Chanukah From 2009-Better Late Than Never

I'm finding that I was quite the slacker last year.  Not only did I never share out the 32nd day of Christmas In July, I also skimped on my Chanukah shares for the month.  I found these three tracks a couple of weeks ago, and I figure it's high time I get them out there for you to enjoy.  First up is Kathy Lecinski with Chanukah Oh Chanukah from her album Look At The Holidays (A Good Apple Record PB 1586, Stereo, 1982).  Next up is The Lockhart Cougar Chorus with Chanukah Holiday from their record Lockhart Cougar Chorus 82-83 (Private Pressing, Marion C. Cabrera, Principal; Krystyn Arnold, Director, Stereo, 1983).  Last and best is The Weavers doing Mi Y'Malel from The Weavers On Tour (Vanguard VRS-9013, Mono, 1957).  Sorry it's taken me so long to get these up.  Here's the download link, I hope you enjoy them.

Chanukah On Labor Day-Part 1

As I'm searching for Christmas music from non-Christmas albums to share out during my Christmas in July celebration, I occasionally come across Chanukah songs as well, although they are few and far between.  And I usually share them out on the first day of August, as soon as my July celebration ends.  But Christmas in July ran all the way into September this year, so this time around you get Chanukah on Labor Day.  Simple, eh?  So what do you get?  Four tracks from the album Hanukkah And Other Hebrew Songs (Tylent TT-1013, Stereo, 1972) by The Gerald Dargis Chorale And Orchestra.  Those four tracks are: Hanukkah Song, A Song Of Hanukkah, and two medleys, Haukkah Holiday: 1. Hanukkah 2. Light The Menorah and Two Songs For Hanukkah: 1. Candlelight 2. Spin My Top.  On top of all that, you get to hear The Weavers performing Sholom Chaverim from their album The Weavers At Carnegie Hall (Vanguard VRS-9010, Mono, 1957).  I think that one alone is worth the price of admission, which is free.  Hope you enjoy these songs, here's the download link!

Christmas In July 2009-The Missing Thirty-Second Day

I just noticed that I never posted my 32nd day last year.  And I thought I lost it in the big computer crash of '09, but there is was in a folder of old shares!  So here, with only a year and a month's delay is Christmas In July 2009-Day 32!  Just so you don't have to read my blatherings, here's the download link at the beginning.  Now, if I can figure out what's in the file, and why I waited until the end of the month to share it...  Let's see, 16 files in there, so you get more than this year.  I see three tracks from Brass Of The Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, Conducted By Alfred Newman from the album Hallelujah! (Capitol SP8529, Stereo, 1960).  I think these are stereo versions to replace mono ones I'd shared previously.  The three tracks are Hallelujah from The Messiah, We Three Kings Of Orient Are and Deck The Hall.  Next are a couple of tracks by Ruby Murray With The Norrie Paramor Orchestra, Christmastime In Ireland and Christmas In Killarney, from Irish-And Proud Of It (Parlophone (EMI) P-33SX 1402, Mono, 1962).  Not sure why I recorded these, since I think I have them in stereo someplace...  Sixth is another version of My Favorite Things from the album My Favorite Things (Decca DL 78975, Stereo) by The Stratford Strings.  Again, no idea why I recorded this and didn't share it (or did I?).  Seventh and eighth are March Of The Toys by Billy May And His Big Band first from Hey It's May (Pickwick SPC-3010, Fake Stereo) and again from Pow! (Capitol Star Line T1377, Mono).  I remember looking for a stereo copy of this, and finding out it was fake stereo, and then finding the non-budget label record it had been released earlier on.  Now this one I do remember, it's a stereo copy of the great David Rose track The Christmas Tree from David Rose Plays David Rose (MGM SE3748, Stereo, 1959).  This is a good one!  Number ten is a cleaner copy of Baby, It's Cold Outside by Meri Ellen And Her Cohorts Featuring Don Elliot from The Hi-Fi Antics Of Meri Ellen And Her Cohorts (Design DLP 63, Mono, 1958).  I always liked this track.  Two tracks from The Chad Mitchell Trio in what I think may have been slightly improved sound from my old share, The Marvelous Toy and Twelve Days from Singing Our Minds (Mercury SR 60838, Stereo, 1963).  Lucky thirteen is a slightly cleaner rip of Ave Maria from 29 Strings And Then Some (RCA Victor LPM-1457, Mono, 1957) by Mario Ruiz Armengol And His Orchestra.  14 and 15 are Snowfall and Winter Wonderland, both by Dennis Farnon And His Orchestra from The Enchanted Woods (RCA Victor LSP-1897, Stereo, 1959).  This was either me finding a stereo copy, or forgetting that I'd already recorded and shared it in stereo.  Only some basic research will solve that mystery, and I'm awfully lazy!  Last up is what I think was supposed to be a cleaner copy of The Three Suns' Busy Holiday from either For Listening And Dancing or Twilight Time & Body And Soul (Pickwick PTP 2012, Mono), a Pickwick double album release that combines two earlier budget releases.  The records themselves still had the names of the single-disc releases, but they were stuck in the double LP sleeves.  Budget albums are a world unto themselves sometimes.  And there you go, 16 tracks that have waited more than a year to be released, hope it was worth the wait. (In case you're looking down here at the end for it, I included the download link at the top of this post just to confuse you!)

