accompanist from Let There Be Music (No Label FR-703 (Sponsored By Southern Bell Girls Club-Louisville, KY), Mono). With a name like The Bell Singers, I was hoping for some handbells in there, but no such luck.
5. Marvelous Toy by The Irish Brigade from Leprechauns And Unicorns (Release Records RRL 8015, Stereo, 1985). Not sure how this song by Tom Paxton became an Irish staple, but I see it on lots of albums by Irish groups. I guess once one popular group records it, it spreads like a fire through the whole community. Good song though.
And that's it, only five tracks today. Hope you're enjoying your Sunday!
I've missed a couple days, so I apologize for that. Hard to find time to post some days, but I'm back for the weekend at least. And as is traditional, the last day of the month is when we celebrate New Year's! It seems weird to do that on the fifth day of sharing, but that's the way the cookie is crumbling this season. And I've only for three short New Year songs for you, but at least I've got something. Let's see what's in the pile!
1. What Will The New Year Bring? by Donna Fargo from Whatever I Say Means I Love You (ABC Dot DOSD-2029, Stereo, 1975). A new song to me, something I found while trolling through For Sale listings at Discogs. It's a wonderful place, but it can get expensive if you aren't careful. I'm sure I didn't pay too much for this one though. I can remember my aunt having a Donna Fargo record when I was little, but it wasn't this one. Happiest Girl In The Whole USA, I think that's what it was.
2. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve by Bobby Rydell & Chubby Checker-Orchestra Conducted By Dave Appell from Bobby Rydell/Chubby Checker (Cameo C 1013, Mono, 1960). Another track from this great duo.
3. New Year's Eve by American Percussion Society, Paul Price-Conductor from Breaking The Sound Barrier, Vol. 1-Percussion (Urania UX 106, Mono, 1957). Another great percussion track, and something that I likely wouldn't have found were it not for a Discogs listing. This one set me back a little more than my usual thrift store records, but I think it was worth it.
And that's it, just a quick three and done today. If you think it's hard to find Christmas songs on non-Christmas records, you should try to dig up New Year's records! So I was happy to be able to have these three to share. Enjoy!
Day four, feels like it should be the Fourth of July, not nearly the end of the month. Oh well, I could have planned it out better. Maybe next year. Here are a few more new songs for your seasonal listening pleasure.
1. Sleigh Ride by London Variety Theatre Orchestra, Conducted By Thomas Hughes from Leroy Anderson Favourites (SAGA (UK) STM 6020, Mono, 1959). A carbon copy of the Boston Pops arrangement, but I think this was the only version I turned up this year. And you can tell it's from England because of the way they spell Favourites.
2. What Christmas Means To Me by Jerry Clower-Guitarist: Cary Banks from Clower Power (MCA MCA-317, Stereo, 1973). The only comedy bit I found this year, though I guess it's not really humorous. I'll call it a recitation.
3. Oh Bethlehem by The Adult Choir Of The Congregational Church Of Manhasset, New York, Ministry Of Music-Robley And Jean Lawson, from Sacred Music (No Label, G8-OP-8168/8169, Mono, 1956). Well, it's long, I'll give it that.
4. My Favorite Things by Ronnie Gilbert from Alone With Ronnie Gilbert (Mercury MG 20917 For Broadcast Only Not For Sale, Mono, 1964). I don't remember much about this one, so I can't think of anything snarky to say. Oh, Ronnie is a girl, and she takes it really slowly...
5. Born In Bethlehem by The Journeymen from Coming Attraction-Live! (Capitol T 1770, Mono, 1962). I've been on a Mamas And The Papas kick lately, So this was a nice listen. If you get a chance, go watch Echo In The Canyon. Interesting documentary on the music scene that included the M's & P's. Monterey Pop is really good, too.
6. Town Of Falling Snow (Yuki No Furu Machi O) by The Leon Symphoniette from Musical Memories Of Japan (London International SW 99314, Stereo, 1962). I'm a sucker for songs about snow. We don't have any of it in Florida, so I guess that goes a little ways towards explaining my fascination.
7. Lullay, Thou Little Tiny Child by The Bell Singers-Winifred Settle, Director-Janis Haiser, Accompanist from Let There Be Music (No Label FR-703 (Sponsored By Southern Bell Girls Club-Louisville, KY), Mono). I gotta learn to stay away from these homespun choir records. I can't remember the last good song I ripped from one. I guess it happens sometimes, but it's rare.
8. Christmas Cheer Through-Out The Year by Marvin Fried from The Lord's Side #1 Proclaim The Word/The Helen Side #2 (Songs Of Sharon HCS 4179, Stereo, 1979). Now this was an odd looking record. I was pretty stoked to see a Christmas tune on there. Hope it's worth the trouble to download and listen to.
