Grab a coffee and sit a spell... have I got a story to tell you!
I bought this album (mono) at a thrift store in early 2006 and attempted to transfer it over throughout that year. As the 2006 Christmas downloading season was set to begin, I had completed side one with no problems, but side two was a mess.
I figured it would be ready to go for 2007 but the LP had other plans. The needle would not stay on the last two tracks of side two. As much as I tried to get it recorded, I couldn't get clean copies of the song to edit together!
I continued to work on this, off and on, for the better part of 1 1/2 years. I had finally gotten the first of the two final tracks recorded and I kept plugging away on track ten - I would apply pressure onto the tone arm just enough for the needle to go through the scratch to get the precious one second segment I needed to piece the track together.
By the middle of this year, I was down to the last 30 seconds of the final song and despite all my efforts, the needle would not cooperate. It was frustrating because this is a fantastic sounding album and I've wanted to share it for so long.
I looked on eBay in desperation and they had a clean STEREO copy available!
I decided to post the mono because of all the work invested into it and it cleaned up amazingly well after I washed it through my Sound Forge software. The stereo version is good as well. The choice is yours.
I've tried Googling Bobby Roberts but can't find little else than what's on the back cover - he was a popular Philadelphia band leader who recorded this for Decca in 1959.
Which is a shame because despite all my troubles with the mono copy, I've grown to love this album. It's a great mix of Christmas, Big Band, popular music (set at breakneck speeds at times), and some great Latin music thrown in for flavor.
Of all the albums I'm offering for 2008, this is my favorite. Hope you like it too.
Bobby Roberts & His Orchestra - Holiday Music For Happy People - MONO
Bobby Roberts & His Orchestra - Holiday Music For Happy People - STEREO
Happy listening...
Capt
Grab a coffee and sit a spell... have I got a story to tell you!
I bought this album (mono) at a thrift store in early 2006 and attempted to transfer it over throughout that year. As the 2006 Christmas downloading season was set to begin, I had completed side one with no problems, but side two was a mess.
I figured it would be ready to go for 2007 but the LP had other plans. The needle would not stay on the last two tracks of side two. As much as I tried to get it recorded, I couldn't get clean copies of the song to edit together!
I continued to work on this, off and on, for the better part of 1 1/2 years. I had finally gotten the first of the two final tracks recorded and I kept plugging away on track ten - I would apply pressure onto the tone arm just enough for the needle to go through the scratch to get the precious one second segment I needed to piece the track together.
By the middle of this year, I was down to the last 30 seconds of the final song and despite all my efforts, the needle would not cooperate. It was frustrating because this is a fantastic sounding album and I've wanted to share it for so long.
I looked on eBay in desperation and they had a clean STEREO copy available!
I decided to post the mono because of all the work invested into it and it cleaned up amazingly well after I washed it through my Sound Forge software. The stereo version is good as well. The choice is yours.
I've tried Googling Bobby Roberts but can't find little else than what's on the back cover - he was a popular Philadelphia band leader who recorded this for Decca in 1959.
Which is a shame because despite all my troubles with the mono copy, I've grown to love this album. It's a great mix of Christmas, Big Band, popular music (set at breakneck speeds at times), and some great Latin music thrown in for flavor.
Of all the albums I'm offering for 2008, this is my favorite. Hope you like it too.
Bobby Roberts & His Orchestra - Holiday Music For Happy People - MONO
Bobby Roberts & His Orchestra - Holiday Music For Happy People - STEREO
Happy listening...
Capt
Our last yuleblog entry showed off an various artists album with many of the artists on the Decca label during the year of 1957. We stay in that year with an entire album by one of those artists - Owen Bradley.
Bradley was a successful country music producer and one of the pioneers of the "Countrypolitan" sound that emerged from Nashville in the late 1950s and early 1960s - lush strings, background vocals, and smooth crooning (i.e. Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves, Chet Atkins, and some select Patsy Cline).
