Christmas In July (In August)-The Twenty-Sixth Day

Is that right, twenty-six?  Getting towards the end now.  What have I got tonight?  Let's begin with The Weavers singing Go Where I Send Thee from the classic The Weavers At Carnegie Hall (Vanguard VRS-9010, Mono, 1957).  Track two is Nutcracker Suite: Trepak, Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairies, Dance Of The Flutes, Waltz Of The Flowers by Reginald Voort and his LP Waltz And Ballet (Cook Laboratories 1058, Mono, 1956).  Up third is Buddy Clark and Dinah Shore With Orchestra by Ted Dale doing the old chestnut for duet Baby It's Cold Outside from Buddy Clark's Greatest Hits (Columbia CS 9434, Fake Stereo).  When I recorded this, I knew something was missing.  It turns out they've edited the first 8 seconds or so of the song out of there.  So I dropped in a version I had that included the opening as I first heard it.  Somewhere around here I've got the original 78, so I'll have to listen to that someday to be sure I've got the whole thing.  Fourthly, we've got The Holly And The Ivy from that record you first heard yesterday, Music From Malvern College Chapel (Wealden Studios (UK) WS 175, Stereo, 1978).  The performers here are The Choir Of Malvern College Chapel With The Choir Of Hillstone School, Organist-Nigel Hancock.  Last up is Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring by Milford Myrhe from A Carillon Recital At The Bok Singing Tower (Morse's Music MM-2000, Stereo).  Milford seems to have taken over the post of Chief Carilloner at Bok Tower from Anton Brees upon his death in 1967.  That's it for tonight.  Here's the download link, have a good evening.

Christmas In July (In August)-The Twenty-Fifth Day

Whew!  Day 25.  Let's go.  Track one is Benny Goodman And His Orchestra doing My Favorite Things.  I haven't brought you too many versions of this song this year, so I hope you'll let me get away with this one.  I don't think I've ever had the opportunity to share any Benny Goodman here at the blog before, so enjoy this.  It's from The Sound Of Music (MGM E3810, Mono, 1959). Track two is by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra-Julius Rudel, Musical Director and their album is Christmas In Concert And More... (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra/Buffalo Savings Bank (No Catalog Number), Stereo, 1979).  This is a locally produced album, probably sold only around the Buffalo area, so I was lucky to find it.  Tonight you'll hear a medley of March and Waltz from The Nutcracker Suite, and there's another medley from it coming up soon.  Third is Once In Royal David's City by The Choir Of Malvern College Chapel With The Choir Of Hillstone School, Organist-Nigel Hancock from the LP Music From Malvern College Chapel (Wealden Studios (UK) WS 175, Stereo, 1978).  This one came to me all the way from Merrie Olde England, which is a lot further away than Buffalo NY.  Fourth is Jimmy Ruth And Rusty telling you a little Christmas Story, the second track I've shared from their record, Special Occasions-Songs & Stories For Children (Singchord (Zondervan) ZLP 967, Stereo, 1977).  Fifth and finally is Mr. Tony Bennett performing a song called Tell Her It's Snowing from his LP Listen Easy (MGM/Verve MV-5094, Stereo, 1973).  The orchestra on this is by Don Costa, so enjoy it.  I'm not a huge fan of Tony Bennett, but he's all right, I suppose.  Hope you enjoy tonight's selection of music.  Here's the download link.

Christmas In July (In August)-The Twenty-Fourth Day

Diving right in, you get twelve tracks tonight from side A of an LP entitled Christmas With The Gooding Band Organ (Gooding Amusement, Columbus Ohio 850C-3214, Stereo), commemorating 75 years of the Gooding Amusement Company.  Unfortunately, they don't seem to have survived much past whenever that 75th anniversary was, because I can only find mentions of them here and there on the internet.  Heaven knows what happened to the great old band organ (built in Germany in 1910, so it would be 100 years old this year) you'll here in these tracks, hopefully it ended up in the collection of some museum somewhere.  The twelve tracks are all fairly short, most of them under two minutes in length.  Side two is random songs that didn't have anything to do with Christmas, so I figured this would fit in with Christmas in July instead of Christmas in December.  Anyhow, the twelve songs are Silent Night, Jingle Bells, White Christmas, Frostie, The Snowman, A Little Boy's Christmas, Silver Bells, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Here Comes Santa Claus, Christmas Medley, I Saw Mommie Kissing Santa Claus, Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer and Winter Wonderland.  I think you'll really enjoy this one.  Here's the download link, see you later, alligator!

