A blog repeat from three or four years ago, but a new rip, and in a higher bitrate. Yee-ha! Christmas Surprise Package, it's called. And the burning question is, why? Maybe the surprise is the cheap LP hidden in a rather classy-looking cover. That could be it.
"Let's call it 'Christmas Surprise Package.'" "But why?" "Because we've got a neat Christmas-package stock photo, and we need to use it for something."
Maybe the surprise involves the Jerry Maynard tracks, all apparently repeated from Palace XM-906 (Sing Along Christmas Carols). As in, "Surprise! You just made a repeat purchase!" Or maybe it consists in the six or so Fontanna tracks which, following Palace XM-902 and XM-903, suddenly became credited to John Rawles. I have no idea--I just work here. It's beyond me.
But what a cool cover and fairly neat concept. If only we could figure out what they mean--and something tells me that Palace couldn't have cared less. And you just have to love this label for the lack of love it poured into its offerings. I really adore the audacious cheapness of this outfit--it took cheap to new levels, and in the face of stiff competition (SPC, Pickwick, Premier, Crown, etc.). It out-cheaped them all. That must have taken a lot of dedication and devotion.
Fun tracks, even if they were on a repeat-release spin cycle...
DOWNLOAD: Christmas Surprise Package--John Rawles and His Orch.; Jerry Maynard, Organ with Chimes
JOHN RAWLES AND HIS ORCH.
White Christmas
Winter Wonderland
I'll Be Home for Christmas
One Little Candle
Jingle Bells
Night Before Christmas
We Three Kings of Orient Are
JERRY MAYNARD AT THE ORGAN, WITH CHIMES
O Holy Night
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
The First Noel
Joy to the World
Deck the Hall
Away in a Manger
What Child Is This
Angels From the Realms of Glory
A Christmas Surprise Package--John Rawles, Jerry Maynard (Palace XM-911)
Lee
8 comments:
This all sounds vaguely familiar...
My family had one of these Palace Christmas records when I was a young one (not this one). I was struck even back then how cheap looking the whole thing was.
Hey Lee,
As you know I LOVE the 101 Strings. I am collecting as many of their albums via mp3 downloads as possible. They are currently being released in newly remastered versions from the original master tapes.
That being said, they had a habit of repackaging tracks on various albums. Sometimes crediting them to a different artist. Several songs they change the name to when re-released. They had even released almost a complete album, deleting a couple of tracks and adding a few different tracks. They even released a 12 track album later as a 10 track album. Okay, I can understand, or can I?
They were sold in grocery stores or similar. If you did not get it a few years ago, here is another chance. A good one is a salute type album, with maybe 2 songs that the artist being saluted never sang, but are original to salute the artist. These originals are quite good in their own right.
As I said, I love these. I would not want their albums any other way.
Besides, these re-masters sound great. Even their non-re-mastered albums from the company that owns them, Countdown Media of Germany, sound great.
Hey Lee,
Just listen to this album today and really liked it. I always did have strange tastes, a warped sense of humor, and a liking for things that are weird. Of course, there is a reason for it.
Bryan,
Well, you came to the right place for weird(ness)! Don't miss my "strange singles" post, unless you've already heard all of the selections. In that post, I simply chose my favorite off-kilter Xmas singles, save for a 78 rpm side of the creepy variety.
The very next LP in the catalog (Palace XM 912), titled "The Joy of Christmas," also featured (a) John Rawles and His Orchestra and Chorus and (b) Jerry Maynard at the Organ, with Instrumental Soloists and Chorus.
God only knows where these cuts originally appeared....
Track list:
SIDE ONE: Silent Night / Joy to the World / Let it Snow / Snow Flakes / Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / You Are All I Want for Christmas / Adeste Fideles
SIDE TWO: Jingle Bells / It Came upon a Midnight Clear / Joy to the World / Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / Good King Wenceslas / We Three Kings of Orient Are / Jingle Bells
RL,
We'll probably never know! The only Palace tracks I ever traced to their source were those two Robin Hood label tracks--Santa Claus is Coming to Town and I'm Getting Nottin' (sic) for Christmas. Robin Hood could be the source for many of Palace's holiday tracks, but that's just a wild, unsupported guess!
I think we may have had the Palace LP that RL mentions when I was young. As I recall, it's conventional holiday fare until the LP ends with a jazzy rendition of "Jingle Bells."
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