Cozy up to the fire as a Christmas obsessed music collector chats about new CDs to his collection, the Christmas music that got away, and links to Christmas music via the web (and the occasional mp3 post).
Two years ago, I posted my first sampler which was basically a "best of" of all the music I shared out in 2006. One year ago, I posted my second sampler which was basically a preview of all the music I shared out this year (no links to the previous samplers - what's the point?).
About two months ago, I met a fellow Christmas music collector named Bill Dann who had supplied our friend Marc Bird with many, many a rare Christmas record. He sent me a list of extra Christmas 45s in his collection for sale and I purchased a fair number of these.
This led me to re-explore my haunts here in Fort Wayne looking for Christmas 45s. I came up with a few more amazing Christmas singles (thanks to Tim at Wooden Nickel) and even a couple of 78s (one of which came courtesy of my best friend Joel - thank you!).
On one of these searches, I came across an RCA Victor demonstration album entitled "Hearing Is Believing" which had the amazing cover art that I appropriated for my own. It also gives me a chance to use this vintage RCA Victor Christmas ad from 1950:
No spoken intro like on samplers past, no partial artwork like on samplers past, no individual tracks to pick and choose from like on samplers past. It's the full package - my Christmas present to you.
Your 2008 Christmas Yuleblog Sampler:
Track 1 - Ethel Smith - Parade of the Wooden Soldiers Decca Records - 9-27240 - 1950
From her 45 box set called "Toy Parade" - another contribution from the former closet of my in-laws!
Maybe the best rendition of this song ever.
Track 2 - Allen & The Lads - Legend Of Old St. Nick Secret Records Incorporated - 8696 - 196?
Bluesy Christmas song that lays the whole story of Santa out, ya dig?
The B-side is coming up later... stay tuned.
Track 3 - The Willis Sisters - Blue Christmas Columbia Records - 4-41320 - 1958
No, not Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah... sadly, Google turned up nothing on these sisters. Anyone?
This is the B-side to "Happy Birthday Jesus" by Little Cindy which John Waters used on his Christmas album.
Track 4 - C.W. McCall - Sing Silent Night Polydor Records - PD 14445 - 1977
Mercy sakes alive, we got us a Christmas record! Earlier in 1977, McCall gave us the C.B. hit "Convoy". This Christmas song has no C.B.s in it at all - surprisingly solemn.
Track 5 - Joe Green - Adeste Fideles (Oh, Come All Ye Faithful) RCA Victor - 26079-B - 1938
Straight chimes, anyone? From a 78 I found at a local Salvation Army store.
Track 6 - The Walter Murphy Orchestra - Disco Bells Major Records - tjv-disco bells - 1975
A year before they gave us the disco hit "A Fifth of Beethoven", these guys gave the disco treatment to "Jingle Bells".
Man, I love Christmas disco...
Track 7 - Dolly Nunn - Nuttin' For Christmas Gateway Records - 9024-B - 195?
This is the first track I'm sharing from this EP. I searched everywhere for info on this one. Not a thing.
Nice to hear this song sung by a little girl instead of a little boy!
Track 8 - Connie Canuso - Santa Claus And His Sleigh Applause Records - 8-1246 - 196?
I thought this looked familiar - Ernie shared out the A-side ("Someone Painted Rudolph's Nose a Chocolate Brown") at his blog.
Both sides are dynamite!
Track 9 - Bob & Dolores Hope - Silver Bells Coral Records - 9-62237 - 1958/9
Forget their 1994 duet from "Hopes For The Holidays" - this one recorded back in the day is the real deal!
I'm now looking for the album listed on the label...
Track 10 - The Country Squirrels - How I Love Those Christmas Songs Metromedia Country - MC-903-AA - 1972
An old-school Christmas country song with Chipmunk-like voices passed off as squirrels?
I am so there...
Track 11 - Ray Stevens - Happy Blue Year National Recording Corp. - NRC-063 (S-1102) - 1960
Don't look, ETHELLLLL! Made before he started doing novelties for a living, this one features Ray playing a mean piano instrumental.
The B-side is forthcoming.
Track 12 - Terry Buter - C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S Gateway Records - 9024-A - 195? This is the second track I'm sharing from this EP. I searched everywhere for info on this one. Not a thing. Very nice rendition.
Track 13 - The Frank DaVino Chorus - Lonely Old Shepherd Decca Records - 9-29727 (45-88777) - 1955
Nice original Christmas song from a double-sided promo single. The B-side is lurking below...
Thanks to Ted or whoever wrote 12-10-55 on the label!
Track 14 - Justin Wilson - Whitey The Snow White Lamb Tower Records - 380 - 1967
Glad to get this rare single from the Cajun Chef! A nice compliment to his full Christmas album that I shared previously.
Track 15 - Sammy Poole - Snowball Great Record Co. - 1190 - 196?
Snowball's not a lamb but a cute adorable puppy... mix this with some old-school country and you get this toe-tapper.
Track 16 - Ken Griffin - The Skaters Waltz Rondo Records - 45197-A - 1951
What better way to follow "Snowball" than with a winter waltz? A bunch of newspapers... har-dee-har-har.
Another contribution from the former closet of my in-laws!
Track 17 - Jim Backus - The Office Party Dico Records - D-101 - 1959
This is the hilarious B-side to "I Was A Teenage Reindeer". Listen as Backus plans the annual Christmas office party ("Boob McNutt!"). Clean copy!
Track 18 - Jack Daniels - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer Gateway Records - 9024-B - 195?
This is the third track I'm sharing from this EP. I searched everywhere for info on this one. Not a thing.
He makes a mean whiskey and sings a great rendition of "Rudolph" as well...
Track 19 - Ambrose Haley & His Ozark Ramblers Mercury Records - 6067 - 1948?
This is my favorite track on the whole comp.
Not because of my friends' help. This is a great old-school Christmas country song whose melody will get trapped in your skull after hearing it...
Track 20 - Eric Jay - Little Drummer Boy Bullseye Records - B-1021 - 1959
Jay's solo voice vs. a male choir, a string section, and drums that attempt to blow little Eric out of the water.
A good alternative to the Harry Simeone Chorale.
Track 21 - Allen & The Lads (feat. Larry Crippen) - Homemade Christmas Card Secret Records Incorporated - 8698 - 196? Perhaps the grimmest Vietnam Christmas song of them all.
This one locks you in at note one and doesn't let you go. Oliver Stone couldn't have written this any better.
Track 22 - Ray Stevens - White Christmas National Recording Corp. - NRC-063 (S-1101) - 1960 Stevens signed with NRC, owned by music mogul Bill Lowery, in 1958. During his tenure there, Ray did mostly session and arranging work (i.e. this song).
The following year NRC went bankrupt, Stevens signed with Mercury and began cranking out the parodies.
Track 23 - Homer & Jethro - Santy's Movin' On RCA Victor - 47-6322 - 1955
I missed out on an eBay auction for a Homer & Jethro Christmas EP (twice!). So when Tim at Wooden Nickel sold me this one, I didn't feel so bad.
Track 24 - Eileen Scott - The Night Before Christmas Song Gateway Records - 9024-A - 195? This is the fourth and final track I'm sharing from this EP. I searched everywhere for info on this one. Not a thing. Another great rendition.
Track 25 - Ed Penney - What Is Christmas? Decca Records - 9-29727 (45-88776) - 1955
Penney attempts to define Christmas through narration.
Did Stan Kenton get a listen to this before he recorded "What Is A Santa Claus?" Hmmm...
A reminder: I contributed an entry to Otis Fodder's 365 Days Project at WFMU's "Beware of the Blog!" on December 26th last year. If you're looking for some post-Christmas radio spots, and songs for the New Year, click on the link.
In years past, I've used this spot to share some personal info about me and my upcoming year. What's next?
About sixteen hours of uninterrupted sleep for starters. I stopped downloading stuff about three weeks back - it's time to catch up, sort through the backlog, catalog it all, and then do the same for all the Christmas CD presents I'll receive under the tree.
2009 will be a year of change for me.I want to lose 40 lbs. by my 40th birthday in June and I'm going to do my best to get to that goal. A special project lurks on the horizon that I definitely want to be part of (more on that as it develops).
Next fall, my youngest daughter will start kindergarten and my decade long career as a stay-at-home dad will come to an end. Finding a part-time job that revolves around my kids' schedule will be a difficult task for someone who hasn't been in the workplace for 10 years.
I'm looking into radio production classes - either online or nearby if available. Where that might lead to in the future ("Rob Martinez on KAOS Radio... here's the latest by Barry Manilow!") is anyone's guess.
In any case, I'll start cranking out new entries as best as I can next week. I won't be sharing out much - just the occasional MP3 post now and then.
If you found this place for the first time this year, thanks and I hope you'll stop back often. If you're a longtime reader, thanks for stopping here often and hope you'll come back. I am wishful that you found something that made you smile, brighten your day, week, Christmas season, lifetime, etc. I appreciate all the comments, criticism, corrections, and comradery you've given to me throughout the 2008 downloading season.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone reading, everywhere...
From time to time this Christmas season, I'll be posting some amazing videos that have been rescued by people like us and posted at the mecca of all things wonderful and obscure - YouTube.
I invite you to add a fun comment, witticism, clever remark, or observation in the comments section provided. Any comments deemed worthy of repeating will be included into this entry where all the world will see it.
For those who lived through the year 1968 and survived, they received a Christmas present 40 years ago today.
The year started off with the Tet Offensive that changed the whole outlook on the Vietnam War. The USS Pueblo was captured off North Korean waters and its crew was held and beaten for most of the year.
Across the sea, Paris students threw riots that stopped the country cold. In Czechoslovakia, reforms are attempted during the "Prague Spring" only to be crushed swiftly and cruelly by Soviet tanks and troops.
LBJ decides not to seek another term as President, setting off the most explosive election year that culminates with the Chicago police reeking mayhem on protesters at the Democratic National Convention.
Martin Luther King was assassinated on 4/6/68. Robert Kennedy was assassinated on 6/5/68. Tommie Smith and John Carlos give a Black Power salute atop the Olympic podium in Mexico City and are promptly thrown off the team and vilified for their silent protest.
Richard Nixon stages a political comeback for the ages and narrowly beats out Hubert Humphrey to win the presidency. The divides between old and young, rich and poor, and black and white are chasms.
By Christmas, 1968, the U.S. and the world was 99% scar tissue. So when Apollo 8 lifted off on December 21st, the world needed something... ANYTHING that was remotely positive and uplifting.
They got it - at the conclusion of their Christmas Eve broadcast:
My mother said she fought back the tears when watched this live in 1968. But when Frank Borman closed with "all of you on the good Earth", she lost it completely.
If you watched this live, I would love to read your thoughts and comments about what happened to you 40 years ago today. If you watching this for the first time or the 10,478th time, I would love to know what you think of it as well.
Capt
P.S. Remember to leave a few carrots for the reindeer with your milk and cookies for Santa!
As indicated above, this is indeed it. The end. Close the book. Bring down the curtain. The fat lady is singing. Cue the trumpets to play "Taps". Turn out the lights, the party's over. Put out the dogs and bring in the cat. Time to put it to bed.
This is normally the spot in years past when I've stated "download 'em now because after January so-and-so, I'm yanking the links". Not this year. I'm leaving them up.
The collection has grown to a point where it would take me a week straight to re-upload these again and I'd rather not go through that process next fall. My laziness is your gain.
If you're heading somewhere this Christmas Eve, please get there safely. Not only is tomorrow Christmas Day but I'm posting my 2008 Yuleblog Sampler after the kids open their presents and eat breakfast - can't miss that!
This was a from a lot of Christmas records I purchased from a Canadian dealer off eBay earlier this year.
I know of only one other Christmas zither album - that would be the excellent Ruth Welcome "Christmas In Zitherland" LP (which our friend Ernie shared out at his blog - you da man, Ernie!)
Sebastian Fichtl was born and raised in historic Salzburg, Austria. After his early lessons with the zither, he would go on to continue his studies under Professor Franz Brandlhofer, Austria's renowned zither virtuoso. He would later emigrate to Canada where this album was issued in the 1970s.
There are some great covers of "Rudolph", "O Tannenbaum", and "Silent Night". There's also one original song - the title track which is haunting and beautiful at the same time. The rest of the tracks are German Christmas songs given the full zither treatment.
If it seems that there are more songs listed than recorded, in several cases Sebastian recorded two songs within one track - there was no break in the record so I treated these as medleys.
When I found this album (minus the disc) at a local thrift store, I noticed there was only three songs that would qualify as Christmas. Plus it was banjo. After enduring the Power Pak Christmas banjo album I shared previously, I needed some GOOD Christmas banjo.
