From 2021, and I see that slow-arriving winters were already happening.
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. Discuss amongst yourselves.
And, this time, I've added 1958's God's Christmas Tree, an oddity penned by Sid Lippman (Too Young, "A"--You're Adorable), perhaps not weird within the context of the pop-sacred genre of the 1950s but odd in its low-rent How Great Thou Art celebration of the miracle of the natural world. Creation as God's "Christmas tree"? A strained analogy which places the number more squarely in the "Christmas all year" category.
And, wow--one strange side for each of the twelve days of the holiday. And, sorry about #15 for #12--it's a glitch Windows 10 isn't allowing me to correct.
DOWNLOAD: Atypical Christmas 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
God's Christmas Tree--Southwest High School Choir, 1958
Lee
10 comments:
I suppose I could listen and find out, but what the heck is an "ain't-not" tree?
"Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla" is an excellent title. Too bad the movie is not the same.
Opposite of an "am-so" tree, I reckon.
Thanks for bringing these back from the dead, Lee!
Ernie,
Sure. And I wonder what sort of threat was detected by workupload? "We'd best ban that Biddle (Bo) Peep number!"
On an unrelated note, Mariah Carey's continued number-one status suggests that people want the holiday completely genericized. A Christmas song which actually has nothing to do with Christmas. I'm glad that the holiday has evolved to become our culture's holiday-for-everyone (92 percent of us observe it), and I'd want it no other way. But I hate to see it left without any shared themes--beyond Mariah Carey's horny desires. A loud Spike Jones belch would have more holiday significance.
I'm having issues at Box. I've tried on several browsers and with several different accounts. I click on download. It says it's downloading. But nothing shows up. Any ideas?
Brad R-M,
Box must be having issues--that, or else I'm past my downloading bandwidth? (But I'd think the site would give a message to that effect.
Let me migrate the zip to pixeldrain. Its downloads are a little slow, but they work. I'll redo the link right now...
Don't jump through hoops for my sake. Whenever you get around to it...
Brad R-M,
Too late! It's up and ready! I just hope the Box problem is a temporary glitch...
Great stuff Lee, thanks for getting this back out there! Fascinated by "Where Is Captivity". I wonder if that got any radio play that year?
- Steve in PA
Steve in PA,
Thanks for the nice words! And my guess is that, being a local pressing here in Ohio, "Captivity" might have gotten local play, but I can't imagine anything past that. But I could be wrong! It really brings back memories of that awful event, and it's a valuable document of how the general public reacted to it.
Post a Comment