Christmas Greetings From Mantovani And His Orchestra

Christmas Greetings From Mantovani And His Orchestra (1963) London Records PS-338
SORRY EVERYONE I Found out that this album is available on CD and had to remove the download link. I don't intentionally post something that has been released on CD. It was released in 2006 in the United Kingdom on Dutton-Vocalion Records and Amazon.com.uk has a couple of vendors selling it. The reason I couldn't find it before I did this posting was that it is under a different title and artwork. The information on this CD can be found at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Song-Christmas-Mantovani/dp/B000KLNQ4G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1255539959&sr=8-1 It is under the title of "A Song For Christmas" the track listing is the same. Again, I apologize and I hope you will continue to follow my blog.

I was going to wait until I moved, but decided to post this beautiful album. Not to detract from the upcoming release on Mantovani's "Christmas Carols" from 1958 that is going to be released on CD by UMG (Universal Music Group) in November. Please visit TheYuleLog.com (Thanks Chip) for more information on this release. I know that other blogs have also mentioned this album being released.

I didn't remove any noise and only manually removed a couple clicks on this album because removing them changed the music too much and I didn't want to ruin this beautiful music. I did however remove the 60hz hum. The main clicks are on Side Two. The clicks are there at the end of Track 3 and go through the beginning of track 4 for about the first minute but it doesn't overpower the music. I noticed them more using headphone than through speakers. Any other clicks are very minor and you probably won't even notice them. Enjoy.

Christmas Isn't Just A Day In December, It's A Way Of Life


Track Listing:
Side One
01 Deck The Halls
02 Once In Royal David's City
03 Jingle Bells
04 Toy waltz
05 The Holly And The Ivy
06 O Thou That Tellest Good Things
Side Two
01 It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
02 The Twelve Days Of Christmas
03 While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
04 Christmas Bells
05 Mary's Boy Child
06 I Saw Three Ships

Updated Artwork for Ed Ames Christmas Is The Warmest Time Of The Year

Updated Artwork for Ed Ames "Christmas Is The Warmest Time Of The Year"

I was at a Thrift Store yesterday and found another copy of Ed Ames Christmas Is The Warmest Time Of The Year. The album was in pretty bad shape, but the jacket was much better than the last one I posted. Rather than re upload the whole zipfile again, or edit my original post, I figured it would be easier just to post the image.
EDITED 7/13/2009 I changed the original post and put this image there too instead of the one that was torn on the back.

RIP Mary Travers (Peter, Paul And Mary)

Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary passed away at the age of 72
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090917/ap_on_en_mu/us_obit_mary_travers
Here is their Christmas Song "A Soalin"

RIP Henry Gibson (Laugh-In)

Henry Gibson of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In passed away at the age of 73
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-henry-gibson17-2009sep17,0,1109640.story

Canadian Brass Trumpeter Fred Mills dies in car crash

Trumpeter of the Canadian Brass Fred Mills died Monday in an automobile accident. He was 70.
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2009/09/08/fred-mills-obit.html

I re ripped Ed Ames Christmas Is the Warmest Time of the Year

I re ripped Ed Ames "Christmas Is the Warmest Time of the Year" without using any noise reduction other than hum and what I could remove of the pips and pops. The tracks don't sound tinny this way. I will edit the original post to reflect this change too.

Rest in Peace Les Paul

Les Paul passed away today. I was going to post this myself, but our friends at Jingle Bell Rocks! doc beat me to it so I will post the link for their blog.
http://jinglebellrocks.blogspot.com/2009/08/rest-in-peace-les-paul-19152009.html

Ed Ames - Christmas Is the Warmest Time of the Year

Ed Ames “Christmas Is the Warmest Time of the Year” – RCA Records LSP-4385 1970
I found this today at a Thrift Store. The artwork isn’t in the best of shape, especially on the upper right hand corner of the back where it has been torn off.
The album has a few scuffs here and there and light scratches but it doesn’t skip. (The vinyl did look better at the Thrift Store but for its age it really isn’t in that bad shape)

I did my best at eliminating pips and pops and background noise but on a couple tracks, to me, they sound a little “tinny” I don’t know if it has something to do with them being a higher bitrate or what, but it only happened on a couple tracks and only after I tried eliminating the background noise. It was fine after the 60Hz hum removal and fine after the removing of the pips and pops. (I save the file after each step)

This album was recorded in RCA’s Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California, and Webster Hall, New York City.

EDITED 8/23/09 I re ripped the album and didn't use any background noise removal so the songs don't sound tinny.

