FaLaLaLaLa

I’m going to share this post from my good friend Ernie because he says pretty much all you need to know:

Several years ago, I found and shared this LP. It was quite the find, full of original music that actually sounded like Christmas music, but it was tracks you’d never heard of.

I had no idea who Robert Way was, or when this music had been released. From the cover, I knew it had something to do with Mobil Oil, and I figured it was similar to those tire company collections that used to be all the rage.

I shared it out for a number of years, and finally got an email from first the artist’s daughter, and eventually the man himself, Robert Way. He explained that he had gotten out of music not long after this LP came out, and had only recently started recording again.

Well, this year, Mr. Way decided to remaster and re-release this great LP, so I’m here to encourage you to go buy it. You can find his website here, or you can go straight to this link to get this great album. It’s not expensive, and all the money goes right to the man who made the music, not some greedy record company. Tell him Ernie (Not Bert) [and The King of Jingaling...] sent you!

Oh, while you’re there, be sure to download a copy of his LP Thoughts On The Carols. It’s free!

Double Oh, you can download a radio promo LP by Mr. Way over at WFMU. It’s not Christmas, but it’s Robert Way.

New England Sleigh Ride is some beautiful Christmas music that plays out like a miniature symphonic suite or song cycle. The arrangements and harmonies are so unique. This music is highly recommended!

I must firstly state categorically that this is, hands down, the Christmas release of the year as far as I’m concerned.

That would be strong praise in any year, but in a year in which we will see digital releases (or re-releases) by Mantovani, The King Family, The Anita Kerr Singers, Phil Spector, Wayne Newton and even Bob Dylan, you have to know that this is pretty special.  There is so much to love about this collection  from the Johnny Douglas led Living Strings.

White Christmas 1963

First is the fact that Johnny’s daughter, Norma Canby, decided to release three immortal Easy Listening Christmas album in this 2 CD collection.  Along with the title album, The Spirit of Christmas (1963), this collection includes the extremely sought after White Christmas (1968) as well as the lesser known, but impressive, “A Christmas Songbook” (1974).

What is also amazing about this release is the clarity and detail evident in the recordings thanks to the expert remastering by engineer Tony Bridge.  The instruments are brought to life with plenty of room for each to stand out.  Listen to the guitar strums on Mary’ Boy Child or the subtle rimshots of I’ll Be Home For Christmas and you’ll feel like you’re in the studio with the musicians.  These albums probably sound better now than they did on their original vinyl releases.

A Christmas Songbook (1974)

This is some classic Easy Listening Christmas music, very much in the vein of Percy Faith, The Hollyridge Strings or Mantovani.  The strings are lush, the singing sweet and simple and the arrangements full of spirit.

Head on over to the Dulcima Records website where you can listen to a few track samples and order the discs directly from them.  I urge you not to let the $30 price tag scare you away.  You get THREE gorgeously recorded and produced albums on TWO cd’s with full artwork and liner notes, sent to you (very quickly, if my experience is any indication) from the U.K.

Go now!

It’s also available from Amazon UK for $20 including shipping.

Mantovani Christmas Carols

I know many people will find it hard to believe that this classic Christmas albums is only now entering the digital age, yet it is. Collectors’ Choice Music, who released Christmas Favorites by The Hollyridge Strings last year, will be releasing this Mantovani gem sometime in late November.

You can find TONS of Mantovani Christmas music on CD, but it’s mostly later recordings, live concerts, radio broadcasts and compilations.  Truthfully, it’s hard to sift through it all.  But now you can breathe a sigh of relief as you enjoy this classic album.

We should all thank the folks at Collectors’ Choice, who take classic Christmas music very seriously.  However, special thanks goes to Chip Arcuri over at The Yule Log.com who has been working behind the scenes to help get this (and other classic Christmas LP’s) released into the digital realm.

I’m posting this one for some sentimental reasons.

Now this isn’t one of those LP’s that I had as a child, so it’s not something with that kind of personal history.  It’s more relevant to my present than my past.

I’ve got two little girls who (naturally) like to watch TV.  Now me and the missus aren’t so keen on lots of modern TV (mostly for the lack of quality and focus on “attitude”).  So we tend to TiVo some of the classics for the girls.  These days they both love to watch The Jetsons and The Flintstones.

