Christmas 2010, Part 18--Ghost on Christmas Eve; The Santa Claus March; more!

Great group of Christmas singles. All but two are repeats, but the rips are new and improved.

This set has got everything--Merv, children, and four titles which mention Santa. By Christmas-playlist standards, that qualifies as "everything." The one truly unique number is Allen and the Lads' Ghost on Christmas Eve, not to be confused with the ghost of Christmas Eve. I've owned this one for two years, and I remain confused by the line, "I'm satisfied to share you on Christmas Eve." In other words, he's content to be with her once a year on Christmas Eve? That must be the meaning.

Click here to hear: Ghost on Christmas Eve, more!

SLEIGHLIST

GHOST ON CHRISTMAS EVE--Allen and the Lads (Beaver 8697)
THE SANTA CLAUS MARCH--Russ Morgan O., w. Joey Alfidi, 1956.
I WILL ALWAYS BELIEVE IN SANTA CLAUS--Same.
THE SANTA CLAUS SERENADE--The Vo-cals, 1956 (Silhouette 517).
SLEIGH RIDE--Freddy Martin O., feat. Merv Griffin, 1950.
CHRISTMAS TIME--Same.
CHRISTMAS EVERYWHERE (Leblanc)--FRAN ALEXANDRE, 1956 (Emerald 2025).
ONE STAR (Leblanc)--Same.
SANTA GOT STUCK IN THE CHIMNEY UPSIDE DOWN--Lori Ann Wagner and Bill Boehm's Singing Angels, c. 1965 (Clevetown Records 132).
DING DONG BELL--Same.


Lee

Christmas 2010, Part 17--This season's Pièce de résistance?

I'm thinking that (possibly) it is, find-wise. This one is hard to explain, but it fits in, thread-wise, with the other company-promotion Christmas discs I've offered to date. First, there was Line Material, followed by REMC's power lines, and now we have the fishing line of the Garcia Corporation. Specifically, Swedish Abu fishing line and supplies, which the Teaneck, NJ Garcia Corp. imported. I just found this helpful history: Abu Garcia--Early History

This six-selection long-playing E.P. features selections by the Garcia Glee Club, the Mitchell Chorus, Tony Baly, and the Swedish Abu and Plate choruses. All, say the label, were produced and arranged by Sal Muley of the Garcia Corporation. Not your usual Christmas E.P., even for this genre (company-made holiday sides), and definitely lo-fi, but incredibly entertaining and a great break from the norm. I wish I had more where this came from....

This is cool beyond words. To the Garcia Corp. Christmas: Merry Christmas--Garcia Corp., 1962.

SLEIGHLIST

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS; SILENT NIGHT--Garcia Glee Club
NOEL--French Mitchell Chorus
FOREVER CHRISTMAS--Composed and sung by Tony Baly
THE STAR OVER EASTER LAND--Swedish Abu Chorus
CHRISTMAS IS HERE AGAIN--Swedish Abu Chorus
SILENT NIGHT (German); WE WISH YOU A MERRY C.--Plate Chorus, Garcia Glee Club

(Garcia Corp. GRC-7701; 1962)


Lee

Dylan Ratigan sums it up

"And, with that signature, the Bush tax cuts have become the Obama tax cuts."

Yup.

A step forward for bipartisanship, says our useless leader. Bipartisanship, of course, is the thing that results from handing the other side what it commands.

Part of me would like to call for the impeachment of President No Bother, but the logical snag is that there's nothing there to impeach.

In less intense news, Perry is currently giving me the royal snub because I gave the rest of this morning's cereal to Wesley instead of him. Perry skipped our first cat feeding and is moping around on the kitty condo, pretending not to know I'm there. I suppose it doesn't help that Wesley, in appearance at least, is a new Perry. (In the sense that Perry views him all the more as competition.)

Drama everywhere. Back to Christmas in a jiffy with some Swedish carols.

