Christmas In July 2018-Day 16

Day 16!  That's past the halfway point of July!  Hopefully by now you've found a few favorite tracks, and you aren't completely tired of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite.  So tell me what your favorites are so far, and in exchange, you only get one long medley about dancing mice and shoe-throwing little girls.

1. Still, Still, Still by The Merrill Staton Children's Voices from the educational album International Song Time (Silver Burdett Company 86 380, Mono, 1968).  I was excited to find this after discovering a great Christmas version of the song last year, but I'm afraid this one may miss the mark.  They seem to have stripped all the holiday references from it.

2. The Star Road by First United Methodist Church, Cullman, Alabama-Sanctuary Choir, from A Celebration In Song (Prestige 80-157, Stereo, 1981).  Does anyone listen to these Church group songs more than once?  I think it's pretty rare to find one that stands up to repeated listening.  And I think it also makes a difference if you've ever performed in a similar group.  In that case, you may listen and sing along.

3. Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers, an old standard by Eddie Dunstedter, an old standard himself, from the LP Mister Pipe Organ!-Eddie Dunstedter At The Morton Pipe Organ (Capitol T1128, Mono, 1959).  If you don't have any Eddie Dunstedter Christmas music in your library, then you need to try harder!

4. Alle Jahre Wieder/O Tannenbaum/Ihr Kinderlien Kommet, a German medley from our new old friend Willie Dittrich, pulled from his LP The Singing Zither-Christmas Music & Old Time Hymns (Jim Loyd Presents 1002 (WMT Radio, Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Stereo).  Gotta love the zither!

5. Medley: Gold And Silver Waltz; The Skaters Waltz by The Living Strings-Arranged And Conducted By Johnny Douglas from Waltz Time With The Living Strings (RCA Camden CAL-855, Mono, 1965).  Sometimes I find it hard to believe how wildly popular the whole Living series was in the sixties.  I mean, this stuff was competing against The Beatles and The Stones...

6. Winter World Of Love by The Les Reed Orchestra & Chorus from The Spectacular Les Reed Composer Of... (Chapter 1, London 2xLP BP 39004/5, Stereo, 1972).  I guess I didn't realize that Les Reed had written enough hits for a double album.  And I'm not sure I know who Les Reed is...

7. Hallelujah Chorus, a not-unpleasant version by 101 Strings, Recorded Under The Direction Of D.L. Miller, from their album Inspiration And Meditation (Somerset SF-16600, Stereo, 1962). I've certainly heard worse, and so have you, probably right here at the blog.

8. My Favorite Things, your favorite non-Christmas Christmas song, by The Airmen of Note from Serenade In Blue-Series Eleven (Programs 131-143) (United States Air Force 7xLP Suggested Air Date: October-December 1969, Stereo, 1969).  One of my favorite finds of the year! What can I say, I'm easy to please.

9. Panis Angelicus by Bob Beck At The Chapel Organ from The Grotto Organs In Reverie (Adon, Oregon Ltd. V8844, Mono).  Obligatory pipe organ content, beware of blast!

10. Miniature Overture; March; Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy; Russian Dance (Trepak); Arab Dance; Chinese Dance; Dance Of The Reed Pipes, a mega-medley by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Conducted By Sir Adrian Boult from Sir Adrian Boult Conducts Suites From Tchaikovsky's Ballets The Nutcracker And Sleeping Beauty (Capitol SP 8690, Stereo, 1967).  You're welcome!

Ta-da!  Another ten tracks, and a pretty good selection, me-thinks!

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2018-Day 15

15, that's almost halfway through the month!  Time flies when you know Christmas is coming.  Let's jump right in!

1. Stille Nacht by Willie Dittrich from The Singing Zither-Christmas Music & Old Time Hymns (Jim Loyd Presents 1002 (WMT Radio, Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Stereo).  Really happy with this one, and I found it just in time to share it with you this month instead of next year.  Some of the best Christmas zither since Ruth Welcome!

2. Button Up Your Overcoat by Tom Hazleton from DTOC Command Performances-For Members Only Vol. 2 (Detroit Theater Organ Club No Number, Stereo, 1973).  More organ that you aren't going to find anywhere else!

3. Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring-The First Noël, a nice piano medley by Tedd Smith from Meditations (RCA Victor LPM-1636, Mono, 1958).  This is a nice one.  I hesitate to even call it a medley, it's closer to a mashup.  It seems like he's actually playing both songs at the same time and it works really well.  This is another one I brought home recently.  Now I need to see if this one got released in Stereo.

4.-10. An entire Nutcracker Suite consisting of Overture Miniature, March, Chinese Dance, Arabian Dance, Dance Of The Mirlitons, Waltz Of The Flowers and, wait, I forgot to grab a Sugar Plum Fairy.  Hold on, it's not too late, I guess you get 11 tracks tonight.  OK, the artists are all the usual suspects, with spoken word introductions by Peter Ustinov and Deems Taylor.  You don't really need all the info on these, do you?  The info is in the track tags, I promise. When I get done at the end of the month, you can put them all back in their proper artist-album folders.

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2018-Day 14

Day 14, in which all the posts are stereo because I forgot that I had my playlist sorted by bitrate and didn't scroll down to the mono part of the list...  Such are the pitfalls of this profession, children.

1. Cherry Tree Carol, by The Mitchell Trio-Solo By Mike Kobluk, making it's stereo debut in these parts, from the LP Typical American Boys (Mercury SR 60992, Stereo, 1965).  There's lots of very political stuff on this album, but not so much on this track.

2. Christmas Day by The Placentia Presbyterian Chancel Choir-Directed By Kris Brundin, Tenor Solo By John Press, from Christmas Chimes 'N Other Times (Monarch Records DBP-226, Stereo, 1977).  Nice medley here.

3. Greensleeves by Strings Unlimited from Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head/Bridge Over Troubled Water (Oscar Records OS-109 (Reissue of old material by 101 Strings from Alshire label), Stereo, 1972).  Budget material, reissued to rip more people off.

4. Listen, Shepherds, Listen! by The Winnipeg Mennonite Children's Choir-Helen Litz, Director, from the LP Singing The Seasons Of The Lord (Choristers Guild DSC-1, Stereo, 1979).  Got a lot of these choral groups this year.  Nice, but they run together sometimes...

5. Little Toy Store by Julie Budd, Produced, Arranged & Conducted By Herb Bernstein, from her debut LP Child Of Plenty (MGM SE-4545, Stereo, 1968).  Not really a Christmas song (are any of my shares really Christmas songs?  Well, maybe a couple...) but I was suckered in by the word toy in the title.

6. Medley From The Sound Of Music by De Wayne Fulton from An Evening With De Wayne Fulton, Harpist, Vol. 1 aka An Evening At The Warehouse (Safari Record SS-1001, Stereo).  You can't tell with the cover in front of you, or maybe listening to it, but it's on the harp!  I didn't listen too closely but I assume it's got to have My Favorite Things in there somewhere, right?

7. Our Winter Love by Clebanoff And His Orchestra from Today's Best Hits (Mercury SR 60791, Stereo, 1963).  Is this today's best hit?  Maybe, you tell me.

8. Silver Bells by Willie Dittrich from the Christmas half of his LP The Singing Zither-Christmas Music & Old Time Hymns (Jim Loyd Presents 1002 (WMT Radio, Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Stereo).  Another song that really isn't about Christmas, but at least most folks think it is.  It's from a Bob Hope movie people.  Bob Hope!

9. We Three Kings Of Orient Are by Brass Of The Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, Conducted By Alfred Newman, from Hallelujah! (Capitol SP8529, Stereo, 1960).  Now this may be the best track of the day!

10. Danses Caracteristiques: March; Dance Of The Sugar-Plum Fairy; Russian Dance (Trepak); Arabian Dance; Chinese Dance; Dance Of The Reed Pipes, all of it in one go by Leonard Bernstein Conducting The New York Philharmonic from Prokofiev: Peter And The Wolf, Op. 67/Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71A (Columbia Masterworks MS 6193, Stereo, 1961).  Since you only get one Nutcracker song today, I figured it should be a really long one.  You're welcome.

There you go, ten more songs.  Ten songs a day for the whole month is what, 310 tracks?  Yeah, I should be able to do that. Those two medley's in there make this the longest share of the year so far, how about that!