There is nothing short of a Chicago Cub loss that's more frustrating than searching a vinyl bin and finding a great album jacket that's empty. I spent nearly a full day looking at every homeless 33 1/3 but I didn't find it.
eBay to the rescue again!
I listened to the three tracks and couldn't believe my ears! Only one of the tracks had banjo - the other two were a conglomerate of orchestra and organ! Excuse me... but it says "BANJO" on the cover!
Somewhere out in this world is a proper Christmas banjo album and I do intend to find it one day...
In 1981, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra had a huge #1 hit across the world with their "Hooked On Classics" single. While compiling 1980s music (both Christmas and non-Christmas) for my 20th anniversary CD, I discovered this single on eBay.
When it arrived, I placed it on the turntable and gave it a listen - I deemed it not Christmas enough for my CD and it got bumped off the playlist.
In two days, I'll be serving up my 2008 Yuleblog Sampler and one of the selections on it was this obscure single I picked up five years ago. That is until I read this from a new member at FaLaLaLaLa.com:
Quote from: roje on December 09, 2008, 08:23:17 AM:
First-off, I have to admit that having stumbled across this website where there's clearly a true celebration of Christmas music, is most enriching, particularly with our world in its current state. Christmas music is, quite simply put, the exact equivalent of happiness, period.
Now, there is a 7-inch vinyl which I have been in search of, for what has seemed like centuries. I first heard it on a local radio station back in the early 80's. Its called 'Hooked On Christmas', and features the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
One thing I'm not too sure of though, is whether its the one with David Arnold, or the one with Louis Clark. In fact I'm not even sure if they are the same recording or not. I'm also practically sure that strangely this has never been released on CD. Does anybody here have this rare gem that they are willing to share, please?
Once again, the single gets bumped off a playlist. But it's still win-win:
This was found at a local garage sale several years ago and the cover totally hooked me. It looked promising (lots of titles listed - in hi-fi!) and I gladly paid my 50 cents. Then I dropped the needle... A pretty standard Christmas organ album.
There was a serious glut of Christmas organ albums between then and now along the sharity network and I couldn't bring myself to share this one out. One track was shared last year as a part of the 2007 Yuleblog Sampler and I decided to share the rest this year.
I wish I had more on Patricia Wilde (Google turned up nothing) but it did yield some info on Acorn Records thanks to the folks at Both Sides Now. It seems Acorn Records had problems with its grammar and spelling - I urge you to check out the Acorn link; it's a hoot!
From time to time this Christmas season, I'll be posting some amazing videos that have been rescued by people like us and posted at the mecca of all things wonderful and obscure - YouTube.
I invite you to add a fun comment, witticism, clever remark, or observation in the comments section provided. Any comments deemed worthy of repeating will be included into this entry where all the world will see it.
When I began searching for YouTube Christmas videos a while back, these next three were among the first ones on the list. They are a series of theater ads that movie houses and drive-ins would show inbetween their showings and trailers to their audiences:
Some of these came from the excellent compilations entitled "Hey Folks! It's Intermission Time" from Something Weird Video - there are some amazing ads on here if you like these sort of nostalgia.
Remember your elementary school Christmas pageant or play? You may or may not remember the name of the classmate who played Scrooge or the kid who threw up onstage.
But you probably remember the music that you sang. For many school kids, it was standard Christmas carols and standards. However, some schools went out and spent money from an educational service for a Christmas program, complete with scripts and songs.
This is one of those programs. Designed to enrich the musical experience of boys and girls in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, this program came with an illustrated guidebook (lost for all eternity) for staging, costuming, and dramatizing the entire program to make the teacher's job all the more easier.
Side one is entirely vocal - one lone female voice singing eight different songs (or "windows") that comprise the entire show (and one of these tracks was used for the 2007 Yuleblog Sampler).
Side two is completely instrumental - so if you feel inspired to learn the lyrics and record your own karaoke version, please send us an MP3 at the P.O. Box.
In March of 2007, I travelled back to my old haunts in Chicago and picked up a few Christmas albums. This is one of the last ones from that trip left to be shared.
There's about 25 schools in Chicago named Sacred Heart. Considering that 1/2 of the album was sung in Croatian, my first guess was that it was recorded up somewhere in the West Town section of Chicago where Ukrainian Village is.
From some comments and consulation with my father (who grew up at 83rd & Buffalo - in the shadow of South Works), there was a Croation enclave on the south side of Chicago as well.
Sacred Heart Croation Church is located at 96th and Escanaba Ave. on the Southeast side of Chicago.
This album is nothing fancy (a lot of my shares are usually just that). School kids singing Christmas songs. The school sold this album to parents so they could assumingly fund other programs at their school. We are talking about Chicago here - ask Gov. Rod Blagojevich!
I would love to hear from anyone on the back of the cover! And according to one of the commenters below, this album was recorded in 1961.
From time to time this Christmas season, I'll be posting some amazing videos that have been rescued by people like us and posted at the mecca of all things wonderful and obscure - YouTube.
I invite you to add a fun comment, witticism, clever remark, or observation in the comments section provided. Any comments deemed worthy of repeating will be included into this entry where all the world will see it.
Earlier today, I posted two albums with connection to my hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Continuing with that theme, I scanned the YouTube dial to find any videos with a similar connection to the Summit City and came up with quite a few vids.
The first is of a well known and loved three-story tall Santa Claus that's been hanging in downtown Fort Wayne for decades:
This mammoth display used to hang off the Wolf & Dessauer department store in downtown Fort Wayne eons ago and was rescued from the trash bin two decades ago - click on the links for more info.
Our next clip is from The Chorus of Fort Wayne, a gay men's chorus that puts a unique spin into their Christmas show. Anyone got a white polyester suit?:
What can I say? If it's Christmas disco, I'm there. The Chorus of Fort Wayne has a website so if you enjoyed the video, drop them a line!
And now, a word from our sponsor:
Russ Moore Transmissions have been rebuilding Fort Wayne's motors since 1955 and have provided many amusing TV commercials over those many long years.
Amazingly, a good majority of these commercials have been posted online for your viewing enjoyment. FYI - the bumbling mechanic in many of these videos (and in Russ Moore's avatar) is my friend Thom Hofrichter, the head of First Presbyterian Theater where I volunteer my time to help them (and my best pal Joel).
This final clip I was thrilled to find on YouTube. If I were to grab my trusty Boy Scout compass, walk out my front door, and start heading directly northwest for about 1/2 mile, I would run directly into this house:
The Mazocks have been dazzling their neighborhood for several years. Six weeks before Thanksgiving every year, these folks hang an estimated 24,000 lights on their house, bushes, trees, basketball court, and driveway. Even the trees 200 feet away from their home in the backyard don't escape decoration.
By the time they flip the switch, they have a state-of-the-art, 200-amp outdoor power board with 32 plug-ins and an electric bill at Christmas time $250 higher than average.
And they don't stop there. As the cars drive by slowly, you'll notice one of the family members sitting on the driveway as Santa Claus welcoming well-wishers and posing for pictures. You can have your "Wizards of Winter" homes and flashy light-shows... the Mazocks celebrate Christmas, period.
We drove by the house a week ago and I noticed that the house directly next door is on the market. Can you imagine the amount of Christmas energy that would flow from that subdivision if I decided to purchase that home?
Honey??? A Happy Fort Wayne Christmas to one and all...
During a vinyl bin search and rescue mission here in Fort Wayne, I came across not one but two copies of this album still sealed!
The West Creighton Christian Church was looking for an activity for their youth back in 1963 and came across an advertisement for handbell ringing. They ordered a set and a tradition was born.
They toured all over the country with their handbells between 1963 and 1965. This album features Christian music, one patriotic song ("America"), one popular song ("Moon River"), and four Christmas songs!
The four Christmas songs on this album are presented here. On the back cover of this album is a list of all the bellringers - I would love to hear from any of them about this album, memories of travelling with the handbells, etc.
Last June, the West Creighton Avenue church closed after 110 years of ministry in the Fort Wayne area. No word if the handbell tradition was kept to the very end or to the fate of the handbells themselves.
Many times I've come across this album in thrift stores, online vinyl markets, and even eBay and Amazon.com. Two silouetted harps in black and white tell the story.
What I didn't know was the connection this album had to my hometown of Fort Wayne until I had a copy in my hands. It seems not only were one of the harpists (Escosa) had deep roots in Fort Wayne but it was actually recorded here as well on the Carriage Records label.
Side one is The Christmas Story according to St. Mark. Written and narrated by Longstreth, this full 15 minute story is interspersed with lovely music for solo harp (Escosa). Side two has the harpists trading off each other as they go through ten different Christmas carols.
Nothing fancy but it's well done Christmas harp.
One free day this past summer, I went looking for the location of the recording studio listed on the back cover. Located in a iffy part of town, I managed to find it - an empty lot full of grass and trees. Nothing to suggest there was a structure anywhere on the lot.
Across the street stood an apartment building with a prominent name: Carriage House Apartments. I'll have to do some detective work to see if the two are related or if the area has some sort of history with carriages, etc.
If this is the end of week four, that means we've been doing this for a month? Holy guacamole...
We've got a few odds and ends left after tonight so stay tuned. In the meantime, this is the most up-to-date checklist we've got. Take a look to see if you've gotten everything. If not, click on the link and get it. I need the RapidShare points...
As a kid, I remembered going through my mother's stack of Christmas albums around Christmas and gazing at this exotic, green covered album that contained some of the most bizarre Christmas music I had ever heard.
When she told me this was how children in Africa celebrated Christmas, I nodded my head and still thought it was strange music. This album was seldom played at our house growing up.
Flash forward to 2006. One of my wife's relatives gave me her entire collection of albums and included in that stack was her copy of this album. So I listened again and I appreciated the drumbeats, the style of singing, and the pure joy in the voices that were celebrating Christmas.
Then my kids entered the room and wondered what the mysterious noises from the turntable were... the circle of life indeed.
This 10" Christmas LP was given to me by my in-laws when they were cleaning out their closets.
When Columbia Records first unveiled the long playing record in 1948, two formats were introduced - the 10" version (same size as 78s, used for popular music) and the 12" version (more expensive / reserved for classical & Broadway shows).
This 10" Christmas LP was issued in 1950 (look at the back cover at the popular music of the day) and contains only eight songs.
The Canterbury Choir has had so many Christmas albums under different titles that I threw my hands up after looking for them on MusicStack. At some point, MGM rereleased this album under another title (where & what title, I don't know).
This is a standard organ & choir album. Nothing fancy to detract. A nice change of pace if you're looking for that sort of thing.
Last December, I shared an album entitled "KFUO Presents Christmas Hymns And Carols", an album from a St. Louis Christian radio station featuring two different Lutheran choirs.
This December, I'm sharing yet another album from KFUO. This one features two choirs from St. Louis - straightforward hymns and carols.
KFUO is a Christian St. Louis radio station that's been spreading the gospel since 1924. Its sister station, KFUO-FM, has been doing the same since 1948.
If you're thinking this is "just another Christian Christmas album", you're only partially right.
Merrill Womach was blessed with a four octave singing voice - twice over the norm! He began singing publicly at the age of 6 and dedicated his life to bringing his message to the masses through his God given talent.
On Thanksgiving Day, November 23rd, 1961, Womach was in a fiery airplane crash that almost took his life. Burned beyond recognition - his head swelled to the size of a basketball, he has had over 50 skin graft operations to repair the damage.
Despite losing most of the skin on his face, his voice was unaffected and continued his career of singing. His story was told in an autobiography called "Tested by Fire" and a documentary movie entitled "He Restoreth My Soul".
This was recorded seven years after the crash and his phenomenal voice really comes across and Merrill doesn't hold back - it's a tour de force!
According to sources on the Internet, Merrill now runs a multi-million dollar business in Spokane, WA providing taped music for funeral homes across the U.S. & Canada. In his office is a crucifix made from the plane's wreckage.
If you want to learn more about Womach, visit his MySpace page.
Indiana's vinyl bins contain more religious Christmas albums than any other in the Union. If I purchased every one of these albums during my search and rescue missions over the past five years, I would probably have close to 1000 LPs.
This is one of those typical albums. Designed with a Sunday School or Bible camp in mind, we listen as "Uncle Earl" (red flag) and two kids named Kathy and Bill share special stories lifted right out of the Bible. Even now and then, Christmas is involved!
The Christmas music sandwiched inbetween the stories is mostly standard carols with a choir and organ and I shared a track from this album for the 2007 Yuleblog Sampler.
So this year, kids, you get the whole album! Can I get an "Amen"?
