Martin Denny - Exotica Volume II (1958)

Gotta love that exotica! After Martin Denny's success with the album "Exotica", it was inevitable that there would be another one to follow. So the following year there was "Exotica Volume II"! (There's also an "Exotica III", but I don't have that one.) If anyone has the third one, please share! I really don't think I need to say anything about Martin Denny - you all are quite familiar with his records! So... enjoy!

Track listing for Martin Denny - Exotica Volume II:

Side 1:
1. Soshu Night Serenade
2. Island of Dreams
3. Japanese Farewell Song (Sayonara)
4. Singing Bamboos
5. The Queen Chant (E Lili Ua E)
6. Wedding Song (Ke Kali Ne Au)

Side 2:
1. Escales
2. When First I Love
3. August Bells
4. Bacoa
5. Ebb Tide
6. Rush Hour in Hong Kong

The Ray Conniff Singers - So Much in Love (1961)

Just as much as she loved anything Percy Faith, my mother loved anything Ray Conniff - and I inherited that. This album is by the Ray Conniff Singers, which was the chorus that often accompanied the orchestra on the other Ray Conniff albums. I think this was the first album that the Singers got top billing (please correct me if I'm wrong), because the liner notes say "This time, the Ray Conniff singers step out from the orchestra..." There are actually twelve songs, but they are sung as six medleys of two songs each. "Each medley tells a musical story about people who are 'so much in love'." I love albums by choral groups like this! This album was supervised by Frank De Vol, and the Conniff cover girl is Linda De Vol - his daughter perhaps?

Track listing for Ray Conniff Singers - So Much in Love:

Side 1:
1. Autumn Leaves; Just Walking in the Rain
2. I Fall in Love Too Easily; My Heart Stood Still
3. Dancing On the Ceiling; Dancing in the Dark

Side 2:
1. I Wish I Didn't Love You So; Bewitched
2. Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera); True Love
3. Chances Are; It's Not for Me to Say

Baja Marimba Band - Rides Again (1965)

I can't believe my mother never bought any albums by the Baja Marimba Band, especially since she liked Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass so much, and it kind of goes along those lines. To tell you the truth, I had never really listened to any of their albums either until I bought this one sometime last year at my favorite supplier of used records, Half-Price Books. And I really like this album! I will definitely be buying more of their albums next time I go to HPB or to a flea market or estate sale. I've decided that I like almost any music from A&M Records during that time - Herb Alpert, Baja Marimba Band, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66... all those folks! Herb knew how to pick the artists for his label! Well, all I can say about this album is that it is delightful! Enjoy!

Track listing for Baja Marimba Band - Rides Again:

Side 1:
1. Brasilia
2. Walk On By
3. Guacamole
4. More
5. Dear Heart
6. Majorca

Side 2:
1. Red Roses for a Blue Lady
2. Hecho En Mexico (Made in Mexico)
3. The Woody Woodpecker Song
4. A Spanish Rose
5. Juarez
6. Goin' Out the Side Door

Here they are playing "Brasilia":

Louise Akeo and Her Royal Hawaiian Girls - Authentic Music from the Kodak Hula Show (1956)

Oh, how I wish I could be in Hawaii right now! Sigh... But, since I can't be there right now, I'll have to console myself by listening to one of my Hawaiian music albums. This album is "Authentic Music from the Kodak Hula Show". The Kodak Hula Show was a free show sponsored by Kodak that ran for many, many years in Waikiki. Unfortunately, Kodak pulled out its sponsorship in 1999 due to rising costs (it cost around $400,000 to $500,000 a year to put on this free show). A private family trust took it over for another three years or so, but they pulled their sponsorship as well due to the cost. I went to Hawaii in 1997 to participate in the Honolulu Marathon, and if I had known about the Kodak Hula Show I most definitely would have gone. Oh, well. Anyway, since I am so in love with all things Hawaii, I had to buy this album when I saw it in the HPB bargain bin. The first side is by Louise Akeo and her Royal Hawaiian Girls, but the second side just says "Instrumental Music for Your Hawaiian Pictures and Parties". So, at least you now have background music to play when you show your friends your pictures from your Hawaiian vacation - because that's what the record says.

