Category: M.O.R.

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN (Part 1)

9/9/2018

We've gotten the rundown on Real Gone's Christmas selections for 2018. Other than the John Klein release, there aren't any purchase links as yet (and no cover art), but they've been added to The List. November 2 is the anticipated release date. With Real Gone, you know that the re-mastering will be the best and the liner notes will be impeccable. If you had your choice of anyone releasing this music, truly, you'd choose Real Gone. We'll revisit these releases when we get official cover art and track lists. But, for now, I'm just gonna copy and paste the titles and brief descriptions as they appear on The List.

LORNE GREENE/CAST OF BONANZA--"Have A Happy Holiday"/"Christmas At The Ponderosa" (Twofer featuring Lorne's '65 solo effort)
JOHN KLEIN--"A Christmas Sound Spectacular"/"Let The Bells Ring" (Twofer; first stereo on CD of 1959 LP, first time on CD for 1964 LP)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ--"The Complete Columbia Christmas Collection" (2-CD set; all 3 of his Xmas albums, plus rare 1950 track)
THE McGUIRE SISTERS--"Greetings From The McGuire Sisters (Expanded Edition)" (First time on CD for 1958 LP + bonus cuts)
ROD McKUEN--"New Carols For Christmas: The Rod McKuen Christmas Album" (1971 album, last issued in 1995)

Real Gone ran into some trouble getting the rights to the Jim Reeves album I was looking forward to, but they seem pretty confident that that'll be resolved in time for next year's crop. We've also heard that Real Gone will be issuing vinyl of Hanson's "Snowed In" (1997) and "Merry Merry Christmas" by New Kids On The Block (1989). We don't have any more details on that as yet. With Real Gone, you know special care will be taken to ensure that these are very special vinyl offerings. And, to the best of my recollection, I don't think that Hanson album has ever been on vinyl before.

In addition to Real Gone, Christmas music obsessives like myself always look forward to the annual holiday releases from Jasmine. The Jasmine CDs are traditionally double-CDs of vintage holiday fare featuring a hodgepodge of singles, album sides, loose tracks and a few things that don't seem to fit at all. Some of it is easy to find, some completely obscure (sometimes there are tracks that have never seen CD issue at all). A Jasmine Christmas CD is a bit of a treasure hunt, actually. Oh, and the collections always have weird, long titles. This year's 2-CD sets are "Radiant Beams On This Christmas Eve" and "The Last Mile Home For Christmas". Both titles drop September 14.

And the first nuggets of treasure I spy are the two singles from The Mills Brothers on "Radiant Beams", 1949's "My Christmas Song To You"/"On This Christmas Eve" and 1955's "You Don't Have To Be A Santa Claus"/"I Believe In Santa Claus". I believe those are the best sides The Mills Brothers ever recorded. And that's saying something.

RADIANT BEAMS ON THIS CHRISTMAS EVE
Disc: 1
1. White Christmas Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra-Deck The Halls Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra
2. The First Noel-Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra
3. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear -Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra
4. Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful)-Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra & Chorus
5. O Holy Night -Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra & Chorus
6. Joy To The World- Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra & Chorus
7. I Wonder As I Wander -Jo Stafford
8. O Little Town Of Bethlehem- Jo Stafford
9. Youre All I Want For Christmas- Joe Graydon & The Skylarks
10. Jumpin Jiminy Christmas Song -Spinners
11. Christmas In Killarney Song -Spinners
12. The First Snowfall -The Page Cavanaugh Trio & The Jud Conlon Singers & Orchestra
13. Too Fat For The Chimney- Teresa Brewer
14. I Just Cant Wait Til Christmas -Teresa Brewer
15. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus -Teresa Brewer
16. Ebenezer Scrooge -Teresa Brewer
17. Twelve Days Of Christmas- Ames Brothers
18. Wassail Song- Ames Brothers
19. Frosty, The Snowman- Harry Babbitt & The Heartbeats
20. Rudolph,The Red-Nosed Reindeer -Harry Babbitt & The Heartbeats
21. Snowfall- Henry Mancini And His Orchestra & Chorus
22. Sleigh Ride- Al Caiola
23. One Bright Star Al Caiola
24. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear -Eydie Gorme / Arthur Fiedler,Orchestra & Chorus
25. White Christmas- Charly Tabor And Orchestra & Chorus
26. Marys Boy Child- Charly Tabor And Orchestra & Chorus
27. Silent Night (Stille Nacht) -Charly Tabor And Orchestra & Chorus
28. Suber Die Glocken Nie Klingen (The Bells Ring Any Sweeter) -Charly Tabor And Orchestra & Chorus

