Robert Eason & Gerald Knott: The Spectacular Organ & Chimes of Westminster

Chime on In for Christmas!

There are, of course, about 5,792,478 (give or take a few) "Organ & Chimes" Christmas Records out there. It was an incredibly popular format from the 30s through the 60s. Since the music on these records was performed on traditional "church instruments" the songs contained tend to be, primarily, the more traditional and religious of the Christmas choices (no "Frosty the Snowman" or "Up on the Housetop" here).

Amazingly, the range of sounds available within the "Christmas Organ & Chimes" catalog is wide and deep. Some records feature the organ over the chimes and others the chimes over the organ. Some records include an orchestra or choral group in addition to the primary instruments while others do not. You could easily fill an entire 160GB iPod with nothing but "Organ & Chimes" Christmas music and have enough variety to hold your interest for at least an hour or so.

The music on this record tends to remain very similar throughout and features the chimes playing the melody with the organ backing. While it may not be the most exciting holiday music ever heard, it is lovely traditional music for the season.

Robert Eason (Organ) & Gerald Knott (Carillon):
The Spectacular Organ and Chimes of Westminster

1. Silent Night
2. O Little Town of Bethlehem
3. Good King Wenceslas
4. Angels We Have Heard on High
5. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
6. O Tannenbaum
7. We Three Kings
8. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
9. O Come All Ye Faithful
10. O Holy Night
11. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
12. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
13. The First Noel
14. Joy to the World
15. Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly
16. Away in a Manger
17. What Child Is This
18. Angels from the Realms of Glory

Tex Johnson and His Six Shooters: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Stick 'em Up, Earth Pardners!


Okay, boys and girls. Get ready for some Rootin', Tootin' Holiday Cheer of the Country & Western variety. This record, as a matter of fact, contains several songs that have not a darn thing to do with Christmas or Holidays at all. It remains, however, a sentimental favorite for many of the American Baby Boomer Generation.
For an album released by such an obscure group/artist, there is an amazing amount of discussion concerning this one out there in Cyberville. There's not much actual information available, but there's a great deal of discussion. Just do a search on "Tex Johnson & His Six Shooters" and you'll find out everything that anybody knows about it.
I have tagged the Christmas songs as being such (in the Genre tag category), and tagged the non-Holiday material as Country & Western, in order to assist in keeping them separate.

Tex Johnson and His Six Shooters: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

1. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
2. When Santa Claus Gets Your Letter
3. Fum Fum Fum
4. Wait for the Wagon (On Christmas Day)
5. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
6. Cheyenne
7. A Merry Merry Christmas to You
8. Pride of the Prairie Mary
9. The Night Before Christmas Song
10. San Antonio
11. Just as the Sun Went Down
12. Go Tell It on the Mountain

Liberace: A Liberace Christmas

Voldar Returns!


Yes, silly Earth People, I am back! I have traveled the entire 48,678,972 or so miles in my tiny personal interplanetary shuttle in order to spend the holiday season with you. I hope you are all enjoying your silly Earth holidays and are ready to listen to some of the extraordinary sounds that I have gathered (mostly from thrift stores) in my cosmic travels. Traitor Vic, as usual, will not be spending the holidays with us. I am planning to ambush him when he returns from his Thanksgiving Feast Celebration tomorrow and to lock him in a closet until the first of next year. Don't worry, though. He's used to it by now. He'd probably be disappointed if it didn't happen. In his absence, I'll plan on sharing with you a pile of Holiday Tunage guaranteed to put you right into the Holiday Spirit.

I'm also going to allow Traitor Vic to emerge from his closet, on occasion, to mix for me a Festive Holiday Cocktail or two (or seven). I will be posting photos and recipes as time and sobriety allow.

Now lets get started with our Holiday Celebration, shall we?

For starters I present a record that I rescued from an organization calling themselves The Salvation Army. I am somewhat familiar with this group as Martian Intelligence Agencies have identified them as the employers of many of your planet's Santa Claus Wannabes during the Christmas season. I also rescued a really cool Blender from them and plan to return for more goodies before I leave your stupid planet.

This record is by a man who wears very beautiful clothes. He, like myself, goes by only one name. Traitor Vic has told me that he passed on in what you know as 1987. I know little about him otherwise, but I feel he must have been a very decent human being. I do not understand what Traitor Vic meant when he told me that Liberace was a "flaming queen".

Liberace: A Liberace Christmas

1. Medley: O Tannenbaum / We Wish You a Merry Christmas
2. What Child Is This?
3. Medley: Jingle Bells / White Christmas / Adeste Fidelis / Silent Night
4. Coventry Carol
5. Jesu Bambino
6. The Little Drummer Boy
7. Medley: O Little Town of Bethlehem / It Came Upon a Midnight Clear / Joy to the World
8. Ave Maria
9. Silver Bells
10. O Holy Night
11. Medley: Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town / Here Comes Santa Claus

Nelson Riddle: The Joy of Living

Reasons to be Thankful

"The Joy of Living" is an album from Nelson Riddle released, on Capitol Records, in 1959. Riddle was one of the greatest arrangers in the history of American popular music and was involved in the production of hundreds of albums between 1953 and 1985. He worked directly with such giants as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Tommy Dorsey, Nat King Cole, Les Baxter, Julie Andrews and 101 Strings.

He was also very involved in television and film music, contributing to the soundtracks of programs such as The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Tarzan, Emergency! and Batman. He composed and conducted the soundtrack to the 1966 Batman movie. He wrote the theme songs to television's The Untouchables and Route 66. I could go on, of course, but you can find out more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Riddle.

He was best known, perhaps, for his "Swingin' Sound". Most of his records are uptempo and energetic compared to this one, which is rather relaxed and laid back by comparison (described, in the liner notes, as "restful yet zestful"). I dig it quite a bit and hope you do as well. It is presented here in all of it's Monophonic, High Fidelity Wonderfulness.

Nelson Riddle: The Joy of Living

1. Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries
   
2. You Make Me Feel So Young
   
3. Makin' Whoopee!
   
4. Bye Bye Blues
   
5. It's So Peaceful in the Country
   
6. The Joy of Living (Know the Real Joy of Good Living)
   
7. It's a Big Wide Wonderful World
   
8. June in January
   
9. Isn't This a Lovely Day
   
10. Indian Summer
    
11. It's a Grand Night for Singing
    
12. I Got the Sun in the Morning
    

Here in the USA we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving Day this coming Thursday. Thanksgiving is a harvest festival holiday devoted to giving thanks for the year's harvest and expressing gratitude in general. I thought this record fit the season because of the statement, posted on it's back cover, that reads "Nelson Riddle presents twelve danceable, gently swinging reasons why it's great to be alive."