Christmas 2010, Part 16--The Craftsmen Carolers

I bought this mainly for the cover, since I was sure the music would already be up someplace in cyberspace. However, I'm not finding it--at least, not under this title and label (Craftsmen). Thanks to the help of this terrific page (part of a great series of discographies), we learn that Craftmen's material came mostly from earlier releases on the Tops label. Based on this tip, I'm guessing that this album by the "Craftsmen Carolers" is a reissue of the 1959 Tops LP, Let's All Sing Our Christmas Favorites by the Fireside Carolers (Tops L-1676). But that doesn't seem to be posted anywhere, either, so posting is "go" on this item. (I've always wanted to type that.)

If I weren't so run down by my sinuses right now, I'd be pretty excited about this.

If I'm in error, be sure to let me know--I take such news gracefully. If, by "gracefully," you mean launching into a Chris Farley-style temper fit, complete with self-reproaching self-talk.

This copy is pretty noisy, but I was able to delete most of the surface swish by using only the left channel. The before-and-after contrast is pretty amazing--much better than I'd expected.

To the carols:

The Craftsmen Carolers--Craftsmen Carolers--Let's All Sing Christmas Cheer

O, COME ALL YE FAITHFUL
GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN
IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR
HARK, THE HERALD ANGELS SING
JINGLE BELLS
THE FIRST NOEL
SILENT NIGHT
WHITE CHRISTMAS
DECK THE HALLS, JOY TO THE WORLD
O LITTLE DOWN OF BETHLEHEM

(Craftsmen C-8048)

Lee

Politically incorrect Christmas cards from days gone by

A shocking display of antique postcards (from my humble collection) which avoid using the phrase "Merry Christmas." Some of them don't even use the word "Christmas." The first two are the worst--1913's "Holiday Greetings" (!!!) and "Merry XMas" from 1908. Obviously, the war on Christmas started way earlier than we thought!

I don't know the date on "A World of Joy"--1915-ish? I do know that Santa looks a whole lot like Thor in this one, though the northern European sky god Woden is usually named as the Santa influence/precursor from that neck of the world.

(Click to see larger images.)

Christmas 2010, Part 15--The High Spirits of Holy Spirit School (1973)

From the liner notes: "The High Spirits are a group of outstanding young Children who go to Holy Spirit School in the City of Whitehall Ohio and are from the 3rd to the 8th grade; Under the direction and leadership of Sister Carol Ann Krell, this fine group has been able to put it all together and come up with something real big."

And: "The songs are done in harmony. No sheet music was used--only the natural ability of the students to listen, appreciate, and learn and imitate."

From 1973 and released on the Mus-I-Col label of Columbus, Ohio. These are energetic performances, all closely supervised but obviously meant to sound less so. Notice how "natural ability" is cited in league with "no sheet music." But music-reading is an ability, isn't it? (Just not "natural," perhaps.)

Recording quality is pretty good, though there was a lot of hiss in the audio equipment and/or master tape. The credits have been typed as they appeared.

To the LP: The High Spirits of Holy Spirit School--Christmas, 1973


SLEIGHLIST

WINTER WONDERLAND
SING WE NOEL
GO TELL IT ON A MOUNTAIN
CHILDREN GO
WHAT CHILD IS THIS?
A CHRISTMAS ROUND
AWAY IN A MANGER
DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?
WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS
SILVER BELLS
WASSAIL
WHITE CHRISTMAS
ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH
'NEATH THE SILENT STARS
I HEARD THE BELLS
VIRGIN MARY HAD A BABY BOY
DRUMMER BOY


Lee

Christmas 2010, Part 14--Yet more holiday shellac

Good stuff for today, all from 78s in my collection. One day, I'll have enough versions of Vom Himmel Hoch to post a Vom Himmel Hoch-athon, but, until then, we'll have to make do (or I will, anyway) with the handful of versions I possess. What's that you say? Go out and find more, and find them now? But it's late at night, and the roads are icy. Otherwise, I'd rush right out.