Christmas In July (In September)-The Thirty-Second Day

Just in case you thought it was over, I'm back with more Christmas goodies for you.  As I often try to do, I like to share a little bit more with you on the thirty-second day, and it's mostly versions of things that I've already shared with you, but that may sound a little better, or may be in stereo instead of an earlier mono version I shared out, or even stuff that I just didn't want to share the rest of the month.  So today I've got 15 tracks for you, which should bring my total shared for the month to just over 200.  Hope you got the whole set.  Let's begin with a unique track that I just couldn't see much reason to share during the regular month.  It's Harry Nilsson singing Remember Christmas from the LP Son Of Dracula (Rapple ABL 1-0220, Stereo, 1974).  There's nothing in this song about Christmas that I can hear, and even the label only refers to it as Remember Christmas in one spot.  Elsewhere, it's called Remember.  So this may be a track you decide not to keep.  Track two is a much better sounding version of Bing Crosby singing The Secret Of Christmas, which I first shared here.  This is from the soundtrack to the movie Say One For Me (Columbia CL 1337, Mono, 1959).  I actually recorded a couple of other songs from this soundtrack that may show up some time in the future.  Turns out this LP is available in stereo, but it's really hard to find.  If you like, you can download it from iTunes, but I think that's cheating.  Next up is a version of Sleigh Ride from an LP called Leroy Anderson Favorites (Treasure Productions TLP807, Mono).  Turned out that it's the same as a version of Sleigh Ride I had shared from another budget release, but I can't find which one right at the moment.  That's what happens when you share out too many versions of the same song.  It's not any better this time around.  Next up are two stereo tracks by The Gene Lowell Chorus from Halls Of Ivy (Warner Bros WS 1244, Stereo, 1959) which I had previously given you in mono.  They are Auld Lang Syne and Winter Song, both worthy additions to their full-length Christmas album.  Another two tracks making their stereo re-debut are Auld Lang Syne and Snowfall, this time by the All-Star Orchestra Conducted By Bobby Byrne from The Great Themes Of America's Greatest Bands (Grand Award GA 225 SD, Stereo, 1959).  Good stuff.  Now how about a stereo copy of Blue Holiday by Andre Previn And David Rose?  This time around it's from Like Blue (MGM SE 2811, Stereo, 1960), while the mono version I shared was from a re-issue called The Previn Scene.  Odd...  Next up are a couple of Christmas tracks by Fred Waring And The Pennsylvanians from a best-of LP that was available only at their concerts, A Very Special Hour With Fred Waring And The Pennsylvanians (MCA Special Markets 2xLP DXS-511, Fake Stereo).  I thought these might be different versions than the ones on the Waring Christmas LPs, but they're just the same old The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) (Gordon Goodman is credited as soloist on this one) and Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (this one co-credits The Teen Trio & Poley McClintock).  A really good track that I just didn't think I could get away with sharing during the month is a version of Holiday For Strings by Hal Mooney And His Orchestra from the LP I pulled two other tracks from, Woodwinds & Percussion (Mercury PPS 6013, Stereo, 1961).  Even though I shared a couple of version of this David Rose classic last year, I know it's not really a Christmas song.  But this is a great version!  How about a clean stereo version of the great Latin Snowfall by Henry Mancini And His Orchestra from the soundtrack to Charade (RCA Victor LSP-2755, Stereo, 1963)?  Don't know why it took me so long to find this in stereo, but it sure was worth the wait, I love this track!  Some times I don't pay attention to what I'm recording until it's too late.  So you get a copy of My Favorite Things as performed by The Trapp Family Singers And Chorus that's exactly the same as the one I shared before.  Actually, I think the reason I couldn't tell at first that I'd already recorded it was because I didn't enter the LP title and catalog info into that old post, so let me be sure to put it in here.  This is from The Sound Of Music (Warner Bros WS 1377, Stereo, 1960).  Another old fave that I found a stereo version of this year is The Ski Song (Slalom) by David Carroll And His Orchestra from the LP Contrasts (Mercury Wing SRW 12508, Stereo, 1959).  Another stereo newbie here is a medley called Skye Boat Song-Bonnie Dundee-Hundred Pipers-Auld Lang Syne by The Dagenham Girl Pipers from The World Famous Dagenham Girl Pipers (Capitol ST 10125, Stereo, 1958).  Pretty impressive, if you like bagpipes.  I was starting to think this list would never end, but that's the end of it.  Now I have to go back and add boldface and italic, then put in some hyperlinks to the original shares and any extraneous stuff that I mentioned, oh, and add the download link, almost forgot that.