And that's it, another smattering of tunes for you. Enjoy!
Time for another installment of Christmas In July, the extra late in the month edition. Took me a while to get started this month, but I hope you think it's worth the wait. Here's another good batch of Songs for your Christmas Enjoyment.
1. Oh Come All Ye Faithful by The Adult Choir Of The Congregational Church Of Manhasset, New York, Ministry Of Music-Robley And Jean Lawson from Sacred Music (No Label, G8-OP-8168/8169, Mono, 1956). This was the sorta homemade record that I tried to avoid this year, but I still wound up with a few of them. Interesting enough as an artifact, but not the most exciting track I'll share this month. Now, if someone from this church were to show up here, then it gets interesting.
2. Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers by The New York Percussion Trio-Murry Solomon, Guest Bass-Ray Wright, Conductor & Arranger from Holidays For Percussion (Vox ST-VX 25.740, Stereo, 1958). Now this is more like what I wanted to showcase this year. This is the stuff!
3. Sledd Ridin' by Mike Auldridge & 'Old Dog' from Mike Auldridge & 'Old Dog' (Flying Fish FF 054, Stereo, 1978). Turns out one of the composer's names is Sledd, so it's not as seasonal as I thought it might be, but it's still good.
4. Snowfall by George Barnes & Carl Kress from Town Hall Concert (United Artists UAL 3335, Mono, 1963). A live version from a couple of guitar virtuosos.
5. Winter Wonderland by Pete King, His Orchestra & Chorus from Shipstads & Johnson Ice Follies Of 1967-31st Edition (Dot SLP 25757, Stereo, 1967). This is the stereo version of a rare LP by Pete King that I first shared with you many years ago. Discogs is a great resource sometimes. Pretty sure I took this out out of the shrink wrap.
6. Hawaii Five-0/Greensleeves by The Yokohama Knights from Yokohama Knights (Eye/GRT GRT-10002, Stereo, 1969). How can you go wrong with this? Christmas music meets Hawaii 5-0!!
7. A Seasonal Sonatina-Winter (Excerpt) by Ceil Cabot With Stan Keen And Gordon Connell At The Plural Pianos from Demi-Dozen (Offbeat Records O-4015 "Upstair At The Downstairs, Julius Monk", Mono, 1959). A bit of a rarity from a series of soundtracks to the off-Broadway shows put on by Julius Monk for a while in NYC. I've come across quite a few of these now.
And that's it for now. Stay tuned, I promise there's more.
Now that the month is nearly over, I've finally got some of my ducks in a row, and I've got some Christmas songs to share with you. It's not a big pile like the past few years, but it's a collection of songs, hopefully there will be a few in there that you like. Let's see what's in tonight's selection.
1. Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year by Joni James With Orchestra Conducted By David Terry from Joni Sings Songs By Victor Young And Songs By Frank Loesser (MGM E3449, Mono, 1956). I thought for sure I'd shared this out before, but I can find no mention of it anywhere. I guess it slipped through the cracks somehow.
2. Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Rydell & Chubby Checker-Orchestra Conducted By Dave Appell from Bobby Rydell/Chubby Checker (Cameo C 1013, Mono, 1960). One of the finds that led me to start collecting Christmas tunes from non-Christmas albums. This record actually featured three Christmas tracks, and they're all pretty cool.
3. Baby, It's Cold Outside by The Ted Heath Orchestra from Those Were The Days (London Phase 4 SP 44164, Stereo, 1971). Another one that I thought surely I'd shared out before, but if I did, it was another version.
4. Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening, as written and recited by Robert Frost from Robert Frost Reads The Poems Of Robert Frost (Decca DL 9033, Mono, 1957). I was already paying before I realized they'd just charged me $10 for this one album. So I hope you enjoy it.
5. Snowfall by The Guitars, Inc. from Soft And Subtle (Warner Bros BS 1246, Stereo, 1959). Now I know I've shared out this one, and I probably shared out their Christmas LP at one time, though probably not anymore. Many of these things are available digitally now, so no more sharing.
6. Midnight Sleighride From "Lieutenant Kije" (After Prokofief) by The United States Navy Band-Lieutenant Commander Anthony A. Mitchell, USN, Leader from A Musical Salute To You-Zero Defect Presentation Record (Naval Air Systems Command (AIR-5024) For The Naval Material Command Zero Defects Program XSV 124950/124951, Stereo). Well, I'm sure I've never shared this before. Never even seen it before. I thought it was a budget record, but it appears to be a freebie given to contractors (or someone similar) for participation in some sort of quality control program. Neat record, neat music.
And that's it for tonight, a nice little selection. Enjoy!