Track listing for Louise Akeo - Authentic Music from the Kodak Hula Show:

Side 1:
1. Hilo E
2. Hoonanea
3. Haole Hula
4. E Liliu E
5. Nani Wale Na Hala
6. Ula Noweo
7. Lovely Hula Hands
8. I Alii No Oe
9. Thus Pounds the Poi
10. Cockeyed Mayor of Kaunakakai
11. Kawika
12. Hanohano Hanalei

Side 2:
1. Song of the Islands, "Na Lei O Hawaii"
2. Dargie Hula
3. Moana Chimes
4. The Wedding Song, "Ke Kali Nei Au"
5. Farewell Song, "Aloha Oe"

Mame OST (1974)

When I was growing up, we first got cable TV in my hometown in the mid-1970s. At that time, it was called Casa Cinema and consisted of two channels, one of which was a movie channel and the other was a Spanish channel (I think). I loved the movie channel because they showed movies in their entirety without commercials, including R-rated movies (which was a big deal for a 12 or 13-year-old) - movies that they just didn't show on the late movie on the three networks. Being a major movie buff, I watched as many as I could even though there weren't many choices. I think they showed maybe four movies a month and they were repeated all month long. But those were simpler times and we were all happy to have that cable movie channel. Well, one of the first movies I saw on Casa Cinema was "Mame" from 1974 starring Lucille Ball. I don't remember this showing at the movie theatre at all, and I think I would've gone to see it because it was a musical and I loved musicals. Well, I loved it. In fact, I think I saw it every time it was shown on Casa Cinema that month. Even though she couldn't really sing, Lucille Ball was always one of my favorites so I didn't care. I do have to laugh a little today as I remember how every close-up of Lucy was with a filter to "soften" the aging star. Anyway, I bought the soundtrack as a cut-out when I came across it a few years after seeing the movie. I still think it's a fun movie, even if the critics hated it, and the musical did spawn a couple of favorite songs that have been recorded by several people. I think you'll know which songs I mean when you listen to the album!

Track listing for Mame OST:

Side 1:
1. Main Title... including 'St. Bridget' - Jane Connell
2. It's Today - Lucille Ball and Chorus
3. Open a New Window - Lucille Ball and Kirby Furlong
4. The Man in the Moon - Beatrice Arthur and Chorus
5. My Best Girl -Lucille Ball and Kirby Furlong
6. We Need a Little Christmas - Lucille Ball and Cast
7. Mame - Robert Preston and Chorus

Side 2:
1. Loving You - Robert Preston
2. The Letter - Kirby Furlong and Bruce Davison
3. Bosom Buddies - Lucille Ball and Beatrice Arthur
4. Gooch's Song - Jane Connell
5. If He Walked Into My Life - Lucille Ball
6. Finale - Lucille Ball and Chorus

The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra starring Warren Covington - Tea for Two Cha Chas (1960)

This is an album I've had for awhile - bought it in the late 1980s when I first started ballroom dancing. I noticed that I bought a lot of cha cha albums back then - probably because it was my favorite of the dances that I was doing. When I bought this one, the only thing I saw was "Tommy Dorsey", who I knew about because of my mother's big band influence on me. Then I saw that Tommy Dorsey himself was no longer around and that his orchestra was being conducted by someone else. So I was disappointed when I found that out but I thought I'd listen to the album anyway. I loved it! I had heard "Tea for Two Cha Cha" on the radio, but I never knew who played it - until I bought the record. So I was very pleased with my purchase after all and thoroughly enjoyed all the songs on this album. It was just perfect for practicing my cha cha at home, and it remains one of my favorites to this day.

Track listing for The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra starring Warren Covington - Tea for Two Cha Chas:

Side 1:
1. Tea for Two Cha Cha
2. Por Favor
3. Patricia
4. I Still Get Jealous Cha Cha
5. Corazon de Melon
6. Dardanella Cha Cha

Side 2:
1. Rico Vacilon
2. I Want to Be Happy Cha Cha
3. Together 1-2-3
4. Trumpet Cha Cha Cha
5. Dinah Cha Cha
6. Cha Cha for Gia

Frank Sinatra - Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim (1967)

I have long been a fan of Frank Sinatra, thanks to my mother. He was her absolute favorite singer and she would get all giddy like a schoolgirl while listening to his records or if one of his movies was on TV. But this album is not one of hers. I bought it about 20 or so years ago and played it for her but she didn't really like it that much. To be honest, it had to grow on me, too. I love the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim, especially the bossa nova tunes, but I guess I just wasn't used to Frank singing like this. I was lucky enough to see Ol' Blue Eyes in concert here in Dallas in the late 1980s (and the orchestra was conducted by Frank Jr.!), but I don't recall him singing any of these songs. But with time, I have come to really like this album. It's definitely worth a listen.