Disc: 2
1. Deck The Halls- Roger Williams
2. We Three Kings Of Orient Are / The First Noel / Away In A Manger / Angels We Have Heard On High- Roger Williams
3. Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful) -Roger Williams
4. O Holy Night / Joy To The World / It Came Upon A Midnight Clear / O Sanctissima- Roger Williams
5. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing- Roger Williams
6. What Child Is This? -Helen Oconnell
7. Christmas Is A-Comin -The Jack Halloran Singers
8. Marys Boy Child -The Jack Halloran Singers
9. White Christmas- Ink Spots
10. Silent Night- Roy Rogers
11. The Christmas Song- Nat King Cole
12. Mrs. Santa Claus Nat King Cole
13. Frosty, The Snowman Nat King Cole
14. Little Christmas Tree- Nat King Cole
15. We Three Kings Of Orient Are / Good King Wenceslas / Gesu Bambino- Gisele Mackenzie
16. Silent Night / God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen / The Coventry Carol -Gisele Mackenzie
17. When Winter Comes A-Callin -The Ray Charles Singers & Dick Hyman
18. Snowfall -The Ray Charles Singers & Dick Hyman
19. Sleigh Ride -Bing Crosby
20. Sleigh Ride- Andrews Sisters
21. You Dont Have To Be A Santa Claus- Mills Brothers
22. I Believe In Santa Claus- Mills Brothers
23. On This Christmas Eve- Mills Brothers
24. My Christmas Song For You - Mills Brothers

Radiant Beams On This Christmas Eve is another spectacular collection of some of the greatest seasonal songs of all time! Generous helpings of Christmas melodies by some of the world's greatest artists including Roger Williams, Billy Vaughn, Gisele MacKenzie, The Mills Brothers, Nat King Cole, Charly Tabor and Teresa Brewer. Both the Andrews Sisters' and Bing Crosby's recordings of "Sleigh Ride" are featured, side by side for the first time, in one collection. Much, much more from Jo Stafford, The Page Cavanaugh Trio, Henry Mancini, The Song Spinners, Al Caiola, The Ames Brothers, Eydie Gorme, Harry Babbitt, Helen O'Connell, The Ink Spots, The Jack Halloran Singers, Roy Rogers and The Ray Charles Singers. This is a set to play over and over for years to come during this joyous season, and particularly on Christmas Eve!

THE LAST MILE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
Disc: 1
1. Silver Bells Pat Boone
2. Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful)- Pat Boone
3. Here Comes Santa Claus- Pat Boone & the Foley Sisters
4. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear -Pat Boone
5. White Christmas- Pat Boone
6. Hark! the Herald Angels Sing- Pat Boone
7. Jingle Bells- Pat Boone & the Foley Sisters
8. Joy to the World- Pat Boone
9. The Christmas Song- Henri Rene and His Orchestra
10. The Angel and the Stranger- Lyn Cornell
11. His Invisible Hand- the Four Lads
12. The Eyes of God -The Four Lads
13. Merry, Merry Christmas- Ruby Wright
14. There's No Place Like Home at Christmas -Jan Garber and His Orchestra
15. The Last Mile Home -Andrews Sisters & Dick Haymes
16. A Dreamer's Holiday -Andrews Sisters
17. Spring in December- Andrews Sisters
18. A Child's First Christmas- Jan Peerce
19. Christmas Is the Day Anita- Kerr Singers
20. Snowfall- Geri Galian and His Caribbean Rhythm Boys
21. Winter Wonderland- Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra
22. White Christmas -Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra
23. Here Comes Santa- Claus Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra
24. I Want to Wish You a Merry Christmas- Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra
25. The Spirit of Christmas -Kitty Kallen
26. The Searching Wind -Tommy Dorsey & Victor Young and His Orchestra
27. Blue Christmas- Billy Eckstine
28. Christmas Eve- Billy Eckstine
29. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?- Billy Eckstine

Disc: 2
1. A-Caroling We Go- Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians
2. Away in a Manger Fred -Waring and His Pennsylvanians
3. What Child Is This / Come, Dear Children- Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians
4. Mary's Baby -Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians
5. Bright, Bright, the Holly Berries -Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians
6. Angels We Have Heard on High / O Come, O Come, Emmanuel / Jubilate Deo- Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians
7. O Listen to the Angels' Song- Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians
8. Be Joyful, Be Merry -Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians
9. I Wonder As I Wander- Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians
10. Caroling, Caroling Fred -Waring and His Pennsylvanians
11. The Christmas Song- the Three Suns
12. The First Noel -Keely Smith
13. The Boy with the Golden Kazoo- Dave Terry and His Orchestra
14. Mary's Boy Child -The Depaur Chorus
15. Away in a Manger -The Sportsmen Quartet
16. Good King Wenceslas- the Sportsmen Quartet
17. O Little Town of Bethlehem / Joy to the World- Clark Dennis
18. White Christmas- Kate Smith
19. Christmas in the Air- Johnny Desmond
20. Sleigh Ride -The Melachrino Strings
21. Santa Mouse- Jerry Vale
22. Merry, Merry Christmas- the Lennon Sisters
23. Let's Light the Christmas Tree -The Lennon Sisters
24. Jing-A-Ling, Jing-A-Ling- Richard Hayes & Jerry Murad's Harmonicats
25. Santa Claus for President- Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra
26. All Because It's Christmas- Lou Monte
27. Jingle Bells- Mambo Pete Rugolo and His Orchestra
28. The Secret of Christmas- Rex Allen
29. Midnight Sleighride the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra
30. I See God Johnny- Desmond & the Ray Charles Singers
31. America's Prayer- Johnny Desmond & the Ray Charles Singers

