The return of "Christmas Is for Children": When Pickwick budget fare was thoughtfully produced, and with cool jackets!

Good morning, and welcome to "Revive a Post," a new holiday tradition made possible by workupload dumping most or all of my uploads.  And no wonder--Merv's estate needs the money, I'm sure. The money I have shamelessly swiped by sharing his music for free.  There must be some logic there, and so I'll keep looking.

This delightful Pickwick collection contains material re-re-recycled for years.  I believe the year is (er, was) 1957.  So these are all close to the source.  And, wow: This LP is as old (er, young) as me.  A number of these tracks were later released on the Playhour Records label and (I'm sure) beyond.  And, also, in the worst fake Design stereo (in awfulness, second only to RCA's).

Pretty cool jacket art--Design would eventually decide that such was too much trouble/expense.  But, in 1957, this attitude had yet to change.  And is Christmas, in fact, for children?  Well, that's been the general direction of its evolution.  Nowadays, I'm not so sure.  Banning traditional aspects of the holiday (including its standard carols and hymns) is a pretty common event, which means my childhood experience of Christmas is not the current edition thereof.  Which is fine--time marches on.  Sensibly or not.  My own take, simply put, is that Christmas is the people's holiday in the U.S. This is plenty obvious, given that 92 percent of us observe it.  Inevitably, this group includes Jewish Americans, Muslim Americans, atheists, agnostics, and so on.  I'm not all that thrilled over the pointless watering down of the holiday, and my idea of eternal punishment would be perpetual exposure to grocery-store Christmas "music," but it's all an inevitable aspect of Christmas as a holiday for everyone.  That is, a culture's dominant, all-are-welcome holiday is going to lose some of its edge.  Various staples of the holiday, as it has evolved over 1700 years, will be casually tossed aside, but such is the price of fame.  We can't expect Christmas to endure in the format we experienced as kids, and especially in our age of MASS mass mediation.  Personally, I miss the age when TV ads were packed with traditional holiday symbols.  But I have no power to bring those back--or to declare the current status quo incorrect.  I want to age a little more graciously than that.  The new replaces the old.  That's just how it is.  And the stock human tendency is to not jump with joy over the demise of traditions WE knew and loved.

Wow--a group of rack jobber classics, plus a deep-thoughts essay!

DOWNLOAD: Christmas Is for Children (Design DLPX 2; 1957?)

Lee

             

A budget label Christmas--at this blog? Of course! "The 100 Voices of Christmas"--a Tops Records classic.

 

Well, maybe "classic" is an overstatement, but it's quite good.  And (I hate to say it), especially for a rack-jobber label like Tops Records.  Well, actually, Tops put out its share of outstanding titles, including Page Cavanaugh Plays for the Cocktail Hour, which is in my jazz Top Ten list.  Dave Pell produced that one, too.  Meanwhile, John Gustafson (not the rock bassist), who conducts the Christianaires Choir of the First Baptist Church of Van Nuys, California had an interesting career which included background singing for the movie version of Brigadoon (1954).  He also appeared on the Word, Christian Faith, and Light labels, not to mention the 1955 MGM release, I'll Go Home With Bonnie Jean, alongside Van Johnson.  And he has solo tenor spots on this LP's O Little Town of Bethlehem and What Child Is This.

I love the 1954 Brigadoon, and despite Gene Kelly being in it.  Maybe because it stars Gene Kelly and not his ego.  For a change.

This is a standard lineup of carols and hymns, all very well done (as noted), and as always I'm amused by Hark the Herald Angels Sing.  That is, by the lack of punctuation, not the number, which is still terrific after 284 years (and its Charles Wesley text still wonderful).  Obviously, "the herald angels" are the angels heralding Christ's birth, and so "Hark" should be "Hark!"--as in, "Listen!" Or, "Listen up!"  Many sources get it right, including the Methodist hymnal and even a Pickwick release.  And what do the herald angels sing? "Glory to the newborn King," and so on.