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2018-Day 13

Lucky number 13!  I've made it this far, there's no stopping me now!

1. Bobsled, performed by Hector Olivera on his album Page Won By Hector-Embassy Theatre, Ft. Wayne (Engle Associates Recording EAR-10313, Stereo).  I love this song in the original version by Clebanoff, something I've long featured around here, but I think my friend Lee over at Music You Won't discovered it first.  This version doesn't have the same frantic energy of that version, but it's nice.

2. Behold Your Little Child by First United Methodist Church, Cullman, Alabama-Children's Choir, from the album A Celebration In Song (Prestige 80-157, Stereo, 1981.  Kiddies singing, but not bad.

3. Go Tell It On The Mountain, a beautiful duo piano version by Charles Magnuson And Kurt Kaiser from Duo Magic! (Word WST-8057-LP, Stereo, 1960).  I was so excited when I spotted this title on the back of the LP, and the track did not disappoint.  You'll enjoy it!

4. Masters In This Hall by 1978 Chamber Singers-Robert Summer, Conductor, from University Of South Florida Chamber Singers And University Singers (Suncoast Recording Service KM 4471, Stereo, 1979).  This is a Christmas song I run into from time to time, yet I'm not at all familiar with it.  I need to do some research and further listening/

5. Intro To Dance Of The Mirlitons by Deems Taylor from Britten: The Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra/Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a (Mercury MG 50055, Mono, 1955).  I really like these little narrative bits, especially when butted up against something entirely different from what they're describing.

6. The Volga Vouty (Russian Dance) by Duke Ellington And His Orchestra from Nutcracker Suite/Peer Gynt Suites Nos. 1 And 2 (Odyssey (Columbia) 32 16 0252 (Originally issued 1960), Stereo, 1980).  Not the original Tchaikovsky version, but man, does it swing! I think I had this labelled in the track tags as originally released way back in 1060, before the Norman conquest of England, but that's not correct.  I believe 1960 is a much closer date.  You might need to update the tags on any earlier shares from the record.  Sorry.

7. Miniature Overture by Leonard Bernstein Conducting The New York Philharmonic from Prokofiev: Peter And The Wolf, Op. 67/Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71A (Columbia Masterworks MS 6193, Stereo, 1961).  I think I've got the suite all out of order tonight.  Not that I know the exact running order, but I think the overture generally comes first...

8. Waltz Of The Flowers by The Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra Conducted By Felix Slatkin from the LP Nutcracker Suite/A Midsummer Night's Dream (Capitol SP8404, Stereo, 1957).  Really early for stereo, but not impossible.  Probably released to vinyl in that first year only in mono, but they knew stereo was on the way...

9. Dance Of The Flutes by Andre Kostelanetz And His Orchestra-Andre Kostelanetz, Piano Soloist from Nutcracker Suite-Between Birthdays-Verses By Ogden Nash (Columbia Masterworks ML 5664, Mono, 1961).  Whoops, mean to put this up there next to the Mirlitons intro.  Without that intro, how would we know that Tchaikovsky changed the mirlitons in the original ballet to flutes in the suite?

10.  Chinese Dance by Alfred Wallenstein Conducting The Virtuoso Symphony Of London from Romeo And Juliet Fantasy Overture-The Nutcracker Suite (Audio Fidelity (Mexico) FCS 50,006, Stereo, 1959).  And The Chinese Dance certainly doesn't come last.  Well, it does around here...

And that's it for today.  Hope you aren't sick of the Nutcracker variations yet.  I suppose it would be less sickening if there were more variations, but I gotta work with what I got.

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2018-Day 12

Day 12 already?  Time flies when you're having fun.  I hope you're enjoying this music as much as I am.  A few goodies already this year, but I'm really trying to save some good stuff for the second half.  If I haven't shared out something that strikes your fancy yet, just keep listening, there's bound to be something good coming.  Here's ten more tracks that might tickle your fancy!

1. I'll Be Home For Christmas by Willie Dittrich, from an album I just found today, The Singing Zither-Christmas Music & Old Time Hymns (Jim Loyd Presents 1002 (WMT Radio, Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Stereo).  That's right, Christmas music on the zither!  And the whole second side of the album is Christmas, so I'll have plenty more of this stuff, whether you love it or not.

2. Virgin Mary Had A Little Baby by Tom Paslé from the various artists LP Folk Festival (ABC-Paramount ABC-408, Mono, 1962).  I tell you, sometimes these old folk albums are a Christmas goldmine some days!

3. Frontier Christmas (Harlow & The Mrs.), a comedy skit by Hudson & Landry from their album Right Off! (Dore LP-329, Stereo, 1973).  I think I've shared this track with you before, but it was from a best-of album. This appears to be the original, though I think it came out on 45 before the album release.  Don't know if that was any different.

4. Doll Dance by Del Castillo from Half & Half (Concert Recording CR-0028, Stereo).  More organ for you.

5. Waltz Of The Flowers, your only Nutcracker song of the night, plucked on guitar by Los Indios Tabajaras from Casually Classic (RCA Victor LSP-3505, Stereo, 1966).  I think these guys released a Christmas single at some point, but I've never found it.  Anyone have any knowledge of that?

6. Summer Me, Winter Me (From "Picasso Summer") by Enoch Light And The Light Brigade from The Best Of The Movie Themes 1970 (Project 3 PR 5046SD, Stereo, 1970).  I really wish Enoch had recorded a whole Christmas album at some point.  The random stuff that came out on his label are all interesting, but there's not enough of it.

7. Sleigh Ride (not the Leroy Anderson tune) as done by the amazing Shari Lewis With Lambchop And Charley Horse With Marty Gold And His Orchestra, Lan O'Kun At The Piano, from her classic children's LP Fun In Shariland (RCA Camden CAL-1006 (Reissue of LBY-1006, 1958), Mono, 1960).  Great stuff!  This is what keeps me digging through those piles of raw vinyl.

8. Carol Of The Bells by The Singing Sergeants from Serenade In Blue-Series Eleven (Programs 131-143) (United States Air Force 7xLP Suggested Air Date: October-December 1969, Stereo, 1969).  Another thing I wish I could find more of.  These military releases are all good stuff.

9. Ave Maria (Franz Schubert) by Bob Beck At The Outdoor Organ from the album The Grotto Organs In Reverie (Adon, Oregon Ltd. V8844, Mono).  I told you I had a lot of organ tracks to share this year.  Perhaps you didn't believe me.  I've still got a stack of them to record!

10. Italian Jingle Bells by Lou Monte With Hugo Winterhalter's Orchestra And Chorus, a track I can't help but rerun year after year after year, every time I see the album Lou Monte Sings Songs For Pizza Lovers (RCA Victor LPM-1877, Mono, 1958).  Another artist I wish had a larger Christmas catalog.

And that's it.  Feels like a very eclectic set, but than most days feel that way.  Gotta be something in there for everyone tonight.

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2018-Day 11

Hmmm, nothing special about day 11.  Not an anniversary of anything, not an even number, though it is odd and prime.  So I'd best quit talking about it and give you what you want, more Christmas music!

1. My Favorite Things (From The Musical Production "The Sound Of Music") by The Trapp Family Singers And Chorus, Arranged And Conducted By Father Franz Wasner. from their LP version of The Sound Of Music (RCA Victor LSP-2277, Stereo, 1960).  It was probably inevitable that the subjects of the Sound Of Music play would perform the songs from it at one point.  And this is the closest thing we get to a Christmas song from that play, though the Trapp Family did record other Christmas music.

2. Christmas Time's A Coming, a bluegrass Christmas classic by Reno & Smiley And The Tennessee Cutups from their last LP Last Time Together (Starday SLP 485-498, Stereo, 1972).  Not sure of the exact genesis of this track, I certainly don't think it's the hit version, so I don't know why they chose to revisit it, but I'm glad they did!

3. Blue Doll by Kitty Kallen-Orchestra Under The Direction Of Milton De Lugg, from her album If I Give My Heart To You (Columbia CS 8204, Stereo, 1960).  I think just about any song with the word doll in the title sorta kinda counts as Christmas music.  Maybe.