The Last Mile Home For Christmas is one of two 2018 spectacular sets: a balance of sacred and secular songs by leading artists of the 1940s, 50s and 60s that can be added to Jasmine's collection of great Christmas compilations. Here are large segments of tracks by Pat Boone, Fred Waring, Sammy Kaye, Billy Eckstine and The Andrews Sisters. Many recordings appearing on CD for the first time by such additional stars as the Anita Kerr Singers, Kitty Kallen, Tommy Dorsey, Kate Smith, Johnny Desmond, The Lennon Sisters and Keely Smith. Traditional hymns and carols are featured along with such titles as "Merry, Merry Christmas", "The Angel And The Stranger", "Snowfall", "Santa Mouse", "Spring In December", "A Child's First Christmas" and "Jingle Bells Mambo". One of the best of Christmas sets from Jasmine.

There's at least one more company in the vintage mix--Bear Family. Bear Family is known for their comprehensive box sets for assorted artists, but they've recently gotten into the Christmas music collection business. Actually, they've gotten into the holiday music collection business. We just featured their Halloween comp, "The Shadow Knows", and, jeez, I didn't even know they'd done an Easter collection (actually, that one looks pretty good, "Easter Bunny Hop"). Bear Family's previous Christmas collections are "Christmas On The Countryside" and "Big City Christmas". This year's collection is "Have Yourself A Swingin' Little Christmas". It debuts in the states on November 9 (European release date October 19).

Looking over the track list of "Have Yourself A Swingin' Little Christmas", I'm not seeing anything I need, though there are a couple of cuts on the rare side. I remember that Thelma Cooper song being a bear to track down, back in the day. More Mills Brothers. And Ralph Marterie's 1954 cover of "Dig That Crazy Santa Claus" is a nice inclusion, as well.

1:   Jingle Bells - Glenn Miller
2:   Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town - The Ames Brothers
3:   Here Comes Santa Claus - The Mills Brothers
4:   Baby, It's Cold Outside - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan
5:   Frosty The Snowman - Perry Como
6:   Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Les Brown
7:   Winter Wonderland - The Andrews Sisters
8:   Santa Claus Came In The Spring - Benny Goodman
9:   Merry Christmas - Anne Shelton
10:   Swingin' Them Jingle Bells - Fats Waller
11:   Christmas Boogie - 'Sugar Chile' Robinson
12:   I Need A Man (For Xmas) - Thelma Cooper
13:   Christmas Island - The Andrews Sisters
14:   Rudolph, The Red/Nosed Reindeer Mambo - Billy May
15:   Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Johnny Mercer
16:   (Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man With The Bag - Kay Starr
17:   Zat You, Santa Claus? - Louis Armstrong
18:   Santa Claus Got Stuck In My Chimney - Ella Fitzgerald
19:   What Will Santa Claus Say (When He Finds Everybody Swingin') - Louis Prima
20:   The Christmas Spell - Peggy Lee
21:   Boogie Woogie Santa Claus - Lionel Hampton
22:   Cool Yule - Louis Armstrong
23:   Dig That Crazy Santa Claus - Ralph Marterie
24:   Merry Christmas, Baby - Lionel Hampton
25:   Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - The Mills Brothers
26:   Jingle Bells - The Ames Brothers
27:   Silent Night - Mario Lanza