So when Ernie offered this little gem a while ago I had to snag it.

Now, we all know that Pebbles and Bamm Bamm didn’t speak (being babies and all) but for some reason had no problem singing.  They cover some of the usual yuletime favorites, but also perform this original.  It’s groovy, drifting little loungy number, complete with snowbells and ever-so-vibrato guitar.  Throw on top the two-word lyrics (“Snow Flake”), close harmony background vocals, and the spoken word break and you’ve got a winner.

And be sure to come back each day between now and Christmas to get a new free song download.

I feel urged to also mention a brand new 2008 Christmas album that includes a cover of this little ditty.  California rock/lounge outfit The Barbary Coasters include Snow Flake on their new Chrsitmas CD, Hark! Tidings of Barbary Joy.  Take a listen to the tracks (and download a couple that they offer for free at Beware of the Blog!).

[audio:http://blogfiles.wfmu.org/GG/Barbary_Coasters_-_I_Want_A_Monkey_For_Christmas.mp3,http://blogfiles.wfmu.org/GG/Barbary_Coasters_-_Frostys_Beach_Party.mp3]

This is from the folks over at Kindercore records:

Last fall we released XMAS 3: The War on Christmas in a limited edition
of 100 copies packaged with a comic book and sold out the run in a
couple of days. We happen to have 50 copies of the CD left over so we
are offering those copies for sale this year with a bonus – everyone
who orders the XMAS 3 CD will also be entered in a random drawing to
win a copy of the long out of print Christmas in Stereo and XMAS 2
CDs.* Read the rest of this entry �

We’re going to begin the 5th Christmas season at FaLaLaLaLa.com with something we haven’t done before.  Here we have the first FaLaLaLaLa Exclusive Interview.

With the release of Christmas Favorites by The Hollyridge Strings on Collectors’ Choice Music, I thought it would be great to get to talk to the man behind the music–composer, conductor and arranger, Stu Phillips.

Mr. Phillips was gracious enough to accept my invitation and we spent almost an hour on the phone talking about many aspects of the music.  I’ve edited it down to the important parts (it still clocks it at a little over 30 minutes).

Take a listen.

If you’d like to learn more about the history of Stu and the Hollyridge Strings, head on over to Stu’s site and purchase his autobiography, Stu Who?

And be sure to purchase a copy of this classic album for yourself.  Heck, why not get one for every member of the family…?

[amazon-product]B001G5IJXS[/amazon-product]

Our long national nightmare is over!

The powers that be have finally realized that the greatest Christmas album of all time has been languishing in a vault in California.

Collector’s Choice Music is releasing Stu Phillips’ holiday masterpiece this year.  I’ve seen various reports regarding a release date, from October to November.  But the listing is live on their site now and seems to be ready to ship.

You can bet that we’ll be talking about and promoting this CD all season.  This is one of my absolute favorite Christmas records and I’m really psyched that it may finally find the wider audience it deserves.

Stay tuned for more info….

UPDATE (9/22/08: Just got an email from Stu Phillips.  We may be doing some promotion of the CD here.  Maybe a contest.  Maybe an interview.  Maybe more….

Well, I haven’t been around Emusic for a while but just couldn’t turn down their latest "come back" offer of 75 free downloads. As I’m poking around the holiday music section, I happen to find that Dave’s True Story have a Christmas album!

Now I’m a big fan of DTS. Back in the early nineties, my girlfriend at the time worked with the singer, Kelly Flint, and we used to go see them play in NYC. I even went to Kelly’s wedding to musician Richard Julian where the bride rode in on the back of a Harley. But that’s the past.

DTS have released several Christmas songs on various compilations and their jazzy lounge style seemed right for a full Christmas release. And now we have it.

At the moment you can download three tracks (Mele Kalikimaka, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, and Baby It’s Cold Outside) at their website. The whole album is also available via Emusic, (a site I highly recommend for Christmas music and more).

It seems that many folks are paying lots of money ($100 and over!) for this CD on Ebay.

I wanted to just make note that this CD is currently in print and can be purchased ON SALE for $19.95 from Yestermusic.  So save yourself some money and BUY IT NOW for a reasonable price.