Christmas In July (In August)-The Twenty-Third Day

Welcome to day 23!  Ready for some more scratchy Christmas music?  Here we go...  Track one is Lullaby For Christmas by Adele Silke, Soprano & Richard Bailey, Pianist, from the album Nursery Songs And Rhythms (Judson Records H8-OP-2535/6, Mono).  Track two is the great Ethel Smith in a track I've been hunting for a long time now, Sleigh Ride, from her album Galloping Fingers (Decca DL 8456, Mono, 1957).  Good version.  Third is The Winter's Past-Rhapsody For Oboe And Strings by Howard Hanson Conducting The Eastman-Rochester Symphony Orchestra.  The LP is entitled Americana For Solo Winds And String Orchestra (Mercury MG50076 (American Music Festival Series Volume 4 [grab volume 2 here]), Mono, 1954).  I'm not certain of that 1954 date, but I found an identically named LP with a different catalog number from that year, so I'm running with it.  I apologize for the horrible scratchy noise recurring for the first minute or so of this song.  There were two pieces of packaging tape stuck on this record, extending maybe 3/8 of an inch in from the edge.  I removed the tape, but I couldn't do much with the residue it left deep in the grooves.  Try to imagine it without that horrible noise...  Fourthly, we have Hank Snow, again from his LP Snow In All Seasons (RCA Victor LSP-4122, Stereo, 1969), this time with Roses In The Snow.  I think this is my last track by Hank this year.  Last is Skater's Boogie from 12 Great Hits In Ragtime (Dot DLP 25433, Stereo, 1963) by Jo Ann Castle.  This may be my favorite version of this great waltz this year.  So if any of that sounds at all interesting to you, please click this download link.  Thank you, please come again!

Christmas In July (In August)-The Twenty-Second Day

Day 22, it's all downhill from here.  What have I got for you?  Let's start with Jingles, The Christmas Clown by Richard Robinson & William Reeve.  This is the second track I've brought you from Songs For Children With Special Needs 3 (Bowmar 122, Mono).  This isn't the happiest song in the world...  Track two is Snowflower Polka by Dorine from Polka Favorites Volume 1-All Star Concertina (Recar PF4001, Mono).  Now we're starting to get happy!  Track three is happy, but in a much different way.  You have to listen closely to the lyrics on this one.  The track is called Winter and it's by the Dunster Dunces from Harvard and their LP Songs From All Corners ("Pressed but not recorded by Columbia Records" XTV 64384/64385, Mono, 1960).  Track four is another track by Belles & Beaus and their LP Canfield Choral Music Dept. Presents The English Handbell Sounds Of The Belles & Beaus (Canfield High School 7074N4, Stereo, 1974).  This time around it's Christmas Lullaby, and I think this is the last track from them that I have to share.  And the last track for this evening is The Little Drummer Boy by The Daughters Of The Cross With Peter Knight & His Orchestra from their LP Go Tell It On The Mountain (Chapter 1 (London) CPS 39002, Stereo, 1969).  I think this is the third and last track I'm sharing from this LP.  There you have it, five more Christmas songs for your collection.  Here's the download link, see you all tomorrow.

Christmas In July (In August)-The Twenty-First Day

Day 21, I can see the end from here.  Unfortunately, it's not gonna  be in August.  Christmas in September, anyone?  Anyhow, ten tracks tonight from an album of carillon music from The Singing Tower at Luray Caverns in Virginia.  The carillonneur is Charles T. Chapman and the LP is entitled simply Carillon Music (Alive 1034M, Mono).  The songs are The Bells Of Saint Mary's, Adeste Fideles, It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, O Little Town Of Bethlehem, Joy TO The World, Fairest Lord Jesus, I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In, The First Noel, Hark The Herald Angels Sing and Silent Night.  If that sounds like something you want to hear, here's the download link.  Enjoy!