Recording Engineers: Mickey Crofford, Hollywood, and Ed Begley, New York
Photography: Ken Whitmore
Album design: Wall Batterton


Track Listing:
Side One
01 The Prince of Peace (A Child Was Born)
02 See the Light
03 Silent Night
04 The Little Drummer Boy
05 O Holy Night (Cantique de Noël)
Side Two
01 O Bambino (One Cold and Blessed Winter)
02 Little White Donkey (Carrying the Lord to Jerusalem)
03 Some Children See Him
04 The Lord’s Prayer
05 What Child Is This
06 Christmas Is the Warmest Time of the Year

I re ripped Jackie Gleason "All I Want For Christmas"

I re ripped Jackie Gleason "All I Want For Christmas" and edited my post from August 25, 2008 including the new compressed file. Enjoy.

Regarding Ferrante & Teicher-We Wish You a Merry Christmas

I recently acquired an original release of Ferrante & Teicher ''We Wish You A Merry Christmas'' UAS 6536 and updated my post from September 16, 2008 with the original artwork of the back of the album jacket which is in color. I didn't re upload the compressed file but added the image for the original artwork to my post.

Enjoy

Shell's Wonderful World Of Music Volume 2

Shell's Wonderful World Of Music Volume II by The Longines Symphonette Society. Beginning with these posts, the MP3 files are done at 320 KB instead of 128 KB so they should sound much better but in doing so the file size increases and therefore the zipfile will take longer to d/l. Some of the songs on this set are from Volume I and are also in Volume III. I am including a link for Volume I here so you don't have to go back through my blog to find it.
http://christmas-christmasforever.blogspot.com/2009/03/shells-wonderful-world-of-music-by.html
The inner artwork is the same for all three volumes so I didn't include it in this post. The only difference is the section for the track listing.



Track Listing
Record One Side One
01 Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
02 Away in a Manger
03 Babes In Toyland
04 What Child Is This?
05 Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Record One Side Two
01 It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
02 O Little Town of Bethlehem
03 O Holy Night
04 Oh Come All Ye Faithful
05 Silver Bells
Record Two Side One
01 The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
02 Ave Maria (Schubert)
03 God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
04 I'll Be Home for Christmas
05 The First Noel
Record Two Side Two
01 White Christmas
02 It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
03 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
04 Joy to the World
05 Silent Night
Originally, The Longines Symphonette Society released a 4-record set titled "Christmas at the Fireside" and used this picture for the cover of Volume II. All 3 "Shell" sets include some of the songs from this 4-record set.

Shell's Wonderful World Of Music Volume III

Shell's Wonderful World Of Music Volume III by The Longines Symphonette Society. A few songs on this set are also on Volume I & II. I did my best to eliminate any pips and pops, but on record 2 Side 2 Track 5 there were a couple loud pops that I couldn't get rid of completely and they sound a little like a thud, but the music doesn't skip. The MP3 files are done at 320 KB so they should sound much better but it also increases the file size for each song and therefore it will take longer to d/l the zipfile. The inner artwork is the same for all three volumes so I didn't include it in this post. The only difference is the section for the track listing.


Track listing:
Record One Side One
01 Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
02 Parade of the Wooden Soldiers
03 I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
04 The Twelve Days Of Christmas
05 Home for the Holidays
Record One Side Two
01 The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
02 It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
03 I'll Be Home for Christmas
04 Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
05 Silent Night
Record Two Side One
01 Sleigh Ride
02 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
03 Winter Wonderland
04 Scarlet Ribbons
05 One Little Tree
Record Two Side Two
01 March of the Toys
02 The Little Drummer Boy
03 Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
04 Medley: Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly - Jingle Bells
05 White Christmas

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Rankin/Bass Presents 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (1976) Complete Story and Original Soundtrack. Disneyland Records 1367. Narrated by Joel Grey. Starring Joel Grey, George Gobel, Tammy Grimes and John McGiver. This is done in two tracks Side One and Side Two. There were a couple of big pops that I couldn't get rid of but the sound doesn't skip. I still had the Business Reply card inside the jacket so I'm including it in this post. Enjoy.

Christmas With Eddy Arnold

Christmas With Eddy Arnold 1962 RCA LSP 2554. There isn't a download for this posting as it has been released on CD. I'm doing this post for educational purposes only. The first two images are from the original release of this album and the third image is from the 1967 reissue. The CD was released in 2005 by Sony BMG Custom Marketing Group. An Internet search brings up several sources for the CD. The CD has the reissue artwork and not the original.
I will list the songs below the images. I hope I haven't disappointed anyone and hope you will understand about not doing a download for this album.



