DISC ONE:
1. Christmas Everyday - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
2. Crazy Santa Claus - The Debonaires
3. Christmas Day - Detroit Junior
4. Frosty The Snowman - The Drifters
5. (Have A) Merry Christmas - The Quotations
6. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - The Four Seasons
7. We Wanna See Santa Do The Mambo - John Greer
8. Wish You A Merry Christmas - Kim Weston
9. Santa Claus Boogie - The Voices
10. Jingle Bells - Toni Harper
11. The Bells Of St. Mary's - Bob B. Soxx & Blue Jeans
12. Holiday Blues - Fat Daddy
13. Merry Christmas - The Cameos
14. Amy Day Now - Sam Cooke
15. Santa Done Got Hip - The Marquees
16. I Hear Jingle Bells - Freddy King
17. Good Morning Blues - Dee Dee Ford
18. Call Me For Christmas - Gary U.S. Bonds
19. Rock 'N' Rudolph - The Uniques
20. Sleigh Ride - The Ronettes
21. Who Says There Ain't No Santa Claus - Ron Holden
22. Silent Night - The Ravens
23. Twistin' Bells - Santo & Johnny
24. Jingle Jangle - The Penguins
25. Church Bells May Ring - The Willows
1. Christmas Everyday - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
2. Crazy Santa Claus - The Debonaires
3. Christmas Day - Detroit Junior
4. Frosty The Snowman - The Drifters
5. (Have A) Merry Christmas - The Quotations
6. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - The Four Seasons
7. We Wanna See Santa Do The Mambo - John Greer
8. Wish You A Merry Christmas - Kim Weston
9. Santa Claus Boogie - The Voices
10. Jingle Bells - Toni Harper
11. The Bells Of St. Mary's - Bob B. Soxx & Blue Jeans
12. Holiday Blues - Fat Daddy
13. Merry Christmas - The Cameos
14. Amy Day Now - Sam Cooke
15. Santa Done Got Hip - The Marquees
16. I Hear Jingle Bells - Freddy King
17. Good Morning Blues - Dee Dee Ford
18. Call Me For Christmas - Gary U.S. Bonds
19. Rock 'N' Rudolph - The Uniques
20. Sleigh Ride - The Ronettes
21. Who Says There Ain't No Santa Claus - Ron Holden
22. Silent Night - The Ravens
23. Twistin' Bells - Santo & Johnny
24. Jingle Jangle - The Penguins
25. Church Bells May Ring - The Willows
 | DISC TWO: 1. Christmas Morning - Titus Turner 2. It's Christmas Time - Marvin & Johnny 3. Christmas Time For Everybody But Me - Hank Ballard 4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - The Crystals 5. Joy To The World - Jackie Wilson 6. Christmas Celebration - B.B. King 7. Trim Your Tree - Jimmy Butler 8. I Want A Man For Christmas - Joan Shaw 9. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Cadillacs 10. Hey Santa Claus - The Moonglows 11. The Christmas Song - Marvin Gaye 12. Jingle Rock - Tommy Lee & The Orbits 13. Dig That Crazy Santa Claus - Oscar McLollie 14. Marshmallow World - Darlene Love 15. WinterWonderland - Smoley Robinson & The Miracles 16. Mary's Boy Child - Harry Belafonte 17. Santa Claus Baby - The Voices 18. Santa Claus Meets The Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley 19. Swingin' Santa - Sandy Baron 20. I Saw Mommy Do The Mambo - Jimmy Boyd 21. White Christmas - The Drifters 22. It's Christmas Once Again - Frankie Lymon 23. The Rocking Tree - Marguerite Trina 24. Happy New Year Baby - Jo-Ann Campbell 25. Mambo Santa Mambo - The Enchanters |
HooDoo Records is based in Barcelona, Spain, and, taking advantage of the copyright laws in Europe, they specialize in "Public Domain" releases that would not be so in this country. Since they don't have to pay royalties, they can put out some very rare stuff without having to pay for it. That keeps their prices low and their profits high. It also allows them to feather re-issued albums with plenty of bonus tracks and to invest in comprehensive liner notes (most of HooDoo's releases feature 16 page booklets). Their releases are digitally remastered, which doesn't automatically mean they sound good; but its worth noting that people who have bought CDs released on HooDoo have generally been happy with those purchases (though there has been a complaint that they should tone down the echo effects).
Once upon a time, I frowned upon this kind of release. But I'm over it. Quite frankly, copyright law was supposed to afford a limited term of protection and fifty years seems like plenty (the originally proposed protections--way back when--were on the order of seven or eight years). Moreover, the U.S. laws are so wacky, you can't ever tell (without paying a lawyer--which is probably the point) what is and isn't PD. No, the European laws make perfect sense to me. Fifty years is enough and its a clear bright line. No guessing, no fuss, no muss. You want to know why all the Beatles stuff is suddenly coming out? Its because, beginning next year, their 1964 releases are going to become Public Domain in Europe. And each year that follows will put more and more Beatles material into the Public Domain...everywhere but here.
This specific HooDoo release is a collection of vintage Soul and R&B. The early Motown Christmas stuff and the Phil Spector Christmas record have reached PD age overseas and this collection contains a liberal dosage of those. And all the classics are here--The Drifters, The Cadillacs, Oscar McLollie. But there's a bunch of stuff, here, that collectors like myself went miles and dollars out of our way to obtain. I think Sandy Baron's "Swingin' Santa" is making its CD debut here. If Joan Shaw's "I Want A Man For Christmas" has been on CD before, it would have had to have been recent (though its been available digitally for a few years). I'm not sure I've even heard Toni Harper's "Jingle Bells". There's over two hours of rockin' Soul in all. The price is decent for a two-disc import and its like grabbing yourself an instant Soul Christmas library. And, if you managed to grab the two editions of "Santa's Funk And Soul Christmas Party" on Germany's fine Tramp label (who DO pay royalties, by the way) and you've got the Atco "Soul Christmas" album from 1968, you're pretty much all set.
If I have any complaint at all, it would be that Tommy Edwards' Christmas music wasn't included. I'd much rather hear one of his holiday tracks that has yet to make it to CD than another run through Harry Belafonte's "Mary's Boy Child" or Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. Still, it's going to be impossible for me to resist this collection. "Gonna Have A Really Soulful Christmas" will be available as an Import through Amazon and other on-line retailers on October 14.
Once upon a time, I frowned upon this kind of release. But I'm over it. Quite frankly, copyright law was supposed to afford a limited term of protection and fifty years seems like plenty (the originally proposed protections--way back when--were on the order of seven or eight years). Moreover, the U.S. laws are so wacky, you can't ever tell (without paying a lawyer--which is probably the point) what is and isn't PD. No, the European laws make perfect sense to me. Fifty years is enough and its a clear bright line. No guessing, no fuss, no muss. You want to know why all the Beatles stuff is suddenly coming out? Its because, beginning next year, their 1964 releases are going to become Public Domain in Europe. And each year that follows will put more and more Beatles material into the Public Domain...everywhere but here.
This specific HooDoo release is a collection of vintage Soul and R&B. The early Motown Christmas stuff and the Phil Spector Christmas record have reached PD age overseas and this collection contains a liberal dosage of those. And all the classics are here--The Drifters, The Cadillacs, Oscar McLollie. But there's a bunch of stuff, here, that collectors like myself went miles and dollars out of our way to obtain. I think Sandy Baron's "Swingin' Santa" is making its CD debut here. If Joan Shaw's "I Want A Man For Christmas" has been on CD before, it would have had to have been recent (though its been available digitally for a few years). I'm not sure I've even heard Toni Harper's "Jingle Bells". There's over two hours of rockin' Soul in all. The price is decent for a two-disc import and its like grabbing yourself an instant Soul Christmas library. And, if you managed to grab the two editions of "Santa's Funk And Soul Christmas Party" on Germany's fine Tramp label (who DO pay royalties, by the way) and you've got the Atco "Soul Christmas" album from 1968, you're pretty much all set.
If I have any complaint at all, it would be that Tommy Edwards' Christmas music wasn't included. I'd much rather hear one of his holiday tracks that has yet to make it to CD than another run through Harry Belafonte's "Mary's Boy Child" or Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. Still, it's going to be impossible for me to resist this collection. "Gonna Have A Really Soulful Christmas" will be available as an Import through Amazon and other on-line retailers on October 14.
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