This 2 CD set  actually contains both of the following two Fred Waring Cristmas LPs:

The Meaning of Christmas

The Meaning of Christmas (Medley):

Christmas Magic (The Meaning of Christmas) /

Holiday /

A Musical Christmas Card /

Christmas Tree /

Mistletoe /

Carol of the Bells /

Snow, Snow, Beautiful Snow /

The Sleigh /

Echo Carol /

Kentucky Wassail Song /

Toyland /

March of the Toys /

Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer

Twas the Night Before Christmas

The Song of Christmas

AND 

The Sounds of Christmas

Ring Those Christmas Bells

Caroling, Caroling

Carol, Brothers, Carol

O Hearken Ye

Christmas

The Star Carol

Rise Up Shepherd an’ Foller

Go Where I Send Thee

Jesu Parvule

Gesu Bambino

O Come All Ye Faithful / Come Dear Children

Bright, Bright the Holly Berries

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town

While By Our Sleeping Flock We Lay

Jingle Bells/Caroling, Caroling (Reprise)

I Wonder as I Wander

Silent Night

O Holy Night

Finale (Chorus and Orchestra)

We Wish You a Merry Christmas / Closing

Before paying outrageous prices for classic Christmas music, do some searching and you may find what you’re looking for.  I have people email me all the time looking for a certain album and I will often find it on CD after a few minutes worth of searching.

Antsy McClain & the Trailer Park Troubadours
Merry Christmas From The Trailer Park

Now, when I first hear something about Christmas in a trailer park I have to admit that the first thing that comes to my mind is Elmo & Patsy’s annoying contribution to the Christmas music canon–Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.  And then I gag a bit because I can’t stand that song.  I hope that Elmo & Patsy get nothing but coal every Christmas for the rest of their days.

Thankfully, Antsy McClain and pals have come forward to rescue a down-home Christmas from dangerous reindeer and radio overplay (though they certainly deserve the latter).

That being said, fans of Elmo and Patsy’s little ditty would also find much to like here.  The same sort of humor that made that song a hit is on display here.  There are some of the same unsavory characters, indulging their love of whiskey and Nascar during the holidays.  It’s a world that’s been painted in popular culture by the likes of Jeff Foxworthy and Larry The Cable Guy.  But McClain draws his characters with greater subtlety and affection.  His humor is far less caricatured than theirs.  When you listen to these songs it’s not as an outsider, pittying the poor folk that populate these stories.  You are McClain’s invited guest, looking though snapshots of family Christmases long ago.  And in those snapshots you can see your own ghosts of Christmas past staring back at you, whether or not your home ever had wheels or a pink flamingo out front.

The music is expertly arranged, played and recorded.  It’s a bit of down home country, with some folk and pop thrown in.  It would not be out of place on Lake Wobegon (McClain spins some yarns with Garrison Keilor’s ear for language and dialog).  I hear echoes of Chris Isaac’s twang in McClains velvety voice.  The music is certainly fun.  But then the band will take a quick turn and serve up a reverent "I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day" or "O Little Town of Bethlehem" that evoke a genuine sense of Christmas wonder.  There’s lots to love here.

Take a listen at one my favorites (naturally), The King of Christmas:

[audio:http://www.falalalala.com/music/mcclainkoc.mp3]

We even have permission to let you download an MP3 of the song: DOWNLOAD 

You can pick up a CD or MP3 download of the album at Antsy’s site: http://www.unhitched.com. (You can also hear some more samples.)

I have to say that a lot of newer Christmas albums just don’t have the real spirit.  This one does.  So go and pick it up.

O.K.  Here’s some more incentive.  Antsy and his friends have offered us three personally autographed copies of the CD for FaLaLaLaLa readers.  So here’s how you can get a chance to nab one:

Post a comment to this thread that includes a haiku about Christmas in the trailer park.  We’ll pick the best three who will get each get a CD.  The deadline will be Friday, Nov. 30th.

UPDATE: Antsy himself will judge the haiku and send out the discs personally.  So hop to it!

UPDATE: The submissions are closed and we’ll move on to the judging.  Stay tuned…. 

Have fun and be creative….