Track listing for Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim:

Side 1:
1. The Girl from Ipanema
2. Dindi
3. Change Partners
4. Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars
5. Meditation

Side 2:
1. If You Never Come to Me
2. How Insensitive
3. I Concentrate on You
4. Baubles, Bangles and Beads
5. Once I Loved

Here's a video clip of Frank Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim:

KAAM Most Requested - A Stax o' Wax Compilation (2009)

As I have mentioned on several occasions, I am an avid listener of a local Dallas radio station, KAAM 770. I started listening to it in 1987 quite by accident. I had a radio on my desk at work and had been out one day (jury duty, if I remember correctly). The next day, when I returned to work, I turned on my radio and thought it was weird that they were playing "How Much is That Doggie in the Window" by Patti Page. That wasn't the kind of music I listened to! Then I noticed that my radio station had been changed and was a bit put off. But I realized that I loved that song and that I hadn't heard it since I was a little girl. So I left the station on and really liked what I was hearing. That has been my favorite radio station since that day (except for a short period when the station went "dark"). The station has moved around a couple of times to different frequencies and it's been sold a couple of times, but it looks like the current owners intend to keep it around for awhile. I have won several contests through the years (free ballroom dance lessons - that's how I got started on that, autographed CD from Bobby Sherman, free tickets to see Patti Page) and have discovered a lot of wonderful music through this station. When my mother would come visit me in Dallas, she enjoyed the station, too, and often commented how she wished there was a similar type station back home. She even got to go with me to a couple of station sponsored events - tea dances and such. "Old" music and "classic" movies were something that my mother and I had in common and enjoyed sharing.

Well, a couple or so years ago, KAAM listed their most requested songs on their website. I copied the list and started compiling the songs. I finally finished putting it all together (I get sidetracked sometimes) so here it is. Every song is familiar and a classic. Check out KAAM on the internet and listen to it online!

Track listing for KAAM Most Requested:

1. My Way - Frank Sinatra
2. In the Mood - Glenn Miller and his Orchestra
3. Somewhere My Love - Ray Conniff
4. I Left My Heart in San Francisco - Tony Bennett
5. Moon River - Henry Mancini
6. Spanish Eyes - Al Martino
7. Theme from "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith and his Orchestra
8. Unforgettable - Nat King Cole
9. It's Impossible - Perry Como
10. Downtown - Petula Clark
11. Sugartime - McGuire Sisters
12. A Man Without Love - Engelbert Humperdinck
13. A Certain Smile - Johnny Mathis
14. Love is Blue - Paul Mauriat
15. On a Clear Day - Robert Goulet
16. Welcome to My World - Jim Reeves
17. Tammy - Debbie Reynolds
18. I've Gotta Be Me - Sammy Davis Jr.
19. Tea for Two Cha Cha - Tommy Dorsey Orchestra conducted by Warren Covington
20. Georgia On My Mind - Ray Charles
21. Cast Your Fate to the Wind - Sounds Orchestral
22. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm - Les Brown and his Band of Reknown
23. Rainy Night in Georgia - Brook Benton
24. Music, Music, Music - Teresa Brewer
25. Love is a Many Splendored Thing - Four Aces
26. Make the World Go Away - Eddy Arnold
27. Strangers in the Night - Frank Sinatra
28. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - The Platters
29. Today - New Christy Minstrels
30. Don't Be That Way - Benny Goodman and his Orchestra

David Cassidy - Cassidy Live! (1974)