Bob Grabeau with the Lennon Brothers, you ask? Yup. That would be Paul Weston "discovery" Bob Grabeau, famous for his demo recordings (Friendly Persuasion, The Shadow of Your Smile). The label is Spartan, and the titles are The Christmas Waltz (not the Jule Styne-Sammy Kahn tune) and Old New England Christmas.


Yule love these: Christmas 2010, Part 14--Yet more holiday shellac


SLEIGHLIST

YULE-TIDE--A CHRISTMAS FANTASIA (Kappey)--Arthur Pryor's Band, 1917.
CHRISTMAS HOLDS NO JOY FOR ME--.
VOM HIMMEL HOCH (Luther)--Christmas Chorus w. Orch. and Chimes (German), 1918.
SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT--Columbia Mixed Quart, 1925.
THE HOLY CITY (Adams)--Same.
THE CHRISTMAS WALTZ (Motola)--Bob Grabeau w. the Lennon Bros., Don Shaw O. (Spartan 0002).
OLD NEW ENGLAND CHRISTMAS--Same.
JINGLE BELLS-Shannon Quartet, 1925.
CHRISTMAS TIME IN MERRIE ENGLAND, PT. 1--Regimental Band of H.M. Grenadier Guards, 1922.
CHRISTMAS TIME IN MERRIE ENGLAND, PT. 2--Same.
CHRISTMAS HYMNS AND CAROLS--No. 1--Trinity Choir, 1921.
CHRISTMAS HYMNS AND CAROLS--No. 2--Same.


Lee

Christmas 2010, Part 13--Granville Middle School, 1961

This wonderful album showed up last year at Goodwill in a plain white jacket, leaving only the label to tell me who it is. I had to look up the selections on line, using first lines from the stanzas. The titles preceded by a * represent my best (or worst) guess. What we have are 21 Christmas selections by Grades 1-3 and Middle Grades 4-6 at Granville (Ohio) Elementary School, 1961. See label credits.

As you know, carol-banning is going on in some, if not many, of our public schools, and thank God and Greyhound! After all, it's vital in a faith-neutral democracy that our children be protected from such subversive fare as classic European carols, Mendelssohn's Say, Where Is He Born?, and Bach's O Savior Sweet, O Savior Kind and Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. To progress!!

Sorry--got carried away.

Click here to hear: 1961 Christmas Program.

SLEIGHLIST--1961 Christmas Program, Granville Elementary School

GRANVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL--GRADES 1, 2, 3

UNDER THE STARS, ONE HOLY NIGHT
O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL
*COLD DECEMBER FLIES AWAY
ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH
*THE BIRDS SING THEIR CAROLS
AWAY IN THE MANGER
SHEPHERDS, SHAKE OFF YOUR DROWSY SLEEP
O SAVIOR SWEET, O SAVIOR KIND (J.S. Bach)
*A GENTLE BABE LAY SLEEPING
HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS

MIDDLE GRADES--4,5,6

MASTERS IN THIS HALL
SAY, WHERE IS HE BORN? (MENDELSSOHN)
*SUCH A NIGHT THERE NEVER HAS BEEN
*SING NOEL
WHAT CHILD IS THIS
*LULLABY
HE SHALL FEED HIS FLOCK (Handel, from Messiah)
AS JOSEPH WAS A WALKING
*NIGHTINGALE
O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL
JESU, JOY OF MAN'S DESIRING (J.S. Bach)

*--My best guess at the title.


Lee

Little Looney Girl

So, a post with some pop-culture-history value at, of all places, Beware of the Blog. Bob Purse offers two versions of the children's song, Pretty Little Dutch Girl, which also formed the basis for Jesse Lee Turner's Little Space Girl (1960).

The melody also functioned as the Looney Tunes theme. Or one of them, anyway. I'm no L.T. historian.




Lee