Heino is the most successful German folk (Volksmusik) singer of all times. His characteristics are the blond hair, the omnipresent dark shades and the clear, baritone singing voice.
He has sold more than 30 million records in the last 30 years and has become one of the most beloved and famous persons in the German speaking part of the world (98% of all Germans know him - only surpassed by Chancellor Helmut Kohl - 99%).
This album was released in 1969 and it's an epic. Side one is one gigantic Christmas medley (nineteen songs - nineteen minutes in length, all in German!). Side two is a collection of religious Christmas songs (all in German again).
If you're not a big fan of Christmas carols, religious Christmas songs, but still want your Heino for Christmas, then this video is for you - all 23 minutes of it! Thanks to Anna-Lena Lodenius for finding this:
The Blonde One reportedly went on a farewell tour recently so who knows if we've seen or heard the last from him.
From time to time this Christmas season, I'll be posting some amazing videos that have been rescued by people like us and posted at the mecca of all things wonderful and obscure - YouTube.
I invite you to add a fun comment, witticism, clever remark, or observation in the comments section provided. Any comments deemed worthy of repeating will be included into this entry where all the world will see it.
Earlier this week, my family and I sat down to watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on VHS (some things I refuse to upgrade). We all laughed, we all grooved to the Vince Guaraldi music, and we had a great time. Thank you, Charles M. Schulz and Bill Melendez!
This leads me to YouTube. There was a famous video that made the rounds a few years back that had Charlie Brown and company rocking out to "Hey Ya" by Outkast. Clever.
I wondered what else YouTube had in the ways of Charlie Brown parodies and found these three. First is a take on the Outkast mashup:
Jimmy Kimmel gave us this parody a few years back. Scientology, anyone?:
The cast of "Scrubs" originally did this parody for their year-end cast Christmas party. It was so well received that it made it to YouTube:
This final parody came from the mind of Denis Leary. You've been warned...
This EP was given to me by my in-laws when they were cleaning out their closets. According to my father-in-law, this was one of his mother's Christmas favorites on the old Philco.
There's exactly four tracks on this EP - one by Frankie Laine, one by Eddy Howard, and two songs by a young up & comer named Vic Damone.
I could have cleaned up the back cover with PhotoShop but I decided against it - I wanted you to see the original price tag from 1950 - $1.49 plus tax!
This is vintage Christmas at its best. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as my in-laws did...
My friend Scott Marks has been gracious to lend me several of his Christmas movie reviews from his amazing website Emulsion Compulsion.
If you haven't visited his site for some thoroughly honest movie reviews, commentary, and image vaults to die for (including a bunch of Christmas related stuff), take a moment to head over this his site and surf - you'll be there for at least 20 minutes max.
For his final review, Scott chose a movie that was being shown in 3-D at the time and is one of my personal... umm... let me just post the review and let my opinion fall by the wayside:
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Directed by: Henry Selick Written by: Tim Burton & Michael McDowell Cast: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens, Ken Page, Edward Ivory, Susan McBride, Debi Durst, Greg Proops, Kerry Katz, Randy Crenshaw, Sherwood Ball, Carmen Twillie Aspect Ratio: 1.66 : 1 Running Time: 76 min.
Rating:
Rod Serling didn't known it at the time, but when he spoke about finding another dimension by turning a key and unlocking the door of imagination he was directly addressing the current state of film exhibition.
I have seen the future of movies and it is 3-D... I hope.
The depth expanding novelty process, which has been around since the twenties, saw it's greatest rise in popularity during the Fifties when it was dusted off as a means to combat the onslaught of television. With the exception of Hitchcock's "Dial 'M' for Murder", no other stereoscopic film bothered to utilize depth as a means of storytelling. Everybody just wanted to test the limits of those uncomfortable cardboard glasses.
Arguably, the single greatest exponents of 3-D gimmickry were the Three Stooges. With all the pies and fingers aimed at the lenses there was little time left to stop and savor narrative and textural nuance.
Cost and public indifference brought a quick end to the vogue. Originally it took two interlocked projectors rigged with polarized lenses that were offset by approximately three-inches to bring 3-D to the screen. Theaters had to be refitted with expensive silver screens and doubling the prints meant doubling the shipping costs.
Barely on life support in the Sixties, 3-D experienced a minor revival over the next two decades. By now polarized lenses had all but vanquished their blue and red predecessors. The new single-strip process looked better than ever and, positioned at the dawn of sequelitis, found steady employment in third-part installments of horror films. ("Jaws 3-D", "Friday the 13th Part III" and "Amityville 3-D".)
(CAPT'S NOTE: Don't forget "Comin' At Ya!" from 1981 - first 3-D movie I ever saw)
Ultimately, 70mm killed 3-D as well as Cinerama. Audiences didn't have to endure tri-panel seams, nose-creasing glasses or higher ticket prices. Oddly enough, the sharper image resolution wasn't what gave the film stock its celebrity, but the fuller range of stereophonic sound.
Too costly to shoot in the wide-gauge process, for a period Hollywood was ordering 70mm blow-ups on every fifth picture slated for release. As much as I adore "Gremlins 2", even I was stunned to see it in the grandeur of 70mm. With the advent of digital sound, 70mm was put on the disabled list.
Not until IMAX combined 70mm and stereoscopic cinematography had the potential for worldwide acceptance shown such promise. Glasses were now replaced by helmets equipped with polarized visors and tiny speakers that sat behind your ears assuring optimum stereophonic separation.
Attempts to incorporate narrative into the otherwise flaccid Disney-esque nature documentaries proved fruitless. The domed dinosaur that sits in Balboa Park is a far cry from what came to be known as the IMAX Experience. The closest San Diego comes to true IMAX exhibition is up the road a piece in Irvine.
The IMAX thrill quickly came and went, until now. The brainiacs at Industrial Light and Magic devised a way in which any 2-D film can be digitally catapulted into the third-dimension. It is expensive and time consuming, but the results are staggering.
The original 2-D negative is scanned into a computer and digitally spruced up. Coming up with the second strip was a laborious process as Nightmare producer Don Hahn explained in an interview with animationartist.com: "If you want to see the original version, you just look with your left eye. But then we have to create a whole right eye version... and that's done by rebuilding the whole movie as a digital picture. In other words, if you have a shot of Jack Skellington, you have to build Jack, and you have to build the background behind him, his house and the snow, or whatever is behind him in a digital world. And then we project a movie on to that digital geometry and then move the digital camera over to the right and re-photograph that for the right eye version."
You still have to wear glasses, but Disney has thankfully devised lightweight and comfortable, if not aggressively unfashionable, lenses.
With its surplus of musical numbers and paucity of plot, I confess to not being a fan of the original Goth-approved Nightmare. In 3-D it's a revelation. The studio promises at least one film a year will be converted to 3-D. I vote for a deep-focus enhancement of "Bambi's" Multiplane Camera pyrotechnics. If not a Disney feature, why not one that influenced Uncle Walt like "Triumph of the Will"?
- - Merry Christmas to everyone and Happy Hannukah to all my Jewish friends. Scott Marks
Thanks Scott for this fantastic review! I hate this film and I think Tim Burton is a totally overrated director who can't tell a good story because the dark themes or special effects backing him up get in the way ("Ed Wood" was the lone exception).
Found this one on eBay and caveat emptor indeed! The seller finally contacted me a week after the auction ended and took their sweet time shipping it to me. When it finally arrived, there was a huge tear into the middle of the front cover they neglected to tell me about... Grrrrr!
I wasn't sure if my handiwork with PhotoShop would be up to the task but I got it patched up pretty well if I do say so myself.
Paul Steffen & his daughter Nancy operate antique Swiss handbells and put them into eighteen different Christmas carols & standards. No orchestra behind them, no chimes or other instruments to accent them. Straight handbell Christmas music.
This 1959 release was the first ever Christmas album issued by the Atco Record company, the Atlantic subsidiary.
In addition to collecting Christmas music, I have collected nearly 1000 vintage Christmas ads over the years. Many of these include celebrities, radio, television, cigarettes, liquor, modern appliances, and the like.
Every Friday from here until I run out, I will feature an ad from my collection.
I invite you to add a fun comment, witticism, clever remark, or observation in the comments section provided. Any comments deemed worthy of repeating will be included into this entry where all the world will see it.
We've arrived at the Friday before Christmas. What better way to start the final Christmas weekend then with some vintage celebrities in vintage Christmas ads pitching everything from cigarettes, clock radios, cameras, Christmas Seals, and candy.
I've selected ten for your viewing enjoyment (click on all images to enlarge):
Jackie Gleason for Manhattan Shirts
Donna Reed for Singer Machines, Inc.
Ann Sothern for Lucky Strike Cigarettes
Dick Van Dyke for Kodak
Clayton Moore (The Lone Ranger) and Jay Silverheels (Tonto) for Christmas Seals
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz for Philip Morris Cigarettes
(L to R) Arthur Godfrey, Bing Crosby, Perry Como, and Bob Hope for Chesterfield Cigarettes
Starting at 12 noon going clockwise: Nat King Cole, Stan Kenton, The Four Freshmen, Les Paul & Mary Ford, Ray Anthony, Margaret Whiting, Glen Gray, Dean Martin, and Judy Garland for Telechron Timers
For Lucky Strike Cigarettes
(L to R) Curly Joe DeRita, Moe Howard, and Larry Fine aka The Three Stooges for U.S. Savings Bonds
There's a comment in you somewhere - otherwise you wouldn't have read this far. Let's hear it - your initial reaction, what you found amusing about a specific ad, or a comment on one or all of the stars shown here.
What do you think?
DonHo57 says: If I awoke on Christmas morning to find that halo of faces circling over my bed like that Telechron ad, I'd pull the covers back over my face and pray for them to leave. Too much eggnog will do that.
Ravel says: The Singer ad: the 2 miniature miracles. Jeff hates records; the way he holds the needle arm, he is about to scratch the record.
PDMan says: The Gleason ad reminds me of something I've always found funny - the use of the word "smart" to refer to fashion. "Look smart when you wear these fabulous (insert article of clothing here)." If only it were that easy.
Stubbyfears says: I see Ann Southern puts a lot of thought into her Christmas gifts...not. Cancer sticks for everybody! Whee!
I reviewed Ernie's shares and at some point down the road, I'll probably review Hi-Fi Holiday's contribution to the Kaye display (bad puns are all I have left today... sorry).
This is the fourth and I'm guessing it's very similar in sound to what's already been out there.
It's a nifty album - some great melodies and arrangements set up by Mr. Swing and Sway himself. If you ever get the Christmas blues, this album will cure them - guaranteed or your money backed by the U.S. Government (uh-oh...)
Last night as we slept, ol' man winter decided to pay us a visit. We got around 1" of snow followed by thunderstorms (ever awake to thunder in the middle of December) that froze everything and anything in its path.
Schools were cancelled, power outages were everywhere, and thousands of broken limbs scattered streets and yards. Put your ear up to the screen and you'll probably hear the drone of the chainsaws outside my window.
I grabbed my purchased last year, already obsolete digital camera and took a few snaps of the view from my kitchen into my backyard.
We did lose power for a brief time but it's fully restored. Compared to some of the areas in town that could be without up until Christmas, lady luck smiled on us.
What a way to start Christmas vacation for the kids!
Here's an album I grossly overpaid for - I wasn't sure what I was getting but it wasn't available anywhere.
Open Pantry was (or is) a major chain of food stores throughout Pittsburgh and the Eastern Pennsylvania area. I assume when you purchased x amount of groceries, you could get this tagged Christmas album for an extra $3 or $4 back in 1974.
Walt Harper was a Pittsburgh jazz legend - for years he was a behind-the-scenes player in jazz circles and rubbed elbows with practically everyone in the jazz world.
But he never forgot his hometown of Pittsburgh. In 1958, he landed at the downtown Crawford Grill and stayed for ten years. Then in 1969, he opened his own jazz club/restaurant (the first of several), and got a regular gig playing at Steelers home games from the mid-1970s to 2002.
Of all the thrift stores in all the towns in all the world, this album found mine.
I never expected to see an actual Taiwanese Christmas album here in Fort Wayne. But this cover stood out like a someone wearing a White Sox jersey at a Cubs game in Wrigley Field.
With the exception of the title, the artist, and the city of origin, and the names of the songs on the back cover, there is no other printing in English. What's worse is I'm not certain of the language printed all over the covers and insert.
This album contains fourteen Christmas songs sung by a children's choir either in Chinese, Cantonese, Korean, or Philippino. It's fun, touching, and a treat to hear these favorites in a brand new way.