Christmas In July (In September)-The Thirty-First Day

Well, here we are, the last day of the 'month'.  I thought it would never get here.  As is my tradition, I like to share New Years songs with you on the last day of the month, so that's what you get tonight.  I'm sure you'll enjoy them all just as much as all the Christmas stuff I've already doled out.  Well, maybe not this first track.  It's a radio commercial by Henry Morgan called New Year's Resolution from the LP The Best Of Henry Morgan 1946-47 (Command Performance Records LP-2, Mono).  I had hoped it would be a little funny skit, but it's just a slightly humorous ad for some brand of razor.  Oh, well, live and learn.  Next up, and infinitely more interesting is Let Us All Sing Auld Lang Syne by Fred Waring And His Pennsylvanians from Alma Mater Memories (Capitol ST1949, Stereo, 1963).  Nice little song here.  And lastly, I've got four different versions of Auld Lang Syne, which pales in comparison to the sixteen (!) versions I gave you back in 2008, but it's still not too shabby.  Version one is by The Ferko String Band Under The Direction Of Capt. Joseph A. Ferko from the LP The Ferko String Band Volume No. 3 (Regent MG 6085, Mono).  Version two is performed on a Swiss Coffin Music Box, from an album I've shared from earlier this year, The Story Of The Music Box (Book Records 10" Collector's Series #1011, Mono, 1952).  Version three is a short one from Irving Fields And His Trio and their album Year Round Party Fun (Oceanic OCP 511, Mono).  I think we've heard from Irving Fields already this year (and last!).  Version four is by the great Pete King Orchestra And Chorale, the album is Songs To Celebrate (Kapp KS-3284, Stereo, 1962).  This is a great companion to their Christmas LP.  And there you have it, six tracks to help you ring in the new year.  Here's the download link, don't party too hard at midnight tonight.

The Missing Shares

Hmmm, yesterday I had 629 shares hosted at RapidShare, and today, after uploading Christmas In July 2010-Day 30, I see that I only have 391 shares hosted.  If those are really all gone, I'm going to be pretty ticked off.  I'm hoping it's just a transient thing, perhaps a server down or something.  Heaven knows how I'll figure out what's there and what's gone...  If anybody notices something that's missing, gimme a buzz.

Christmas In July (In September)-The Thirtieth Day

Well, here we go, the first day of Christmas In July In September.  If I'd known it was going to drag out this far, I might have just canceled it for the season.  But here we are, well over a month past our Best-By date, and I can finally see the end.  So here goes...  Let's begin with a version of the Hallelujah Chorus as performed by The Baptist Bible College Choir-S.K. Grundy, Director.  This comes from their LP The Little Brown Church In The Dale (Diadem DLP 145, Mono, 1962).  Nothing too exciting here, let's move on to another bible college, this time in Detroit, The Detroit Bible College Choir, Leon Anderson-Director.  This time the song is Christmas Cantata (III Movement), and I don't know if it's much better.  The LP is Gloria In Excelsis Deo Chorale (Custom Pressed By Recorded Publications Company AZB-55371/55372 (Recorded From Client's Furnished Tape), Stereo, 1961).  At least we get another interesting quote from the label, this time the pressing company distancing themselves from the recording.  You gotta have faith in your product!  Next up is Sun Valley Jump by Glenn Miller And His Orchestra.  I know, I'm stretching the Christmas connection here to the breaking point, but I always associate this song with It Happened In Sun Valley, and that's a nice winter song, so why not this one, too?  I pulled this from Glenn Miller's Original Film Soundtracks Volume 2 (20th Fox FOX 3021, Mono, 1959).  We get into a little bit more of a true Christmas mood next with Mary Had A Baby by that group I first brought to you yesterday, Obernkirchen Children's Choir-James Benner, Piano-Edith Moller, Conductor, and their album Obernkirchen Children's Choir In Japan AKA Holiday In Japan (Westminster Gold (ABC) WGS 8238, Stereo, 1973).  And then we go back into the organ music you all love so dearly with Tom Hazleton performing something called Our Winter World Of Love.  This is from the LP What The World Needs Now Is...-Tom Hazleton At The Unit Orchestra (Concert Recordings CR-0117, Stereo, 1972), a record where all the tracks feature the word Love in their title.  How quaint.  And that's your five tracks for tonight.  But since you've been a good audience, and not complained that I've taken too long to get these shares posted, here's a bonus track.  It's Lawrence Welk And His Champagne Music performing a medley called Viennese Waltz Time: Blue Danube, Skater's Waltz, Estudiantina.  This is from his LP Mr. Music Maker (Dot DLP 25164, Stereo, 1959).  That's it for tonight, check back tomorrow for the end of Christmas In July In September!  Oh, almost forgot, here's the download link.