Here are the other two wonderful Shawnee Choir "reference recording" LPs ripped and scanned for this blog by Brad, the King of Jingaling. Speaking of, be sure to check Brad's site for the Line Material booklets from 1956-62 (save for 1957). I had hoped that maybe I had a 1957 LM brochure sitting around, but memory told me mine was the 1960 catalog. For once, my memory was correct. Oh, well.
I suppose that, if your church has a first-class choir, these LPs would make fine reference recordings, but not many church choirs are on or near the level of the superb Shawnee outfit. Whatever. All I know is that lovers of brilliant choral performances live to find LPs like these. Well, if they're into vinyl. If they have a phonograph. Then again, with folks like me, Brad, Ernie, Buster, and all the other vinyl bloggers digitizing audio media of old, I guess it's not necessary to own a phonograph to enjoy vinyl. Amazing. I made a claim, and then I obliterated it. But I'm a good sport about such things.
What am I babbling about? Don't ask me. It's mild migraine time, I'm afraid. That's what I'm dealing with right now as I type--a light migraine with occasional stabbing pains and a general feelings of "I'm not real." That not-quite-here feeling is one of my psychological migraine symptoms--I also, on rare occasions, have audio hallucinations, OR my sense of smell is altered. I've read that the pain aspect of a migraine is caused by inflammation outside the brain, whereas the neurological symptoms--an altered sense of smell or a not-quite-here feeling (in my case)--are caused by inflammation of the veins inside the brain. What a wonderful thing to be discussing when we're about to hear exquisitely performed holiday music. So, just leave me to my migraine, and meanwhile the Shawnee Choir will make anything-but-easy choral arrangements sound like child's play. Absolutely gorgeous stuff here, and thanks again to Brad. I had planned to get these up sooner, but you know the old joke: If you want to give God a good laugh, tell him your plans. I guess that applies to both grand plans and to the little ol' plans of bloggers.
DOWNLOAD
The Caroling Season--The Shawnee Choir (1974)
The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols)--The Shawnee Choir (1977)
10 comments:
Hi Lee, I hope your migraine has subsided and your feeling much better. As always, your words on the blog are precious. You really come up with some zingers or whatever they are called. I love this: "If you want to give God a good laugh, tell him your plans. I guess that applies to both grand plans and to the little ol' plans of bloggers". I am going to print this out and frame it. I hope you do not mind, but I will change the word bloggers to the common man. Brilliant.
Thank you for these two new, uh old, Shawnee LPs. Bryan
Thank you, Lee & Brad both. These will fit well into the 2020 Christmas downloads folder. I don't start a 2021 folder until near the middle of the year. Most of the stuff I find at the beginning of the year was actually from last year, so the folder stays open for a while. :)
One of my favorite '90s pop-rock songwriters agrees with you, Lee.
Billy Mann sings "Make God Laugh" --
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkaPkBOLNP8
Happy to share. We've got a great Christmas music community out here and I enjoy collaborating with the great folks I've gotten to know over the years.
Diane,
Never heard that track before--thanks! I think I first encountered the saying in a magazine interview with jazz pianist George Shearing.
King of Jingaling,
Thanks again! I'm glad to be part of that community.
Lee, thank you for these. I appreciate them. Back in the day, you would write about the history of the Carol of the Drum just about every year. I went back through your blog to try and piece together the Von Trapp's version and St. Patrick Cathedral's version in terms of who did it first. I think you indicated it was the Von Trapps, but can't find your history post(s) to verify if my memory serves me correctly or not.
Bob
Bob,
Hi. I'd planned to do an updated COTD post (with new rips), but...
Anyway, the Von Trapp recording is from 1951, and the St. Patrick's Cathedral single is from 1959. I had featured other versions that predate Harry Simeone's 1958 theft of the song, including the Testor Chorus and the Moody Chorale (and Don Hustad), both from 1957. How Henry Onorati and Simeone managed to get co-composer credit for "Drum" (with Katherine K. Davis) is beyond me.
I saved my pre-2012 or 2013 posts to disc, per Blogger's instructions, but I've been unable to retrieve any of them. All original links are kaput, but the texts would come in handy...
Bob,
An extra note about COTD--Decca reissued the 1951 Von Trapp recording in 1959, and that reissue may have led to the St. Patrick's version. "The Sound of Music" became a Broadway hit in 1959, and I suspect this is why Decca revived the track that year. I definitely need to resurrect my OCTD history post, even if out of season, as I've amassed enough pre-Simeone versions to suggest that "Drum" was in the process of becoming a holiday choral classic when Simeone elected to steal it. Davis had designated the tune as a traditional Czech melody, thus opening the door to general use on the (false) grounds that the work was P.D.
Thanks, Lee! Hope you're safe and well. Finally getting a snow of sorts up here in the "Mitten." It's been a fairly dry winter thus far.
As for your responses, I greatly appreciate them both. Clearly - my memory didn't serve well. At least I had the Von Trapp's version as being before St. Patrick's version. But nine years difference. Not. Close. :)
Age, my friend. Age!
Bob,
I know how that goes! And I'd remembered the St. Patrick's as 1957, so I was two years off.
A safe and well winter to you, too. So far, the snowfalls have been minor. Knock on wood (ice?).
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