An exceptionally danceable compilation of Christmas songs from the fields of Jazz, Swing and vintage Rhythm & Blues.
- Celebrate your nostalgic Christmas with 27 'Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Boogie, Jive and Easy Listening' rarities from 1935-1959.
- These include the two rare songs from Louis Armstrong's 1953 comedic Decca single and the original version of Kay Starr's Waiting For The Man With The Bag, which became famous through the Brian Setzer Orchestra!
Glenn Miller's big-band version of Jingle Bells as well as Mario Lanza's goose-bumps causing interpretation of Silent Night and the breathtaking Christmas classics of the Mills Brothers and Johnny Mercer, rousing danceable rhythms until the Christmas tree wiggles!
Also included is a rare R&B title by Thelma Cooper, who is often confused with Dolly Cooper!
A compilation that will not only delight the fans of Swing - it is so much more enjoyable to prepare a Christmas cake with this music playing, and dance lovers will always get their money's worth!
After the two previous very successful releases with Christmas songs - 'Christmas On The Countryside' (BCD17508) and 'Big City Christmas' (BCD17509) - now follows the third part with extremely danceable grooves from the genres of Jazz, Swing and Rhythm & Blues, compiled by the Bear Family team. Our releases for the Christmas season obviously hit the nerve of our friends. The sets deliver intelligently compiled albums that offer themselves as an alternative to Xmas kitsch.
The entertaining mix of some well-known songs and several new discoveries provides even die-hard Christmas haters and music collectors with enough material to celebrate an alternative Christmas full of pleasure.
The 24-page accompanying booklet contains the essential information on the individual recordings. All titles have been carefully remastered. No more baking cookies - get up on the dance floor!
1-CD with 24 pages booklet, 27 tracks, approx. 75 min.

Well, that's gonna do it for this installment of "Everything Old Is New Again". When we get the full deets on the Real Gone releases, we'll bring those right to you. Let's close with Ann Shelton from the original 78 (Bear Family's re-mastered version won't have the static, pops and clicks, I promise).

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COMING ATTRACTION - ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK

8/27/2018

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Yeah. That's what she said. Or something.

A Quick note. Those covers I posted a while back? As I suspected, I got the track lists about 5 minutes after that post went up (OK, it was more like 2 days, but still...). Anyway, minus vids or audio, I didn't have anything more to say about them, so I'm just putting them up on the Previews page. Mitch Ryder and Thor are up there already. Martina McBride is coming, but I gotta be up early this morning. Haven't decided what to do with Shatner, yet. And we're still waiting for a track list from the Mavericks. Now, on to Engelbert.

Born Arnold George Dorsey on 1936, the immediate question that comes to mind is...why would you change your name to Engelbert Humperdinck? To the extent we have any answer to that, it's because Enge had been playing and recording as Gerry Dorsey for a decade and not making any headway. So the name change was meant as a way of shedding the past and starting anew with a name which would make people stand up and take notice. (An aside: I used to work at a radio station where the owner changed the call letters to something totally ridiculous. When he'd tell people at cocktail parties the name of the station he owned, they'd laugh out loud. When asked why he choose those call letters when people were laughing at them, he said it was better than getting no reaction at all, as the old call letters had.) The name is actually borrowed from a 19th century composer of operas.

1. Please Come Home For Christmas
2. Driving Home For Christmas
3. Christmas Song
4. I'll Be Home For Christmas
5. Snowy Christmas (Medley)
6. A Christmas For The Family
7. Silently Falls The Snow
8. O Tannenbaum
9. Still Still Still
10. Silent Night
11. Around The Christmas Tree
12. White Christmas
13. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?
14. Leise Rieselt der Schnee

ARTIST WEB SITE
PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON

Engelbert Humperdinck is not in my wheelhouse. He's sort of an MOR Pop vocalist--really, the kind of stuff that drove me crazy as a kid. I'm familiar with his first big hit, "Release Me" from 1967, which was inescapable back then. And I'm familiar with "After The Lovin'", a tune that rose to #8 in 1976 (a year later and he'd have been drowned by the Bee Gees and their "Saturday Night Fever" chart domination). Because it's so emblematic of the softer side of 70s sound, I actually think fondly about "After The Lovin'".

Engelbert's first Christmas album, "Christmas Tyme", was released in 1977. There have been several Christmas titles since, but I couldn't tell you how many were all new or re-packagings. I don't think I have a single Engelbert track in my entire collection, Christmas or not. Just sayin'.

Now 82, Engelbert's vocals sound pretty much as strong as ever (at least from the light sampling I've done lately). So you know what you're in for on "Warmest Christmas Wishes".

There are two all new songs on "Warmest Christmas Wishes"--"Christmas For The Family" and "Around The Christmas Tree". Additionally, Engelbert wrote English lyrics for the German carol "Silently Falls The Snow". The "Christmas Song" you see listed as track 3 is not "Chestnuts Roasting", but Gilbert O'Sullivan's rarely covered Christmas song. Engelbert also covers Chris Rea's "Driving Home For Christmas" and Charles Brown's "Please Come Home For Christmas". If you want to hear that last one, Billboard has the exclusive audio.

"Warmest Christmas Wishes" by Engelbert Humperdinck will drop on October 12. And he'll have a PBS special later this year, as well (in which he'll sing some of his Christmas selections alongside some of his biggest hits). Since no one granted us an exclusive audio clip (sad emoji), I'm calling an audible and closing with the song I know and like, "After The Lovin'". Peace out, dudes and dudettes.

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EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN (Part 1)

COMING ATTRACTION - ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK

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