All this month my friend Ernie, the Christmas music fanatic, has been posting his annual Christmas in July shares over at
his blog. These consist of Christmas-related or at least acquainted songs that have appeared on non-Christmas albums. And if you think there can't be many such specimens, Ernie has already uploaded about 500 of them so far this month. He is almost as energetic and diligent as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.
My own favorites are three Marin and Marais songs from the 50s. But there also have been tunes from artists I like such as Kenny Baker, the Hi-Los, Georgia Gibbs, Richard Hayman, Chet Baker, Dick and Kiz Harp, Dolf van der Linden, David Munrow, Jack Teagarden, George Shearing, Skitch Henderson, Esquivel, Jane Froman, Victor Young, Hal Kemp and Bill Medley. Plus the usual handbell ringers, children's choirs, music boxes and organists. I think every handbell and music box in North America has been heard from so far.
I've been remiss in not sending you his way earlier this month, so now you have about 50 posts to pick through. But it's a worthwhile endeavor if you love the holiday sounds.
Ernie has been trying to incite me to do my own Christmas in July post, but I don't have anything new for you. The best I can provide are remastered versions of two favorite old shares, as detailed below. The links take you to the original posts.
The Weavers - We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Made during their initial flush of success, the Weavers' holiday album is a real treasure. As I wrote a decade ago, "There is joy and optimism in the Weavers' presentation of these songs,
and their approach manages to sound both plain-spoken and sophisticated
at once. All these songs (with the possible exception of the inescapable and
seemingly endless 'Twelve Days of Christmas') have a freshness that is
rare in the genre."
Choir of King's College, Cambridge - A Festival of Lessons and Carols. This 1954 record was the first LP capturing the famous choir's Christmas Eve service in the vast space and glorious acoustic of King's College Chapel. It is awesome in the truest sense of the word.
In the next few days, I will be uploading a 1956 album from the same source, capturing a Choral Evensong service. It, too, is treasurable.
Merry Christmas in July, everyone!
8 comments:
Cheers, Buster! Thank you for the shout-out, and for the remastered shares. BTW, I found another Marias & Miranda today for you. :)
Thank you for the updated shares, Buster.
You're welcome, folks!
Hi Buster...love your blogs. I wanted to share a few albums with you for your blog. The first is Genie Pace's second album Here's Genie and her 1961 EP La Pachanga. The other is the very rare EP by Donna Brooks Soft And Slow. I don't have a megaconz account, but can share them via sendspace if you love. Let me know. I know these are things people have been looking for (I have them on youtube on my music channel currently). Thanks.
Hi Eddie - I am familiar with both singers, and would love to have those items. Thanks!
Hey, Buster, how about for this Christmas you gift us with the 1951 and 1963 stereo LP releases of AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS? The 1963 release has not been reissued, other than during the LP era.
Thanks Buster for sharing this.
I thought I had the Weavers Christmas album in my MP3 Christmas collections. I see I do not. Maybe I downloaded it from you sometime back, but never listened to it? The cover just looks familiar to me.
Anyway, it was a really nice collection and worth a repeated listening.
Folk music is really nice, because it is so easy to sing along to. You could say and it is, family oriented music.
Bryan - That Weavers record is curiously elusive. One of my favorites!
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