Glad I cleared that up.  And that Pickwick LP (the Don Janse Chorale) would have been part of my sleighlist--had the copy I encountered at Goodwill not been trashed.  How this Tops release survived the decades in savable shape, I know not.

"Cool it, cats, and dig the heavenly scoop!" might have been the beatnik title for "Hark!"  Who knows? In other news, Deck the Halls (originally, Hall) pleases me best at a snappy tempo, but the 100 Voices give us a fairly sedate rendition.  Good, nonetheless.  In fact, kind of interesting for not being Allegretto.  And I've never understood the notion that the text is anything but perfectly clear in its meaning.  "Deck the hall"=put up Christmas decorations.  (Duhh.)  "Don we now our gay apparel"=it's time to put on our cheeriest apparel.  Clothes.  Hello?  "Donning apparel" means the same thing today as it did in the 19th century.  No wonder people are confused.

But, then, I once had a cyber-exchange with someone who thought, "Congress shall make no law respecting..." meant "respecting," as in, "having respect for."  Good grief.  Obviously, "respecting" means "in respect to."  English usage hasn't changed that much.

An awfully cool cover for Tops, I think we have to admit.  Cool art, fine performances, and the extra expense of two commas.  A home run for Tops.  As for "Are there 100 voices?" the truth is, I don't know.  I suspect "100" is meant to convey a first-rank performance.

DOWNLOAD: The Christianaires Choir, Cond. by John Gustafson

O. Come All Ye Faithful

Silent Night

O Little Town of Bethlehem (tenor solo: John Gustafson)

Carol of the Bells

Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming

Joy to the World

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Away in a Manger

What Child Is This (tenor solo: John Gustafson)

Deck the Halls

We Three Kings of Orient Are

Angels We Have Heard on High

The 100 Voices of Christmas (Tops L 1697; 1959)

Lee

Okay... It are Christmas.

 So, Christmas 2023 has started at the blog.  I think.  Don't quote me.

I have revived three shares "banned" by workupload.  Please remember I'm at a disadvantage, since everyone except ME is allowed to use MEGA.  I have no idea why this is.  But it is.

Meanwhile, here are the three revived shares (and their posts).  More to come, plus some "new" material.

Pac-Man Christmas Album (1982): https://musicyouwont.blogspot.com/2020/11/dec-25-in-pac-ville-pac-man-christmas.html

Johnny Zell--Heralding Christmas (1979): https://musicyouwont.blogspot.com/2021/12/johnny-zell-solo-trumpeter-on-lawrence.html

Carol of the Little Drummer Boy (the story of the theft of Katherine K. Davis' Carol of the Drum): https://musicyouwont.blogspot.com/2021/02/carol-of-little-drummer-boy.html

Lee

Dancetime--Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra (Decca DL 4655; 1965)

 

Sammy Kaye, of course, was one of the most popular "sweet" bands of the swing era, along with Guy Lombardo and Freddy Martin.  And I personally have nothing against such outfits, but rest assured that Kaye's 1960s style had nothing to do with his "roots."  For some of these tracks are fit for a Henry Mancini LP, while a couple others practically rock (in the "and roll" sense).  And we get a Latin sound for Red Roses and Willow Weep for Me (maybe my favorite track of the bunch).  I'm anything but an authority on Latin and/or Afro-Cuban beats (there are too many!), but I would describe Roses as a cha-cha without the "cha-cha-cha."  And Willow as bordering on a Bo Diddley groove (in eighth notes, 123-456-78, with an accent on 1, 4, and 7).  Maybe we'll just go with "Latin."