With Owen taking the lead on the organ and his quintet backing him up, these songs are simple, straightforward, but with some distinct style and pizzazz all their own. This is a cut above your average run-of-the-mill Christmas organ music albums!
Note: This album was recorded last year (not the best clean up job - some scratches and fuzz remain) and was scheduled to be shared out - it had a chance of being a "featured album" at FaLaLaLaLa.com.
However, our friend PDMan posted his own copy (which sounds much better than my copy) at FLLLL and I decided to pull the album from its original schedule slot. The only reason it's here now is because I'm rapidly running out of albums that I can share and time in which I can post them.
Decca the halls part 2:
Owen Bradley & His Quintet - Joyous Bells Of Christmas
Happy listening...
Capt
Our last yuleblog entry showed off an various artists album with many of the artists on the Decca label during the year of 1957. We stay in that year with an entire album by one of those artists - Owen Bradley.
Bradley was a successful country music producer and one of the pioneers of the "Countrypolitan" sound that emerged from Nashville in the late 1950s and early 1960s - lush strings, background vocals, and smooth crooning (i.e. Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves, Chet Atkins, and some select Patsy Cline).
With Owen taking the lead on the organ and his quintet backing him up, these songs are simple, straightforward, but with some distinct style and pizzazz all their own. This is a cut above your average run-of-the-mill Christmas organ music albums!
Note: This album was recorded last year (not the best clean up job - some scratches and fuzz remain) and was scheduled to be shared out - it had a chance of being a "featured album" at FaLaLaLaLa.com.
However, our friend PDMan posted his own copy (which sounds much better than my copy) at FLLLL and I decided to pull the album from its original schedule slot. The only reason it's here now is because I'm rapidly running out of albums that I can share and time in which I can post them.
Decca the halls part 2:
Owen Bradley & His Quintet - Joyous Bells Of Christmas
Happy listening...
Capt
I've never been a big fan of the "various artists" Christmas compilation. In many instances (i.e. Goodyear, Firestone, True Value, or anything by Columbia or Capitol Special Products), it's usually the same rehashed stuff with the same rehashed songs. So when I first noticed this compilation, I thought "another various artists" comp. But when I noticed the familiar Decca logo atop the album, I began to look a little closer.
Glad I did. A quick check of the LP looked like this had just been opened (you could eat off the album). And this nifty compilation contains artists that you normally don't get on comps (Dick Haymes, The Four Aces, Axel Stordahl, Vincent Lopez, Owen Bradley, even the Shulmerich Carillon Bells!).
I found this album at a garage sale sitting on a table bathed partially in the Indiana sun. This made the sale tag on the front cover fuse with the cover, resulting in a scab on the front cover (Note to all garage sellers: vinyl & sun don't mix!).
Despite much research via the almighty Google, I couldn't find a release date on this one. Judging by the record label number, I'm wagering late 1950s - anyone have the real answer?
Decca the halls:
Around The Christmas Tree - A Special Christmas Day Program
Happy listening...
Capt
I've never been a big fan of the "various artists" Christmas compilation. In many instances (i.e. Goodyear, Firestone, True Value, or anything by Columbia or Capitol Special Products), it's usually the same rehashed stuff with the same rehashed songs. So when I first noticed this compilation, I thought "another various artists" comp. But when I noticed the familiar Decca logo atop the album, I began to look a little closer.
Glad I did. A quick check of the LP looked like this had just been opened (you could eat off the album). And this nifty compilation contains artists that you normally don't get on comps (Dick Haymes, The Four Aces, Axel Stordahl, Vincent Lopez, Owen Bradley, even the Shulmerich Carillon Bells!).
I found this album at a garage sale sitting on a table bathed partially in the Indiana sun. This made the sale tag on the front cover fuse with the cover, resulting in a scab on the front cover (Note to all garage sellers: vinyl & sun don't mix!).
Despite much research via the almighty Google, I couldn't find a release date on this one. Judging by the record label number, I'm wagering late 1950s - anyone have the real answer?