Christmas In July (In August)-The Twentieth Day

Day 20, we're getting there!  What's in the list today?  We start with another selection from Children Sing Around The Year (Decca DL 4406, Mono, 1963), Medley: (a) Christmas Is Peppermint Candy (b) Ringa-Linga-Ling (c) Christmas Is A Love, sung by Rosemarie Jun And Robert Spiro.  Track two is another Hank Snow track from Snow In All Seasons (RCA Victor LSP-4122, Stereo, 1969), At The First Fall Of Snow.  Thirdly, we have Away In A Manger by Rusty from Special Occasions-Songs & Stories For Children (Singchord (Zondervan) ZLP 967, Stereo, 1977).  Fourth is The Strugglers playing Bonnie Lassie while the crown sings Jingle Bells from Two Beers And Everybody Sings (Warner Bros WS 1257, Stereo, 1959).  Lastly, and probably best, we've got Johnny Winter performing the classic Please Come Home For Christmas.  I'd heard of this, but never seen it until a couple of days ago when the LP turned up at the thrift store.  Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good.  This is from First Winter (Buddha BDS 7513, Stereo, 1969), a collection of early tracks released after Winter had his first big record.  That's it for today, here's the download link.  See you next week.

Christmas In July (In August)-The Nineteenth Day

Sorry I missed yesterday, I was over at Lee's blog causing trouble.  But I'm back tonight with five more Christmas sounds for your August enjoyment.  Let's begin, shall we?  Track one is something called Bad Bad Winter by Kay Weaver from an LP she shares with someone named Ralph Lowe called The Now Sounds Of Today (Columbine CRH-198, Stereo).  There's nothing much I can tell you about this LP, could be some sort of song-poem thing, could be a vanity release, not sure.  The two artists don't seem to perform together anywhere on the LP, so I don't even know what their relationship is.  Up next is Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy by Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra.  I think I already shared something with you from this album, Evening At Pops (Polydor PD 5032, Stereo, 1972). (Nope, looks like I haven't, but I will...)  Track three is Mary's Little Boy Child by The Daughters Of The Cross With Peter Knight & His Orchestra.  Again, I think I've shared another track from this album, Go Tell It On The Mountain (Chapter 1 (London) CPS 39002, Stereo, 1969), with you.  Good stuff here.  Track four is the first of several tracks by Hank Snow From his LP Snow In All Seasons (RCA Victor LSP-4122, Stereo, 1969).  This one is Snowbird, but I don't think it has anything to do with Anne Murray.  (Someone correct me if I'm wrong...)  Last up is White Christmas by Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians.  I pulled this from a medley of Irving Berlin hits on the album Berlin By Lombardo (Capitol ST1019, Stereo, 1958).  Short but sweet.  That concludes this evening's sharity.  Here's the download link, see you again real soon.

Christmas In July (In August)-The Eighteenth Day

Another day, another five Christmas songs.  Let's go...  Track one is Christmas Lullaby by Richard Robinson & William Reeve from Songs For Children With Special Needs 3 (Bowmar 122, Mono).  I've no idea where I find some of this stuff...  Track two is Ice Princess by Helmut Zacharias And His Magic Violins from Happy-Go-Lucky (Polydor (Germany) 46048 LPHM, Mono).  Track three is March Of The Toys by the great Tommy Dorsey And His Orchestra from Tribute To Dorsey, Volume II (RCA Victor LPM-1433, Mono, 1957, originally recorded August 1939).  Track four is Tchaikowsky: Medley From "The Nutcracker Suite" by The Tiffany Strings from their album The Tiffany Strings Play Popular Themes From The Classics (Tiffany 1011, Mono).  And that brings us to the final track, a 22 minute opus by the one and only Walter Carlos entitled Winter, consisting of an entire side of his double LP Sonic Seasonings (Columbia PG 31234, Stereo, 1972).  I personally didn't find this to be very wintery, and parts of it are downright boring, but you might like it.  That's it, four short tracks and one really long one for you.  Here's the download link, enjoy the music!