And if the final seven songs sound like the album's warped, you're only half right. When I transferred this, I noticed the grooves on side two were off-center. This meant the needle was bucking and weaving side-to-side like a seismologist's needle during a mild earthquake!
I wish I had the capacity to record a YouTube video and post video of this needle swaying in the wind - it's the darnedest thing I've ever seen when transferring an album.
From time to time this Christmas season, I'll be posting some amazing videos that have been rescued by people like us and posted at the mecca of all things wonderful and obscure - YouTube.
I invite you to add a fun comment, witticism, clever remark, or observation in the comments section provided. Any comments deemed worthy of repeating will be included into this entry where all the world will see it.
Okay kiddies... put your wet boots by the fire, grab a cup of hot cocoa, and settle in for a nice winter's storytime:
I had heard about this sketch many times but until today, I had never seen it before. God bless us, one and all...
Back in October, I reviewed "Warner Brothers Stars - We Wish You A Merry Christmas" - an album released on Warner Bros. Records from 1959 - the second year of WB Records existence (and available for download courtesy of our friend Ernie (Not Bert).)
Here's an album from 1958 - one of only two Christmas albums released on Warner Bros. Records that year (the other being Jimmy Joyce's "A Christmas To Remember" - Ernie again).
What stars are on this album? Who's got the hot song? It's an entire album of Christmas music boxes accented with bells & chimes.
This album might have been the first Christmas music box album ever - Rita Ford's legendary "Music Box Christmas" on Columbia wasn't released until 1961 and I've yet to see a Christmas music box album earlier than this.
And guess what? Ernie did it again - he has this very same album in the STEREO format. Turns out I had the mono version after all with some nifty promo labels:
Naturally, I'm biased on which version sounds better - Ernie's. Go get a copy. I did go back and re-transfer the album and properly recorded it into mono - it sounds a little better than my first try. So I have that going for me...
This isn't my first share of The Hollywood Pops Orchestra - they helped out the Veteran's Administration for their 1976 Christmas Hospital Program with several tracks.
Google turned up very little in the ways of information on the Hollywood Pops Orchestra. Nowhere could I find an official website, a reliable discography, or any other pertinent info on the organization.
There's plenty of comps out there with a track or two from these guys but nowhere in my research did I find a CD reissue or a MP3 album for download of this album.
As the title says, there's some great orchestral instrumental Christmas music on this album - why it's not out there is beyond me.
The main reason I bought this album at my local thrift store was the pretty nifty cover artwork. It's an eye catcher and I hoped the music inside would live up to it.
Here's a budget release from Mount Vernon Music (Google comes up empty) from the Manhattan "Pops" Symphonic Band (again empty).
If you're looking for a larger, Salvation Army-style band playing your favorite Christmas tunes (including two Christmas Medleys with some nameless music that connects real Christmas music), than this album is for you.
At some points on this album, the music sounds like the tapes were slowing down slightly - truly recorded on the cheap.
I finally found a copy of this amazing album when it came up on eBay earlier this year - a DJ promo copy no less with an obnoxious sticker tattooed to the front cover.
The Stoneman Family (or the Stonemans) ranked among country music's most famous family bands, and were closely associated with their legendary father, Ernest "Pop" Stoneman, who played with them for a number of years. The core of the band was made up of six of Pop's thirteen children: Patsy, Scotty, Donna, Jimmy, Roni and Van.
It's a great mix of country, bluegrass, and gospel - very folksy and all Christmas. There are some great covers but the original songs are just as good - how can a song entitled "Santa Played The Autoharp" NOT be good?
Most Christmas albums are recorded in the summer for a December release. However, Pop Stoneman died on June 14, 1968. - which makes the final track very bittersweet.
Entitled "Christmas Without Dad", in any other context, this song would lend itself to derision and some snickering. Knowing about Pop's death, I dare you to listen and not to shed tears.
From time to time this Christmas season, I'll be posting some amazing videos that have been rescued by people like us and posted at the mecca of all things wonderful and obscure - YouTube.
I invite you to add a fun comment, witticism, clever remark, or observation in the comments section provided. Any comments deemed worthy of repeating will be included into this entry where all the world will see it.
Back in 1977, Twentieth Century Fox haggled with George Lucas concerning his "science movie" - the studio heads derisive nickname for "Star Wars". In the process, Fox gave away the merchandising rights to Lucas and barely promoted the film. We all know what a bum decision that turned out to be.
"Star Wars" and Christmas became synonymous in 1978 when Lucas gave his blessing to the Star Wars Holiday Special with Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher (who later admitted she was stoned for most of the taping), and guest stars Art Carney and Bea Arthur. We all know what a bum decision that turned out to be as well.
During my searches on YouTube, I came across this 1977 Bob Hope Christmas Special that might be the first tie-in with Christmas and "Star Wars".
Hope presents his parody called "Scar Wars" (I wanna tell ya...) and features Olivia Newton-John in the Leia role, Perry Como as a very relaxed astronaut, and Hope as evil baddie Barf Vader who kidnapped Santa.
You'll have to endure about 7:25 of these three - cracking one-liners, mangling songs, and breaking up over themselves. It's hard to believe this is the type of television we grew up on.
At the 7:25 mark, we cue Mark. As in Hamill. Bounding into the shot dressed in full Luke Skywalker gear, he calls on the Force to end the skit. Total time Mark's on screen? 35 seconds.
Bet George Lucas had used his Force concerning his beloved character of Luke Skywalker. Not even the power of Bob Hope could squeeze more airtime out of George.
What do you think?
Jeffco.Productions says: Wow. That was bad. Real bad. Real, real bad. Ouch.
HMcNally says: For a moment, I thought Bob Hope said, "I'm the pimp." Now that's funny!
This was a thrift store find - not surprising, Indiana has more religious Christmas vinyl (i.e. Word, Sword, custom-pressed evangelists, etc) than any other state in the Union.
Bryant's first Christmas LP came in 1967 - "Do You Hear What I Hear?" (Columbia CL 2720 - mono, Columbia CS 9520 stereo). At some point, that album was rereleased and retitled "Christmas With" but kept the same label numbers (our friend Inkydog has this album at his blog Cheerful Earful).
This album was released on Word Records in 1972 and doesn't repeat any of the songs on her previous Christmas album. Most of the songs are of the religious nature of Christmas (not many contemporary songs).
I suppose I could type a thousand words about Bryant's politics and show you a YouTube video of her famous press conference where she got a pie in the face from a protester. However, I won't and I ask that any comment left here will be about the music - nothing less.
With eight days left before Christmas, I wanted to spend today looking at several new Christmas albums on the shelves this season - perhaps a last minute gift guide for those who love Christmas music.
This is review number eight today - my final one for Review Tuesday.
You've probably never heard of this gentlemen so let me take a moment to introduce you to him. Larry Pestor is well known throughout the music and advertising scene of my hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana. This is a man who wrote and sold a radio jingle to Saudi Arabian Airlines right after the Iraq war began! And Larry don't speak Arabic!
I first became aware of Larry when an article was published in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette back in April of this year. The line of the article that stood out was "Pester will even turn your 78 rpm records into digital files for you."
Armed with a small stack of 78s, Larry has helped me immensely this year; the transfer of the "Dragnet" Christmas LP was done at his studio.
Larry has always had a desire to do a Christmas album and he finally stopped procrastinating about it this year. Recording it was no problem considering he was not only playing on the album but producing it.
There are ten tracks of standard Christmas music on this album. Nothing overblown, nothing pretentious, nothing that sounds bad. Larry handles the piano beautifully and adds guitars and synthesizer just at the right moments.
My favorite tracks are "Away In A Manger" (I know it's synth but it sounds like the musical glasses), "Angels We Have Heard On High", and "Joy To The World" has some of the best piano work I've heard in quite a while on any Christmas album.
In short, this is a very good Christmas album that deserves to be heard. In this day and age of the same 50 songs being played on Christmas radio, I would love to hear music like Larry's on the radio now and then.
You can spend $10 on an album like Neil Sedaka and get totally blindsided. Or you can spend $10 on an album from an artist who's poured some time, effort, and sweat into his project.
If you're interested in this album, check out his website. Tell him the Captain sent you...
With eight days left before Christmas, I wanted to spend today looking at several new Christmas albums on the shelves this season - perhaps a last minute gift guide for those who love Christmas music.
This is review number seven today and the third that arrived at my P.O. Box. A big thank you to Glenn Holmes from On Target Media for sending us this.
My wife has been watching me come home as of late with packages from Kasio Kristmas and Verve Remixed and dozens of homemade Christmas comps from friends and others alike. Her quote was "When do you get the GOOD Christmas music?"
The look on her face when I opened this package and this brand new Christmas CD fell out was one of total astonishment, joy, and excitement. She's a HUGE Amy Grant fan and I knew this was going to get played early and often on the CD boombox at my house.
Amy Grant released her first Christmas album when she was the Queen of Christian radio back in 1983 with "A Christmas Album". Several years later when she went mainstream, she released "Home For Christmas" in 1992. Then in 1998, we were treated with "A Christmas To Remember".
Now a fourth Christmas collection?
To quote Amy in her liner notes: "In The Christmas Collection, I've chosen my favorite songs from my earlier projects and added four new recordings." Aha! Those four new songs are:
TRACK REVIEWS:
1.) Jingle Bells (Track 1) A remake of Barbra Streisand's classic arrangement right down to Bab's vocal inflections. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery never sounded so good.
2.) I Need A Silent Night (Track 3) A great Christmas song that asks pertinent questions about the lost message of Christmas (fast forward to 0:35):
3.) Baby It's Christmas (Track 5) Written with husband Vince Gill (who plays guitar = bonus), this is a perfect "end of a Christmas day" song, full of the exhaustion and wonderment only these weeks before Christmas can bring.
4.) Count Your Blessings (Track 7) With the London Session Orchestra behind her, Amy sings Bing's song from the 1954 Irving Berlin movie "White Christmas". Lush and majestic.
If you don't own anything Christmas related by Amy Grant, this CD is a great collection for your archives. The four new Christmas songs are definite highlights - especially "I Need A Silent Night".
This one got my wife's endorsement - what more do you need?
With eight days left before Christmas, I wanted to spend today looking at several new Christmas albums on the shelves this season - perhaps a last minute gift guide for those who love Christmas music.
This is review number seven today and one of several that arrived at my P.O. Box. Thanks to Guy McCain and Jen Onsum of Luck Media & Marketing, Inc for sending these to us.
I had never heard of this group before I received these. So I went to the bio notes sent to me and the paragraphs that caught my eye were these:
"Mega-popular Minnesota based four-piece vocal group sets the industry standard taking care of business completely DIY.
"Without any major label backing, they've earned sales of over a million albums (CAPT'S NOTE: Damn!), a popular annual PBS Christmas special, more than 100 tour dates annually, and an appearance on "The Today Show".
Tonic Sōl-Fa began with Mark McGowan (baritone) and lead vocalist Shaun Johnson, who both attended St. John's University in 1996. Shortly after forming, the two auditioned for a local entertainment agency which helped jump-start the group's performance and appearance schedule. Greg Bannwarth (tenor) and Jared Dove (bass) joined soon after, completing the group.
They've released several Christmas CDs, the first being "Carol" in 1997. Their second Christmas album came in 2002 with the release of "Sugarüe" - click on the link to hear samples of the entire album.
Featuring eight standards and two original songs ("Joseph's Song" and "Snō" - wow!), this a great accapella album and Christmas to boot!
All their hard work led them to 2006 when they taped their PBS special and began to get some well-deserved recognition, garnering write-ups in Newsweek and MediaStyle magazine.
Thanks in large part to this special, a new companion CD entitled "Christmas" is available this season. I must admit I've never seen the special on my local PBS station but after hearing the crystal clear melodies and hearing the audience worked up into a frenzy, I'm checking the local listings.
I have hardly any accapella Christmas music in my collection. I now own these and I can't think of a better start.
With eight days left before Christmas, I wanted to spend today looking at several new Christmas albums on the shelves this season - perhaps a last minute gift guide for those who love Christmas music.
This is review number six today and the second that arrived at my P.O. Box. This one came from someone within the music industry who is a faithful reader and wished to remain anonymous. Thanks for thinking of me.
Verve Records was founded in 1956 by Norman Granz as a jazz label. Over the years it has been the home for jazz legends and young up-and-comers who became legends.
However, by the early 1970s, the label nearly folded completely, reduced to re-releasing older jazz albums and being sold off to one musical conglomerate to the next.
That changed in the mid-1980s when Verve was revived and began reissuing its back catalogue. The "Verve By Request" label began to reissue many original Verve bossa nova titles on CD in the late 1990s, and the Elite series revived many obscure albums which had languished for many years.
