And
Yet Still More Christmas Music Vinyl!
By
Kristin Battestella
Yes,
I’m still listening to some rare, unusual, elusive, and downright spiffy old
warped Christmas Records! Aren’t you?
Charles
Dickens Classics: A Christmas Carol and Mr. Pickwick’s Christmas – The Dickensian bicentennial love has spilled over
into our holiday snap, crackle, and pop with this record reading by Ronald
Colman and Charles Laughton. Soft carol
interludes and complete sound effects accent Colman’s condensed Side A as
Scrooge. Some of the tale is merely a necessitated part and parcel reading, but
other segments are the famous dialogue as drama, and all the quintessential
scenes are there. It’s more like a radio production than an audio book thanks
to all the bells and whistles and kids today will most definitely still get a
kick out of this. Though not as famous, Mr. Pickwick’s Christmas told by
Laughton on Side B is a lovely encapsulation of the Victorian of Dickens and
the post-war sound. It’s the perfect late night listen for wide-eyed children
and gets folks to pay attention to some humor and holiday memories. This record is perfect to cap off a seasonal
classroom or family baking night with young ones.
Favorite
Christmas Carols from the Voices of Firestone Volume 1 – Big vocalists Rise Stevens and Brian Sullivan lead
this debut set of perfect carol medleys such as the lively Joy to the World,
sweet Away in the Manger, deep We Three Kings, happy Hark the Herald Angels
Sing, stunning Silent Night, and more. Full
operatic editions of O Holy Night, The First Noel, a darling It Came upon a
Midnight Clear, and a catchy O Christmas Tree are ideal for a mellow holiday dining
room, too. The shrill alternating choir sounds of What Child Is This and O Come
All Ye Faithful won’t be for everyone, nor the wobbly O Little Town of
Bethlehem. However, the family friendly and old-fashioned sounds of Jingle
Bells, Up on the House Top, Deck the Halls, and Jolly Old Saint Nicholas keep
the album charming for all.
Sing
We Now of Christmas: The Harry Simeone Chorale – There’s plenty
of spiritual and holiday fun in this packed choir set- from the innocent
softness of Away in the Manger and Good King Wenceslas to the festive shaker
styled Go Tell It on the Mountain and Rise Up Shepherds. O Holy Night is big
and reverent with all the right notes; What Child Is This and We Three Kings
are wonderfully ancient and brooding.
Lovely lesser-known carols such as O Come Little Children, The Friendly
Beasts, and Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming might be jarring to some amid the
famous and sing-able, but it’s nice to discover new old carols, too. Likewise, less
commonly heard renditions of O Tannenbaum, The Coventry Carol, Ding Dong
Merrily on High, and the Latin Adeste Fideles are a treat. There’s a little bit
of everything here, something fast and fun for the whole family with spoken verses
amid quick choruses and near medley editions of a rousing God Rest Ye Merry
Gentlemen and a tender O Little Town of Bethlehem. Though not for uber modern
families who dislike traditional high-pitched notes, this one’s fun for old
school families.
A
Very Merry Christmas Volume 1 –
The Ray Conniff Singers open this 1967 debut of the Columbia record set for
Grant’s Stores with a typically styled Little Drummer Boy, and the rest of Side
A is a confusing mix of country, pop, and unfamiliar tunes. Though Johnny
Mathis is always strong for O Holy Night, Patti Page sounds surprisingly poor
for Santo Natale. Simon and Garfunkel are also a miss with The Star Carol, but
fortunately the flip side wins with traditional family fair. A medley of carols
including The First Noel, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, and O Come All Ye
Faithful; Do You Hear What I Hear by Bobby Vinton; a fun Twelve Days of
Christmas with Burl Ives and Percy Faith; a wonderfully medieval God Rest Ye
Merry Gentleman; and a big Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah finish this
first volume in fine form.
A
Very Merry Christmas Volume 2 –
Mitch Miller’s Joy to the World and Robert Goulet’s O Holy Night skip on my copy
of this second LP from Grant’s, but both are still delightful, as is Mahalia
Jackson’s slow and soulful rendition of O Little Town of Bethlehem.
Here we Come a Caroling sounds a little strange thanks to the lyrical
swapping of Wassailing for Caroling, but kids can single along with this and
Side 2’s Jingle Bells opener. Doris Day isn’t super brooding like we expect for
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, but it is bittersweet nonetheless.
Although it’s made a bit too lullaby-esque, it’s great to hear Johnny Cash sing
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.
Common recordings like We Need a Little Christmas, What Child is this
from Bing Crosby, and Johnny Mathis’ Silver Bells can be found almost anywhere
today. However, these record anthologies often have a few rarities that you
just can’t get elsewhere, and this second attempt is a more polished and
pleasant listen.
And
to think, I have even more Christmas
records!!!
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