Brought to you by the Waring Blendar

Brought to you by the Waring Blendar

Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians issued many Christmas LPs in the 50’s and 60’s. Yes, this is the same Waring that make the famous blender. Jasmine has another outstanding collection featuring tracks from these albums, plus Dick Haymes and the Andrews Sisters too. A great bargain! This collection contains most of the tracks from these Fred Waring albums: ‘The Sounds of Christmas’ and ‘The Meaning Of Christmas’. http://amzn.to/1c3HnRs

Roger Wagner Chorale

Roger Wagner Chorale

The Roger Wagner Chorale released ‘Joy To The World’ in 1956. I believe it is one of the earliest stereo recordings by EMI at the time. In 1962 ‘It Came Upon A Midnight Clear’ was released [now called ‘Caroles’]. These are classic Christmas hymns and songs performed by choir, and definitely have that classic holiday sound. Both albums have been released on MP3 and are well worth a listen. Joy To The World: http://amzn.to/1e2N4Pd Caroles: http://amzn.to/JhaGWg

Handel’s Messiah

Handel’s Messiah

While there are newer ‘authentic’ recordings, the 1966 Colin Davis record of Handel’s Messiah with the London SO still strikes me as the best. Warm sound, great soloists, and none of the over-romantic performance practices that preceded it. I have had this LP on vinyl for many years, and still come back to it every year. Now on a Decca Duo album, it is a bargain too. Amazon: http://amzn.to/18xC3Hz iTunes: http://a.basicrep.com/chr-handel

Ray Conniff – Christmas Caroling

Ray Conniff – Christmas Caroling

The Ray Conniff Singers do not make an appearance in the Goodyear LP series until volume 6, but their sound is about as pop as you can get. They released 3 Christmas albums, but a great compilation was released in 1985 that gathered all of their best tracks together. “Christmas Caroling” is a fun trip thru some really happy holiday music that is guaranteed to put either a smile or groan on your face.  

Percy Faith – Music of Christmas

Percy Faith – Music of Christmas

 A classic that was heard in stores over the holidays from the 1950’s on, Faith’s arrangements of holiday songs is the very definition of Christmas Music. Originally recorded in 1954, it was later re-recorded in stereo in 1959 and this is the version that most people now know, [with the poinsettia cover] although there is not too much difference in the versions. A few years later Faith released ‘Hallelujah’ which was later renamed ‘Music of Christmas Volume 2’. It is…

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Medieval Christmas 2

Medieval Christmas 2

Here is another oldie, but being my first Medieval Christmas album, it has always been my favorite. They do get a bit heavy on the sackbuts and such, but still a fun record. At Amazon: http://amzn.to/1ahMHg2 iTunes download: http://a.basicrep.com/chr-med2

Jingle Bells?

Jingle Bells?

Barbra’s Streisand’s 1967 ‘A Christmas Album’ starts off with the best Jingle Bells ever, and travels to some beautiful classics.