In 2002, we were introduced to the "Verve Remixed" compilation discs. Classic tracks by Verve artists are remixed by contemporary electronic music DJs. Seven releases later, they decided to put the "Verve Remixed" treatment to their Christmas catalog.
The end result is a mix of both good and bad. Hearing artists like Ella Fitzgerald made to sound like a pop princess, Louis Armstrong with a thumping bass behind him, and the legendary Billie Holiday to sound like a reggae queen is just plain wrong.
But... I listen nonetheless. I admire the new takes on the old classics. Anything that takes the same songs you've heard 50,000 times and gives it a new spin is worth a listen (although several remixes go on far too long).
Try to get your 10 or 15 year old to listen to the originals and you probably won't get far. Let them listen to this album and they just might get into it. Maybe they'll discover Ella, Louis, and the rest down the road like we did.
If that's what Verve's intentions were with this series, then I applaud them for trying to introduce the younger generations to the past. Then I flip the coin and think Verve is just recycling the catalog to squeeze more money out their cash cow - two years ago this December, they laid off 85% of their staff in a cost-cutting move.
In any case, you might want to listen to see if you want to buy this first. There is not one but two videos at YouTube to give you a feel for this album.
With eight days left before Christmas, I wanted to spend today looking at several new Christmas albums on the shelves this season - perhaps a last minute gift guide for those who love Christmas music.
This is my fifth review of today and the first CD that was sent to our P.O. Box earlier this month.
It arrived in a bubble mailer with very sloppy handwriting for the addresses which I found odd. When I opened it up, out slid an entirely black CD with this very cryptic message:
Since then, there's been an oversized white truck parked outside my house from time to time. What have I gotten myself into here?
The inside cover tells us only Casio instruments were used in this recording. For those technical people reading, their arsenal includes the SK-5, SK-1, VA-10, VL-Tone, Rapman, EP-10, PT-87, CZ-1, SA-21, TA-10, DH-100, Turbo Drive Calculator, Karate Fight, CG-610, DG-20, and PG-380 (no relation to PG-13 at the theaters - throwing out my bad pun book).
The 8-bit Peoples released a Christmas album a few years back that used old computer systems to produce Christmas music. However, the Kasio guys really improved on that theme with this album. The end result is a Christmas album that must be heard to be believed.
To that end, I found several YouTube videos that give you snippets of what their music is like. The visuals are something out of "Yo Gabba Gabba" that I watch with my kids now and then.
Some things just can't be explained...
Amazon.com is reporting at present that this CD is out of stock but you can still download the full album. You might want to check Kasio Kristmas' MySpace page for more info and extended listens.
Thanks for sending us the CD fellas and in the future, you might want to put a full return address on ... excuse me, there's a knock at the door...
With eight days left before Christmas, I wanted to spend today looking at several new Christmas albums on the shelves this season - perhaps a last minute gift guide for those who love Christmas music.
My mom's gonna freak when I play this for her when I see her for Christmas dinner! And as I type these words with Neil Sedaka's first ever Christmas album playing in the background, I'm starting to freak.
A little background first: Sedaka first broke into the music business as a songwriter, penning many of his hits alongside Carole King in the Brill Building in New York City.
Singing many of his own compositions (including back-up vocals), Neil had a string of hits between 1960 and 1962 such as "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen", "Calendar Girl", and "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do". His popularity took a direct British invasion hit and by 1967, he was without a label.
Sedaka went overseas and toured extensively in the UK and Australia, winning over many fans. This included Elton John, who signed Neil to his Rocket Records label.
Surprise! Neil had another string of hits that included "Laughter In The Rain", "Bad Blood", a re-working of "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do", and wrote the Captain & Tennille's biggest hit "Love Will Keep Us Together" before falling out of favor again thanks to disco music.
Throughout the 80s, 90s, and right up until today, Sedaka continued to appear in Vegas, tour the world, and keep writing songs that newer generations have covered. Ben Folds is a huge Sedaka fan; after learning Neil had a song published by the age of 13, Folds set and met the same goal.
To quote from the booklet of his Christmas album:
"This is for all the fans who have been asking me to do a Christmas CD over the fifty years I've been recording. I do hope you, the listener, will feel the same emotions that I felt when I was singing them."
Sedaka still has a great voice - it was so cool to hear it again on the first song "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow". It still sounded great on the second song "Silent Night", especially with his double tracked voice.
Then I noticed something by song three (when I began to freak above). I can hear Sedaka playing piano (again) and a scant trace of synthesized strings. Where's the drums, the brass, the jingle bells?
I stopped looking around song six. Who was responsible for this? I looked at the inside cover: Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Piano: Neil Sedaka. Producer: Neil Sedaka. By song eight I was getting numb. What a letdown. Christmas truly deserves better than this. We deserve better than this. This is an album for the faithful (and I mean FAITHFUL) Neil Sedaka fan on your list.
Which is why my mom is gonna freak. As a rule, I never re-gift. After listening to all ten tracks, I have a feeling this opened CD just might find a home in her stocking at Christmas.
From time to time this Christmas season, I'll be posting some amazing videos that have been rescued by people like us and posted at the mecca of all things wonderful and obscure - YouTube.
I invite you to add a fun comment, witticism, clever remark, or observation in the comments section provided. Any comments deemed worthy of repeating will be included into this entry where all the world will see it.
We just posted a review of Kristin Chenoweth's new Christmas album and I mentioned that I was first introduced to her from my friends at First Presbyterian Theater.
It was through this place that I met my long lost brother and best friend Joel who happens to be the technical director of another venue: The Scottish Rite Center of Fort Wayne.
Earlier this month, Joel and his crew (minus me - sorry, dude) were involved with a huge undertaking - the construction of and for "The Living Christmas Tree" singing group whose CD I reviewed earlier this year.
With that in mind, I found a YouTube video that defies description and wanted to share it you to see what Joel and his crew had to endure:
And anything that involves Christmas and Louis Prima is fine by me!
With eight days left before Christmas, I wanted to spend today looking at several new Christmas albums on the shelves this season - perhaps a last minute gift guide for those who love Christmas music.
This is my third review this morning and thanks to my friends at First Presbyterian Theater, I never would have known who Kristin Chenoweth was.
A veteran of many Broadway musicals including "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" and "Wicked", TV series, Old Navy commericials, and one miserable Christmas movie called "Deck The Halls" (what were you thinking?), Kristin stands barely 4' 11" but has an incredible voice that booms from her small frame.
Kristin's voice is so versatile - she can sing a lovely ballad like "I'll Be Home For Christmas" or "The Christmas Waltz", have some giddy fun with "Christmas Island", and give solemn carols like "What Child Is This?" majesty and solemnity.
This alone would give you a good Christmas CD but Kristin throws in some surprises. Her duet with John Pizzarelli on "Sleigh Ride / Marshmallow World" is brilliant, her cover of Peabo Bryson's "Born On Christmas Day" is remarkable, and "Come On Ring Those Bells" is a surprisingly good country Christmas delight.
Two songs of special mention: I grew up with "Sesame Street" and was introduced to The Carpenters' through the Joe Raposo song "Sing". It was great to hear again but it's not a Christmas song.
The other song is "Sleep Well Little Children / What A Wonderful World" - yep, someone's trying to take Louis Armstrong's great song and transform it into Christmas.
Memo to Sony Records (who aren't sharing their YouTubevideos for this album): no matter how many lush strings you throw at us, no matter what extra song you tack on at the beginning, or even getting someone as talented as Kristin to sing it for you, you are not turning "What A Wonderful World" into a Christmas song. Brutal.
Despite that, this is a great Christmas album in large part to Chenoweth's take on the material - her refreshing voice and style is so good even Sony can't screw it up (much).
With that in mind, here's a video of Kristin at this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade singing "The Christmas Waltz" to a bunch of ice-skating Care Bears (another Sony masterstroke):
Shout-out to all the theater people at FPT - they're in the middle of their annual run of "It's A Wonderful Life" right now. See some of you at the wrap party!
With eight days left before Christmas, I wanted to spend today looking at several new Christmas albums on the shelves this season - perhaps a last minute gift guide for those who love Christmas music.
"Double Crown doesn't have a "Seasonal Favorites V3" for this Christmas (think 2009). However, a band on their label named King of Hawaii released a Christmas EP just in time for 2008. At $6, this might be the bargain of the season."
Recorded at the House of Rock in October, 2006, this EP has five tracks which allows me to do...
TRACK REVIEWS:
1.) Greensleeves Hawaiian surf flavored version of this traditional Christmas carol. Where's my sunblock?
2.) Feliz Navidad Surf guitarish with Latin flavor throughout... not bad from a group called "King of Hawaii"!
3.) Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy WOW! I'm not sure Tchaikovsky envisioned this song to be played by a rock group in creepy Groovy Ghoulies style-surf guitar but it works!
4.) Our Favorite (Christmas) Martian I thought this was the Ventures at first (something off their "Ventures In Space" album). Not heavy on Christmas but I don't mind one bit.
5.) Road Kill Christmas The ghost of Jerry Reed lives! Honky tonk surf guitar never sounded so goooooood!
This Christmas EP is flat out amazing - well worth the $6 and then some. I'm torn between "Feliz Navidad" and "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" as best tracks on the CD. Since I'm pressed for time today, I'll simply call them "co-winners".
According to the U.S. Post Office, Saturday December 20th is the final day to ship anything first class to get it to your home before Christmas. Head over the the Double Crown website and order your copy today!
With eight days left before Christmas, I wanted to spend today looking at several new Christmas albums on the shelves this season - perhaps a last minute gift guide for those who love Christmas music.
We start with Tony Bennett's new Christmas album with the Count Basie Orchestra.
"Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album" is required for any Christmas music enthusiast's collection (novice to expert). I purchased this album at the beginning of the 2008 Christmas season and after much, MUCH airplay on my CD boombox, I'm convinced this one should be mandatory as well.
New swingin' renditions with the Basie sound of "I'll Be Home For Christmas", "Winter Wonderland", and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" are definite highlights. The duet between father and daughter (Antonia Bennett) on "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" is fun, bouncy, and full of warmth - no surprise there.
Even at the tender age of 82, Tony's voice has no problems with the slower ballads like "Silver Bells", Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Time Is Here", and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas".
This brings us to the best track on the CD - "O Christmas Tree". One solo piano and a solo legendary voice. It's stirring, moving, and conveys more Christmas feeling in 3:27 than most artists do in an entire CD.
For the record, I don't consider "My Favorite Things" a Christmas song but as I'm getting older, I'm learning to appreciate it more during this time of year.
It's doesn't hurt that Tony's version swings either...
Earlier this year, I reviewed an excellent 1995 compilation of the collected Christmas works of Ruth Lyons. As I typed that review, I listened to the CD comp that used actual physical copies of the albums for the master sources (amazing but true).
I quicked pulled my LP copies of "Ten Tunes Of Christmas" and found no new surprises. However, when I listened to "It's Christmas Time Again", I was delighted to discover three of the 1963 versions to be totally different and inexplicably left off the CD comp.
To quote from my original review:
1.) "Let's Light the Christmas Tree" has a spoken intro (presumably by either Bob Braun or Peter Grant) and is a much simpler version of the song. Quite nice.
2.) "Hey Nonny Nonny" has different inflections in Ruth's singing voice - amazing but true! - and the arrangement is totally different from the original song presented on the CD.
3.) "Have a Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas" has Ruth and the gang singing the song as opposed to kiddie singers!
According to a recent Cincinnati Enquirer article, a brand new TV documentary about Ruth Lyons has been pushed back to the spring and will coincide with a BRAND NEW 2-CD set of all the Christmas music by Lyons to benefit her beloved Children's Fund.
I've had this album in my collection since 2000 - when I bought it off eBay, I thought I was getting an album of Christmas greetings - hence the title.
Instead, I got an album from the Los Angeles Unit of Recording For The Blind with celebs like Danny Kaye, Agnes Moorehead, and Yul Brynner reading Christmas stories for those visually impaired.
After pulling this out of mothballs last year to share a track for the 2007 Yuleblog Sampler, I decided why not share the rest?
It's a kick to hear Edward G. Robinson read "Yes, Virginia" among all the stories. "See, here kids... nyahh!"
I found this album last weekend at a thrift store near Chicago. I had to dip into my Indiana Toll Road fund to grab 50 cents for the pleasure of bringing this home with me.
According to the discography from the good folks at Both Sides Now, Bravo Records was a subsidiary of the famed Pickwick budget label. It also stamped silver labels on its mono releases and gold labels for stereo.