Decca the halls:
Around The Christmas Tree - A Special Christmas Day Program
Happy listening...
Capt
Ironically, it's one of the last albums I'll be posting!
To kick off the Christmas holiday weekend, I give you this absolute gem of an album from 1963.
I found this LP in an antique store earlier this year. The cover hooked me and the lineup of songs reeled me in! I finally found a copy of "Captain Santa Claus" by Bobby Helms and "Tag Along" by the Wilburn Brothers!
This isn't your average run-of-the-mill country compilation either. There are some excellent examples of the Nashville sound and pure vintage old school twangy country sung by some of the best artists Decca Records had in their corral of stars!
You're going to find something on this album you're going to love. Be it the bluegrass sounds of Bill Monroe, the deep, rich sound of Red Foley's voice, or listening to pure storytelling on songs by Ernest Tubb or the three guys named Jimmy (or Jimmie) on the LP!
This made another and PFFFTT... here it is:
A Country Christmas (Decca Records)
Happy listening...
Capt
Ironically, it's one of the last albums I'll be posting!
To kick off the Christmas holiday weekend, I give you this absolute gem of an album from 1963.
I found this LP in an antique store earlier this year. The cover hooked me and the lineup of songs reeled me in! I finally found a copy of "Captain Santa Claus" by Bobby Helms and "Tag Along" by the Wilburn Brothers!
This isn't your average run-of-the-mill country compilation either. There are some excellent examples of the Nashville sound and pure vintage old school twangy country sung by some of the best artists Decca Records had in their corral of stars!
You're going to find something on this album you're going to love. Be it the bluegrass sounds of Bill Monroe, the deep, rich sound of Red Foley's voice, or listening to pure storytelling on songs by Ernest Tubb or the three guys named Jimmy (or Jimmie) on the LP!
This made another and PFFFTT... here it is:
A Country Christmas (Decca Records)
Happy listening...
Capt
But... some album covers have some suspicious red writing directly under the words "Christmas on the Rhine".
These words read: "Mixed Chorus and Orchestra under direction of Werner Müller" That explains why this album is a cut above the rest.
When you heard the words "German Christmas record", visions of oompah bands and overbearing Teutonic singers straight out of a Wagner opera might have filled your head. Not this album.
This is a well-orchestrated, well-arranged, and well sung album. Many of the standards are covered ("O Tannenbaum", "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht") but there are a few gems that standout from the rest. "Leise Rieselt Der Schnee (The Snow Falls Quietly)" can be put alongside anything put out by Fred Waring.
"Am Weihnachtsbaum (By The Christmas Tree)" is lush and lovely - a perfect Christmas song. "Kling Glockchen (Ring, Little Bell)" is by far the winner. This song is bouncy, very catchy, and all the elements of the album are capsulated in this track. This is the one you'll remember!
Nehmen Sie hören sich (take a listen for yourself):
O Tannenbaum: Christmas On The Rhine
Happy listening...
Capt
But... some album covers have some suspicious red writing directly under the words "Christmas on the Rhine".
These words read: "Mixed Chorus and Orchestra under direction of Werner Müller" That explains why this album is a cut above the rest.
When you heard the words "German Christmas record", visions of oompah bands and overbearing Teutonic singers straight out of a Wagner opera might have filled your head. Not this album.
This is a well-orchestrated, well-arranged, and well sung album. Many of the standards are covered ("O Tannenbaum", "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht") but there are a few gems that standout from the rest. "Leise Rieselt Der Schnee (The Snow Falls Quietly)" can be put alongside anything put out by Fred Waring.
"Am Weihnachtsbaum (By The Christmas Tree)" is lush and lovely - a perfect Christmas song. "Kling Glockchen (Ring, Little Bell)" is by far the winner. This song is bouncy, very catchy, and all the elements of the album are capsulated in this track. This is the one you'll remember!
Nehmen Sie hören sich (take a listen for yourself):
O Tannenbaum: Christmas On The Rhine
Happy listening...
Capt