Well, now that I've spent most of the month sharing best-of collections with you, it turns out that I do have a few new songs to share with you. Between the global pandemic and my girlfriend moving in with me, buying records has not been much of a priority for the past year and a half. But I've still been able to buy some things here and there, and I've spent way more time on Discogs than any one man really should. I bought a few things here and there that I just couldn't resist, so I'm going to spend a few days sharing the fruits of my labor with you. Let's see what's in the first pile.
1. The Star Of Bethlehem by Nelson T. Huffman from Life Of Jesus In Song (No Label LOJ, Stereo). Funnily enough, a couple days after I found this record, I saw a sealed copy in a thrift store. I didn't think it was good enough to splurge on a second copy.
2. Er Is Een Kindeke Geborn Op D'Aard (Dutch Carol) ("There Is A Child Born On The Earth") by The Yale Glee Club-Fenno Heath, Director-Tenor Soloist: Michael A. Barnett '67 from The Yale Glee Club In Concert (No Label LP-321, Stereo, 1967). I didn't realize until it was too late that I'd already shared this with you some years back. That happens more and more lately. I've shared so much, plus my memory isn't what it used to be.
3. Drummer's Holiday by The New York Percussion Trio-Murry Solomon, Guest Bass-Ray Wright, Conductor & Arranger from Holiday For Percussion (Vox ST-VX 25.740, Stereo, 1958). With a name like Holiday For Percussion, you better believe I had to hunt down a copy via Discogs.
4. Na Leanbhai I Mbeithil (The Children In Bethlehem) by Mary O'Hara from Songs Of Ireland (Tradition (Everest) TLP 1024, Electronically Re-Recorded To Simulate Stereo, 1958). Another one that I'd shared before.
5. Angels We Have Heard On High by The Bell Singers-Winifred Settle, Director-Janis Haiser, Accompanist from Let There Be Music (No Label FR-703 (Sponsored By Southern Bell Girls Club-Louisville, KY), Mono). It wouldn't be Christmas in July without random singers and their home-produced albums.
And that's it for now, just five songs. I don't want to promise too much, there isn't a whole lot in the bucket, but it should get better. Stay tuned.
Well, well, well, what do we have here? Looks like a brand new compilation featuring the very best of Christmas in July from 2020! And it's been less than a year since I stopped sharing stuff out last season, so this has to be some sort of new record. The tracklist is another great sampling of all the stuff I shared during the season. I've been listening to it for a month or more now, and there are some real great tracks here. This was a season when I recorded a lot of demo albums for school band music publishers, and that's where a lot of the unknown artist tracks came from. Some of those are also short and truncated, but they were some good songs I felt were worth sharing.
| 1. Dick Marx, Piano, And Johnny Frigo, Bass…Sleigh Ride |
| 2. John McGee…Christmastime In Florida |
| 3. Dennis Farnon And His Orchestra…Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year |
| 4. Kraft & Alexander…March |
| 5. Dave Harris And The Powerhouse Five…Siberian Sleigh Ride |
| 6. Kokee Band…My Favorite Things |
| 7. The Metro Strings (AKA MGM Studio Orchestra)…Christmas |
| 8. Unknown Artist…Santa's Coming |
| 9. Frances Lai…The Christmas Trees |
| 10. Jimmy James…All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) |
| 11. Marni Nixon…Funny Little Snowman |
| 12. Unknown Artist…Snowtime |
| 13. West York Area High School Percussion Ensemble…Holiday For Percussion |
| 14. John Ylvisaker…Joseph |
| 15. Charlie Fox And The Ring Of Sound…Greensleeves |
| 16. Frankford High School A Cappella Choir…You Better Watch Out-Edit |
| 17. Lenny Seidel-Pianist…Angels We Have Heard On High |
| 18. The Östlund Family…The Christmas Story |
| 19. The RCA Electronic Music Synthesizer…Oh, Holy Night |
| 20. The Gabriel Sisters-Mary Lou, Connie Joe, Colleen…Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers |
| 21. Lloyd Reese And The Solid Rock Chorus…Sweet Little Lord Jesus |
| 22. The World Vision Korean Orphan Choir…Jingle Bells |
| 23. Reid Nibley…The Shepherds And The Star |
| 24. Ekseption-Royal Philharmonic Orchestra…Ave Maria |
| 25. Frank Chacksfield And His Orchestra…White Christmas |
| 26. The Babes…Disco Toyland |
| 27. Unknown Artist…The Nutcracker |
| 28. Lutheran High School West Brass Ensemble…God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen |
| 29. King Curtis…Swingin' Shepherd Blues |
| 30. David Webb…The Marvelous Toy |
| 31. The Handbell Choir Of St. James Methodist Church…Westminster Carol |
| 32. John McCutcheon…Christmas In The Trenches |
| 33. Air University Band Maxwellaires…Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas |
| 34. Liv Ullmann & Rock Hudson…Baby It's Cold Outside |
| 35. Anita Bryant…X Has No Word For These Bible Stories |
| 36. Long Island Banjo Society…Bells Of St. Mary's |
| 37. Bob Johnson And The Lonesome Travelers…Auld Lang Syne |
If that cover image looks familiar, there's a reason for that. I took the picture during the 2019 Christmas season when I happened to find myself in NYC and insisted on multiple trips to see the tree at Rockefeller Center. I would have gone back more, but I got sick and spent the last couple days in bed before I had to catch a flight home. But why is the picture familiar? Because it's been featured on multiple Christmas album covers over the years, including a couple I've shared around here. Cool to see that they still have very similar angels to those shown on this 1956 cover! (Are all those albums by Dick Leibert? I guess they are. He was long the organist at Radio City, right around the corner from this display, so I guess that's why he chose to use it so frequently.)
