If you're asking yourself, "Didn't Ernie put this up a while back?" then the answer is yes--in 2019. I didn't even think to check until I was almost done with the rip. But Ernie doesn't mind if I post the same stuff from time to time--he's posted some items that I had previously put up, so it balances out! It's not like a "double" post does the kind of damage caused by, say, a cosmic collision. You know--like, two galaxies deciding to share the same portion of space, with a disastrous impact (or two, or three, or several billion).
And did I say that Ernie had posted this LP? Yes, and no, if we're being technical. Because his copy is on the Chapel label, and I'm guessing it's a reissue of this Sacred release, as the Chapel is dated 1959, and this is dated 1958. And this is on red vinyl, and I'd meant to do a larger scan to show off the red vinyl, and I plumb forgot. But you can see some of the red peeking through the blue label on the A side scan.
Like Ernie's copy, mine is mono, only it's in "Spectraphonic Sound," which you can read about on the back cover scan, if you need to know. And the extraordinarily good Laymen Singers evidently had a syndicated radio show, The Baptist Laymen's Hour, which, from 1945-1960, was directed by none other than Ralph Carmichael, who directed and arranged this album. And this is why I strongly suspect this LP was probably (not totally sure) a Diane gift, because she has sent me a good number of Carmichael LPs. However, the inner sleeve appears, for all the world, to be one of mine--hence, my not being sure. But it's still probably a Diane gift. So, thanks, Diane!
An inspired collection of Christmas standards in performances that can only be described as astounding, including the best version of John Jacob Nile's I Wonder as I Wander I've ever heard. The fantastic tenor soloist is Ben Allen.
I seem to recall a hipper-than-hip blog trashing the Sacred label, but I'm not able to substantiate this via Googling, so maybe it's a false memory. In fact, Sacred (like Word) boasted top talent. This didn't prevent someone at a Google group (which I won't name) from declaring Word an "outsider music" operation. I asked him if Jerome Hines, The Lewis Family, Dale Evans, Bill Gaither, Glen Campbell, Anita Kerr, Kurt Kaiser, or Rudy Atwood could be considered "outsider" artists, and I recall that he never answered me. Odd. I mean, the least he could have provided me was a detailed and logical case for grouping someone like Ralph Carmichael with, say, The Shaggs.
Oh, and any group that can get me to liking O Come, O Come Emmanuel deserves a special reward, anyway. The Laymen Singers have me convinced I've always loved this number. A Christmas miracle. And, as ever, Handel did not compose Joy to the World and Martin Luther (1483-1546) had nothing to do with Away in a (aka the) Manger.
DOWNLOAD: Laymen Singers--O Come, All Ye Faithful, 1958
Star Carol
What Child Is This
O Come, All Ye Faithful
Behold That Star
Silent Night
Christmas Hymn
Joy to the World
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
I Wonder as I Wander
Away in a Manger
O Holy Night
O Come, All Ye Faithful--Laymen Singers, Ralph Carmichael (Arranger-Conductor), Sacred 8013; 1958.
4 comments:
Great!
Cool that you found an earlier issue than what I discovered. I find that there were a lot of repressing and label swapping going on back then. Probably all owned by the same people, but I frequently see pressings of the same stuff on seemingly unrelated labels. Much the same as you find on your budget stuff, I guess, but a little easier to track since they keep the same artist credits on stuff. Thanks for sharing!
At least I can get a little more of a description and commentary on your blog than on Ernie's--He presents his material in an almost "Here it is!" kind of fashion, than it's up to people like me to help him fill in the missing blanks.
Always enjoy listening to Ralph Carmichael's stuff, be it his Christian albums or his work with Nat King Cole and Roger Williams. Will check this album out eventually. Thanks for sharing!
Love it, Lee! I think maybe I did find this one. I seem to remember being ambivalent about sending it to you, because I love my bright color vinyl! I used to be a black vinyl snob, until a friend of mine who works for a record label told me that vinyl is clear at the start. Apparently, when LPs/45s arrived, they dyed them black to look like 78 shellac and seem familiar to record buyers. Also because black hides imperfections, which allowed them to grind up unsold vinyl and reuse it.
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