Track listing
Side One
01 Christmas Can't Be Far Away
02 Will Santy Come to Shanty Town
03 Jingle Bell Rock
04 White Christmas
05 Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
06 C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S
Side Two
01 I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
02 Winter Wonderland
03 Up on the Housetop
04 It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
05 Jolly Old St. Nicholas
06 O Little Town of Bethlehem

Christmas Music I Taped Off The Radio Two

The music from this cassette doesn't have a lot of station promos and at the time, the radio stations weren't playing all Christmas music so there are some gaps between some songs as I had my finger resting on the pause button while taping so I would only get the Christmas songs. I'm not 100% sure of the year, but am guessing 1984 as at the end of the last song, there is a few seconds of Sheila E.'s The Belle of St. Mark which was released in 1984, maybe 1988 as Faron Young "Candyland" was released in 1988. This tape also may be from a few years combined but I can't remember for sure.

A few songs I can't think of the artist and one song I'm not sure if the title is correct. This particular post is three tracks. If anyone knows the artist or title, please let me know. Thanks.

Side One

Track One

Station Promo WGFB 99.9 FM B-100 from Plattsburg, NY
Perry Como - Frosty The Snowman

Track Two

Elmo and Patsy - Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer
Unknown Artist - White Christmas
Burl Ives - The Twelve Days of Christmas
Johnny Cash - The Little Drummer Boy
Wayne Newton - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Ray Price - God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
Andy Williams - O Holy Night
Ray Conniff and The Singers - The Twelve Days of Christmas (Tape ends before song)
Side Two
Brenda Lee - Marshmallow World
Charlie Rich - O Holy Night
Carpenters - Sleigh Ride
Anne Murray - Winter Wonderland
Station Promo WLFE FM 102.3 in St. Albans, VT
The Ventures - Silver Bells
Faron Young - Candyland
John Lennon - Happy Christmas (War is Over)
Station Promo WQCR FM 98.9 in Burlington, VT (current call letters WOKO)
Band-Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas
Station Promo WQCR
Andy Williams - It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year
A few seconds of Sheila E. The Belle of St. Mark (1984)
Click here for D/L

Christmas Music I taped off the radio. Number one

I thought this might be interesting to other Christmas Music lovers so I decided to copy some cassettes of Christmas music that I taped from the radio back in the late 1970's and early 1980's. In places, it would be difficult to separate each song so I did each side as one track. Some of the songs I don't know the artist. If anyone might know these, please leave me a comment. I've included a text file of the songs in the zipfile too and will list them here. This particular tape was from CFLG-FM 104.5 in Cornwall Ontario. There is static interference from the flashing lights on our Christmas tree. The station didn't always come in that strong so in some places it fades out a little.
A friend of mine helped identify a few of the songs after I initially made this post. I will change the artist's name from Unknown Artist to the Artist's name and use boldface type to show the change.

Side One
Kenny Rogers - Christmas is My Favorite Time of The Year
Fischer Chöre (Hans Bertram Orchestra) from the album "Die schönsten Weihnachtslieder," Polydor 2371 709. - Leise rieselt der Schnee
Percy Faith, His Orchestra and Chorus - White Christmas
James Last - (Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen) Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming
Waldo de los Rios - Jingle Bells
Frank DeVol and The Rainbow Strings - Medley: Here Comes Santa Claus/March Of The Toys
Station Promo
Ella Fitzgerald - God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
Unknown Artist (Possibly Rita Ford) - The Holy City
Ray Conniff and The Singers - The Twelve Days of Christmas
Ed Ames - I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day
Doris Day - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Mormon Tabernacle Choir - O Holy Night (tape ran out before song ends)
Side Two
Station Promo
Mario Lanza - We Three Kings of Orient Are
E. Power Biggs and the Columbia Chamber Orchestra - The Holly and The Ivy
Percy Faith, His Orchestra and Chorus - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Heintje - Alle Jahre Wieder
Pete Fountain - Candy Clarinet
Tony Sandler & Ralph Young - Yea, The Heavenly Child Is Born
Bert Kaempfert - Toy Parade
Connie Francis - Merry Christmas From our House To Your House
Jim Reeves - Blue Christmas
Station Promo
Jim Reeves - Old Christmas Card
Jim Reeves - Merry Christmas Polka
Station Promo
Jim Reeves - White Christmas (station fades in and out/tape ran out before song ends)
Taped off the radio one

Heintje - When The Christmas-Bells Are Ringing

Heintje - When The Christmas-Bells Are Ringing (1971) Polydor 2310 148. My favorite song on this album is "Little Toy Tin Soldier" This is the other song that I haven't heard on the radio since about 1977.

