The London Concert Choir, Directed by Cyril Green: The Best Loved Christmas Hymns and Carols--In "StereoAcornfonic."

 

Both Sides Now, describing the Acorn label: "Of all the budget labels that graced supermarkets during the late 1950s and early 1960s, this one may have been the silliest, at least as far as packaging goes." For proof, BSN shows a couple of odd titles (Accordeon Favorites, anyone?) and quotes the label's back-cover stereo blurb, for which "silly" is a kind adjective.  Among other matters, the stereo blurb discusses the "philosophy of microphone placement."  Not their philosophy of microphone placement, but "the."  Somehow, I doubt that the philosophy of microphone placement was a common topic among engineers during the early stereo days, though who knows?  ("What's your microphone placement philosophy, Jim?")

And we have a small topside banner which reads, "StereoAcornfonic," and... what the heck is StereoAcornfonic?  Even if we read this as "Acorn stereofonic," we still have the problem of "fonic."  It must mean "Acorn stereofonic" (without the "ph"), though why didn't they label simply use that phrase?  And spell "fonic" correctly?  I guess Acorn was trying for a fancy look/hook, and totally not succeeding.  A typical junk-label fail. 

So, you can see why I just had to buy this tatty classic.  And I knew I had something special when I Googled "The London Concert Choir" and "Cyril Green" and came up with... nothing.  The search did not "match any documents."  Sweet.  That's always comforting--when you can't find your latest thrift find in the vastness of cyberspace.  Now, Cyril Green does show up at Discogs, but (far as I can tell) only in association with Acorn (just not this particular issue).  Big red flag, there.  It suggests that Cyril was the Bobby Krane of Acorn--a made-up, all-purpose pseudonym for a musician (or musicians) working outside of his or her contract (or union rules, or both).

The performances, meanwhile, are highly professional and highly artistic.  Delightful, even.  How they ended up in this format must make for a fascinating tale, if we only knew it.  As for the London Concert Choir, I suspect we're talking these highly respected performers, who are probably still wondering how they ended up on Acorn in StereoAcornfonic.  Maybe they're under strict orders to never discuss it.

Acorn was bought by P.R.I. in 1961 (why?), and so a lot of Tops Records material showed up on it, at least at first, though I don't believe this release is an example thereof.  I just know that Acorn's stereo issues don't exist in any mono-designated releases that the Both Sides Now page has been able to locate, though today's offering is obviously a mono recording turned into "StereoAcornfonic" by panning between the channels.  In its stereo blub, Acorn insists that "the music has not been reshaped or reformed for the benefit of stereo," but it wasn't telling the truth in this case, because nothing better describes Acorn's treatment of the original mono signal than "reshaped" and "reformed."  Luckily, unlike some examples of pan-between-right-and-left "stereo," these tracks were easily channel-summed into acceptable, steady mono.  Quite a relief.  For the most part, this (very) humble release is a typical holiday choral outing, but graced with classy performances which belie the horrors of "StereoAcornfonic."  You wouldn't even know that the sound originally sucked.  Er, unless I told you--which I did.

The Concert Choir sings the first number correctly ("Deck the hall," not "halls"), but Acorn still got the title wrong.  And Come All Ye Faithful and Little Town of Bethlehem?  Yup, Eli Oberstein, all right.

UPDATE: Buster has identified the probable source for this LP: the 1957 World Record Club release of Christmas: A Festival of Yuletide Carols and Choruses by The Sinfonia of London and the Hampstead Choir, conducted by Martin Sidwell.  Assuming that Acorn deleted "Christmas Be Joyful" from the original lineup, it's a perfect match.  Why Acorn changed Martin Sidwell to "Cyril Green," who knows?  Eli Oberstein's labels were like that.

DOWNLOAD: The London Concert Choir, Directed by Cyril Green: The Best Loved Christmas Hymns and Carols (Acorn 651)  (UPDATE: Very probably The Sinfonia of London and the Hampstead Choir, conducted by Martin Sidwell in 1957 for the World Record Club label (UK).

Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly

Come All Ye Faithful

From Handel's "Messiah": There Were Shepherds; And Lo! The Angel; And the Angel Said Unto Them; And Suddenly There Was the Angel; Glory to God

Little Town of Bethlehem

All Through the Night

For Unto Us a Child Is Born, From Handel's "Messiah"

Silent Night

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

The Holly and the Ivy

Good King Wenceslaus

Now Vengeance Has Been Taken (Christmas Oratorio)

The Best Loved Christmas Hymns and Carols--The London Concert Choir, Dir. by Cyril Green (Acorn 651) (Or... The Sinfonia of London and the Hampstead Choir, c. by Martin Sidwell, 1957)

Lee