4. Rise Up Shepherd by The Highwaymen from Standing Room Only! (United Artists UAS 6168, Stereo, 1962).  No, this is not the country supergroup with Willie, Waylon, Kris and Johnny, but that would be awesome if it were!

5. Overture Miniature begins tonight's Nutcracker Suite, as performed by Warwick Symphony Orchestra from the first LP on the label, Nutcracker Suite/Carnival Of The Animals (Camden (RCA) CAL-100, Mono, 1954).  Good place to start.

6. Marche by Alfred Wallenstein Conducting The Virtuoso Symphony Of London from Romeo And Juliet Fantasy Overture-The Nutcracker Suite (Audio Fidelity (Mexico) FCS 50,006, Stereo, 1959). Yawn.

7. Dance Of The Flutes by The Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra Conducted By Felix Slatkin from Nutcracker Suite/A Midsummer Night's Dream (Capitol SP8404, Stereo, 1957).  Was Felix Slatkin's time at the Hollywood Bowl right before Carmen Dragon?  I know this is before he started releasing those Fantastic Strings albums on Liberty.

8. Waltz Of The Flowers by Linda Kent from The Many Moods Of The "Mighty Mo" (AC/ATOS (Atlanta Chapter, American Theatre Organ Society) 30767, Stereo, 1977).  The Mighty Mo was apparently some organ, but you probably figured that out on your own...

9. Chinese Dance (Nutcracker Suite) by Carmen Dragon Conducting The Capitol Symphony Orchestra from Orientale (Capitol P-8453, Mono, 1963).  Speaking of Carmen Dragon, here he is!

10. Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy, not the whole song though, just some narration by Peter Ustinov from Nutcracker Suite-Between Birthdays-Verses By Ogden Nash (Columbia Masterworks ML 5664, Mono, 1961).  Classic stuff.

Is that it?  Yep, ten tracks.  Don't forget to come back tomorrow for more!

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2018-Day 10

Day the Tenth!  Let's go!

1. Emanuel, Emmanuel by First United Methodist Church, Cullman, Alabama-Children's Choir, from A Celebration In Song (Prestige 80-157, Stereo, 1981).  Kids singing.  It is what it is.

2. Skaters Waltz by George Wright from Sweet And Low (HiFi Records, Life Series L1011, Mono, 1963).  Yes, 'Skaters', that's what it said.  Sorry.

3. Nutcracker: Grand Pas De Deux by Minneapolis Symphony/Dorati, from the double album The Heart Of The Ballet (Mercury 2xLP SR2 9127, Stereo).  You get music from the Nutcracker ballet tonight, just to throw you off the scent a little.

4. Boar's Head Carol by Chamber Singers-Robert Summer, Conductor, from University Of South Florida Chamber Singers And University Singers (Suncoast Recording Service KM 4471, Stereo, 1979).  Still enjoying the songs from this one.  Glad I found another copy to share this year.

5. Mary's Little Boy Child by The Placentia Presbyterian Chancel Choir-Ruth White Miller, Director, from Christmas Chimes 'N Other Times (Monarch Records DBP-226, Stereo, 1977).  Haven't heard too much from Jester Hairston lately, so here's one of his songs.

6. Cold December (In Your Heart) by The Original Limelighters, or if you prefer, The Limelighters.  This is from one of their later albums, Time To Gather Seeds (Warner Bros.-Seven Arts WS 1762, Stereo, 1968).  I don't know what the deal is with the confusion over their name.  I know this is not their earlier label, so there may have been some issues there.

7. Moonlight In Vermont by the great Brook Benton from Songs I Love To Sing (Mercury SR 60602, Stereo, 1960).  Good stuff here.

8. Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers (From "Chauve Souris") by Irving Fields Trio from the LP Latin Dance Date (RCA Camden CAL 350, Mono, 1958).  This can't be the first version of this I've shared out this year, can it?  I must be overlooking something.

9. The Toy Trumpet by Eddie Dunstedter from Mister Pipe Organ!-Eddie Dunstedter At The Morton Pipe Organ (Capitol T1128, Mono, 1959).  Can't go wrong with Eddie Dunstedter performing a song by Raymond Scott!

10. Sleighride, No. 3 From "Three German Dances, K. 605" by The Elgin Symphony Orchestra-Robert Hanson, Music Director-David Katz, Associate Conductor, from the album Elgin Presents... (Private Pressing SM-9/87, Stereo).  More goodness from vanity pressings.

That's it, ten songs for day ten!  The universe is in balance.

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2018-Day 09

I'm not even sure what day this is.  Day 9. Monday, yeah, I think it's a Monday.  It's also another day during Christmas in July, so here goes!

1. Hallelujah Chorus by The Real Thing Steel Band from their LP The Clay House Inn Presents The Real Thing Steel Band (Edmar WLPS 1111, Stereo).  You liked the Nutcracker stuff performed on the steel drums, so here's some Handel for you!

2. Gesu Bambino by The Placentia Presbyterian Chancel Choir-Ruth White Miller, Director-Baritone Solo By Ross Raymond, Alto Solo By Marge Somerville, from Christmas Chimes "N Other Times (Monarch Records DBP-226, Stereo, 1977).  I've got plenty of these local groups this year.  They're always good for a track or two.

3. Jolly Sleigh Ride by Six Fat Dutchmen from Merry Polkas (RCA Victor LPM-1418, Mono, 1957).  I paid too much for this record at an expensive record store here in Sarasota.  But when I say the song title, I knew I had to have it.  I've shared out a couple of other tracks from this ensemble over the years, but this one was new to me!

4. It's Now Winter's Day by Tommy Roe, the title track from It's Now Winter's Day (ABC Records ABCS-594/ST-91146, Stereo, 1967).  This was one of the few records I found at a recent fundraiser for the community radio station in Tampa this year.  It was in bad shape, but I knew I needed the stereo version. Lot's a stereo going on in this one, too, so it was worth it!

5. The Things We Did Last Summer, a rare Christmas-adjacent track by Lesley Gore from My Town, My Guy & Me (Mercury MG 21042, Mono. 1965).  Sometimes these things just fall into my lap when I'm not looking...

6. Button Up Your Overcoat by Eddie Layton At The Hammond Organ, from his album Skatin' With Layton (Mercury SR 60258, Stereo, 1960).  I don't think I've shared out this song too much in the past, but I've warmed up to it in the past year or so.  So here it is!

7. Skater's Waltz (Die Schlittschuhläufer), Op. 183 by Vienna State Opera Orchestra (Volksoper)-Anton Paulik, Conductor, from the album Gold And Silver-Great Waltzes Of The Old World (Vanguard VRS-1002, Mono, 1957).  Lots of stuff on the Vanguard label this year for some reason.

8. Overture Miniature by Alfred Wallenstein Conducting The Virtuoso Symphony Of London from Romeo And Juliet Fantasy Overture-The Nutcracker Suite (Audio Fidelity (Mexico) FCS 50,006, Stereo, 1959).  Interesting to see what music they've paired up with The Nutcracker over the years to fill out an album.

9. Waltz Of The Flowers And Dance Of The Reed Pipes (The Nutcracker Suite) by Lamoureux Orchestra Of Paris, Conducted By Georges Tzipine, from the LP The Romantic Music Of Fritz Kreisler/Familiar Themes From Tchaikovsky (Capitol P-397, Mono, 1953). Two Nutcracker tracks for the price of one!

10. Arabian Dance (Nutcracker Suite) by Carmen Dragon Conducting The Capitol Symphony Orchestra from Orientale (Capitol P-8453, Mono, 1963).  I'm sure I have this in stereo somewhere, and have probably shared it before, but mono was the only copy I had in the stacks.

And that's your ten tracks for tonight!  Hope you find something good in there!

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2018-Day 08

Day eight, so that's the first week down.  How we doin', everybody hanging on, keeping up, ready for more?  Good!  Let's go for week two!

1. Greensleeves by Raymond Lewenthal-Piano, from his LP Moonlight And Keyboard (Westminster XWN 18403, Mono, 1956).  If you ever wonder why I share so many versions of Greensleeves, it's because it's easy to find versions of it.  It's really old, so there's no royalties to be paid to the songwriter, and you can sing What Child Is This to the tune, so it's Christmas!