Christmas In July (In August)-The Seventeenth Day

New posts three days in a row?  That must be some sort of record, at least of late.  But here I am, with my third day of new Christmas music for you.  I'm gonna jump right in with track number one.  It's Gloria In Excelsis by Students Of The General Theological Seminary Of The Protestant Episcopal Church-Directed By H. Bruce Lederhouse from Rejoice! Music For The Worship Of God In The Twentieth Century (Scepter 527, Mono).  No idea that this was going to feature the banjo when I bought it, but that's the sort of pleasant surprise that makes this job worthwhile.  Track two is Sleigh Ride from Richard Ellsasser and his album Leroy Anderson Favorites-Richard Ellsasser Playing The Baldwin Electronic Organ (MGM E3174, Mono, 1955).  I shared a whole winter-themed LP from Mr. Ellsasser a year or two ago, and according to the liner notes on the back of this LP, he's got a Christmas record floating around somewhere out there.  To the thrift store!  Track three is Christmas Song, performed here by Charlie Francis from Hits Made Famous By Nat King Cole (Spin-O-Rama S-145, Stereo).  Not the worst version out there, especially for such a budget label.  Number four is I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing In Perfect Harmony/Put Your Hand In The Hand by the Warren Willis Singers from Warren Willis Singers Send Love (No Label WS32172, Stereo).  There's not much about this group on the back sleeve, other than a mention that they're from the area in Florida where I grew up.  Odd, since I found this over on the East coast.  Last, we have some more handbell music from Belles & Beaus and their LP Canfield Choral Music Dept. Presents The English Handbell Sounds Of The Belles & Beaus (Canfield High School 7074N4, Stereo, 1976).  This time it's Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers.  That's all for today, here's the download link, enjoy!

Christmas In July (In August)-The Sixteenth Day

I believe that post number sixteen is the halfway point for this celebration of Christmas in July. Of course, it's the middle of August, so that means it's going to take forever to finish up. So I'd best get busy. Track one today is a medley of two tracks called Roll Up The Snow and Wonderful World Of Winter, performed by Rosemarie Jun and Robert Spiro. No idea who they are but the writer of these tracks, as well as the rest of the album is Helen Horn aka Pretty Penny (The liner notes peg her as well-known, but the internet is coming up with nothing...). The album is Children Sing Around The Year (Decca DL 4406, Mono, 1963). Track two is a second track by Don, Dick and Jimmy from their album Spring Fever (Crown CLP 5005, Mono, 1957). This time around it's Out In The Cold Again. Third we have Eugene Ettore & Louis Scalera performing Snow-Ride from New Organ Magic (Sano Corp. 1001, Mono). This appears to be a promotional item from Sano Corp, makers of an all-electronic organ that looks a whole lot like an accordion to me. Track four is the great Edmundo Ros And His Orchestra playing My Favorite Things from The Sound Of Music In Latin Tempos For Dancing (London PS-198, Stereo, 1960). This sounds awful familiar, but I can't find any evidence that I've shared it before... Last, we've got another track by Hugo Winterhalter from his LP A Season For My Beloved (ABC-Paramount ABCS-447, Stereo, 1963), this time it's The Things We Did Last Summer, and I think it's the last track I have for you from that LP. So, here's the download link, have at it. See you all later!

Christmas In July (In August)-The Fifteenth Day

No, I'm not giving up yet.  I've got more Christmas music up my sleeve than most folks and I intend to let a lot of it out.  Today you get six tracks from Ann Blyth that center around one of the other stars of the Christmas season, Jesus' mother, Mary.  These tracks are all from her LP Hail Mary (Everest SDBR 1113, Stereo, 1960) and also feature Orchestra And Chorus By Joe Leahy.  I'd had a copy of this LP for well over a year now, and once I finally went to record it, I found that it was horribly scratchy.  By complete coincidence, I'd seen another copy earlier in the day, but I wasn't sure if I'd bought it or not.  I dug through the days record purchases, and there it was.  Turns out the second copy sounded much better, and that's what you're hearing tonight.  The tracks make up all of side one, and they are Hail Mary, A Child Is Born, Mary's Prayer, Joseph, Go Forth, and My Son.  I'm sure you'll enjoy them.  Here's the download link, have a ball!

