Favorites of the Roaring Twenties

This is a great collection, dubbed from a cassete.  Fun music, optimistic in tone overall.

Here are the songs:

Favorites of the Roaring Twenties (60:01)

01. Fred Rich and His Orchestra - It All Depends on You (2:59)

02. Ben Selvin and His Orchestra - When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along (2:56)

03. Ben Bernie and His Orchestra  - Make Believe (2:27)

04. Harry Richman - Blue Skies (2:50)

05. Ben Selvin and His Orchestra - Ramona (3:13)

06. Don Voorhees and His Orchestra  - My Blue Heaven (3:22)

07. Abe Lyman’s California Orchestra - The Varsity Drag (2:43)

08. Eddie Walters - Makin’ Whoopee! (3:14)

09. Colonial Club Orchestra - You’re the Cream in My Coffee (3:16)

10. Regent Club Orchestra - Together (3:01)

11. Helen Kane - That’s My Weakness Now (3:37)

12. Ted Lewis and His Band - She’s Funny That Way (3:19)

13. Waring’s Pennsylvanians - Button Up Your Overcoat (3:00)

14. The Capitolians - You Were Meant for Me (2:40)

15. Franklyn Baur - With a Song in My Heart (3:01)

16. Fred Rich and His Orchestra - Singin’ in the Rain (3:16)

17. The Charleston Chasers - Ain’t Misbehavin’ (3:02)

18. Nick Lucas - Tip-Toe Thru’ the Tulips with Me (2:46)

19. Earl Burnett and His Orchestra - If I Had a Talking Picture of You (2:56)

20. Johnny Marvin - Happy Days Are Here Again (2:22)

And here is the link:   http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1DKXIKNS

Keep smilin'!

  

The Gift of Memories

More musical memories of a tail-end Baby Boomer.  Here are the songs:

1969

1         Give Peace A Chance                     John Lennon & the Plastic Ono Band
2         Cinnamon Girl           Neil Young with Crazy Horse

1970

3         Without You             Badfinger
4         Make Me Smile (single version) Chicago
5 Lucky Man Emerson, Lake & Palmer
6 Let It Rain Eric Clapton
7 Temma Harbour    Mary Hopkin
8 Another Day    Paul McCartney

1971

9 Free Chicago
10 Vincent Don McLean
11 I Just Want to Celebrate    Rare Earth
12 Tongue In Cheek (single version) Sugarloaf

1972

13 From the Beginning Emerson, Lake & Palmer
14 Day by Day Godspell Cast; Robin Lamont
15 You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio Joni Mitchell

16 Young Americans David Bowie 1975

17 Falling Star Karla Bonoff    1977
18 Peek-A-Boo!   Devo 1982
19 Hold On Santana    1982
20 Goodbye To You Scandal 1982
21 On the Dark Side    John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band 1983

And here is the link:   http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7FEFG7D5

Merry Christmas!

Love Those Swingle Medleys!

The Swingle Singers have been around (with various staff changes) for decades.  Their signature bright, multilayered acapella sound really shines on these Christmas songs.  And where would they be without an audacious arranger?

Here are the songs:

1)  Sleigh Ride

2) A Visit from St Nicholas

3) Coventry Carol

4)  I Believe in Father Christmas

5)  Il est ne le Divin Enfant / Petit Papa Noel

6)  White Christmas

7)  Carol Medley

8)  Audete Gaudete

9) Frosty the Snowman

10)  Christmas Song

11)  Rockin' Rudolph

12) Christmas Medley

  Winter Wonderland

  Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town

  Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

13)  Twelve Days of Christmas

14)  Silent Night

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Here is the link:   http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HVBLL0DN 

 

Springtime in December

There may be a lot of you who first encountered Stravinksy's Rite of Spring when watching Fantasia.  That's the way it was with me!

While this is wild, raucous music at times, it always makes you look down your nose on those folks who rioted at the first performance, because it was so --- ODD.

