Christmas 2010, Part 3--The complete Roy-Cliffs Christmas discography!

Over the past year, I've had exactly (let me see...) zero requests for the Roy-Cliffs, let alone for their complete Christmas discography. I'm posting this anyway.

From three 1955 78s (and one 1955 45) come these delightful Baldwin piano/Baldwin Orga-sonic Spinet Organ duets. I'm serious--they're unusually good, especially for a dime-store label like Gateway. The fidelity, by contrast, is typically blah for such an outfit. I worked what MAGIX I could. You can tell it's an organ and piano. Especially after they've been i.d.'d as such.

Blah sound, excellent music. Better than the other way around, you'll probably agree. The Roy-Cliffs, by the way, did other tracks for Gateway, but this is their complete holiday set. I wonder if it originally came with a sleeve? Doubtful but possible. I got these together the old-fashioned way--one at a time.

To the Roy-Cliffs: Christmas 2010, Part 3--Roy-Cliffs

SLEIGHLIST

THE ROY-CLIFFS

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
MARSHMALLOW WORLD
WINTER WONDERLAND
LET'S LIGHT THE CHRISTMAS TREE
RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER
WHITE CHRISTMAS
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN
JINGLE BELLS
LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM
SILENT NIGHT
AWAY IN A MANGER
THE FIRST NOEL
ADESTE FIDELIS
SILVER BELLS
HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING
IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR

(Gateway 163-164-165-166, 1955)


Lee

Christmas 2010, Part 2--Santa's Sleigh, God's Christmas Tree, more!

Seven new rips for 2010. The Bob Ellis/Bob Ellis, Jr. record (Santa's Sleigh) came with a lovely picture sleeve, which you can see here: Merrie Christmas. I have no way of being sure that the "Merrie"/"Merry" disparity between label and sleeve was an accident, but that's my guess. The label is Ellector Records of the American Virgin Islands. Reading the sleeve notes, I see that the Bob Ellis, Jr. side is supposed to precede the flip side, the flip being Santa's answer to Bob, Jr.'s request. Oops. Some DJ I am.

Taming the hiss on the 1911 Snow Time took some work--I still remember the hassle (last year). But it's such a charming performance, I couldn't give up. I stuck with it, and tried one hundred and ten percent, and went out there to play the game, and put my all into it. After those cliches failed, I turned to my sound-editing software.

Click here to hear: Christmas 2010, Part 2


SLEIGHLIST

TRUE CHRISTMAS LOVE--The Carolers.
THE BALLAD OF AN OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS--Same.
GOD'S CHRISTMAS TREE--Southwest High School Choir, 1958.
GREAT SOMEBODY--Same.
SNOW, SNOW--Monty Kelly Orch. and Chorus, 1953.
SANTA'S SLEIGH--Santa Claus at the North Pole (Bob Ellis), 1955.
SANTA'S SLEIGH--Bob Ellis, Jr., 1955.
MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS--Ruby Wright w. Dick Lash Orch., 1957.
THE BELL THAT COULDN'T JINGLE (Kusik-Bacharach)--Catherine McKinnon, 1966.
ALL AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE--Eddie Skylar w. Sparks of Fire Orch.
ALFIE, THE CHIMNEY SWEEPER--Eddie Skyler, Caroline Zarski.
SNOW TIME--Columbia Quartette (Columbia A-1088; 1911).


Lee

Thanksgiving

Much to be thankful for today, but not the excuse for a meal we had at an overpriced "inn" where the lights were just bright enough to keep people from colliding with other patrons. Between my helping of ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and desert, the only edible part was the lemonade. And that was a beverage. I'd planned to go back to get some salad, but that was before my appetite departed with the first bite. The joint could get rich from the dough it saves on lighting and decent food.

On the other hand, I just restored my PC to complete working order after a bout with malware, and my thankfulness knows no limits, at least after three days of a semi-functioning HP. Between the awful chow and the happy PC outcome, I'll focus on the latter. And we won't even get started on the weather, a thing of thanks only for the local marine life.

And, a cool NYT piece-- Thanksgiving Scripture.


Lee

Yet another Line Material Christmas!!

Line Material Christmas--an M(Y)PWHAE holiday tradition. This blog is your source for Line Material Christmas recordings. Accept no imitations. Get your LM groove on here.

We'll start with an explanation of Line Material. Here are two great links for that purpose: Cooper Power Systems and The Line Material Co.