Christmas In July (In August)-The Fourteenth Day

Well, here we are, in another month, but we're still celebrating Christmas in July.  Long story...  Hopefully, I can wrap up Christmas in July in time for the real Christmas in December.  I've got five more songs for you today that have at least some little something to do with the holiday season, or maybe just the season itself, we'll see.  Let's begin, shall we?  Track one is The Bells Of St. Mary's by Kenny Baker.  This is from the album Kenny Baker Sings Song Hits Through The Years (RCA Camden CAL-131, Mono).  When I first picked this up, I thought it was the guy who played R2-D2 in Star Wars, but that was a very different Kenny Baker.  Track two is The Skaters--Waltz, Op. 183 by The Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, Conductor, from their LP Hi-Fi 3/4; Waltzes And Songs By Waldteufel And Lehar (Columbia CL 849, Mono).  Nice little version of this perennial favorite.  Third is a nice version of Go Tell It On The Mountain by a group of nuns called The Daughters Of The Cross With Peter Knight And His Orchestra.  The album is also called Go Tell It On The Mountain (Chapter 1 (London) CPS 39002, Stereo, 1969).  Nice little bit of Now Sound in the rhythm on this one.  Fourth up is another track from that great Hugo Winterhalter LP A Season For My Beloved (ABC-Paramount ABCS-447, Stereo, 1963), June In January.  And last, we've got a track from the soundtrack to the movie Giant (Capitol DW 773, Mono, 1956) called Toy Trumpet March-Christmas Morning by Dimitri Tiomkin.  Those are the sorts of tracks that I love to find, something in a spot you'd never think to look.  Anyhow, here's the download link, enjoy the music!

Christmas In July-The Thirteenth Day

OK, I'm back with the last installment of Christmas in July 2010 that will actually fall in July.  Don't worry, though, I'm planning on keeping this train rolling for a while yet.  It's just that we'll be in the wrong month.  Whoever heard of Christmas in August?  So, what have I got for tonight?  Let's begin with Sammy Davis, Jr. And Carmen McRae With Orchestra Directed By Jack Pleis singing that great duo wintertime song Baby It's Cold Outside.  This hails from their LP Boy Meets Girl (Decca DL 8490, Mono, 1957).  Sammy doesn't play it at all straight on this one, and I'm not sure if I like it that way.  But give it a listen.  Track two is the ever popular Skater's Waltz as performed on the organ by Shay Torrent And Ralph Bell from the LP Hammond Organ Fantasies (Mercury MG 20135, Mono, 1956).  Third is Winter Wonderland by Brazen Brass creator Henry Jerome And His Orchestra from Designed For Dancing (Lion (MGM) 10" E70004, Mono, 1954).  Need some fine, quality handbell music?  Track four is Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy as performed on the handbells by a group called Belles & Beaus.  This is from the album Canfield Choral Music Dept. Presents The English Handbell Sounds Of The Belles & Beaus (Canfield High School 7074N4, Stereo, 1976).  At least two places on the LP, they call them handballs, not handbells.  I guess it takes college level private pressings to include spell checking.  Last on tonight's list is something called Vibraholiday by Lionel Hampton With Rhythm And Reeds from Golden Vibes (Columbia CS 8110, Stereo, 1959).  It may not be Christmas but it's nice.  That concludes today's sharity, here's a download link, have a good one.  See you next month!

Christmas In July-The Twelfth Day

Hello?  Anybody still out there?  I've been gone for a bit, but I'm back again.  Got too busy there with some company that came into town, first with getting the place cleaned up and then with hanging out and doing touristy stuff with my guests.  But here I am with five more songs for you to download and enjoy.  I'm going to try and keep going for a while now, and I may have to go out into August, but we'll see.  Anyhow, let's see what sort of goodies I have for you this evening.  After such a long wait, I'm sure anything will sound good.  We begin with Ave Maria (the Schubert one) as performed by Montini And His Orchestra from a very early Westminster LP, Music In The Night (Westminster WP 6005, Mono, 1956).  From there we move into Don, Dick 'N Jimmy performing June In January from their album Spring Fever (Crown CLP 5005, Mono, 1957).  Yep, it's the budget label, but the music is still pretty good.  Next up is a track I teased you with earlier, White Christmas by Matt Dennis from another budget label album, Saturday Date With Matt Dennis (Tops LP1596, Mono, 1957).  And that leads into track four, Dance Of The Toy Flutes from Evening At Pops by Arthur Fiedler And The Boston Pops Orchestra (Polydor PD 5032, Stereo, 1972).  That's a pretty late date for stuff on this blog, don't ya think?  Bringing up the rear is a track from the great Hugo Winterhalter and that album I've shared with you quite a bit this July, A Season For My Beloved (ABC-Paramount ABCS-447, Stereo, 1963).  This time around it's Summer Green & Winter White.  All good stuff and I think you'll enjoy them.  Here's the download link.  I'll try not to wait so long between posts next time.  Thanks for all the concerned comments on that last post.  Sorry I didn't give you any warning about my absence.

Question:  Do any single women ever drop by here?  I'm lonely.  Drop me a line.  I'm serious.  :)

Christmas In July-The Eleventh Day

Well, here I am, falling further and further behind.  But I'm making good progress at getting my place cleaned up for company.  I'm also running out of music to share, so slowing down is really helping to stretch things out.  I've got five songs here for you tonight, but no time to tell you what they are.  I'll eventually get in here and edit this post to tell you what you're downloading, but until then, here's the download link, you'll just have to trust me that it's worth your download.

Christmas In July-The Tenth Day

Another day, more Christmas music. Let's see what's on tap today.  Up first is a song simply entitled Christmas by Fred Karlin.  I found this on Yours, Mine And Ours (United Artists UAS 5181, Stereo, 1968), one of those 60's soundtracks from a movie you've never heard of.  Second is the great Arthur Fielder And The Boston Pops doing their version of the great Christmas commercial song I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing from Evening At Pops (Polydor PD 5032, Stereo, 1972).  Those of you with excellent record collections will know that this record features Julia Child, but apparently only on the first side.  I've had a scratchy copy that skipped badly for a couple of years, but I finally found a clean copy this year, so I'm able to share it with you.  Track three is another track from Woodwinds And Percussion (Mercury PPS 6013, Stereo, 1961) by Hal Mooney And His Orchestra, this time it's I've got My Love To Keep Me Warm.  That seems to be a very popular song around here this year.  Up next is Swiss Sleigh Ride as performed by The Swiss Band Organ, and it's the third track I've shared with you this year from the LP Folk Songs Of The Alps (Tradition (Everest) TR 2081, Stereo, 1968).  Last on the list is Winter Wonderland (sorta...) by ethnic comedians Doug Setterberg & Stan Boreson.  No, this isn't from their Christmas LP, it's from Yust Try To Sing-a-long In Swedish (Golden Crest CR 3079, Stereo).  You'll recognize the tune, but I suspect these aren't the words you remember.  That's it for tonight, here's the download link, see you back here tomorrow.