This was also played on the Canadian radio station CFLG-FM 104.5 in Cornwall, Ontario. Basically, it is the same story as to how I tried to find out what album this song was on. I just received this album yesterday from an eBay auction.

Though a few of the songs on this album are also on the album from my previous post in German, there are differences in the music, but still very enjoyable to listen to.

Track Listing:
Side One:
01 When The Christmas-Bells Are Ringing
02 Silent Night
03 Winter Wonderland
04 O Christmas Tree
05 Jingle Bells
06 Little Toy Tin Soldier
Side Two:
01 White Christmas
02 Little Drummer Boy
03 O Thou Joyful Day
04 Wintertide
05 Cowboy-Carol
06 From Heaven High The Angels Come

Weihnachten mit Heintje

Weihnachten mit Heintje (1968) Ariola 78199 IU. There were a couple different releases of this album in 1968 under the same title with different artwork. This album was available on CD awhile back but has been discontinued by the manufacturer. Also, I think there were only 12 or 13 songs on it instead of 14.

My favorite song on this album is "Alle Jahre Wieder" I haven't heard this song on radio since about 1977 when I was listening to a Canadian station CFLG-FM 104.5 from Cornwall, Ontario. They have since change their format. I happened to tape a lot of Christmas music from the radio and have been looking for this album as well as the album I will be posting after this one, for over 30 years.

I called and wrote the radio station several times back then to no avail. Finally through the internet, I was able to find the album title so I knew what to look for. I found this album on eBay about a year ago.

Though the track listings aren't in English, some are obvious what song they are, I will list the English title translation from what I found using an online German to English translation dictionary to the best of my ability. I am by no means a language expert, so the translations may not be exact.

Track listing:
Side One:
01 Stille Nacht - Silent Night
02 Süßer Die Glocken Nie Klingen - Sweeter The Bells Never Sound
03 Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen - Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming
04 Leise rieselt der Schnee - Softly Sprinkles The Snow
05 Morgen kommt der Weihnachtsmann - Santa Claus Is Coming Tomorrow
06 Kommet, ihr Hirten - Come, O You Shepherds
07 O Tannenbaum - O Christmas Tree
Side Two:
01 O du fröhliche - O Thou Joyful Day
02 Am Weihnachtsbaum die Lichter brennen - On The Christmas Tree The Lights Are Burning
03 Kling, Glöckchen, kling - Ring Little Bell Ring
04 Alle Jahre Wieder - Every Year Again (Comes The Christ Child)
05 Morgen, Kinder, Wird's was geben - Tomorrow, kids, you're gonna get some
06 Ihr Kinderlein kommet - O Come Little Children
07 Vom Himmel hoch - From Heaven above to earth I come

I changed the way comments are added again.

I decided to change the way comments are able to be left on my blog once again to encourage people to leave comments. Please do not leave any rude or profane comments as they will be deleted as well as spammers. Comments don't have to be approved anymore.

It would be nice to hear from other people who enjoy the music I post as much as I do especially since the music has been out of print for 30 or more years and very difficult to find.

The Jack Jones Christmas Album (Stereo) 1964

The Jack Jones Christmas Album - KAPP KS-3339 Stereo (1964)

This is the STEREO release of a previous post of mine from March of 2008 To make it easier to find, I'm posting the link for the MONO album here: The Jack Jones Christmas Album MONO

I like this artwork better than the MONO album and was surprised that KAPP didn't use the same artwork for the MONO album.

This album brings back fond memories of Christmas with my family when I was a young child. I hope it brings back fond memories for others too and would love to hear your comments. Please don't let the fact that comments must be approved by me first stop anyone. As I mentioned in my previous post I had to do it this way to prevent SPAMMERS. I am able to delete those comments now and I can hopefully stop them from happening.

Track Listing:
Side A:
Sleigh Ride White Christmas
The Village Of St. Bernadette
My Favorite Things
I'll Be Home For Christmas
Angels We Have Heard On High/Silent Night/O Come All Ye Faithful
Side B:
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Lullaby For Christmas Eve
The Christmas Song
Mistletoe And Holly
The Christmas Waltz
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen-It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Adeste Fideles)-The First Noel