Overall, Kaye swings in a gentle fashion, which by itself is a departure from his trademark non-swing style.  Meanwhile, the truly fine Eight Days a Week almost rocks, and the album's brilliant arranger, Charles Albertine, has Blue Prelude sounding like a Peter Gunn-style detective show theme.  And the triplet-ballad sound of If I Loved You would seem to be from the Peter and Gordon recording of the same year, though the George and Ira Gershwin Sophia sounds nothing like Dean Martin's version, as used in Kiss Me, Stupid.   As for the inclusion of Cry, keep in mind that this number has remained popular to this day, especially in Spain around the time of this LP.

Dear Heart, from one of my favorite films, is given a Henry Busse-style shuffle beat, while Goldfinger receives an as-played-by-Glenn-Miller atmosphere, with a brief foray into dance-club r&r.  (These descriptions are sounding sillier by the track!)  The number gets the big sound it requires, and Vic Mizzy's The Night Walker is first-rate Halloween background.  It slinks along in perfect "Look out!" fashion.  Which might explain its inclusion in my Oct. 31 slaylist.

I suppose this LP ultimately falls into a category whose moniker I dislike--MOR (Middle of the Road).  And MOR has a "don't bother" vibe to it, as if medium-tempo instrumental fare can't be any good.  But this outstanding LP is nothing less than superbly musical, whether used for dancing or for pleasant relaxation.


DOWNLOAD: Dancetime--Sammy Kaye and His Orch. (Decca DL 4655; 1965)

Red Roses for a Blue Lady

Dear Heart

Goldfinger

If I Loved You

Sophia

Eight Days a Week

You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You

Cry

Blue Prelude

My Love Forgive Me (Amore, Scusami)

Willow Weep for Me

The Night Walker

Lee

Halloween 2023, Part 3: Monster-Size Monster tracks! Or, look out for "Lookout Mountain"!

 

I think we all prefer our monsters monster-sized.  So long as they obey.  And so long as they aren't mutant insects...

With Jeane Dixon, break-ins, and seasonal soundalikes out of the way, it's time (just barely) for more of my favorite pieces of tongue-in-cheek terror.  And, for some reason, it was only last nght that I found the recording dates for Haunted House Polka and He's Going to Eat Me Up (thanks, 45cat).  I'd searched for them in the past, but you know how that goes: Locating data is often a matter of using the exact correct phrase or phrase combination, or you're up a haunted creek without a crucifix.  I'm probably showing my age, but I can remember when Google searches were pretty straightforward.  You put in a search phrase, and up popped the object of your search.  That was, what?  1888 or so?

And, save for the creepy Lookout Mountain, the rest of the slaylist is classic October 31 absurdity: Haunted House Polka (1955), The Screemin' Meemies From Planet "X" (Merv's finest novelty, and he made a number of them), Close the Door (a lighthearted take on The Thing), Rip Van Winkle, Munster Creep, In the Hall of the Cha-Cha King (the least dread-invoking title, after Planet "X"), Which Witch Doctor, Funny Farm, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (nothing to do with Robert Louis Stevenson's brilliant novella).  My worn Jekyll copy sounded best with my 1 mil mono stylus, so that's the rip you'll hear.  Also, Spooky Movies, which seems to me a Halloween variation on the "I took my girl to the movies, hoping for romance, but she just wanted to moon over Troy Donahue/Guy Madison" genre, only with monsters the target of her ardor.  (No, not a love for big-screen pirates.)

Bob Hudson's 1966 I'm Normal, and The Napoleon XV Revue's 1975 He's Going to Eat Me Up are our two axe-cellent copycat answers to They're Coming to Take Me Away, though there are other thump-a, thump-a, thump-a, thump-a knockoffs lurking around.  Any number of them, actually, and I have--or used to have--a CD-R of same, though one would have to be strapped down (or in) to take them away in one session.  I mean, to take them in.  Note that the latter contains a phrase not suggested for family listening.

And this is just from my boo-point, but I seriously believe Merv Griffin made the best, most campy novelties of all time, and of course I've included his two moss-terpieces for the season: the above-mentioned Screamin' Meemies and House of Horrors, both penned/co-penned by Doris Roberts.  Another Merv novelty accomplice was the famous Charles Randolph Grean (Quentin's Theme), who produced Merv's RCA hits (during Merv's brief period of chart success) and, far as I know, all of his later special productions, including the immortal Have a Nice Trip (1968), co-written by Charles.