Christmas In July-The Ninth Day

Good Evening!  Welcome to day nine, which is actually happening on day ten.  Odd, that.  Let's jump right in, shall we?  Track one is a new one from Hugo Winterhalter And His Orchestra And Chorus.  Surprisingly, this doesn't come from that ABC-Paramount record I've been slowly distributing, but from an RCA budget release called Big And Sweet With A Beat (RCA Camden CAL-443, Mono, 1958).  I'm not sure but I think this LP collects up random sides recorded previously by Mr. Winterhalter.  The track is entitled Blue December, and I think it's a keeper.  Track two is Christmas Night In Harlem by Paul Whiteman & Orchestra With Johnny Mercer And Jack Teagarden from the LP Fiftieth Anniversary (Grand Award 2xLP 33-901, Mono, 1956).  This is a nice collection of remakes in nice sound of tracks from Mr. Whiteman's past.  I was a little shocked to discover a Christmas song hidden in there since I already had a copy of this LP, and had had it for years.  I guess you have to pay attention.  Track three is I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm from Country Club Saturday Night (RCA Camden CAL-332, Mono, 1956) by Jerry Jerome And His Country Club Orchestra.  No idea who these guys are, really.  Track four is Hanover Winter Song by Fred Waring And His Pennsylvanians.  Anything by Fred Waring is more than welcome here at the blog.  This comes from his LP Alma Mater Memories (Capitol ST1949, Stereo, 1963).  Track five is another one by The Bellwethers, this time it's Ukranian Carol Of The Bells.  I don't know what makes this Ukranian, it sounds like the same old Carol Of The Bells to me, but perhaps it's originally Ukranian.  Anyhow, this is from The Bells Of Crystal Cathedral (The I.T. Verdin Company/UA Recording UAS-989-9297, Stereo).  Doesn't look like today is the day I'm gonna get caught up around here.  I'm putting records into boxes, and you can only imagine how long that takes...  Anyhow, here's the download link, go get it!

Christmas In July-The Eighth Day

Here we are, celebrating the Eighth day of Christmas in July on July the Ninth.  I know it doesn't make any sense, but I was busy yesterday and didn't get to throw up a share.  I'll try to make that up this weekend and get back on track.  To make up for my tardiness, I'm giving you what I think is my best track of the season, Go Tell It On The Mountain by Brook Benton.  This is a really great song, and it's buried away in the middle of If You Believe (Mercury MG 20619, Mono, 1962), an album of sacred music.  Oh, this is good stuff.  I wish all my finds could be this nice.  Next is a version of the Bing Crosby classic Christmas In Killarney, here performed by The Bill Shepherd Singers from the LP Irish Sing-Along (Decca DL 4053, Mono, 1963).  This one is pretty good, too, but not as good as Bing.  Third is classic piano bar crooner Matt Dennis from a budget label release Saturday Date With Matt Dennis (Tops LP1596, Mono, 1957).  The track is titled Hitch Up The Sleigh, and it's not the only song from this album that you'll hear this month.  Fourth is another track by Hugo Winterhalter from his LP A Season For My Beloved (ABC-Paramount ABCS-447, Stereo, 1963), A Marshmallow World.  That brings us to the final track, Waltz Of The Flowers, a slightly different version by David Rose And His Orchestra, Tenor Sax Solo By Bob Cooper, from the LP Concert With A Beat (MGM SE3852, Stereo, 1960).  The credit for saxophone should tell you that this isn't your normal run of the mill Tchaikovsky.  That's it, five more tracks for your Christmas in July enjoyment.  Here's the download link, see you tomorrow.

Christmas In July-The Seventh Day

Bit of a quicky here tonight, if ten tracks can be considered a quicky.  All ten of these tracks come from the same 10" LP entitled The Story Of The Music Box (Book Records 10" Collector's Series #1011, Mono, 1952).  Oh, the LP comes in the back of a thin, spiral bound book that tells all about the music box.  Neat little package.  The sound is a little rough, too, but there's some nice Christmas carols on here, if music boxes are your thing.  We hear from a few different types of 19th century music boxes here, including the Household Regina, the American Olympia, the Concert Regina and the Console Regina.  Interesting names, those.  The carols in question are Silent Night, O Sanctissima, Song Of The Virgin Mary, Ave Maria-Gounod, Hark The Herald Angels, First Noel, Skaters' Waltz, Adeste Fideles and two version of Jingle Bells.  You'll either like this one or you won't, so if it sounds like your kind of thing, please be my guest.  Here's the download link.  See you back here tomorrow!  Oh, and if you like the idea of a 10" record, head on over to my buddy Buster's place, a little blog called Big 10-Inch Record.  He specializes in them.