Well, last night was a dream come true for me! After 40 years of waiting to see him in concert, I finally got to see David Cassidy perform!!! He and Davy Jones both performed in Dallas (actually, Grand Prairie) last night and it was just wonderful! Davy Jones was on first, and he sang lots of Monkees hits, his own singles, and a song from "Oliver!" He was very entertaining and full of jokes - just adorable! After a brief intermission, David Cassidy came on and he took us on his "musical journey", singing songs that inspired him when he was a boy, some Partridge Family songs, and some of his own singles. Of course, there weren't any girls fainting and it was all quite civilized - after all, most of the audience was made up of middle-aged women. But, some women did run up to the stage and tried to touch them, and a couple even got David to sign some stuff. Yours truly was not even close to the stage, but I did have a good view and was enthralled just the same. So, since I am still floating on Cloud Nine from finally seeing David Cassidy, I thought I'd post his live album from 1974 in Great Britain. I actually recorded this about a year ago as a request for someone, but did not post it then, but here it is now!

Track listing for David Cassidy - Cassidy Live!:

Side 1:
1. It's Preying On My Mind
2. Some Kind of a Summer
3. Breaking Up is Hard to Do
4. Bali Ha'i/Mae
5. I Am a Clown
6. Delta Lady

Side 2:
1. Please Please Me
2. Daydreamer
3. How Can I Be Sure
4. For What It's Worth
5. C. C. Rider Blues/Jenny Jenny
6. Rock Medley: Blue Suede Shoes, (We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock, Jailhouse Rock, Rock and Roll Music, Rock Me Baby

Edmundo Ros - Rhythms of the South (1957)

Wow! What a great album this is! But then again, I have yet to be disappointed in an album by Edmundo Ros and his orchestra. And what a great cover, too - suitable for framing! I bought this at my favorite store, Half-Price Books, and I am grateful to Ed Basden, the former owner of this record (his name is on the back cover), for unloading it at HPB so that I could enjoy it. I'm quite familiar with all the songs on this album, and if you've listened to any latin dance music from back in the day, then these will all be familiar to you, too. There's a variety of dances and the back cover lists the appropriate dance with each song - and I've included that in parentheses by each song. Even if you don't know the particular dance steps, just get up and do your own little dance to the songs. You'll have lots of fun and get a good workout, too! As the saying goes, "Dance as if no one is watching!"

Track listing for Edmundo Ros - Rhythms of the South:

Side 1:
1. Spanish Gypsy Dance (Pasodoble)
2. The Blue Danube (Valse Creole)
3. Barcarolle (Baiao)
4. La Maxixe (Marcha)
5. Capullito de Aleli (Son Rumba)
6. Siboney (Mambo)

Side 2:
1. Isle of Capri (Cha-Cha-Cha) - has a small skip
2. Colonel Bogey (Merengue)
3. Elizabeth (Samba)
4. Caminito (Tango) - has a small skip
5. Marta (Bolero)
6. Cachita (Guaracha)

Sam Makia and the Makapuu Beach Boys - Hawaii: The Fabulous Fiftieth State (1959)

As we get ready for another cold spell to hit Dallas in a day or so, my mind drifts away to Hawaii, where I hope to live one day. Sigh. So, I took this album off the wall (I have it framed) of my Hawaii room (the guest room in my house) and decided to share it with you. This is another rescue from the HPB bargain bin, and I immediately fell in love with the cover! I have three Hawaiian music albums hanging on the wall in that room, and I change out the other two, but this one stays because I just love the statue of King Kamehameha. I've only been to Hawaii once - in 1997, when I participated in the Honolulu Marathon - and I did get to see the statue "in person" during one of my sight-seeing tours. Just that one visit to Hawaii was enough to know that I want to live there. One day... So, join me right now and go on a little trip to Hawaii.

Track listing for Sam Makia and the Makapuu Beach Boys - Hawaii: The Fiftieth State:

Side 1:
1. Sweet Leilani
2. The Hawaiian Wedding Song (Ke Kali Nei Au)
3. Maui Chimes-Hilo March
4. Blue Hawaii
5. Waipio
6. King Kamehameha (The Conqueror of the Islands)
7. To You Sweetheart, Aloha

Side 2:
1. Across the Sea; Mai Poina Oe I'au
2. Hawaiian War Chant; Hana Lei
3. Kuu Ipo Ika Hee Pue One
4. Lovely Hula Hands; Anapau
5. Kaimana Hila-Kalena Kai
6. Aloha Oe

Peggy Lee - Latin ala Lee! (1960)

Sorry I didn't get around to posting last Wednesday. I try to post on Sundays and Wednesdays, but I've been swamped at work and doing overtime, so I just ran out of time.

