Back To Mono

Most of the time here at the blog, I try hard to bring you the stereo version of an album, if it exists, only sharing a mono copy if that's all I can find.  And if I later find a stereo version, I'll upgrade the share.  In this case, I'm going to make an exception.  Why?  Just look at that cover!  That's one of the greatest Santa's ever on an album cover.  Why they changed it for the later stereo release on vinyl, I'll never know.  You don't have to download the mono sound if you don't want to, but I'm going to throw it up here anyway.  You can download the stereo version down at the bottom of this post, but you'll be missing out on this great horn-playing Santa Claus, and you wouldn't want that, now would you?  This is The Deutschmeister Band, Conducted By Julius Herrmann-Christmas Carols (Westminster WP 6024, Mono, 1953).

1. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
2. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
3. Good Christian Men Rejoice (In Dulci Jubilo)
4. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
5. Good King Wenceslas
6. O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)
7. From O'er The Hills Of Fair Judea
8. The First Noel
9. Joy To The World
10. Away In A Manger
11. We Three Kings Of Orient Are
12. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
13. O Tannenbaum
14. Silent Night, Holy Night
15. Deck The Halls
16. Wassail, Wassail

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I originally shared out this stereo version with you back in 2008, and it's very good.  But the cover could be better (see above).  So for listening, I suggest you download The Deutschmeister Band, Conducted By Julius Herrmann-Christmas Carols (Westminster WST 15048, Stereo). No clue when they put out the stereo on vinyl.  I suspect it was available on tape before it was on wax, but I don't know the details.  Note that some of the titles have been changed a wee bit, too.  Odd.

1. In Dulci Jubilo
2. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
3. Good King Wenceslas
4. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
5. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
6. O Come All Ye Faithful
7. From O'er The Hills Of Fair Judea
8. Silent Night
9. Deck The Halls
10. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
11. Wassail, Wassail
12. O Tannenbaum
13. Joy To The World
14. Away In A Manger
15. We Three Kings Of Orient Are
16. The First Noel

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A Holiday Toast

Here's another record from an artist that I first discovered during Christmas in July.  You never know when the knowledge you gain somewhere odd is going to prove useful, so go study those July posts!  In this case, it's a small brass band sponsored by a major liquor distiller located in a dry county.  Odd, I know, but stranger things have happened.  I think many of you will really enjoy this one, if any of you are still around.  After missing a few days, and Christmas being only two days away, I doubt if I'll get many downloads, but I have to try.  This is Mr. Jack Daniel's Original Silver Cornet Band-Homegrown Christmas (Spring Branch Productions SB-3, Stereo, 1978).

1. God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen
2. Silent Night
3. O Come, All Ye Faithful
4. Good Christian Men, Rejoice
5. Angels We Have Heard On High
6. Joy To The World
7. The First Nowell
8. O Holy Night
9. What Child Is This?
10. Carol Of The Bells
11. O Tannenbaum
12. Good King Wenceslas
13. Coventry Carol
14. Deck The Halls
15. The Holly And The Ivy
16. Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming

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For Children

It's rare that I pay much attention to records that aren't in their sleeves, or in this case, a record in a generic sleeve.  But it's entirely possible that this generic sleeve is all this poor budget-label record ever had.  Since I recorded this, and did a little research on it, I've decided this was most likely originally a set of 78s on the Musicraft label.  And better yet, it was shared out over at Kiddie Records Weekly.  That gives me a nice chance to point you over in Ford's direction so you can download the wonderful assortment of Christmas goodies he's got for you.  Better hurry, though, 'cause Santa Claus turns back into a pumpkin on Boxing Day!  If you'd like to hear my recording of this abridged Nutcracker, please be my guest.  This is Milton Cross-Nutcracker Suite For Children (Royale 18140, 10" 33 RPM, Mono).

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A Gift

Ah, it's good to be up and out of the bed finally.  That's certainly not the sickest I've ever been, not by a long shot, but it sure picked a bad time.  I've got so much to do here in these last few days before Christmas, and I'm not even counting all the things I'd hoped to do here at the blog.  But I'll try to get a few choice goodies up for you, since you've been so nice to me while I was ill.  This share is a record that Buster over at Big Ten Inch Record gave to me.  I couldn't believe he was being so generous with such a great record, but it turns out that he had two.  Also, it turns out to not be as great as I'd hoped.  Though there's a long list of stars on the front cover, they all sing as one big chorus with only two tracks featuring soloists. But since one of those tracks features Bob & Dolores Hope dueting on Silver Bells, I'm not gonna complain too much about the rest of the record.  So fire up your download finger and help yourself to The Voices Of Christmas With Les Brown And His Band Of Renown-Hark, The Stars Of Hollywood Sing (Coral CRL 757307, Stereo).  Thanks, Buster!

1. Jingle Bells
2. The First Noel
3. O Come All Ye Faithful
4. Coventry Carol
5. Deck The Halls
6. Winter Wonderland
7. The Twelve Days Of Christmas
8. Silver Bells-Featuring Dolores & Bob Hope
9. The Carol Of The Bells
10. It's Christmas Time Again
11. Gloria In Excelsis
12. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
13. I Wonder As I Wander
14. Good King Wenceslas
15. O Holy Night
16. The Stranger with Silent Night- Featuring Reginald Owen

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Coming Soon

I'll be back right after dinner.  Feeling much better.  Thank you for all your well-wishes.  I felt a little like Ferris Bueller when I saw this.  :)

*Sneeze*

No new Christmas records posted today, I'm afraid.  I've been under the weather all weekend.  I think I'll live, but I don't have the ability to concentrate and make a new post or two.  If I did, it would come out horrible, I just know it.  So I'll try this again tomorrow.  Christmas is almost here, and I have so much to do...

Ring Those Bells 2

If you liked that last album with the hand bells, you'll like this one to, because it's more of the same.  What makes this one more interesting is that it's one of the very first albums to come out on Audio Fidelity, one of the great labels of the fifties and sixties.  This one predates the invention of the stereo record, so it's mono, and that may help explain why it's so hard to find today.  There wasn't much call for monophonic music on an audiophile oriented label like Audio Fidelity, so it was never reissued.  Many of the releases on Audio Fidelity are staples of the used bins at thrift stores, but I'd never seen this one before.  My front cover looks like you see it above, but it's a somewhat unique gatefold cover that opens from the center of the back side.  (I've seen and shared something similar here.).  When I found a copy on eBay while researching this, their copy didn't look like mine, and it took me a while to figure it out.  Their inside is my outside.  So I don't know which way is correct.  On mine, the outside looks like this:

And the inside looks like this:

If mine's been folded inside out, it's been like that for a long time.  I didn't want to farce it back the other way, and it really didn't want to go.  So take your pick of what you want to call the inside and outside, front or back.  The music here is similar to that last handbell record I shared, only it's mono, and a bit more sedate.  You can download it for the music or as an historical curio from one of the great, yet gone, labels.  This is The Berkshire Bell Ringers-Berkshire Bell Ringers (Audio Fidelity AFLP 1804, Mono, 1956).

1. O Come All Ye Faithful
2. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
3. Cantique De Noel (O Holy Noel)
4. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
5. Joy To The World
6. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
7. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
8. Silent Night
9. First Noel
10. I Wonder As I Wander
11. We Three Kings
12. Carol Of The Bells
13. Rise Up Shepherds And Foller
14. Good King Wencelas (It says 'Wencelas' on both the labels and the sleeve...)

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