So, an Alfred Burt LP on Word that promises stereo but delivers mono. And whose first side is a reissue of 1954 Columbia tracks. It's all gotten me dizzy. Or maybe it's my sinuses in this atypically warm December weather... Anyway, I was behind on my Alfred Burt knowledge, which has been bumped up considerably.
Speaking of atypical, here are (let me count them) eleven atypical, other-than-normal Christmas sides that I've offered over the years--my favorites from that category. I guess that Buzzy, the Christmas Bee would have to top the hive, though there's the weird Ghost on Christmas Eve, plus the dreadful Dear Lord and Santa Claus. The latter is one of those "My Lord, why did they make this?" sides.
I was able to include a label image with each track, but this was only possible via my media player because the "album" field was different for each track. This compelled Groove Music to treat these as separate tracks, and so I was able to insert separate images. Whenever and wherever my media players see a single album name, then I'm stuck with a single image. This may be unique to the process of exporting tracks from my MAGIX program, though. Like today's tracks, it may not be something typically experienced.
1980's Where Is Captivity (Bring Them Home for Christmas) of course refers to the Iran hostage crisis. And the 1956 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (Breaking Through the Sound Barrier) is an example of a totally unsuccessful "break-in" (or "break-in"-esque) record. "Break-in" sides are supposed to be dumb but funny, and this side is, in my opinion (and it's only my opinion!), stupid. But it's also plenty weird, and so I'm including it. But I think it helps us appreciate Dickie Goodman all the more. Hearing something done wrong can be an education.
I Wish You Christmas is a real "Huh?" title to me, and maybe I'm simply not enough of a poetry person or something. I mean, when you're wishing someone a Christmas, you need to include an adjective. Merry, Happy, Jolly, Lousy--whatever. Meanwhile, Duke Mitchell was the father of Jeff and Sue Mitchell, and Duke is best known as one half of a fake Martin and Lewis team which starred in the really terrible Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla. (1952). From that title, it's hard to tell that the movie stinks, but trust me. Lugosi clearly did not want to be in it. Now, I have listened who-knows-how-many times to Buzzy, and I forget whether or not Buzzy performs any actual function for Santa and his team. Any useful function, that is (besides buzzing). He doesn't sting--I caught that much--but typically Santa's sidekicks, however off the bee-ten track they may be, have some specific duty, and I don't know what Buzzy's is. My brain has blocked it out, I guess.
Since I was sticking to vinyl, I didn't include I'd Like to See My Mom for Christmas, which is on a 78, and which is a song by Eddie (Put Christ Back Into Christmas) Unger. I'm sure Unger did not intend a creepy song, but that's what he gave us, regardless. I mean, "I'd like to see my mother again" songs are pretty common, especially in bluegrass gospel, but I guess there's a right and a wrong way to pen the lyrics. Anyway, you can hear that gem here, though I'll need to revive the zip file. Workupload dropped it, for some reason. And, wait a second--the Mom side isn't included in the zip, which means I'll have to share that side in a future post. My bad.
And, wow--almost one strange side for each of the twelve days of the holiday. You can always play I'd Like to See My Mom... on one of the days (once I put it up), to make an even twelve. A baker's dozen, minus one. Clearly, I had intended to include Mom in the 2020 post but... forgot? These various-artist lists get complicated.
DOWNLOAD: Strange Xmas Singles
Buzzy, the Christmas Bee--Jeff and Sue Mitchell
Elizabeth the Christmas Queen--Buddy Pastuck, the Roller-Skating Cowboy; 1978
I Don't Believe in Santa Claus--The Staffords
The "Let-Me" Song (Carroll)--Irene Carroll; 1956
Ghost on Christmas Eve--Allen and the Lads (1965-ish)
'Twas the Night Before Christmas (Breaking Through the Sound Barrier)--Frank and Jack, 1956
The Ain't-Not Tree--Radio City Music Hall Chorus (Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, 1963)
I Wish You Christmas--Mary Fran Warren; 1981?
Memoirs of a Christmas Tree--Bud O.J.; 1966
Dear Lord and Santa Claus--Biddle (Bo) Peep
Where Is Captivity? (Bring Them Home for Christmas)--Lisa Wargo and the St. Peter's Children's Choir of Lorain, Ohio; 1980
Lee
7 comments:
I had to resort ti Google (actually DuckDuckGo) to confirm that "Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla" is real. It is! I never heard of it. Ramona the Chimp co-stars, and I am a fan of her work.
Well, who isn't? (-:
Love the singles, Lee! Thanks so much. The weirder, the better!
Hey Lee,
I remember watching this movie late at night while doing my design work at Uni. You had to watch or listen to something while being creative.
Well now to these songs, that someone had the guts to place on vinyl. Nice that they did. I read about Mitch Miller. Hay Dean baby, you had a BIG hit with that Italian single. Here is a similar-sounding one about a Buzzy Bee. This will be your next BIG single hit, and it is about Christmas too. Two genres in one, can you beat it, Dean. However, I hear Frank and Rosie are just dying to do this song too.
I like this one Lee.
The other song that HIT ME, good or bad was Dear Lord and Santa Claus. Clever wording, but that awful (adult pretending to be a child ?) singer. Too bad an adult somehow could have sung it, in a re-worded version.
This is one playlist that deserves repeated listening, to get the full effects, good or bad.
Hey Lee,
Any strange songs about a cat, or cats. And I do not mean that horrible Jinglebell Cats record. While it brings a slight smile to the face for a brief moment, it is utterly painful.
Bryan,
I like these, too--even the terrible imitation-"break-in" side that I criticized so harshly. I almost always love the stuff I put up, and I definitely love these offbeat Xmas sides. So I think we're on the same page!
I'm not aware of any novelty Xmas songs about cats--I'd be really excited to find one. But I guess "Claws, the Christmas Cat," for example, just wouldn't work. Dogs work in an assistant-to-Santa way, but cats don't. Then again, maybe there's a feline holiday song out there someplace. And I've never heard the Jinglebell Cats, though ages ago, someone promised to bring the cassette to work for me. Never got to hear it, though. I'm sure it is plenty awful.
Hey Lee,
Check out YouTube for a peek of Jingle Cats. You have been warned.
The dog one is bad, but the cat version is as I said painfully awful. I think, but not positive there is a combined dog and cat one song or album? I do not even want to go and try looking that one up.
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