1961's Rip Van Winkle is not so much Halloween in theme but feel, with sound effects fit for the season, and a sufficiently supernatural theme.  And a Halloween without Steve Allen is, well, a Halloween without Steve Allen.  Allen's "rockin'" ghost rocks in the fashion of cool jazz, as we'd expect from Steverino, who was (hardly) one of rock and roll's early champions.

I cited Lookout Mountain as the single credibly creepy title in the mess--er, mix.  That's because there's no lightness in the handling, and, really, it would be a chillingly challenging task to add levity to a narrative about a vengeful ghost coming to kill his widow and her new man.  But, a couple questions, at least: Were the Voodoo (?) hexes love spells which backfired?  And, if they knew the ghost would find them on Lookout Mountain, wouldn't the simplest solution have been to not go there?

And we get a soul version of Buck Owens' It's a Monster's Holiday.  Had I been able to find Owens' own recording (I failed to exhume my copy of same), I'd have made coffin space for it, but...  Oh, and there's an incredible story (thanks, Charlie Christ!) behind The Incredible Shrinking Man, on which Ray Anthony is credited as "Ray Anothony."  This title music, not surprisingly, started as an acetate not related to the film to the tiniest degree.

And the theme from William Castle's The Night Walker (1964) by (who else?) Sammy Kaye, the fondly remembered (by me, anyway) King Kong cartoon theme, and SPC doing some PD-graverobbing (in this case, from Charles Gounod) with The Alfred Hitchcock TV Show (aka, Funeral March of a Marionette).

A demon's dozen today: Thirteen titles!  Well, actually, that was true last post, but I neck-glected to depart that fact.  But, today we have a double demon's-dozen today: 26 grisly groaners!!  So, be careful!  Times two.  

DOWNLOAD: Halloween 2023, Part 3

SLAYLIST

Lookout Mountain--Chuck Miller, 1956

Haunted House Polka--The Cavaliers, 1955

The Screamin' Meemies From Planet "X"--Merv Griffin, 1961

Spooky Movies--Roy Clark, 1963

Thirteen Men--Dinah Shore With Harry Zimmerman's Orch. and Cho., 1958

Close the Door--Jim Lowe With Norman Leyden Orch., 1955

Big Bad Wolf--Don Cherry With Ray Conniff and His Orch., 1958

The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Danse Macabre--Dick Jacobs and His Orch., 1958

Rip Van Winkle--The Devotions, 1961

Munster Creep--The Munsters, 1964

House of Horrors--Merv Griffin, Orch, conducted by Charles Grean, 1962

The Naughty Ghost--Jan August With Vocal Group, 1955

I'm Normal--The Emperor (Bob Hudson), 1966

The Rockin' Ghost--Archie Bleyer Orch. and Chorus, 1956

He's Going to Eat Me Up--Napoleon XV Revue, 1975

In the Hall of the Cha-Cha King--Belmonte and His Afro-American Music, 1955

Tennessee Hill-Billy Ghost-Red Foley With the Anita Kerr Singers, 1951

It's a Monster's Holiday--Chick Willis, 1975

Murder, He Says--Betty Hutton With Pete Rugolo and His Orch., 1951

Which Witch Doctor--The Vogues With Al Kavelin's Music, 1958

The Alfred Hitchcock TV Show--Unkown (Diplomat, 1962)

The Incredible Shrinking Man--Ray Anothony (Anthony) and His Orch., 1957

The Thing--Danny Kaye, Orch. and Cho. Dir. by Ken Darby, 1950

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde--The Emersons, 1959

The Night Walker--Sammy Kaye and His Orch., 1965

King Kong--Wade Denning and His Port Wawshingtons, 1966

Lee