Seems that Line Material annually produced cool Christmas give-away records from (at least as early as) 1949 to (at least as late as) 1964. If you find yourself wondering why the 1957-1962 sides sound so spectacular, consider the talent involved during that particular period: choral arranging by John McCarthy (of Ambrosia/John McCarthy Singers fame) and instrumental arranging by David Carroll (of Mercury). I know for sure they were behind Santa's Factoree, and I'm guessing they're the architects of/on the others from 1957-1962. Line Material was apparently able to hire the best, though I'm guessing that John McCarthy's services were cheaper prior to his 1961-66 stint as choral director for the London Symphony Orchestra.

The LM (and CLM of Canada) sides which date from before and after the 1957-62 period have proven--so far, at least--to be considerably less spectacular, especially 1964's The Story of Santa Claus, which pulled double duty as a Turkish Information Office issue! All the sides are entertaining, but the McCarthy/Carroll efforts raised the company-holiday-record bar to the stratosphere. To the thermosphere, even. Well, maybe not the thermosphere--too hot.

The Magic of Christmas is courtesy of holiday maniac Ernie (who snail-mailed me the small, vinyl 78-rpm disc in 2007), and the 1964 file (replaced here by a cleaner copy) was kindly provided by Stubbysfears.

You'll love these, even if you've heard them before. If you haven't, prepare to be spending the next several weeks singing "Merry Christmas, from Line Material. (Repeat X3, fade)." We start with the 1957-1962 McCarthy/Carroll classics. The two Canadian (CLM) editions are courtesy of Captain OT of A Christmas Yuleblog:

To the zip: Merry Christmas from Line Material

SLEIGHLIST--LINE MATERIAL CHRISTMAS RECORDS

SANTA'S NORTH POLE BAND--1957
THE KINDS OF CHRISTMAS--1958
THE SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS--1959
SANTA'S FACTOREE--1960
THE DAY THAT SANTA WAS SICK--1961
LET'S TRIM THE CHRISTMAS TREE--1962
THE SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS (CLM edition)--1959
SANTA'S FACTOREE (CLM edition)--1960
THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS--Created and Rel. By Line Material--Year Unknown
KEEPING CHRISTMAS, PTS. 1 and 2--Jim Ameche, Narr., 1949.
THE STORY OF SANTA CLAUS--CLM Industries, 1964.

Here are some more label shots: More LM labels



Lee

John Boehner to the rescue!

Sunday religion report--FFRF doesn't mind sharing the Christmas season with believers!

Christians will be enormously relieved, I'm sure, to learn that The Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) is willing to share the season with us!!! The Christmas holiday, that is (though holy day and Christ's Mass are two phrases carefully avoided by that outfit).

They made this promise two years ago, but I only now learned of it. I trust that their generous guarantee is still in effect. If you wish, you can read what I have to say about this pompous posse at MY(P)WHAE Text. Sunday religion report.

Meanwhile, do I have some great holiday--er, winter solstice--sounds coming up. I'm ripping, editing, declicking, etc. these sounds as we speak.



Lee

Sunday morning gospel--Evangelist F.M. Hewison and The Stepp Family Singers

Frank and Lois Hewison.

Tracks from Evangelist F.M. Hewison's The Holy Hills of Heaven (recorded in Vandalia, Ohio) and the Stepp Family's Going Home (recorded in Greenville, SC).

Best part of this playlist: The Stepp Family's version of Charles Gabriel's Higher Ground. (The Walls Came Tumbling Down is no slouch as a number, either.) Less than best aspect: the same key (E) for all of F.M. Hewison's fast-tempo numbers. A nice rockabilly feel to same, however.

Click here to hear: Evangelist F.M. Hewison, The Stepp Family


PLAYLIST

EVANGELIST F.M. HEWISON

IT'S DIFFERENT NOW
JESUS USE ME
THE ANSWER'S ON ITS WAY
I'M IN A NEW WORLD
HE FILLED THAT LONGING
I'LL FOLLOW THEE
I AM A PILGRIM

(Rose Records 901)

THE STEPP FAMILY SINGERS

HIGHER GROUND
THE WALLS CAME TUMBLING DOWN
THE EASTERN GATE
IF GOD IS DEAD, WHO'S THAT LIVING IN MY SOUL?

(Going Home--Halo 4618)