But today I have some Peggy Lee for you! What can I say about Peggy Lee? She was absolutely WONDERFUL! I bought this album during my ballroom dancing days and immediately loved it! All the songs are familiar because they are "Broadway hits styled with an Afro-Cuban beat". The back of the album says it best, "Here's Manhattan with a twist of Latin as Peggy Lee swings through hit songs from the Great White Way, accompanied by authentic Afro-Cuban rhythms." It's hard to pick a favorite from this album, but if I had to pick just one then I pick "Heart."

Track listing for Peggy Lee - Latin ala Lee! (link has been deleted - go buy CD on Amazon):

Side 1:
1. Heart ("Damn Yankees")
2. On the Street Where You Live ("My Fair Lady")
3. Till There Was You ("The Music Man")
4. I Am in Love ("Can-Can")
5. Hey There ("The Pajama Game")
6. I Could Have Danced All Night ("My Fair Lady")

Side 2:
1. The Surrey With the Fringe On Top ("Oklahoma!")
2. The Party's Over ("Bells Are Ringing")
3. Dance Only With Me ("Say Darling")
4. Wish You Were Here ("Wish You Were Here")
5. C'est Magnifique ("Can-Can")
6. I Enjoy Being a Girl ("Flower Drum Song")

Jackie Gleason - Lonesome Echo (1955)

This is probably one of the more famous album covers since it was by Salvador Dali. This was the first Jackie Gleason album that I bought and it was because of the Dali cover. Now, I really don't know much about art and famous painters, but I knew enough that Dali was famous, and I had seen that one painting with the weird clocks. So I bought this album for the sole purpose of framing it and hanging it on my wall. What a pleasant surprise it was when I actually listened to it! So, I ended up buying several more of Jackie Gleason's albums, two of which I've already shared. I just find listening to these albums so relaxing and soothing. They're great to play while reading a book, doing some paperwork, or as background music while having a nice dinner with guests or that special someone. So, kick back and treat yourself to some relaxing music.

Track listing for Jackie Gleason - Lonesome Echo:

Side 1:
1. There Must Be a Way
2. I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)
3. Deep Purple
4. Mad About the Boy
5. Someday I'll Find You
6. Come Rain or Come Shine
7. The Thrill is Gone
8. I Wished On the Moon

Side 2:
1. How Deep is the Ocean
2. Remember
3. Speak Low
4. I Still Get a Thrill
5. Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup
6. I'm Always Chasing Rainbows
7. A Garden in the Rain
8. Dancing On the Ceiling

The Percy Faith Strings - Bouquet (1959)

As I've mentioned before, I inherited my mother's records after she passed away in 1993, and I credit her for instilling the love of music in me. This particular record is one that really brings back a flood of memories. As I listen to it, I can see my mother sitting at the dining room table working on lesson plans (she was a teacher) on a Saturday afternoon while playing this album on her console stereo. Or, I can see her on a summer day sitting on a short stool, barefoot and wearing her "pedal pushers" (who remembers those?) while she cleaned her records with some red liquid. (I've never seen that red liquid since my childhood, so if anybody knows what it is, please tell me.) Percy Faith was one of her absolute favorites and "Bouquet" is probably one of the first albums I remember ever being played at our house. And after all these years, it still holds up. The lush strings, the beautiful melodies... but most of all, the vivid memory of my mother humming along and wearing those pedal pushers.

Track listing for The Percy Faith Strings - Bouquet:

Side 1:
1. Bouquet
2. Tenderly
3. Laura
4. The Song from Moulin Rouge
5. Beyond the Sea
6. Autumn Leaves

Side 2:
1. Speak Low
2. Solitude
3. Deep Purple
4. Intermezzo
5. Ebb Tide
6. Fascination

Ray Conniff - Dance the Bop! (1957)

This is an album I bought a number of years ago at HPB, and it was the cover that caught my eye. I'm a major cat lover so I couldn't resist this album when I saw the Siamese cat on the cover. Of course, the fact that this is an album by Ray Conniff is a major plus, too! I don't know how to dance the bop and, unfortunately, the instruction booklet was not in the album when I bought it used. I hope the previous owner put the booklet to good use and learned to excel at the bop. A curious bit of trivia I found out is that Ray Conniff did not want to record this album. His record company came to him and told him of this "new" teenage dance rage and to come up with some songs and record them. For those of you who were teenagers in 1957, was the bop really the teenage rage? Just wondering.