PS-All the Christmas in July shares from 2020 should still be posted if you feel like downloading them. I believe you can start here and work your way through all of them. And there are a lot of them! Enjoy!
Here's the next edition of the somewhat annual Best Of Ernie (Not Bert) compilations. This is the latest version to have been shared out, coming out in 2020 and chronicling the 2019 Christmas In July season. It's another great batch of Christmas music from non-Christmas albums, and sure to become another favorite in your collection. It's a pretty long one, probably wouldn't fit on a CD, but who burns CDs anymore? Hope you enjoy it!
01. Unknown Artist...Let's Go Get Our Christmas Tree (01:31)
02. The Harmonaires...The Song Of The Snow (01:36)
03. Tom Glazer...Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (02:58)
04. Esther Williams And Ricardo Montalban...Baby, It's Cold Outside (02:31)
05. George Hamilton IV...Song For A Winter's Night (02:54)
06. Children From New York Public School 24...I Believe In Santa Claus (03:00)
07. J & K...Troika (00:28)
08. Walter Gieseking...Children's Corner Suite No. 4: Snow Is Dancing (02:04)
09. Vera Lynn...The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot (02:55)
10. Bobby Bond...Snow Balls In July (02:07)
11. Bethany College Choir...Nu Ar Dei Jul Igen (01:23)
12. Jack De Mello And His Orchestra...Dance Of The Menehunes (02:37)
13. Eileen Donaghy...Christmas Time In Ireland (02:48)
14. New York Percussion Trio...Sleigh Bells (02:00)
15. Mahlon Merrick And His Orchestra...Snow Flurries (02:48)
16. The New Swing Sextet...My Favorite Things (03:38)
17. Redlands High School Concert Choir...Carol Of The Bells (Ukranian Carol) (01:19)
18. Jimmy Jenson...Jingle Bell Rock (02:05)
19. The Irish Rovers...The Marvelous Toy (02:34)
20. The Modern Folk Quartet...Riu Chiu (01:44)
21. Ella Jenkins...Winter (01:15)
22. Unknown Artist...Joy To The World/Good King Wenceslas/We Wish You A Merry Christmas (02:19)
23. Sally Niven, David Cryer & The Women...My Holiday (02:53)
24. Ithaca College Band...Holiday Parade (02:20)
25. The Lutheran Church Of The Good Shepherd...A Joyous Glad Noel (02:17)
26. Crescent Temple String Band...Toyland (01:40)
27. Paul Bley Trio...Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (03:36)
28. Little Johnny Everything And His Sister Judy...The Story Of Christmas (01:41)
29. Robert Q. Lewis And The Star-Time Kids Chorus...Jingle Bells (00:39)
30. Wheaton College Men's Glee Club...The Sleigh (01:03)
31. National Lampoon (Christopher Guest, David Hurdon, Gilda Radner)...Kung Fu Christmas (03:52)
32. Jack Kane And His Orchestra...Ski Trail (02:24)
33. Wonderland Chorus...Winter Wonderland (02:12)
34. Mojo Nixon...Transylvanian Xmas (00:37)
35. Jamall Badry...Some Children See Him (03:16)
36. Guitar Magic...Jingle Bells (01:40)
37. Poplar Hill Development School...See The Flakes Of Fleecy Snow (02:06)
38. Dolf Van Der Linden Und Sein Metropol-Orchester...Holiday In Hollywood (02:49)
39. The Harlequins...A Winter Romance (04:00)
40. Gayle Moran...Christmas Song (01:19)
41. Unknown Artist...Be A Santa (02:42)
42. Sister Jean, P.M. With Orchestra...My Favorite (03:03)
43. The Salvation Army Band...The Spirit Of Christmas (Christmas Carol) (02:41)
44. Mel Tormé With The Page Cavanaugh Trio...What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (03:03)
A bit of a rarity here in that I've got two songs right there together at the end for New Year's. I usually try to stick to just one, but I must have had two really good ones this year. Enjoy!
