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

Hooray!  Welcome to the end of Christmas in July in August!  Not that I'm done with my original Christmas in July, it's just that tomorrow is September, and that means we aren't in August anymore.  But however you look at it, we're getting pretty close to the end.  And tonight is a little special in that you get six tracks instead of the normal five.  Why is that, you ask?  Because I'm bringing you both part one and part two of Dickie Goodman's Santa And The Satellite!  I remember this being a lot more exciting when I was a kid, but times change.  I pulled this from the LP Mr. Jaws And Other Fables By Dickie Goodman (Cash/Private Stock CR 6000, Stereo, 1975).  Track three is Babes In Toyland: In The Toymakers Workshop; Never Mind Bo-Peep; Go To Sleep, Slumber Deep; Toyland; I Can't Do That Sum, a nice medley from the Victor Herbert show, performed here by Nathaniel Shillkret And His Orchestra With Soloists from the LP The Music Of Victor Herbert AKA Listen To The Music Of Victor Herbert (RCA Camden CAL 228, Mono).  I've got two different copies of this record, with slightly different covers and titles.  The main cover illustration is by Jim Flora, by the way, so you don't see too many of these floating around.  Track four is a different version of Ave Maria than the ones I usually find, this one written by Arcadelt and performed by the Obernkirchen Children's Choir-James Benner, Piano-Edith Moller, Conductor.  I found this on the LP Obernkirchen Children's Choir In Japan AKA Holiday In Japan (Westminster Gold (ABC) WGS 8238, Stereo, 1973).  More from this one tomorrow.  Track five is Christmas Morn, Hymn 23 from the album His Arm Encircles Me-Hymns And Solo Settings For Poems By Mary Baker Eddy Recorded In The Mother Church (This Recording Is Produced By The Trustees Under The Will Of Mary Baker G. Eddy, Manufactured By Columbia Record Productions XCSV 140999/141000, Stereo).  The artists are John Robert Dunlap, Accompanied By Ralph Jerles On The Mother Church Organ.  I'm afraid I can't understand half of what he's singing here...  Last track is a peppy string-laced version of Greensleeves by Enoch Light And His Vibrant Strings.  Never seen any other albums credited to that particular ensemble, but that's the credit on this LP, Something To Remember You By (Grand Award GA 242 SD, Stereo, 1959).  I've tried to stay away from too many versions of Greensleeves (AKA What Child Is This) this year, but I thought this one was worth mentioning.  And that's it for tonight.  Here's the download link.  Come on back tomorrow for the first day of Christmas In July In September!

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

Twenty Eight down, just a few more to go.  Five good ones for you today.  Well, a couple of good ones and some filler.  It's late, what did you expect?  Let's start with Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring by none other than The Trapp Family Singers With Father Franz Wasner, Conductor.  The album is Sing Along With The Trapp Family (Baronet B-101, Mono), but I don't know much about it.  I've seen Trapp family recordings on RCA Victor, Decca and Warner Bros, but Baronet is new to me.  Track two is a cover of Latin-American Christmas Lullaby, one of the originals off the great Ralph Hunter Christmas album that I've been bringing to you for a couple of years now.  This version is by Columbiana County Choir-Ferris Ohl, Guest Conductor from the LP Sounds Of Music-Eighth Annual Columbiana County Music Festival (Century Custom Recording Service V14354, Mono, 1962).  Good to see that someone was paying attention to Ralph Hunter back then.  Next up is Ding Dong Merrily On High, another track from The Choir Of Malvern College Chapel With The Choir Of Hillstone School, Organist-Nigel Hancock and their album Music From Malvern College Chapel (Wealden Studios (UK) WS 175, Stereo, 1978).  I believe this is the last track from that one that I'm sharing.  Fourth is a version of Jingle Bells as it might have been played on a theater organ back during the silent film era.  This is from the LP Music For Silents (Malar MAS-2027, Stereo, 1977) and is performed by Gaylord Carter who apparently used to accompany those silent films.  The final track for tonight is My Favorite Things by Dimitri's Hollywood Orchestra & Chorus from their low-budget album Rodgers & Hammerstein's The Sound Of Music (Clarion 602, Stereo).  The less said about this one, the better.  And that's it for tonight.  Here's the download link, see you back here tomorrow.

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

Number 27, here we go!  Track one tonight is In The Vinter, perhaps best described as an ethnic comedy performed by Oscar Brand with Dave Sear from the LP Absolute Nonsense (Riverside RLP 12-825, Mono, 1958).  Short but sweet.  The second song is the ubiquitous Skaters Waltz, this time performed by the Continental Orchestra from Waltz Time (RCA Camden CAL-149, Mono, 1957).  My ear tells me that this was recorded much earlier than 1957, but that's when it got put onto this record.  Track Three is a version of Away In A Manger by The Choir Of Malvern College Chapel With The Choir Of Hillstone School, Organist-Nigel Hancock from their album Music From Malvern Chapel (Wealden Studios (UK) Ws 175. Stereo, 1978).  I think this is the third share from this LP, and I'm not done yet.  Track four is a long Christmas Carol Sing-A-Long by Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra-Julius Rudel, Musical Director, from the album Christmas In Concert And More... (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra/Buffalo Savings Bank (No Catalog Number), Stereo, 1979).  You've heard from this LP before, but this is the last time it shows up this year.  Last is a little something called The Great Snowman.  Unfortunately, it's not the kind of snowman that you might find at Christmas time, but I decided to throw it in anyway.  This is by The Geezinslaw Brothers and their LP The Geezinslaw Brothers And Chubby (Capitol ST 2885, Stereo, 1968).  That's it for tonight.  I think this makes 7 posts in a row, or at least something pretty close, or not at all.  I'm really trying to get this thing closed out.  Here's the download link, see you next time!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Christmas In July (In August)-The Twentieth Day

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

Christmas In July (In August)-The Nineteenth Day

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

Christmas In July (In August)-The Eighteenth Day

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

Christmas In July (In August)-The Seventeenth Day

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

Christmas In July (In August)-The Sixteenth Day

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

Christmas In July (In August)-The Fifteenth Day

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

Christmas In July (In August)-The Fourteenth Day

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