2. Silent Night by First United Methodist Church, Cullman, Alabama-Bell Choir, from their LP A Celebration In Song (Prestige 80-157, Stereo, 1981).  Yes, it's my first song of the year featuring the handbells!  And I don't know if I'll have anymore or not.  This one was kind of a surprise when I put it on the turntable, I wasn't expecting it.  So enjoy it!

3. Go Where I Send Thee by The Weavers from The Weavers At Carnegie Hall (Vanguard VRS 9010 (Metropolitan Music Library VG 9010), Mono, 1959).  Pretty sure I've shared this one with you multiple times in years gone by, but this release featured a different cover than usual.  Must be some sort of club or something, this Metropolitan Music Library.

4. White Snow by Bob Lind from The Elusive Bob Lind (Verve Folkways FT-3005, Mono, 1966).  Don't know much about this one.  Perhaps one of you will chime in with some detail.  :) Good song, though.

5. Miniature Overture, the only Nutcracker song of the night, this time by Andre Kostelanetz And His Orchestra-Andre Kostelanetz, Piano Soloist, from Nutcracker Suite-Between Birthdays-Verses By Ogden Nash (Columbia Masterworks ML 5664, Mono, 1961).  Got lots and lots of Nutcracker music this year, but I don't want to overwhelm you with it every day.  At least not here at the beginning.

6. Winter by The Young Americans from The Young Americans Presented By Johnny Mathis (Mercury MG 21023, Mono, 1965).  I swear, you have to turn over every record you find and scan the track listing, even if you think you've done it before.  There's songs to be found everywhere!

7. Skater's Waltz by Lawrence Welk's favorite, Bob Ralston, from his LP 22 All-Time Organ Favorites (RCA Camden CAS-917, Stereo, 1966).  OK, maybe not his favorite, but certainly one of his cohorts.

8. The Angelus by Bob Beck At The Chapel Organ from The Grotto Organs In Reverie (Adon, Oregon Ltd. V8844, Mono). Somebody told me once this was their favorite Christmas song, but I don't remember who that was.  I'm not really familiar with it, I'm afraid.

9. Moonlight In Vermont by The Rainbow Sound Of Bianco, His Harp And Orchestra, from Music For A Summer Evening (RCA Victor Club Record CSP-105, Stereo, 1963).  One of the first records I ever shared out for Christmas was Bianco's Christmas album, in mono.  Thought I was the only person in the world who had that record.  I thought harps for Christmas was the greatest thing ever.  Little did I know the depth and variety of the Christmas world!

10. White Christmas by Steve Lawrence from Steve And Eydie Sing The Golden Hits (ABC Paramount ABCS-311, Stereo, 1960).  Took me many years to find a stereo copy of this one, so now I have to buy it whenever I see it.  I'm trying to to share too many reruns with you this year, but I'm sure it's still more than 50% of my shares.  Maybe not in this post, but in general.

OK, that's it, another day down.  Thanks for coming by!

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2018-Day 07

Seven days in and still going strong!

1. Overture by Duke Ellington And His Orchestra from Nutcracker Suite/Peer Gynt Suites Nos. 1 And 2 (Odyssey (Columbia) 32 16 0252 (Originally issued 1060), Stereo, 1980).  Starting out another block of Nutcracker music with a great arrangement by Duke & Billy Strahorn!

2. Russian Dance ("Trepak") From "Nutcracker Suite," Op. 71a by E. Power Biggs, taken from his LP Holiday For Harpsichord: Fun-Filled Favorites From E. Power Biggs & His Pedal Harpsichord (Columbia MS 6878, Stereo, 1966).  Yes, that's right, Harpsichord! And you know it's going to be good because his middle name is Power!

3. Arabian Dance by Antal Dorati Conducting The Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra from Britten: The Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra/Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a (Mercury MG 50055, Mono, 1955).  A little more staid than the others in this suite, but good nonetheless.

4. Chinese Dance by The Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra Conducted By Felix Slatkin, more straightlaced stuff, from Nutcracker Suite/A Midsummer Night's Dream (Capitol SP8404, Stereo, 1957).  I wonder if I have enough interesting versions to make a comp?  Hmmm...

5. March, some narration by Peter Ustinov from Nutcracker Suite-Between Birthdays-Verses By Ogden Nash (Columbia Masterworks ML 5664, Mono, 1961).  I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love Ogden Nash!

6. Dance Of The Flutes by Warwick Symphony Orchestra from their album Nutcracker Suite/Carnival Of The Animals (Camden (RCA) CAL-100, Mono, 1954).  These all sort of start to sound the same after a while, don't they?

7. Waltz Of The Flowers From "Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a" by The Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, Conductor, from The Wonderful Waltzes Of Tchaikovsky And Strauss (Columbia Masterworks ML 5238, Mono, 1958). I pulled this from a collection of other things, but I'm thinking I have the full-length LP that it originally came out on.  I'll have to go digging to find it though.

8. Nutcracker by The Nutty Squirrels from The Nutty Squirrels (Hanover HM 8014, Mono, 1959).  Unfortunately, this has nothing at all to do with Tchaikovsky, but I thought I'd throw it in anyway.

9. Ave Maria (Pietro Mascagni) by Bob Beck At The Outdoor Organ from The Grotto Organs In Reverie (Adon, Oregon Ltd. V8844, Mono). I told you I have a million and one organ records!

10. I Saw Three Ships by The United States Air Force Band-Brass Choir from that great collection Serenade In Blue-Series Eleven (Programs 131-143) (United States Air Force 7xLP Suggested Air Date: October-December 1969, Stereo, 1969).  Great stuff on here!

And that's it, another great day!  Have at it and leave me a comment!

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2018-Day 06

Another day, another share!  I need to get busy and record some more stuff.  It may not seem like it, but I'm burning through material fast! I need to make a dent in this huge pile of records.  But that's my problem, not yours.  Let's see what's in the stack for tonight.

1. Ave Maria by The Schubert Club Of Grand Rapids-Directed By James Nieboer, from their album This Is My Country (No Label, 80787, Stereo, 1968).  The record sleeve bragged about how many years these guys had been around, but I put it back in the pile and promptly forgot how many years that was.  Sorry.

2. Wedding Of The Painted Doll by Tiny James from Intermission Time-Music For Easy Listening (Doric DO (S) 1210 (Fake Stereo Reissue of 1957 Original), Fake Stereo, 1972).  Another treasure from the giant stack of organ records!

3. Shepherds Play Your Melody by The Winnipeg Mennonite Children's Choir-Helen Litz, Director, from Singing The Seasons Of The Lord (Choristers Guild, DSC-1, Stereo, 1979).  The tracks from this album are really growing on me, I hope you're enjoying them as well.

4. All Creatures Now Are Merry-Minded by 1978 Chamber Singers-Robert Summer, Conductor, from the LP University Of South Florida Chamber Singers And University Singers (Suncoast Recording Service KM 4471, Stereo, 1979).  So many tracks from this one to share...

5. Snowfall (Theme Of Claude Thornhill & His Orch.) by, of course, Claude Thornhill And His Orchestra.  Not sure which version this is, he's recorded it so many times, but I pulled it from The Thornhill Sound (Harmony (Columbia) HL 7088, Mono, 1958).

6. Winter Song by Tom Paxton from his album Heroes (Vanguard VSD 79411, Stereo, 1978).  Lots of goodies in the Tom Paxton catalog, but sometimes they're better sung by others...

7. Winter Wonderland by Doug Setterberg & Stan Boreson from Yust Try To Sing-a-long In Swedish With Doug Setterberg & Stan Boreson (Golden Crest CR3079, Stereo, 1959).  Not really in Swedish, but they've certainly changed the words around a bit. Pretty sure it was these guys who remade many of the Yogi Yorgesson Christmas songs on their own Christmas album, almost word for accented word.

8. March Of The Siamese Children by Del Castillo from Half & Half (Concert Recording CR-0028, Stereo).  Not really a Christmas song, but I needed to pull more stuff from those organ records...

9. Be A Santa by Percy Faith And His Orchestra from his version of Subways Are For Sleeping (Columbia CL 1733, Mono, 1961).  Wish it was a stereo copy, but this one is so hard to find, I was just happy to see one. (Grab a remastered Stereo copy for yourself on this Faith collection here!)

10. Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy, your obligatory Nutcracker track of the night, this time by Alfred Wallenstein Conducting The Virtuoso Symphony Of London from the LP Romeo And Juliet Fantasy Overture-The Nutcracker Suite (Audio Fidelity (Mexico) FCS 50,006, Stereo, 1959).  Not sure how I ended up with a Mexican pressing of this one.

And that's it, another ten tracks.  Hope you're enjoying everything so far.  Still a long, long ways to go!

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2018-Day 05

Well, time to go back to work after the day off right in the middle of the week.  I told my guys they could come in late today since they will be up late watching the fireworks.  We'll see just how late they show up.  In the meantime, here's another set of great Christmas music for you!

1. Snowman by Tommy Roe from Beginnings (ABC ABCS 732, Stereo, 1971). If this doesn't cool you off, I don't know what will.

2. Cool Mambo by The George Shearing Quintet from A Shearing Caravan (MGM E3175. Mono, 1955).  OK, I stand corrected, this is the song that will cool you off!

3. Virgin Mary Had One Son by Joan Baez And Bob Gibson, accompanied by Bob Gibson on guitar, Bill Lee on bass, from Folk Festival At Newport Vol. 2 (Vanguard VRS-9063, Mono, 1959).  Always good Christmas music on these old folkie albums if you look hard enough.

4. Marche by Warwick Symphony Orchestra begins today's Nutcracker Suite block.  This track is from Nutcracker Suite/Carnival Of The Animals (Camden (RCA) CAL-100, Mono, 1954).  Seems to be a popular combo, The Nutcracker Suite with Carnival Of The Animals.

5. Arabian Dance by The Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra Conducted By Felix Slatkin from Nutcracker Suite/A Midsummer Night's Dream (Capitol SP8404, Stereo, 1957).  Don't see these two suites paired up often.

6. Russian Dance by Andre Kostelanetz And His Orchestra-Andre Kostelanetz, Piano Soloist, from Nutcracker Suite-Between Birthdays-Verses By Ogden Nash (Columbia Masterworks ML 5664, Mono, 1961).  Wish I'd had a stereo one of this LP to rip for you...

7. Dance Of The Mirlitons by Antal Dorati Conducting The Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra from the LP Britten: The Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra/Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a (Mercury MG 50055, Mono, 1955).  I just started pulling tracks from this one yesterday, but that one was spoken word.  This begins the actual music.

8. Waltz Of The Flowers by The Steel Bandits from The Steel Bandits Play (Decca DL4794, Mono, 1966). Yep, you guessed it, Tchaikovsky played on the steel drums!

9. Pas De Deux (No. 14a From The Complete Ballet, Op. 71) a ringer by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Conducted By Sir Adrian Boult, taken from the album Sir Adrian Boult Conducts Suites From Tchaikovshy's Ballets The Nutcracker And Sleeping Beauty (Capitol SP 8690, Stereo, 1967).  Taken from the actual ballet, not the later orchestration, so it may not be as familiar to you.

10. Waltz Of The Trumpets by The Airmen Of Note, from the radio LP Serenade In Blue-Series Eleven (Programs 131-143) (United States Air Force 7xLP Suggested Air Date: October-December 1969, Stereo, 1969).  Not really a track from The Nutcracker, but sounds like it could be, right?

That's it, that's all you're getting today!  You'd better enjoy it or you won't get anymore!

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2018-Day 04

Good morning, and Happy 4th of July to all my American visitors!  For the rest of you, Happy Wednesday!  I've got nothing special for you today, just a pile more Christmas music to listen to before you go see the fireworks tonight.  It's hot out there, maybe this holiday music will help cool you off.  Maybe...

1. Introduction To The Nutcracker Suite by Deems Taylor, a spoken word bit from Britten: The Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra/Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a (Mercury MG 50055, Mono, 1955).  The music on this one is by Antal Dorati & The Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, but I especially liked the narration bits.

2. Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite by Jerry Murad's Harmonicats from Harmonica Rhapsody (Columbia CS 9141, Stereo, 1965).  I figured I'd go ahead and get The Nutcracker bits out of the way early tonight.  :)

3. The Virgin Mary Had A Baby Boy, a rerun, but a good one from The George Mitchell Choir, Conducted By Robert De Cormier, taken from a recently unsealed copy of Where Have All The Flowers Gone (Liberty LRP-3316, Mono, 1965).  I wish I'd found a sealed stereo copy, but beggars can't be choosers.

4. Gaudeamus Igitur; Winter Song; Rambling Wreck From Georgia Tech, a rambling medley by Living Voices from the LP Living Voices On The Campus (RCA Camden CAL-715, Mono, 1962).  I've always liked Winter Song, not sure why.  Maybe because we don't really have winter here in Florida, it's just not summer for a little while...

5. Winter Heavens Opened by The Winnipeg Mennonite Children's Choir-Helen Litz, Director, another good track from Singing The Seasons Of The Lord (Choristers Guild, DSC-1, Stereo, 1979).

6. Ave Maria by 1977 Chamber Singers-Robert Summer, Conductor, from the album University Of South Florida Chamber Singers And University Singers (Suncoast Recording Service KM 4471, Stereo, 1979).  I thought about doing a whole day of nothing but Ave Maria versions, but then I thought better of it.  I like to mix it up, I want there to be a little something every day that you like and something that you dislike.  If I bunch it all together, some of you might skip that day, and I can't have that!

7. My Favorite Things by Dave Brubeck Quartet from My Favorite Things (Columbia CS 9237, Stereo, 1966).  No arguments, please.

8. She Makes Me Warm by Pat Shannon from Back To Dreamin' Again/She Makes Me Warm (Uni (MCA) 73079, Stereo, 1969).  Not so much Christmas, but you'll appreciate her making you warm when it's chilly outside.

9. Igloo by the Gerry Mulligan Sextet, a cold climate habitat from Mainstream Of Jazz (Emarcy (Mercury) MG 36101, Mono, 1956).  Brrr, I'm chilly already!

10. Rock Candy by Brother Jack McDuff and the LP The Natural Thing (Chess (Germany) 275 010, Stereo, 1968).  Nothing says Christmas like candy!

There you go, ten more tracks to brighten your holidays!  Though it may be a different holiday than most of you are celebrating today.  Sorry about that.

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2018-Day 03

Three days in already?  Seems like only yesterday I was sitting on a beach somewhere thinking I needed to start preparing for Christmas in July...  Not really, I'm sure I was in a record store checking the flip side of all the records looking for Christmas music.  And it was today, not yesterday. :)  OK, what's in the pile for tonight?

1. Come, Go With Me To Bethlehem by The Winnipeg Mennonite Children's Choir-Helen Litz, Director, taken from their LP Singing The Seasons Of The Lord (Choristers Guild, DSC-1, Stereo, 1979).  Nice recording of some kids here, and there are several more tracks from this one to go, so I hope you like it.

2. I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing, the Coca-Cola Christmas song, given a country spin by Jan Howard from her album Love Is Like A Spinning Wheel (Decca DL7-5333, Stereo, 1972).  Interesting, very interesting.

3. Winter Blues Bossa Nova by Bent Fabric from Operation Lovebirds (Atco SD 33-202, Stereo, 1967).  Nice moody little piece.  Wouldn't be out of place on those Easy Christmas collections that came out a few years ago...

4. In Dulci Jubilo by Hector Olivera, more organ goodness from the LP Two Sides Of Hector (Eagle Associates Recordings EAR-10217, Stereo). I told you I had a million of these organ albums, and I wasn't kidding.  You haven't seen anything yet.  I've still got a stack of them to go through and record!

5. Winter Warm by The Bob Crewe Generation from Music To Watch Birds By (Dynovoice DY 31902, Stereo, 1967).  Similar to the bossa nova track above, just something designed to put you in a certain mood.

6. Hallelujah Chorus by The Lee College Choir from A.T. Humphries Presents The Lee College Touring Choir (Skylite (Blackwood-Statesmen Enterprises) SRLP-5987, Mono, 1961). Don't think I knew The Blackwood Brothers and The Statesmen had a record label together!  Not sure how long it lasted, but here it is.  I appear to have called this track Hallelujah Choir at some point, but I think it's fixed in the download.  Some times I'm just working on autopilot...

7. The First Noel by The USAF Strings from the radio show LP set Serenade In Blue-Series Eleven (Programs 131-143) (United States Air Force 7xLP Suggested Air Date: October-December 1969, Stereo, 1969).  This was one of my favorite finds this season.  A collection of records made for radio programming back in 1969, consisting of seven records, though I only found three of them.  But one of the ones I found was a bonus side of all Christmas music!  So I've got a few more from this one that I'll be sharing out through the month.  That gives you something to look forward to.  And did I mention that I found this in a thrift store in Brooklyn?  Or was it Queens?  Either way, I was a long way from home when I discovered it!

8. Sleigh Ride by The Don Baker Trio from the LP Cocktail Hammond (Capitol T1099, Mono, 1959).  A rerun, but something I have to grab whenever I see it.

9. Greensleeves, by Mantovani And His Orchestra from his album Mantovani Waltz Encores (Decca (England) SKL 4098, Stereo, 1958).  This had to be one of his earliest stereo recordings, and somehow I came away with a copy from his native England.

10. Winter's Sadness (From Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto), a Tchaikovsky song that isn't from his Nutcracker Suite, by The Fantastic Strings Of Felix Slatkin from Fantastic Strings Play Fantastic Themes (Liberty LSS-14021, Stereo, 1963).  No Nutcraker Suite at all in the share today, but I had to slip in something by Tchaikovsky.

And that's it.  Ten more tracks in a holiday vein for you.  Hope you're keeping up, you don't want to fall behind this early in the game!

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2018-Day 02

And just like that, we're on our way!  Time to jump into day 2.

1. Gloucestershire Wassail by Chamber Singers-Robert Summer, Conductor, from the album University Of South Florida Chamber Singers And University Singers (Suncoast Recording Service KM 4471, Stereo, 1979). There are 12 Christmas songs on this one, and I first shared them with you during Christmas in July six years ago.  But I knew I could reshare it when I recently found a sealed copy.

2. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm by Flip Phillips And His Orchestra from the jazz LP Flip Wails (Clef MG C-691, Mono, 1956). Nice version.  This label must have had something to do with Norman Granz since the label said it was made under his personal supervision.  I think you normally only see that on Verve labels.

3. Holiday For Strings, a not-at-all Christmas song performed by The Glenn Miller Orchestra Under The Direction Of Buddy DeFranco from the Pan-Am adorned LP Makes The Goin' Great (RCA Victor LSP-3971, Stereo, 1968).  This is an awful late LP for someone who died well over 20 years earlier.  I guess they figured his name would still sell.

4. Following on with orchestras named after their deceased leaders, here is The Bells Of St. Mary's by Lee Castle And The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra from Jimmy Dorsey On Tour (Epic BN 534 (Columbia Special Products Reissue CSP 534), Stereo, 1959).  When did Jimmy Dorsey die?  I'll have to look that one up.

5. Satin Doll by Wild Bill Davis from Flying High With Wild Bill Davis (Everest SDBR 1052, Stereo, 1959). I love these old Everest LPs.  I don't know why, but I do.  I always have to pick them up and look closely at them, even though I don't need to.

6. Moonlight In Vermont by Tennessee Ernie Ford-Arranged & Conducted By Jack Fascinato, from the album Songs I Like To Sing (Capitol ST 127, Stereo, 1969).  At some point, I think Ernie Ford quit recording secular songs and just went full-time gospel.  It may have been after this.  Not his best work.

7. Medley: Silent Night, Holy Night; Little Town Of Bethlehem; Hark! The Herald Angels Sing-Organ Solo by The Banjo Barons-Arranged And Conducted By Teo Macero And Marty Manning from The Banjo Barons Play Music For Happy Times (Columbia CS 8889, Stereo, 1963).  Not sure why this organ medley is on an LP from a bunch of banjo playing guys, but what are you gonna do.  I had the wrong title on this one, but I think I fixed it before I shared it.  If not, sorry...

8. The Toy Trumpet by Del Castillo, pulled from his album Half & Half (Concert Recording CR-0028, Stereo).  I think the Half & Half refers to two different organs he used to make the two sides of the LP.  Important minutia to the folks who dig the organ sound, I'm sure.

9. Medley: Romeo & Juliet; March From The "Nutcracker Suite" by All Accordion Band-Arranged And Conducted By Joe Cain, from their album Accordion Capers (Time Series 2000 S/2192, Stereo, 1965).  All accordions, you know it's going to be good!

10. Waltz Of The Flowers by Andre Kostelanetz And His Orchestra-Andre Kostelanetz, Piano Soloist from the LP Nutcracker Suite-Between Birthdays-Verses By Ogden Nash (Columbia Masterworks ML 5664, Mono, 1961).  Second day, and this is the second track from this LP.  Gotta squeeze 'em all in somehow.

There you go, ten more tracks!  Any early favorites?  Don't worry if not, we've still got a lot of music in the Christmas In July 2018 folder!

Zippyshare

Christmas In July 2018-Day 01

Twelve years I've been doing this, so I'm assuming you need no introduction.  Welcome to Christmas in July 2018!  I just finished recording the 200th track to share this month, so I'm hoping it will be a good one.  Maybe not as good as last year, which was absolutely awesome, but still pretty good.  I've got a huge stack of records here for you, some good, some meh, but all worth a listen.  So let me jump right in.

1. Christmas In July by Wendy Bagwell (And The Sunlighters, though I don't think they're here on this spoken word track) from the album Plain Georgia Gospel (Canaan (Word) CAS-9810, Stereo, 1977).  What better place to start than a track featuring the name of the holiday we're celebrating?

2. Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella by The Placentia Presbyterian Chancel Choir-Ruth White Miller, Director, from Christmas Chimes 'N Other Times (Monarch Records DBP-226, Stereo, 1977). I was able to record 200 tracks already because I concentrated on albums with multiple tracks on them.  This is one of those albums that had a handful of tracks.  I wanted to make sure I was able to spread those throughout the month so they didn't become too monotonous.  They probably still will, but I can only do so much...

3. Ave Maria (Gounod) by Bob Beck At The Outdoor Organ from The Grotto Organs In Reverie (Adon, Oregon Ltd. V8844, Mono).  Sometime last month, I stumbled into a brand new Goodwill, and they had a huge pile of organ records.  So I have many, many, many Christmas songs from organ records to share with you this year.  You'll be so sick of it before the month is out that you'll beg me to stop posting them.  But I've got to get them all out there!

4. [Herald Square Street Sounds At Christmastime] Manhattan [East Side Street Traffic And Fire Engines], a track by Ralph Burns And His Orchestra And Chorus from New York's A Song (Decca DL 79068, Sounds by Joan Franklin, Stereo, 1960).  The song isn't so much Christmas, but the sound effects recorded on the ground in NYC are key.  This is something I recorded years ago, then promptly forgot about...

5. St. Louis Blues by Joe Carroll With The Ray Bryant Quintet from his self-titled LP Joe Carroll (Epic LN 3272, Mono, 1956).  If memory serves, I threw this in because they break into a little bit of Jingle Bells at one point in the song.  This was a great album, I ripped the whole thing.

And now to some boring bits.  I've got dozens of versions of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, some complete, some just a track here or there, and I've been agonizing over how to share them.  Last year I would share a complete version here and there, so I don't want to do that this year.  I'm going to try to share a few tracks each day, maybe a whole set here and there, but with each track by a different artist.  That should mix things up a little bit for you.  By the end of the month, you'll have more versions than you can shake a stick at, but they'll be complete.  So here goes...

6. Arab Dance (Theme Based On The Nutcracker Suite Of Tchaikovsky) by Claude Thornhill And His Orchestra from The Thornhill Sound (Harmony (Columbia) HL 7088, Mono, 1958).  Nice swinging version here, just found and recorded it today.  Though the LP I pulled it from came out in 1958, I believe the recording dates back to 1946.

7. Chinese Dance by Warwick Symphony Orchestra from the LP Nutcracker Suite/Carnival Of The Animals (Camden (RCA) CAL-100, Mono, 1954).  I think this was the very first LP released on RCA Victor's budget subsidiary, Camden.  Cool!

8. Trepak by The Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra Conducted By Felix Slatkin from Nutcracker Suite/A Midsummer Night's Dream (Capitol SP8404, Stereo, 1957). A rerun many times over around here, but a great version of this classic.

9. Dance Of The Flutes by Peter Ustinov, a spoken bit from Nutcracker Suite-Between Birthdays-Verses By Ogden Nash (Columbia Masterworks ML 5664, Mono, 1961). This one alternates instrumental bits performed by Andre Kostelanetz with Peter Ustinov reading the verses written by the great Ogden Nash.  Good Stuff!

10. Waltz Of The Flowers by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Conducted By Sir Adrian Boult from the album Sir Adrian Boult Conducts Suites From Tchaikovsky's Ballets The Nutcracker And Sleeping Beauty (Capitol SP 8690, Stereo, 1967). I think I misspelled Tchaikovsky in the download, so you'll want to go in and correct that as soon as you've downloaded it.  Don't want to have a typo in your Christmas library.

And that's it, ten tracks you can download and listen to to get your Christmas in July holiday party started.  Come back every day for more goodies!

Zippyshare

Volume Eleven-Ten Years On

Two posts in one day?  I must be coming down with something.  Anyway, this is the penultimate installment in the For Hi-Fi Living series.  It's also the second collection from Tony Osborne, and also the return of the interludes between songs that were so prevalent in the early volumes but haven't been seen in a bit, this time performed by a celeste.  This one could almost be subtitled "The Songs Of Mack Gordon & Harry Warren" since I think 4 of the 12 songs are written by the pair.  Surely that's not a coincidence, but I find no mention of it on the sleeve.  Perhaps they had a publishing deal with RCA at the time.  And David Rose shows up twice! Anyhow, please download and enjoy Tony Osborne And His Orchestra-A Trip To Romance (RCA Custom RAL-1011, Mono, 1957).

1. The Moon Was Yellow
2. The More I See You
3. Romance
4. You'll Never Know
5. Serenade In Blue
6. Holiday For Strings
7. Fools Rush In
8. Love Me Or Leave Me
9. Our Waltz
10. Little White Lies
11. I Had The Craziest Dream
12. A Little Bit Independent.

Zippyshare

If this is your first time encountering this series, here at the links to the earlier volumes. Get 'em while they last, I don't know if they'll be back in another ten years!
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 
10

Painted Passions

Here's a special little treat for you all, if you're paying attention.  I was cleaning up the computer room and found this record that I had set aside to record some time ago, then forgot about.  But here it is in all it's mid-century glory. Discogs tells me this is the second cover, probably a reissue from later on in the fifties, but I still like it.  And as a special bonus, I've dropped in digital versions of all the paintings that are covered here in audio versions! (Though I'm not certain I got the correct Gabrielle by Renoir, he seems to have done quite a few of them.) So download and listen as you look!  This is Henri René And His Orchestra-Passion In Paint (Famous Paintings Set To Music) (RCA Victor LPM-1033, Mono, 1955). I love these experiments of lists set to music. I've got quite a few of them, but this is one of my favorites. And as far as the paintings go, the only one I've seen in person is the Dali, when it was on display at his St. Pete museum alongside the similar Disintigration of Persistence of Memory.  They're both very small.  I may have seen Madame X more recently, but I'm not certain of it.

1. Nude Descending The Stairs (Marcel Duchamp)
2. Gabrielle In An Open Blouse (Pierre August Renoir)
3. The Birth Of Venus (Sandro Botticelli)
4. The Nude Maja (Francisco Goya) (Says Maya on the label, but I think that's incorrect)
5. Girl Before Mirror (Pablo Picasso)
6. At The Moulin Rouge (Henri Toulouse Lautrec)
7. Mona Lisa (Leonardo Da Vinci)
8. L' Absinthe (Edgar Degas)
9. Nude On Cushion (Amedeo Modigliani)
10. Madame X (John Singer Sargent)
11. Olympia (Edouard Manet)
12. The Persistence Of Memory (Salvador Dali)

Zippyshare

The Answer!

I have made a discovery that will rock the world!  Many of you are probably familiar with the Phil Harris classic "The Thing" (1950), but the identity of what's in the box Phil finds on that beach has long been a mystery.  Well, I've figured it out.  It turns out the answer is in a song that Phil released the year after "The Thing" came out.  That other song is "Oh, What A Face" from 1951. It's not very PC, but maybe not as bad as some of it's contemporaries.  I've uploaded both songs so you can give them a listen and see if you agree with me.  Just listen to the end of "Oh, What A Face" and you'll see it lines up pretty well with what happens in The Thing.  Give it a listen, then tell me what you think in the comments!

Zippyshare

And now that I have your attention, I have a request.  I've been trying to put together the complete Phil Harris discography on RCA Victor.  I had a couple of good weeks after several years of putting together a record here and there, and I found almost 20 records that I needed, either stuff that was completely new or 7" 45 RPM versions of things I previously had on 10" 78 RPM.  Thinking I must be getting close to having it all, I spent a few hours making a list of all the records I still need to find, and it turns out I'm quite a way from having the complete collection.  Perhaps you have something from the list below?  If so, let's talk.  Some of these things I've never heard, some of them I just want an original single of, on 45 if possible, but many of them came out before the 45 was invented, so I'll take what I can get.

47-2770 Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens b/w Woodman, Spare That Tree (1949)

47-3064 Row Row Row b/w I Ain’t Gonna Give Nobody None O’ This Jelly Roll (1949)

47-3216 Chattanoogie Shoe-Shine Boy b/w That’s A Plenty (1950)

47-3260 Smoke Smoke Smoke (That Cigarette) b/w Crawdad Song (1950)

47-3781 Play A Simple Melody b/w On The Mississippi (1950) Looks like I have this one!

47-4124 The Letter (with Alice Faye) b/w Possibilities (1951)

47-4224 Golden Train b/w Tennessee Hill-Billy Ghost (1951)

47-4584 Hambone (with The Bell Sisters) b/w Mama’s On The Warpath (1952)

47-5615 Take Your Girlie To The Movies (If You Can’t Make Love At Home) b/w I Know An Old Lady (1954)

20-2163 It’s A Good Day b/w The ‘Possum Song (1947) I have this one, is it on 45 anywhere?

20-2198 Poppa Don’t Preach To Me b/w Necessity (1947)

20-2401 Fun And Fancy Free (B-side is by Louis Prima)

20-2614 One More Time b/w Old Time Religion (1947)

20-2715 He’s His Own Grandpa (I’m My Own Grandpa) b/w Never Trust A Woman (1948)

20-3393 The Mountaineer And The Jabberwock b/w Elmer And The Bear (1949)

47-3477 Thank The Man Upstairs b/w I Wish I Were A Goldfish (1949)

20-3708 God’s Country b/w Lazy River (1950)

47-3825 Dig-Dig-Dig Dig For Your Dinner b/w I’ve Been Floating Down The Old Green River (Jul 1950)

20-4225 The Musicians b/w How D’ye Do And Shake Hands (both sides with Betty Hutton, Dinah Shore & Tony Martin) (1951)

47-4750 Potato Chips b/w Under The Lamp Post (1952)

47-4993 Piece A-Puddin’ b/w Hi-Diddle-Diddle (both sides with The Bell Sisters) (Oct 1952)

WBY-87 The Thing (with sound effects) b/w The Mountaineer And The Jabberwock (1958)

599-9048 If You Got Someplace To Go, Go Ahead b/w Pass Around The Basket (two tracks from The RCA Victor Platter Party SPD 6) (1955)

Not a list for the faint of heart, that's for sure, but I think I'm more than halfway. Any help is much appreciated!Once I get the whole collection, which is running about 100 tracks, I think, well, that's going to be a nice share, don't you think?

Volume Ten-Ten Years On

Here I am again, back with another installment in the For Hi-Fi Living series.  This one is quite different from anything else in the series because it's performed on the organ instead of using an orchestra. The name on the front cover is Jocelyn McNeil, but popular scuttlebutt is that this is actually well-known organist George Wright.  You never know how true these stories are, but it's certainly not the first artist in this series that performs under a pseudonym.  This is actually not the record that I bought over a year ago when I found all twelve records in the series in one go.  I found this copy yesterday at a dollar record sale up in St. Pete.  And it looked like it was in really good shape and happened to be the very next installment in the series, so I went ahead and picked it up.  Some of the records I have in this series aren't in the best shape, especially the covers, but I thought this one was pretty nice.  And I think the music came out pretty good.  Download it and let me know what you think!  This is Jocelyn McNeil At The Pipe Organ-Very Hi-Fi Organ (RCA Custom RAL-1010, Mono, 1957).

1. Who's Sorry Now?
2. Sophisticated Lady
3. Pavanne
4. Star Dust
5. The Creole Love Call
6. Home
7. Blue Mirage
8. Jealous
9. I Got Rhythm
10. Emaline
11. Stormy Weather
12. The Dream Of Olwen

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PS-I originally wrote that Dick Leibert was the famous organist moonlighting as Jocelyn McNeil, but someone pointed out that I was mistaken.  It's most likely George Wright, another prolific organist.

The earlier shares are right here, in case you missed them:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Volume Nine-Ten Years On

No, I haven't given up on this series.  I've just been asleep since Christmas.  All that Christmas sharity can take a lot out of a guy.  But I'm back, with yet another installment of the long-term project of sharing all twelve record in this series.  Today it's volume 9, the second set from Jack Say, who some say is actually Jacques Ysaye from France.  I don't know that for fact, but it wouldn't be the only entry in this series released under a pseudonym.  All the tracks on this volume are written by Irving Berlin, who I'm sure you're familiar with, so I won't tell you who he is.  Anyhow, if you want more info, I suggest you look back at the original post of this record, which was now closer to 11 years ago instead of ten.  Time flies when you're having fun.  This is Jack Say And His Orchestra-The Girl That I Marry (The Music Of Irving Berlin) (RCA Custom RAL-1009, Mono, 1957).

1. Soft Lights And Sweet Music
2. Remember
3. Cheek To Cheek
4. How Deep Is The Ocean
5. Say It Isn't So
6. Blue Skies
7. Say It With Music
8. Always
9. Lady Of The Evening
10. The Girl That I Marry
11. A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody
12. All By Myself

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If you missed any the earlier volumes in this great series, here are the links to each of them:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Hopefully I can get the last three of these up in a reasonable amount of time.  Maybe.

Twelve Drummers Drumming

Hello!  And welcome to the 12th day of Christmas!  Or Epiphany Eve as it's sometimes called.  Or Little Christmas Eve. Women's Christmas Eve?  Or January 5th, your choice.  Whatever you call it, it's cold outside!  And on the last day of Christmas, I bring you a little Eddie Lawrence, AKA The Old Philosopher.  Once you've heard one of his routines, you've pretty much heard them all.  Just in case you miss a little something in the first one here, there's another one on the flip side for you.  I think I actually shared the A-side of this single with you one time during Christmas in July, so it must have appeared on LP at some point, but this time it's from a smaller, faster record with two dissimilar sides.  Someday I should put together a whole collection of similar songs, but they might wind up all being records by Eddie...  Anyhow, here's Eddie Lawrence-That Holiday Spirit b/w The Merry Old Philosopher (Coral 7" 45 RPM 9-61915, Mono, 1957).

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As it happens, I recently traveled through the town of Tarpon Springs, a Greek community with perhaps the largest Epiphany celebration in this country.  Their tradition is to toss a cross into the local waterway, and boatloads of chosen male children jump in after it.  Whoever comes up with it is given a special blessing and gets all sorts of special chores for the next year.  This statue is out front of the sponsoring church and I happened to catch a picture as we drove by.  As it happens, Epiphany tends to fall on one of the coldest days of the year, and this year is no different.  But I don't think they've ever canceled it or moved it, or even changed the time to later in the afternoon.  I can also remember times in the past where pranksters have salted the water the night before with handfuls of duplicate crosses, leading to no end of confusion.  There have also been fights, tussles and outright unpleasantness over the cross, so it's the same as everything else.

(I just looked it up, and I guess the jumping in the water bit is tomorrow, not today.  I've never actually been, maybe I should jump in the car and head up there...)

Eleven Pipers Piping

Nothing too exciting tonight, I'm afraid.  A 1979 single from Vic Damone, something that I shared the album version of back during Christmas In July.  But I dug up my copy of the single, and I think the A side is a studio version of the track, while the B side seems to be the same thing as found on that LP.  I think it's a nice little song, and hopefully you'll enjoy it.  This is Vic Damone, Arranged & Conducted By Norm Geller With The Sal Carson Orchestra-Christmas In San Francisco b/w Christmas In San Francisco-Live Performance (Rebecca 7" 45 RPM 715, Stereo, 1979).

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Ten Lords A'Leaping

Trying to get this up before the new X Files starts in a few minutes...  I wanted to call this an early single from Jimmie Davis, but checking out his discography, I see stuff going back into the Twenties, so 1953 is hardly early.  I was previously only aware of his two 1960's vintage Christmas albums, and a single Christmas track from the '80s, so this came as quite the surprise when I found it.  For those who don't recognize the name, Jimmie Davis was a country singer who later turned to more religious fare, in the meantime serving two non-consecutive terms as governor of Louisiana.  Not a bad CV!  I don't believe that either of these tracks turned up in his later work, though I did spot a 1957 Christmas single that appears to have been re-recorded on one of his two holiday LPs.  And the songs here are pretty good, I was quite happy about what I found when the needle hit the groove.  This is Jimmie Davis-Christmas Choo Choo b/w I Love To Ride With Santa Claus (Decca 7" 45 RPM 9-28912, Mono, 1953).  You'll notice that the Anita Kerr Singers are credited on side 1.  I guess they are the ones making the train noises... If you want more train songs for Christmas, you can visit my earlier post this year, or maybe head on over to Lee's place for one of his shares earlier this season.

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Nine Ladies Dancing

Tonight's share is brought to you courtesy of Mr. Rosemary Clooney, Jose Ferrer!  As near as I can tell, this was Jose's second Christmas record.  The first he shared with Rosie, but this one seems to be all his.  Well, not all.  The flipside is ambiguously credited to "The Ferrers", which sort of implies maybe he and the Mrs. and some kiddies sing on it, but all I can hear are some generic kids.  So I'm thinking that was just a marketing gimmick.  Anyhow, this is a nice bit of Christmas music from one of my favorite labels, though it's more spoken than sung.  Ferrer was an actor, not a singer, that's why he chose a recitation here, and a famous one at that.  Nice picture sleeve, too!  Please enjoy Jose Ferrer-Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus b/w The Ferrers-Conducted By Darol Rice-Santa's Marching Song (RCA Victor 7" 45 RPM 47-7823, Mono, 1960).

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Looks like his son, Miguel, passed away in 2017. He was a regular on NCIS: Los Angeles. I wonder if he was one of The Ferrers on the flip side?

Eight Maids A'Milking

For your New Year enjoyment, here's a Christmas character you've probably never heard of before.  Sure, you've heard of Rudolph, Frosty, Uncle Mistletoe and about a million others, but Jake?  Nope.  I'm thinking maybe he's the somewhat sleazy half-brother of Suzy Snowflake, but I don't know that for a fact.  And bonus points for the Chipmunk-esque vocals here!  Welcome to 2018!  This is Bobby Star-Jake The Flake b/w Vel-Mars-Jingle Bells (Continental Arts 7" 45 RPM 575, Mono, 1964).

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Seven Swans A'Swimming

One that's been sitting here on my desk for literally years, waiting it's turn to be ripped and shared, is this 45 by Mike Douglas.  I shared the song on an album with you years ago, but the flipside appears to be an extended version with the background voices and some extra piano bits that's a nice addition to your collection.  (And if you don't remember that album, you might want to check the comments, just sayin'.) The label on this 45 is Image, but the LP label is Word.  That made me think this might be a re-recording until I found an article in Billboard mentioning that Image had sold the single to Word, so there you are.  Oh, and the name Lee Pockriss pops up again here, as both songwriter and arranger/conductor.  Small world.  This is Mike Douglas-Happy Birthday, Jesus b/w Mike Douglas Chorale-Happy Birthday, Jesus (Image Records, A Division Of AudioFidelity Enterprises 7" 45 RPM IM-3032, Stereo, 1979).

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