Here are two transcriptions, one for piano, one for guitar.  Both will get your eyebrows rising, your fingers twitching, and maybe your shoulders bopping, too!

As included, here are the tracks:

Dickran Atamian - solo piano

Part One:  The Adoration of the Earth  (14:35)

1.         Intro - The Augurs Of Spring - Ritual Of Abduction -          Spring Rounds - Ritual Of The Rival Tribes - Procession       Of The Sage - The Sage - Dance Of The Earth

2.         Part Two:  The Sacrifice  (15:26)

           Intro - Mystic Circles Of The Young Girls - Glorification Of The Chosen One - Evocation Of The Ancestors - Ritual Action Of The Ancestors - Sacrificial Dance: The Chosen One

Larry Coryell  - solo guitar

3.         Part One:  The Adoration of the Earth (16:25).

            Introduction - Dance of the Young Maidens - Mock Abduction - Spring Rounds - Games of the Rival Tribes - Entry of the Wise Men - Kiss to the Earth - Worship      Dance of the Earth

 4.  Part Two:  The Sacrifice (18:48).

            Introduction - Mystical Circle of the Young Maidens - Glorification of the Chosen One - Evocation of the Ancestors - Sacrificial Dance

And here is the link:  http://www.megaupload.com/?d=G0ZHU4CP 

See you Monday with more Christmas music.

  

The Children of the Day Christmas Album

From 1975, here is a heartfelt and really well-produced album.  CLICK ALERT though -- I found it at the Goodwill a couple of months ago, and in some tracks the surface noise is REALLY noticeable.

After you listen to the songs, especially "For Unto Us a Child Is Born" from the Messiah, and remember that the group only had FOUR MEMBERS -- to paraphrase ol' Jerry Lee Lewis, there was a whole lot o' dubbin' goin' on!

Here are the tracks:

01. Joy to the World (1:18)

02. What Child Is This (2:22)

03. Angels We Have Heard on High (1:37)

04. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (2:26)

05. Oh Come, Oh Come Immanuel (2:49)

06. O Little Town of Bethlehem (2:24)

07. For Unto Us a Child Is Born (4:54)

08. Hark, the Herald Angels Sing (1:28)

09. Holy, Radiant Light (4:38)

10. He Is Born (1:31)

11. Deck the Halls (1:09)

12. Oh Come All Ye Faithful (1:54)

13. Silent Night / It That's Not Love / Oh Holy Night (6:56)

And here is the link:   http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TET3SC0Z

I'll have another album on Thursday.

 

The King of Elfland's Daughter

You know, I bet you could do a "Degrees of Christopher Lee" and get to ANYBODY pretty easily.  For example, he's the narrator of this 1977 album and "plays" The Elf King.  He even semi-SINGS a number.  Mary Hopkin is also on this.

So you could go from Christopher Lee to Mary Hopkin to the Beatles to almost anybody!

This is based on the wondrous 1924 book of the same name by Lord Dunsany.  My paperback cover is from Ballantine, and looks like this:

The writers of the album are  Bob Johnson and Pete Knight of Steeleye Span, and the musical style is a lot like Span's stuff of the time.

I encourage you to read this fun book.  It's not only charming and interesting to read, it's also one of those very accurate observations about some of our human foibles.  You see, the men of Eorl have decided that life is too ordinary and boring, so they ask their Lord to send their Lord's son to marry "The King of Elfland's Daughter," so liltingly portrayed by Mary Hopkin, and thus bring a bit of Elfland's magic to their humdrum lives.

Of course, by the end of the book, they realize that there is such a thing as "Too Much Magic," and wish they could just undo everything.

The album tells just bits of the story, so to get the full appreciation -- "the goodness of it 'ot" (to quote somebody -- TELL ME WHO!!!) you should really read the book as well as listen to this fun album.  Here are the tracks:

1. The Request (3.23)

2. Lirazel (4.11)

3. Witch (3.35)

4. Alveric's Journey Through Elfland (4.57)

5. The Rune of the Elf King (3.59)

6. The Coming of the Troll (1.53)

7. Just Another Day of Searching (5.09)

8. Too Much Magic (3.58)

9. Beyond the Fields We Know (4.29)



and here is the link:    http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CWQCAELM


   see you next week!

MA-42 - Happy Christmas Time

Here is a collection I’ve made of Christmas music from many different sources, from lounge to very traditional, from instrumentals to very important lyrics.

In Track 6, “Happy Birthday Jesus,” my friends Tim and Miranda, that that time known as Sparklepop, present a sadly true and cogent look at some of the same topics raised by Charlie Brown’s “commercial dog.”  They reappear under a more recent name as Seranova, for Track 24, a great version of a song from “Charlie Brown Christmas.”

On Track 17, VM of the Beatles Remixers Group overlays a chant from one of the Beatles Fan Club’s Christmas releases with “Flying” from Magical Mystery Tour, with the result being a fun (though not profound) new Christmas ditty.

Lots of retro, punchy fun comes along in Tracks 7, 13, and 15.

Once based out of Nashville, Fleming and John work their special magic on Track 19, an Elseworlds version of “Winter Wonderland.”

Track 25 is a great piece from Joan Baez’s 1960s album Noel, with instrumentation and arrangements by Peter Schickele of PDQ Bach fame.  The entire album is a moving assemblage of music.

Track 26, from “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” just wouldn’t be the same without that shouted “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!”  -- so I inserted that but from the TV special into the song.

I tried to put together a mix of fast and slow, of reverent and joyous.  The collection is bookended by a rousing “Hark the Herald” and a stilling “Silent Night” from an wonderful album by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

As I get ready for the arrival of Jesus’ birthday, I’m always struck by a combination of emotions.  On one side is thankful humility:  God loves me so much that he sent his Son to show that love!  On the other side is sorrow and shame, to realize the sacrifice that my sinful nature requires for expiation.

Join me in being thoughtful and thankful!

Here are the songs:

01. The Philadelphia Orchestra - Hark! the Herald Angels Sing (3:10)

02. The O.C. Supertones - Joy to the World (2:41)

03. Martin Denny - Exotic Night (2:16)

04. Georgia Kelly - Little Drummer Boy (4:22)

05. Chris Willis - Sweet Little Jesus Boy (4:00)

06. Sparklepop - Happy Birthday Jesus (3:37)

07. Capitol Studio Orchestra - Cha-Cha All the Way (2:19)

08. Teja Bell - Carol of the Bells (3:49)

09. Joan Baez - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (2:58)

10. Sarah Masen - Heaven's Got a Baby (4:17)

11. The Philadelphia Orchestra - Away in a Manger (2:26)

12. Erin O'Donnell - I Need Christmas (3:49)

13. Claymation Christmas Celebration - We Three Kings Bop (2:50)

14. Elvis Presley - Here Comes Santa Claus (1:57)

15. Johnny Mercer - Jingle Bells (2:36)

16. Twila Paris - Silent Night (4:25)

17. The Beatles (VM) - Christmas Time Is Here Again (2:03)

18. The Drifters - White Christmas (2:38)

19. Fleming and John - Winter Wonderland (3:40)

20. Billy May - Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer Mambo (2:38)

21. Xmas! The Beatmas - Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (2:31)

22. Five Iron Frenzy - You Gotta Get Up (2:27)

23. A Charlie Brown Christmas - Hark, the Herald Angels Sing (1:55)

24. Seranova - Christmastime Is Here (3:16)

25. Joan Baez - I Wonder as I Wander (3:53)

26. The Philadelphia Orchestra - Silent Night, Holy Night (3:16)

Here is the link:           http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5ZG5LSY7

And Track 22 is ONE OF MY FAVORITES!!!