Track listing for Ray Conniff - Dance the Bop!:

Side 1:
1. Walkin' the Bop
2. The Drop
3. Just Boppin'
4. Doin' the Twister
5. The Flea Hop
6. Cross Over

Side 2:
1. Walkin' the Bop Again
2. Swingin' the Bop
3. Hand Around
4. Play a Guitar Solo
5. The Spinner
6. Honky-Tonk Rock-Around

The Brothers Four - Song Book (1961)

I hope you like folk music and great harmonies, because that's what this album is about. It is great! I first heard the Brothers Four on my local AM radio station, KAAM, and they soon became a favorite. As a kid, I never really listened to folk music since my mother never played it. I think she thought it was the kind of music that "those long-haired hippies" listened to (remember, my mother was from the big-band and crooners era). And even as I grew older, I didn't listen to it because I was more into the rock and disco of the 70s and the punk and new wave of the 80s (yes, I was a punker - who knew?). So it wasn't until I started listening to KAAM that I really became exposed to folk music and found that I liked it. So when I came across this album in the HPB bargain bin, I had to buy it. It's really a cool album because the inside has a song book! It has the lyrics for each song plus easy-to-play guitar chords, which I plan to learn if I ever find time to practice my guitar again! And even more cool - the inside is autographed by the Brothers Four!!! This album used to belong to a guy named Dave, so it says "To Dave" right above their signatures. Pretty cool, huh?

Track listing for The Brothers Four - Song Book:

Side 1:
1. Rock Island Line
2. Goodnight, Irene
3. The Tavern Song
4. Lady Greensleeves
5. The Drillers' Song
6. Nobody Knows

Side 2:
1. Viva La Compagnie
2. Ole Smokey
3. Tarrytown
4. Come for to Carry Me Home
5. Summer Days Alone
6. Frogg No. 2

Ernesto Aquino - Latin Goes Percussive Cha Cha Cha's (1960)

Happy New Year! I wish you all a year full of good health, prosperity, love, peace, and happiness!

Here's an album that I bought when I was doing the ballroom dance thing. It seemed that I was always dancing the cha cha so I bought every cha cha album that caught my eye. This one caught my eye because of the album art - simple yet colorful and worthy of hanging on my wall. Besides cha cha's, you will also find some merengues on this album. If you've never danced either and would like to learn, I recommend signing up for a ballroom dance class at your local community college. They're relatively inexpensive (versus at a dance studio) so if you end up not liking it, you're not out a lot of money. But ballroom dancing is a lot of fun and a great way to get in shape - it beats going to the gym and sweating it out on the treadmill! So, turn up the volume and "dance as if no one is watching!"

Track listing for Ernesto Aquino - Latin Goes Percussive Cha Cha Cha's:

Side 1:
1. Take My Hand Cha Cha
2. Simon Says Cha Cha
3. Merengue Moderne
4. Festival Merengue
5. Siamese Cha Cha

Side 2:
1. Manhattan Merengue
2. Iberic Cha Cha
3. Cuba Calls
4. Havana Cha Cha
5. Latin Lover

Cool Yule Tunes 2009 - A Stax o' Wax Compilation

This is my last Christmas post for the year as I'll be visiting my family and friends back in my hometown for the Christmas holiday. And, as has become my tradition, I've put together a compilation of some favorite Christmas songs for this year's Cool Yule Tunes 2009. This is just my little way of saying thanks to all of you for visiting my blog and sharing in my love of this type of music and the nostalgia of glorious vinyl.

Some of these songs are old favorites from my growing-up years, and there are a couple that are newer, and there are some that I'd never heard before until I heard them played on a local radio station. There's a little bit of everything here. And, if you don't already have them, click on the "Cool Yule Tunes" label to see the previous two Christmas compilations and download them to have a complete collection!

