MYPWHAE's unhip Christmas, Part 4

Snowflakes have arrived in central Ohio, with more to come. Oh, boy, oh, boy.

Just kidding (about the "oh, boy, oh, boy" part).

Christmas music--we've got Christmas music. Yes, indeed. We begin with Carl Weismann's Singing Dogs, from 1955--Bark! The Herald Angels Sing. (Just kidding....) Actually, this is the original three-selection side from which Jingle Bells was subsequently isolated from. It's quite interesting, with the crowd effects and announcements and stuff. I keep forgetting the exact story behind this, save for the fact that Weismann was (is?) a Danish bird-call collector and that the dog barks were, essentially, unwanted sounds that he spliced into The Singing Dogs--after organizing the barks into their various pitches, of course. I think I gave a fuller, better account in an earlier Singing Dogs post. (I've always wanted to type the phrase, "an earlier Singing Dogs post.") Only at MYPWHAE will you encounter earlier Singing Dogs posts:

Pat-a-Cake, Three Blind Mice, Jingle Bells, The Singing Dogs, "directed" by Carl Weismann, 1955. (RCA 47-6344)

Here's an excellent page about Weismann and his Singing Dogs. I'd be littering my sentences with canine puns right now, but my brain isn't working today. My thoughts are as congested as my sinuses.

However, we can't let that mar the mood, especially when we have a track as campy-fun as Space Age Santa Claus to marvel over. FaLaLaLaLa.com will be posting Hal Bradley recording of this in about a week--meanwhile, behold the very cool picture sleeve. I'm wondering if my record might be... the same one in a different edition? Both sides were written by Ross Christman (Christman??), and my copy is on the Ross (!) label. Coincidence? Plus, the FaLaLaLaLa.com record features Patty Marie Jay on the vocal, whereas my side features one Jeannie Jay with the Gus De Wert Trio. This is weird. Xavier, Kansas is (was?) the home of Ross Records. What to make of all this? (Toto? Do you know?)

Space Age Santa Claus (Ross Christman), Gus De Wert Trio and Jeannie Jay (Ross WW1004).

Needless to say, I'd better listen to FalLaLaLaLa's file. Nice alliteration, there.

Here's another weird one (the best kind) from the Rhythms label (I won't crack any Catholic jokes, here). This came in a boxed set, but the box itself disappeared during my last move. It's probably in a landfill someplace, next to a half-eaten corn cob and an old ATM receipt. Anyway, I had to perform major sonic surgery on this, not only with the MAGIX hiss filter but by way of splicing out most of the two Silent Night renditions, owing to high-frequency scritch. No major loss--those sections were the least interesting, though the singer is quite good. This is either a lousy pressing or a good one that met up with a bad phonograph needle. But I got a decent file out of it, regardless:

Santa's Christmas Party (Ruth White), Narration: Kathryn Hume; Sung by Grace Lynne Martin. (Rhythms Productions CC 617)

And, to my ears, the only thing sillier than a canine rendition of Jingle Bells is a Pete Rugolo over-arrangement thereof. Not that I don't admire Rugolo's ability, but ability and taste don't necessary exist in the same space. Which may explain why Rugolo had much of the former and little of the latter. (I'm just asking for it, aren't I?)

Feel free to like this. Don't worry about my issues!

Jingle Bells Mambo (Pete Rugolo), Pete Rugolo and His Orchestra, 1954. From Columbia EP B-1916.

And now for two sides Merv Griffin recorded for the Duluth, Minn. TV station WDSM, both regarding Duluth's annual Christmas City of the North Parade. Christmas City is a familiar song to Duluth residents. I'm not sure whether or not this recording thereof is familiar to them, also, though it may very well be:

Christmas City (Don Peterson), Merv Griffin, year unknown.

The Song of the Christmas City (Don Peterson), Merv Griffin, year unknown.

Here are the Merv labels. More label photos in a follow-up post....





















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