With this mono record, I was half-expecting the typical recorded-on-the-cheap production values and substandard music throughout.
Instead, I got a nice Christmas album that's not flashy, not pretentious, and at times fun. It's still a budget release but I think you'll find something in it you'll like.
We can scratch off another week complete in the 2008 downloading season. Like a marathon runner hitting the wall, we're past the point of no return and we're determined to finish the race dead or alive.
Sounds good in theory, huh?
Here is another updated checklist - it's here so you can pick and choose what you want to read and listen to. Another reason it's posted here is to make sure during sleepless nights, we can check back and make sure we're not double posting something - they all blend into one big entry after a while.
We've had many people clamoring for another movie review from our friend Scott Marks... a few people... okay, two people... and one of those was Scott... and the other was me. What's your point?
I've always seen the first 30 minutes or so of this particular movie and chicken out. Maybe Scott's honest opinion will make me want to see the film from beginning to end. On your Marks, get set, go:
The Bells of St. Mary's (1945)
Directed by: Leo McCarey Written by: Dudley Nichols from a story by Leo McCarey Starring: Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Henry Travers, Joan Carroll & Rhys Williams Running Time: 126 min. Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
When people ask if a sequel has ever surpassed its original, "The Godfather II" and "The Bells of St. Mary's" are always the first that come to mind. ("Gremlins II" runs a close third.) Long before the second installment of the Corleone family trilogy, Bell's had the distinction of being the first sequel to be nominated for a best picture Oscar, and coincidentally makes a stellar cameo appearance on the Radio City Musical Hall marquee in "The Godfather".
Fancy yourself a contemporary filmmaker hired to tell the story of Father O'Malley (Matt Damon in the role originated by Bing Crosby), a showbiz priest assigned a position at an urban Parochial school following the former Pastor's mental breakdown brought about after spending years "up to his neck in nuns."
Once established, Father O'Malley falls in love with Sister Mary Benedict (sinful Angeline Jolie as Saintly Ingrid Bergman), a tubercular nun, all the while helping a prostitute's daughter (Mylie Cyrus substituting for Joan Carroll) get an education. In addition to a earning a compulsory G rating, the final cut has to be sprinkled with a handful of musical numbers.
Nowadays, it would probably be easier to film The Bible in real time, but for Leo McCarey the success of "The Bells of St. Mary's" seemed preordained. The story had been with him since childhood. His aunt, Sister Mary Benedict helped build Hollywood's Immaculate Heart Convent and died of typhoid fever. This was also a follow-up to the the director's Paramount smash "Going My Way". McCarey wrote the story before "Going My Way" which was originally intended to be Bells' sequel.
Normally, films about nuns leave me cold. Who wants to see Audrey Hepburn in "The Nun's Story" when it's made clear by the title that sparkling romance will never enter into it? Only Leo McCarey, the man whom, according to Jean Renoir, understood people better than any Hollywood director, could have slipped this material past the censors.
It should come as no surprise that McCarey, the man who first teamed Laurel with Hardy, is able to find delicate humor in the most unlikely of places. O'Malley's arrival at St. Mary's is shown as a calamitous series of sight gags capped off by the original, and funniest, cat-in-the-hat. Other laughs come from a yawning dog in church and a performance of the nativity story by an all-toddler cast.
I know how crazy this must sound to you. Am I actually recommending a film rife with puppy and kitty cutaways, cute kids and Bing Crosby? You bet! Not Der Bingle's biggest fan, he's actually superb in the role. For two hours I believed that Bing Crosby was a munificent soul. That's acting!
In "Going My Way", Bing is up to his big ears in a vat of sentimental goop almost on par with either visit to "Boys Town". "The Bell's of St. Mary's" is anything but cloying. It's insightful, heartfelt and in many ways more uplifting than "It's a Wonderful Life". It even features Henry Travers one film before gaining winged immortality as Capra's Clarence.
An unsuccessful attempt at explaining the gray box grafted over the studio name and copyright date on both the feature and trailer: Even though "Going My Way" brought Paramount needed recognition and bushels of cash, they chose not to pop for the sequel. Made under the banner of McCarey's Rainbow Productions, Inc., the film was distributed by R. K. O.
In 1957, National Telefilm Associates (NTA) obtained the theatrical rights and for years, all prints bore their logo. The U. S. video rights are controlled by Republic Pictures, and while their otherwise immaculate copy not only lacks the introductory R. K. O. tower, the telecine operator was instructed to obliterate all studio mentions.
Finally, this from imdb.com to further underscore the director's intention of making his film a romantic love story. "The production was overseen by a Catholic priest who served as an advisor during the shooting. While the final farewell sequence was being filmed, Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman decided to play a prank on him. They asked director Leo McCarey to allow one more take, and, as 'Father O'Malley' and 'Sister Benedict' said their last goodbyes, they embraced in a passionate kiss, while the offscreen priest-advisor jumped up roaring in protest."
- - Scott Marks
Turner Classic Movies is showing "The Bells Of St. Mary's" on Saturday, December 20th at 2:30 PM EST. Set your TiVos now or ask TCM to e-mail you a reminder for this film.
I've posted a bunch of stuff from Capitol Records today and thought I'd add a few odds and ends leftover. The first is this ad that I used with the "Christmas In Italy" entry.
At the very, very, very bottom of the ad you'll find a two line blurb that reads: Merry Christmas To You! Twelve popular favorites by top recording artists - T9030
While during one of my sweep and clear vinyl rescue missions, I came across this very album cover:
(Click on images to enlarge)
Okay, calm down... First, these songs are available EVERYWHERE on dozens of compilations scattered to the four winds which means I'm not posting any of these.
Second, when I found this at my local thrift store, the record itself was missing. I spent the good portion of an afternoon digging through every single scrap of vinyl trying to play matchmaker. I didn't find it but got a free cover for my troubles.
Hew's a few vintage images from the Capitol archives:
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Both Danny Kaye and Nat King Cole were on the Capitol label in the late 1950s. We all know the Christmas output of Nat but Danny did have a few Christmas singles to boot - most of which were recorded when he was at Decca Records.
Thanks to Linda Haywood at Popular Nostalgia for posting this picture at her site.
(Click on image to enlarge)
This is the cover of the a Capitol Records Holiday Catalog. These were sent to record stores and businesses to help them discern what to order for their shelves come Christmas time, 1965 A.D.
Did you notice the words "Angel Records" atop the catalog? Angel Records was a classical label from EMI - the British conglomerate that purchased 96% of the Capitol stock in 1957. So when the Beatles signed to EMI Parlophone in the early days and made the move to America, Capitol got the job.
Thanks to Rick Rann who posted this image at his Beatlelist online.
Anyone up for a few YouTube videos? Here's a holiday commercial from 1996 from the boys on Hollywood & Vine (Bob Seger for Christmas? Are ya kiddin'?):
I'm not an Apple person. I've never used a Mac. I've tried three times in the past to download QuickTime to my PC, severely screwing it up every single time.
I've visited iTunes several time but never get past the page where it says "Download iTunes Now". I don't own an iPod. Then there's the iPhone. This status symbol has been flashed at me several times by friends and I even stopped for five minutes at a mall kiosk to get a closer look. I still don't own one.
Capitol Records has a nifty retro Christmas application for the iPhone:
After seeing this, I'm still not getting an iPhone.
One last item: a beautiful picture from Thomas Hawk of Flickr:
(Click on image to enlarge)
I would be remiss if I didn't mention my share of "Capitol Production Music" from last year. I was listening to this one several days ago and my entire family were digging the music as we decked a hall.
I posted three of the Capitol "Christmas In" series today and wanted to an addendum - in later years, Capitol would take foreign artists like Wiener Sangerkanben (aka The Vienna Boys Choir) and add them to their "Christmas In" series, add "passport stamps", and make it real international.
The unofficial Capitol "Christmas In" checklist (if there are other countries I've left out, leave us a comment and I'll add it to the list):
Christmas In England
Christmas In Germany
Christmas In Spain
Christmas In Sweden
Christmas In Mexico
Christmas In France
Christmas In Holland
Christmas In Italy
Christmas In Austria
Christmas In Brazil (thanks, Dantalian)
Here's an album that wasn't a part of that series but could qualify as one. When I discovered the three Capitol "Christmas In" albums at my local thrift store, this album wasn't too far behind in the stacks.
Mexico has Placido Domingo, Spain has Jose Carreras, but Sweden has Ingvar Wixell. A baritone opera singer, Wixell began his career in 1955 with the Royal Swedish Opera, then moved to Germany to become a member of Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1967, where he stayed for 30 years until his retirement.
This album was released in 1965 and if you're looking for a Swedish Christmas opera album, look no further. Wixell sings his heart out on many of the Swedish songs on this album - this guy can belt.
This isn't the first time I've typed about Wixell - earlier this year I reviewed a Swedish comp I received as a gift and whaddya know? Ingvar was on it!
This is the third of the Capitol "Christmas In" series that I'm posting for 2008. The other two include "Christmas In Germany" and "Christmas In Italy". This is the Swedish version from the same series.
"Christmas In Sweden" is as authentic as you can get when it comes to Swedish Christmas.
I tried to find some background on Jelving and found two sites. The first was this Swedish Wikipedia entry (anyone other than Anna-Lena Lodenius know how to speak Swedish here?) and the other was a site offering Jelving ringtones (yeah, right!). If anyone has extra info on Åke, please let us know.
Side one contains four tracks but yumpin' yiminy! These tracks just swing with Swedish folk and Christmas. Try not tapping your toes to this side. Side two is mode sedate, more solemn. "Sankta Lucia" isn't exactly a Christmas song but somehow it fits here.
THIS JUST IN: A comment from AbleApe prompted us to re-listen to track eight. We've discovered that due to an error in the restoration of this track (aka I screwed up), 1/2 of this track was deleted. I have re-recorded it and uploaded it as a separate track - thanks Able for bringing this to my attention.
Earlier today, I posted the "Christmas In Italy" album from Capitol's "Christmas In" series - the first of three "Christmas In" albums I'm posting today. This is the second post today, taken from the initial set of eight that Capitol released in 1957.
If you're thinking "Christmas In Germany" is your standard Christmas oompah album, you're wrong. It is actually a cut-above-the-rest foreign children's choir Christmas album.
Bielefelder Kinderchor, the only choir listed, has some definite help from other uncredited choruses and soloists - "White Christmas" features a bass singer that would give George Beverly Shea a run for his money!
Side two contains a Christmas medley / full opera - 14 minutes long!
The cover is amazingly striking - I only wish we could get snow to look that beautiful here in Fort Wayne. The greenhouse effect, global warming, climate change, whatever dries it all up in a matter of hours now.
It's Capitol Saturday today! This is the first of four and 1/2 albums I'm posting today from the famous (or infamous) "Christmas In" series that Capitol issued back in the day.
When I found three of these LPs in the middle of last year, I asked "Just how many of these "Christmas In" albums are out there? Which ones was I missing and when were they released?"
The Goldmine Christmas Record Price Guide had several listed but couldn't pin down the date. So I featured one track from each of the albums last year for the 2007 Yuleblog Sampler and transferred each of the albums figuring there will be something for everybody.
"Christmas In Italy" was a logistical nightmare. It took me nearly an hour to transfer the vinyl and digitally restore it, no problems. However, it took me nearly an entire day to encode the MP3s! Study the back cover carefully to see what I mean.
This album probably has the penultimate version of "White Christmas" sung in Italian - this one's has the intro and damn if it doesn't sound great!
I had to abbreviate the titles of most of the songs - for some strange reason, RapidShare has a problem playing MP3s with more than 72 characters in its title.
After completing the transfer of all three albums, I was doing some research at my local library for my appreciation of Stan Freberg's "Green Chri$tma$" (another Capitol product - coincidence?) when I came across an advertisement in the December 9th, 1957 edition of TIME magazine for Capitol Records:
(Click on image to enlarge)
The ad showcased many of their 1957 Christmas releases (Sinatra's "Jolly Christmas From", Jackie Gleason's "Merry Christmas" to name two). At the bottom was a listing of EIGHT "Christmas Around The World" albums:
Christmas In England Christmas In Germany Christmas In Spain Christmas In Sweden Christmas In Mexico Christmas In France Christmas In Holland Christmas In Italy
To double check, I Googled label numbers (Capitol T10091, 92, 93, etc) to see if I would get a hit on something and I got lucky. Another Capitol foreign release entitled "Modern Motion Picture Music of India" (Capitol T-10090) was released in 1957.
So I had the answer to my questions - eight albums total initially, all released in 1957.
From time to time this Christmas season, I'll be posting some amazing videos that have been rescued by people like us and posted at the mecca of all things wonderful and obscure - YouTube.
I invite you to add a fun comment, witticism, clever remark, or observation in the comments section provided. Any comments deemed worthy of repeating will be included into this entry where all the world will see it.
My wife asked for my Christmas list the other day. One of the items on that list was a new DVD entitled "Johnny Carson Celebrates Christmas" that compiles some of the best moments that occured during his 30 year reign on "The Tonight Show".
It features Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show band performing yuletide classics, famous celebs like Robin Williams and Tony Bennett, holiday monologues from Johnny, a special holiday visit from Bob Hope ("I wanna tell ya, I was taping across the hall..."), and dozens of holiday skits like the one posted below.
Hereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee's Johnny:
Why is there a ghostly image of Frank Sinatra and Johnny Carson on the paused screen? This was taped off Johnny's 15th anniversary show and the clip immediately after the Christmas skit is with the pair. Watch for a surprise visit from Mr. Warmth Don Rickles!
What do you think?
Stubby says: What do I think? I think that first skit should have been on the DVD. It wasn't.
I first encountered this album at a record show back in 2003 - the asking price was $75 and it featured some great artwork on its insert and covers. Some time in the last two years, I found this album at another blog along the sharity network who offered this album. When I opened the zip file, I had the music but very little artwork.
I found this on eBay earlier this year and overpaid for a copy (ouch!). But I had copy number 671 of 1000 and I'm proud to present the entire album with all artwork included.
There's some amazing raw punk and garage Christmas music in this comp - some of which is definitely NSFW. The raw power on this album is truly something no other Christmas album has - try some of this when you want to break up the holiday party at 3 AM!
In addition to collecting Christmas music, I have collected nearly 1000 vintage Christmas ads over the years. Many of these include celebrities, radio, television, cigarettes, liquor, modern appliances, and the like.
Every Friday from here until I run out, I will feature an ad from my collection.
I invite you to add a fun comment, witticism, clever remark, or observation in the comments section provided. Any comments deemed worthy of repeating will be included into this entry where all the world will see it.
A long while ago, I posted an underwear Christmas ad that got zero comments. So I wasn't sure whether or not to post ANOTHER underwear Christmas ad in my collection.
Sure, I could have chosen another ad - radio, TV, cigarettes, liquor, and appliance ads are plentiful in my collection. Not to mention celebrity , Christmas movies, and others that should pique someone's interest.
However, this underwear ad is more playful! More bright! More cheery! More festive! Everything a Christmas underwear ad should be and then some!
What oh what can it B.V.D.?
(Click on image to enlarge)
There's so much I want to say and so much I could say. But I ain't gonna do it. I await your comments...
What do you think?
Jeffco Productions says: Yeah, that one's kind of perplexing, Capt... But then again, it does come with it's own Christmas box...
Ernie says: Ah, the old ball-n-chain...
Stubby says: They look a little bit like Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore doing a number on the Alan Brady Show, don't they?
This was a from a lot of Christmas records I purchased from a Canadian dealer off eBay earlier this year.
If you were a kid growing up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in the 1960s through the early 1980s, you might have spent some time in front of the television watching Uncle Bob Swarts and his ventriloquist friends - headed by Archie Wood.
This album from the mid-1960s brings all these characters into the recording studio to record this album. Shades of Alex Houston & Elmer!
However, this is a fun, witty, and throroughly enjoyable Christmas album for kids of all ages. Uncle Bob keeps the pace quick and has fun shuffling through his characters as well as himself to sing favorite Christmas songs.
Even though it's not credited on the album, Uncle Bob even manages to squeeze in a great version of "Silver Bells".
I'm a sucker for old school country music - add Christmas to the mix and I'm off the charts.
So when I saw this at my local Salvation Army, I gave it a looksee and discovered about 1/2 of the songs on this compilation are easily accessible elsewhere.
However... the other five songs aren't available anywhere. And there's some great long lost stuff here from lesser known artists such as Hank Lochlin, John D. Loudermilk, The Browns, and Porter Wagoner!
I was considering holding this one back for possible use on the 2008 Yuleblog Sampler. However, if you want to add the missing songs to complete the LP, you'll have a cut about the rest old school Christmas country comp!
This is a picture of my friend Jeff Fox (of Jeffco Productions - We're Fun People™). I discovered his website in 2001 while looking for Weird Al Yankovic Christmas Greetings.
Jeff was the first Christmas music enthusiast who got what I did and we've been close friends ever since. He has helped me along the way by providing assistance with artwork, technical problems, pointing out Christmas music I never knew existed, and sending me an annual Christmas package loaded down with music, DVDs, and anything else he can think of.
I first reviewed one of his podcasts back in 2006 and have frequently made mention of his stellar lines of comps called "Christmas Wishes" and "Christmas Turkeys" - a classic mix of Jeff's love of Christmas music (both good and bad) and his expertise in graphic design:
In recent years, Jeff has been a participant in the sharity network with a definite advantage over the rest of us. At present, it's legal to preserve LPs much in the manner that we do in Canada - the government's copyright laws actually understand the term "fair use".
For several years now, the Canadian copyright issue has become contentious and sadly political. The climate could change at a moment's notice.
Therefore, you should probably head over to Jeff's Christmas download site to check out the amazing selection of Christmas albums he has to offer - old favorites (Sy Mann's "Switched On Santa") and rare Canadian Christmas albums (several of which I reviewed here and here and here and there and over there).
One final legal matter. I mentioned this to Jeff privately a long time ago and publicly on my 2004 Christmas comp that he helped me with. And after searching this blog for the same statement and not finding it, I wanted to get this on record:
My friendship with Jeff Fox has been one of the true highlights of my life.
If I were to die tomorrow, I will and bequeath my entire Christmas collection (albums, CDs, 78s, DVDs, vintage Christmas ads) to Jeffco Productions and hereby direct that Jeff Fox (and his heirs in perpetuity) be appointed curator of said materials.
If a hit man shows up at my door, will he hit me with a Canadian club? Oooooooo, that's terrible.
I found this album in a thrift store and the wheels began spinning. Why did the name of Vic Dana sound so familiar?
After searching my collection, I discovered that I had downloaded a Christmas Greeting from him from BearShare in 2003 - it was the last thing I downloaded using any P2P file-sharing program. Another discovery was that this album wasn't on CD anywhere.
Vic Dana was a singer/dancer discovered by Sammy Davis Jr.! He had a moderately successful career in the 1960s - three of his singles were Top 40 hits and was on the Dolton Records label for all of that time.
Dolton was a subsidiary of Liberty Records and in 1967, Liberty decided to merge Dolton into its own label. The very last record ever issued on the Dolton label was this one!
According to Wikipedia, Dana now sells used cars in Paducah, Kentucky and Google confirms this!
This was a from a lot of Christmas records I purchased from a Canadian dealer off eBay earlier this year.
Robert Maxwell was a songwriter (he wrote "Ebb Tide") and harpist innovator. This was a man who wired his harp into a light display back in the late 1950s for club appearances and was considered in the same light as Ferrante & Teicher in the way he produced sound from the harp.
Maxwell composed a number of songs and instrumental pieces, including the exotica standard, "Ebb Tide," and "Shangri-La," which gave him a Top 40 hit in 1964 after Jackie Gleason began using it on his variety show - a mere 18 years after Maxwell first composed it!
Another of Maxwell's pseudonyms is familiar to any fans of "The Ernie Kovacs Show": The Nairobi Trio. Maxwell wrote "Solfeggio: The Song of the Nairobi Trio," which played along with the recurring bit about the trio of mechanical monkey musicians.
I had been looking for a Christmas album by Maxwell and just about gave up hope when this 1958 Canada-only album came along. 40 Christmas tunes on one album? WOW!
Eight medleys (four on each side). One solo harp. It sound deadly but Maxwell's playing draws you into the web and you're hooked. It's a stimulating album.
Last year, Lee Hartsfield at Music You (Possibly) Won't Hear Anyplace Else shared out several tracks of this album. I had this album in my possession at the time but my schedule prevented me in sharing it out.
Long before Muzak, Seeburg was providing elevator and office music with their music machines that held custom discs with endless hours of music. They also were one of the first companies to add coin machines to just about anything (phonograph records, washing machines, parking meters) which led to a successful run of jukeboxes.
If you want to read more on Seeburg, check out this history of the company here. Then visit former Seeburg employee Tony Miller's extensive website all about the inner workings of everything Seeburg.
This album was a promo to owners of an older machine or prospective buyers of a new Seeburg machine. Either way, you get some great instrumental music.
If you liked this Seeburg album, you better be sure to visit our friend Ernie (Not Bert) - he posted a remarkable vintage Seeburg record along with some great Muzak albums... great Muzak = oxymoron?
I dedicate this album to Lee Hartsfeld for all the amazing music and hard work he puts in daily into his blog - cheers Lee!
From time to time this upcoming Christmas season, I'll be posting some amazing videos that have been rescued by people like us and posted at the mecca of all things wonderful and obscure - YouTube.
I invite you to add a fun comment, witticism, clever remark, or observation in the comments section provided. Any comments deemed worthy of repeating will be included into this entry where all the world will see it.
We're barely into the second week of December and believe it or not, the Post Office is giving you important deadlines. Tomorrow marks the last day to mail military and international packages around the world if you want it guaranteed to be delivered by December 25.
In that spirit (and the fact that I have to deliver two such packages - one military, one international), here is a truly astounding 30 second video from the late 1970s.
Featuring stars as Robert Klein, Rose Marie, Willie Mays, Bobby Riggs, Milton Berle, and Lynn Redgrave, they drive home the point across to (what else?) mail early:
Yes, mom and dad - your tax dollars and what you paid for postage back in the day helped pay for that!
What do you think?
Ernie says: I always see these YouTube posts when I'm at work. Problem is, we've got YouTube blocked here, so all I see is a big post with lots of white blocks that have nothing in them. *sigh*
Stubby says: Very cool (said the former postal worker). (Be sure to read Stubby's other comment below)
I found this album at Beverly Records in Chicago back in March of 2006. Upon examination, I saw some deep scratches that thought would give me fits.
When I played it on the turntable, the scratches soon gave way to craters. Several tracks needed assistance and despite all my efforts, I couldn't get clean recordings of them. I featured one of the tracks ("Santa Claus Is Coming To Town") for my 2007 Yuleblog Sampler and I thought that was that.
However, eBay came to the rescue and I picked up a replacement copy there. This one was in excellent condition and I was able to get side one recorded (at long last!).
I've come to really like this album - it's just a plain piano playing Christmas tunes and August does a fine job. Here's a Liberace album for those who didn't want to be seen purchasing Liberace albums!
Several months ago, I asked Scott Marks, my former film school professor turned San Diego film critic and keeper of one of the most diverse collections of vintage Hollywood memorabilia, for some reviews of Christmas movies to post here at the yuleblog.
Scott is fearlessly honest and doesn't pull punches when it comes to movies. He doesn't write puff pieces (like I do) and share his "one-man's opinion" (stole that term from Irv Kupcinet) for all to share. Without further ado, here is his review of the TV remake of "A Christmas Carol" from 1984. Over to you Scott...
A Christmas Carol (1984)
Directed by Clive Donner Written by Roger O. Hisron from a short story by Charles Dickens Starring: George C. Scott, David Warner, Susannah York, Roger Rees, Frank Finlay, Edward Woodward, Michael Gough, Joanne Whalley and Introducing Anthony Walters as "Tiny Tim" Photographed by Tony Imi in Tele-Vision
Rating:
You know Alis-tair and Ma-goo and Derek Ja-co-bi; Va-nessa Williams played a "Scrooge" named "E-bo-ny." But, do you recall, the an-gri-est Scrooge of them all?
George C. Scott, in the role he was born to play (20 years earlier), stars as Ebeneezer Scrooge in this Classics Illustrated tele-version of Charles Dickens' beloved Christmas staple. By this point in his career, Scott had amassed a big enough steamer trunk filled with tricks where he could stop acting and quickly slip into caricature. Eyes roll, his brow furrows, teeth gnash, the voice thunders and yes, Virginia, there is a blow up scene. In fact there are a few volcanic bursts scattered like uncut diamonds throughout this faithful adaptation.
He first erupts while calling for his beleaguered employee Bob Cratchit (David Warner). Once you've been summoned by a pissed off George C. Scott, all other commands wilt in comparison. He also has a hell of a hard time shaking off the Ghost of Christmas Past (Angela Pleasence). George C.'s mighty mitts are no match for his throbbing temples. Soon we hear that gurgling Scott growl slowly begin to roar, like a tiger starting his engine. His pained anguish can no longer be internalized and he wails, "LEAVE ME!!!" Not exactly a Hardcore "TURN IT OFF!!!," but it kept me humming.
Scott deemed television beneath him, as well he should, and with the exception of a few small screen performances (Fear on Trial, The Price), showed up on set and hit "auto pilot." During his first two ghostly visits, Scott's appearance is pretty much relegated to cutaway shots. The anger must settle and simmer for a few commercial breaks before the grand final venting where he pleads for his life, as all Scrooge's must, with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Michael Carter).
Watch as his face turns into a Fourth of July fireworks show! His agony is so authentic that my head almost exploded from laughter. There are even a few residual chuckles during and after his nice guy epiphany. One would anticipate a crap-eating grin when he tosses that street urchin some goose money on Christmas morning, but when, if ever, have you seen a full-grown Scott jump up and down on a mattress? Turn it on!
IMDB's trivia patrol reports that this is, perhaps, the only version of A Christmas Carol in which Scrooge wears dress-slacks, a dress-shirt and vest instead of the character's customary nightgown, slippers and cap. Legend has it that Scott made a wardrobe call after going ballistic at the very thought of freezing his unmentionables while filming the cold winter exteriors in England.
Aside from Scott's pyrotechnics, this version has a few other things to carol about, most notably a fine supporting cast. What Edward Woodward's Ghost of Christmas Present lacks in girth is more than compensated for by height. At 5' 9" he towers over Scrooge. Woodward is one of the few actors capable of convincingly staring Scott down and one actually feels the menace as he issues Scrooge his cautionary warning. Frank Finlay is perfectly cast as Jacob Marley and David Warner is as kind and compassionate a Bob Cratchit as any committed to film.
CBS obviously pumped some money into the production. They hired Clive Donner (The Caretaker, What's New Pussycat?, Luv) who had already directed Scott in a small screen adaptation of Dickens' Oliver Twist. The cracks in the production design are handsomely plastered by Tony Imi's dark cinematography, but overall the project lacks atmosphere. The filmmaker's idea of ambiance is a smoke machine, a fan and some cobwebs left over from The Munsters.
Then there's cherubic Anthony Walters. In this case, Tim's nickname "Tiny" refers to both his stature and acting ability. Walters can frequently be caught looking off camera for direction. If one more sickening cry of "God bless us all, everyone" came out of this tyke, I'd have beat him to death with the crutch he rode in on. Come to think of it, the over-applied black rings around the kid's eyes make him look as though he already went a few rounds with Mike Tyson. Could this Tim be television's first post modern goth child? Were it not for Scott's impending tirade, I'd suggest you hit stop right after Tiny buys it in the fantasy scene and draw your own cynical conclusions.
- Scott Marks
CAPT'S NOTE: When I worked for Suncoast Motion Picture Company over a decade ago, we were bombarded every Christmas by people asking us when this movie was to be released on home video. Before Christmas, 1995, my store manager attended corporate meetings and relayed this story to me:
The head of Fox Home Video approached the head of Suncoast and wanted to thank him for a great year and "is there anything we can do for you guys?". The Suncoast bigwig asked about the release of this version of "A Christmas Carol".
After several phone calls and wranglings, it was determined that Scott needed to sign off on the release of the video. An overseas phone call was placed to George's home in London - he took the call and was okay with the release - as long as he didn't have to come back to America and sign the papers needed, having just unpacked.
With time running out to get the video released for Christmas, the Fox Home Video guy flew to England (14 hour flight one way) to get the signature needed. Ever hear of a fax machine, George?
I found this album at Musicstack listed for $85 - a dealer was offering the LP and a CD transfer. The cover artwork grabbed my attention but eighty-five bucks? Luckily, this copy from eBay didn't cost as much.
Mary Mayo first got started as a radio singer in North Carolina just after the end of World War II. Gifted with a four-octave range, she was spotted by Tex Beneke, who was leading the post-war version of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. While singing with Beneke, she married Al Ham, an arranger and bass player in the band.
With the birth of their daughter Lois-Marie (the little girl on the cover), the couple settled in New York. Ham joined Columbia Records and became a producer while Mayo recorded dozens of albums as a faceless singer on "original cast" albums of numerous Broadway musicals.
She released a couple of singles for Columbia in the 1950s, but none even came close to the charts. LeRoy Holmes was the house arranger and conductor for MGM Records in the 1950s and decided to give Mayo her big break with this album in 1956.
With twelve original songs written by Fay Tishman (words) and Marjorie Goetschius (music), Mayo does a fine job singing these reverent haunting melodies on this album. LeRoy Holmes does another typical brilliant job with the orchestra.
I've listened to this several times now and it gets better with repeated listens:
Mayo kept busy within the recording industry - appearing on Dick Hyman's legendary 1963 "Moon Gas" album where she sang on every single track with wordless vocals. She also made a huge splash at the end of the 1960s when she appeared at Duke Ellington's legendary 1969 jazz concert at the White House for President Nixon.
In 1971, ad agency McCann Erickson wanted The New Seekers to record a new song for their client but the group was booked elsewhere. So they called Ham who assembled a group of singers (including Mayo and daughter Lori) and called themselves The Hillside Singers. The song they recorded was Coca-Cola's "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" and it was an immediate smash.
Mayo had several follow up albums with the Hillside Singers and continued to work in the music industry right until her death in 1985.
This was a from a lot of Christmas records I purchased from a Canadian dealer off eBay earlier this year.
Someone offered this a year or two ago but there was incomplete artwork (good front, no back cover). When I listened, I thought something about this sounded familiar.
Vera Lynn was a popular British singer who toured British army camps and the front lines throughout World War II. She was a favorite of all the doughboys who nicknamed her "the Forces' Sweetheart" while yank reporters dubbed her "the female Bob Hope".
Her post WWII career was very popular with the returning vets and their families. She had dozens of hits and albums throughout the late 1940s and 1950s for Decca Records. However, her popularity began to wane a bit and her recording career wasn't doing too well when she got an unassisted boom.
Stanley Kubrick had filmed "Dr. Strangelove" and originallly ended the film with a pie-throwing scene that simulated an assassination of President Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers). After the events in Dallas on 11/22/63, Kubrick cut the scene and added the montage of atomic explosions sung to the tune of Vera Lynn's trademark song "We'll Meet Again".
Her popularity began to rise again and she appeared on albums, radio, and television shows throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Lynn was appointed an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 1969 and a DBE (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1975.
When my copy of this 1976 album arrived, I knew it sounded familiar and WOW! The Mike Sammes Singers accompanies Vera on four of the twelve tracks! "Sleigh Ride", "Let's Have A Merry, Merry Christmas", "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and "The Little Drummer Boy" all have that special Sammes sound!
And Vera does her standard fine job with the rest!
Lynn kept performing concerts and on television show well into the 1980s. She became the heads of several charities and always made time for the doughboys she sung to all those years earlier at any of their reunions or benefits.
In 1995, a ceremony marking the golden jubilee of VE Day was held at Buckingham Palace. Lynn, then 78, came out of semi-retirement for a surprise appearance. To quote Vera:
"These boys gave their lives and some came home badly injured and for some families, life would never be the same. We should always remember, we should never forget and we should teach the children to remember."
She then sang "We'll Meet Again" for the final time - it was her last known public performance.
This was one of the last albums I purchased this year to share and it has a special place in my heart.
During this past year, I worked overtime to get nearly 150 downloaded Christmas albums and nearly 2000 Christmas MP3s - some dating back as 2006 - off my hard drive.
Most of the time I was working on the computer doing this, I would listen to a collection of old-time radio Christmas programs on my Windows Media Player (Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Fibber McGee, WWII shows, Jean Shepherd).
The one show I kept coming back to over and over was the lone Christmas episode of the Goon Show in my collection. Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, and Harry Secombe ad nauseum was such a delight that it made all the work on the computer more bearable.
Secombe had one of the most remarkable voices for a British comedian. After the Goons ended, Secombe went on to star in several musicals in London and appearing on television and in movies - his best known role was as Mr. Bumble in the 1969 musical "Oliver!" Moooooore??
When I found this 1966 album at Discovery Records' website, I knew my course was clear. It blows me away every time I hear it. Hope it does the same for you.
In later years, Harry was a special programming consultant and television director for Harlech Television and a presenter of religious programmes on British television. He was made a knight of the British Empire in 1981 and jokingly referred to himself as Sir Cumference.
I'll end this entry with a clip from 1989 that features Secombe and young Andrew Kennedy singing "Silent Night":
Two weeks down in the 2008 downloading season - two more to go. We're holding up pretty well on our end as we prepare for the second half. How are you holding up?
Any burned out modems yet? Hyperextended clicking fingers? Unexpected deletion of files? Download something and you have no clue where it came from?
This is why we've provided for you another updated checklist. Hope this helps.
From time to time this upcoming Christmas season, I'll be posting some amazing videos that have been rescued by people like us and posted at the mecca of all things wonderful and obscure - YouTube.
I invite you to add a fun comment, witticism, clever remark, or observation in the comments section provided. Any comments deemed worthy of repeating will be included into this entry where all the world will see it.
Today ends the first weekend of December. Many of you are probably getting the house decorated - hanging lights outside, placing the stocking by the chimney with care, and clearing a spot in your home where the Christmas tree will stand.
For some of you, this means you're gonna drive down to Lowe's or The Home Depot to select one of their finest fresh-cut Christmas trees. Others will have to drag the box up from the basement to erect the fake plastic Christmas tree.
To those who regularly buy fresh-cut every year and snicker at those who go artificial, just watch this YouTube video and see who gets the last laugh:
To honor Marc Bird's memory, I'm posting various Christmas VA hospital records ranging from 1953 to 1976.
This is the 1976 VA album. The Vietnam War had ended the previous year when the evacuation of Saigon began with the playing of Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" on the remaining American radio station in Vietnam.
The VA had its hands full when this album was released to vets recuperating from Agent Orange, post-tramatic stress disorder, and depression. So their decision to really class up this album for Christmas and the Bicentennial gets my vote for the best produced album of this series.
The Hollywood Pops Orchestra leads off with a mix of patriotic and Christmas songs. They have three other songs later in the album.
Big name stars? You bet! Peggy Lee, Wayne Newton, Buck Owens, Charley Pride, John Davidson, and Glen Campbell all contribute to the fun.
One month prior to this album's release, President Gerald Ford was defeated by Jimmy Carter in the presidential election and was clearing out his desk. Ford was a Navy veteran and always made time for the vets. His appearance on the album is classy and dignified.
This leads us to side two. On the 1971 VA Christmas album, five Christmas songs by five artists were featured and since these were available elsewhere, I made the decision not to share them.
On this side two, we again get Christmas songs that you can find elsewhere but NOT in this format.
For example, track four is Dean Martin's version of "White Christmas". The VA thought it would be best to add even MORE stars greetings to the festivities and dubs in Ricardo Montalban smack dab in the MIDDLE of the song! Other celebs bridge two songs into one medley (all versions you can't find anywhere else).
Track 1 - Ethel Smith - Parade of the Wooden Soldiers
Track 2 - Allen & The Lads - Legend Of Old St. Nick
Track 3 - The Willis Sisters - Blue Christmas
Track 4 - C.W. McCall - Sing Silent Night
Track 5 - Joe Green - Adeste Fideles (Oh, Come All Ye Faithful)
Track 6 - The Walter Murphy Orchestra - Disco Bells
Track 7 - Dolly Nunn - Nuttin' For Christmas
Track 8 - Connie Canuso - Santa Claus And His Sleigh
Track 9 - Bob & Dolores Hope - Silver Bells
Track 10 - The Country Squirrels - How I Love Those Christmas Songs
Track 11 - Ray Stevens - Happy Blue Year
Track 12 - Terry Buter - C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S
Track 13 - The Frank DaVino Chorus - Lonely Old Shepherd
Track 14 - Justin Wilson - Whitey The Snow White Lamb
Track 15 - Sammy Poole - Snowball
Track 16 - Ken Griffin - The Skaters Waltz
Track 17 - Jim Backus - The Office Party
Track 18 - Jack Daniels - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
Track 19 - Ambrose Haley & His Ozark Ramblers
Track 20 - Eric Jay - Little Drummer Boy
Track 21 - Allen & The Lads (feat. Larry Crippen) - Homemade Christmas Card
Track 22 - Ray Stevens - White Christmas
Track 23 - Homer & Jethro - Santy's Movin' On
Track 24 - Eileen Scott - The Night Before Christmas Song
Track 25 - Ed Penney - What Is Christmas?
Two "Super Secret Bonus Tracks"