I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and I hope you get to spend it with those you love. I also wish you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year! See you back here after the New Year!

Track listing for Cool Yule Tunes 2009 - A Stax o' Wax Compilation:

1. It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas - Johnny Mathis
2. Let Me Be the First (To Wish You a Merry Christmas) - Steve Lawrence
3. Deck the Halls - The Johnny Mann Singers
4. Frosty the Snow Man - Esquivel
5. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Dorothy Provine
6. Pretty Snowflakes - Patti Page
7. Sleigh Ride - Andy Williams
8. White Christmas - The Ray Conniff Singers
9. Home for the Holidays - Jerry Vale
10. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jackson 5
11. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen - Brothers Four
12. O Come All Ye Faithful - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
13. The Birthday of a King - Judy Garland
14. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; Angels We Have Heard on High - Andre Kostelanetz
15. And the Bells Rang - Glenn Miller Singers
16. Jingle Bells - Jimmy Dean
17. Ring Those Christmas Bells - Fred Waring and The Pennsylvanians
18. Jingle Bell Rock - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
19. (Everybody's Waitin' for) The Man with the Bag - Brian Setzer Orchestra
20. Mister Santa - Amy Grant
21. The Chipmunk Song - The Chipmunks with David Seville
22. Nuttin' for Christmas - Barry Gordon
23. All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) - King Cole Trio
24. Toyland - Doris Day
25. My Grown-Up Christmas List - Donny Osmond
26. Blue Christmas - The Partridge Family
27. Christmas in Killarney - Bing Crosby
28. Yah, Das Ist Ein Christmas Tree - Mel Blanc

True Value Happy Holidays Volume 18 (1983)

I got this album at my favorite little resale store down the street from my house. I was very familiar with the Christmas albums put out by Goodyear and Firestone back in the day, but I didn't know about the True Value ones since we didn't have any True Value stores in my hometown. This is volume 18 from 1983, but I would like to find the early volumes, especially from the 1960s. If anyone out there has any other True Value albums, please do share!

Track listing for True Value Happy Holidays Volume 18:

Side 1:
1. Christmas Is... - Jack Jones
2. Winter Wonderland - Anne Murray
3. Sleigh Ride - Arthur Fiedler, Boston Pops Orchestra
4. The Twelve Days of Christmas - Harry Belafonte
5. If Every Day Was Like Christmas - Elvis Presley with The Jordanaires

Side 2:
1. Christmas is Here Again - Roger Whittaker
2. The Little Drummer Boy - Harry Simeone Chorale
3. O Holy Night - Nat King Cole
4. Christmas is the Warmest Time of the Year - Ed Ames
5. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Forever - Perry Como

Lawrence Welk - Merry Christmas from Lawrence Welk and His Champagne Music (1956)

Todays Christmas album is dedicated to the memory of my parents, who loved watching "The Lawrence Welk Show" and who passed the love of this kind of music to me. I grew up watching Lawrence Welk on Saturday evenings after we would come home from Saturday evening Mass, but this album came out years before I became a fan of Mr. Wunnerful. I found this album in pristine condition at an estate sale. As you can see from the photo, it still has the original cellophane wrap with the K-Mart price sticker! I love finding treasures like this! This is definitely an album worth playing on Christmas morning as you open up all your presents!

Track listing for Merry Christmas from Lawrence Welk and His Champagne Music:

Side 1:
1. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Instrument Fox Trot
2. I Wanna Do More Than Whistle (Under the Mistletoe) - Vocal by The Sparklers and Alice Lon
3. White Christmas - Vocal by The Sparklers
4. Christmas Island - Vocal by The Sparklers
5. The Christmas Toy - Vocal by The Lennon Sisters
6. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town - Instrumental

Side 2:
1. Winter Wonderland - With Larry, Dick and Curt
2. Christmas Dreaming (A Little Early This Year) - Vocal by Dick Dale
3. Christmas Comes But Once a Year - Vocal by Larry, Dean and The Sparklers
4. Thanks for Christmas - Vocal by Alice Lon and The Sparklers
5. Twelve Gifts of Christmas - Vocal by Larry, Dean and The Sparklers
6. High on the House Top - Vocal by Larry Hooper

Here's a clip from the 1958 Lawrence Welk Christmas show: