Walt Disney's Christmas Favourites (1979) |
This was originally released in 1958 but budget label Pickwick reissued it in 1979. The album starts off with Jiminy Cricket and friends singing From All Of Us To All Of You, from the 1958 TV special of the same name, which is still extremely popular in Scandinavia where it's broadcast every year. Ludwig Mousensky & The All Mouse Choir bring us a medley of carols, an ear-piercing rendition of Jingle Bells and an instrumental of Winter Wonderland, while the Camarata Chorus & Orchestra provide a mildly baffling trio of songs about trees.
The Halloween/Yuletide mashup of Jingle Bones by the Witches 3 & Friends is a lot of fun, but the jewel in the crown here is Jiminy Cricket once again with his heart-melting reading of T'was The Night Before Christmas, which is guaranteed to give you a festive glow without the aid of a large cherry brandy (but I'll have one anyway, thanks).
Tracklisting
Side 1.
1. Jiminy Cricket & Mickey Mouse - From All Of Us To All Of You.
2. Ludwig Mousensky & The All Mouse Choir - Hark The Herald Angels Sing; O Little Town Of Bethlehem; O Come All Ye Faithful.
3. Jiminy Cricket - T'was The Night Before Christmas.
4. Camarata Chorus & Orchestra - Fantasyland - Storybook Tree.
5. Ludwig Mousensky & The All Mouse Choir - Winter Wonderland (Instrumental).
Side 2.
1. Ludwig Mousensky & The All Mouse Choir - Jingle Bells.
2. Camarata Chorus & Orchestra - Adventureland - Jungle Tree.
3. Witches 3 & Friends - Jingle Bones.
4. Jiminy Cricket - Kris Kringle.
5. Camarata Chorus & Orchestra - Tomorrowland - Futuristic Christmas Tree.
It's not unheard of for me to check the condition of a record at a boot sale whilst forgetting to actually check the label (not always a bad thing: http://carbootvinyldiaries.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/the-butterfly-effect.html ). During the summer I paid 20p for this record sleeve:
expecting to enjoy some nice seasonal crooning from Nat and Dean, only to discover that the record nestled inside was actually this one:
Jim Reeves - 12 Songs Of Christmas (1970) |
Originally released on RCA in 1963, here Gentleman Jim ably works his way through a dozen festive tunes in his mellow country mode. With traditional carols, lighthearted dance tunes (Merry Christmas Polka, Senor Santa Claus) and sentimental tearjerkers (Silver Bells, An Old Christmas Card) this album is bound to bring on a flood of nostalgia for listeners, particularly for children of the 1970s, as the hundreds of copies I've seen in chazzas over the years suggest that this particular reissue of the record was present in many homes.
Tracklisting
Side 1.
1. Jingle Bells.
2. Blue Christmas.
3. Senor Santa Claus.
4. An Old Christmas Card.
5. The Merry Christmas Polka.
6. White Christmas.
Side 2.
1. Silver Bells.
2. C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S.
3. O Little Town Of Bethlehem.
4. Mary's Boy Child.
5. O Come All Ye Faithful.
6. Silent Night.
I'll be back tomorrow (Sun 21st Dec) with a real cracker of a Christmas album for you. In the meantime, stream the Christmas cloudcast below or follow the link:
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