Am I the only one who is nutty about the old Goodyear Tire & Rubber Great Songs of Christmas albums from the 1960's? Volume 6, pictured below, is a favorite of mine from my childhood. I found it on eBay and snapped it up like a doughnut-shaped chocolate morsel. I like some of the new "classics" as well, like "All I Want For Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey, "Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses, U2's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and "Last Christmas" by Wham!, but the older ones invade my physical senses and transport me back to the time when Christmas was achingly magical and special.
I took this photo of Goodyear Great Songs of Christmas Volume 6 (1966) back in 2005. (Can you believe that was almost five years ago? Nuts.) Here's the song list. My favorite Christmas song, "O Holy Night" is not represented here, but there are some goodies. Is it just me, or is it not Christmas without The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Babs, a nice Jewish lady, singing "Ave Maria"?
01 Barbra Streisand - Silent Night
02 Andy Williams - Do You Hear What I Hear?
03 Johnny Mathis - The Christmas Song
04 The King Family - The Holiday of Love/Caroling, Caroling
05 Pablo Casals - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
06 The King Family - O Little Town of Bethlehem/It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
07 Jan Peerce - O Come All Ye Faithful
08 Barbra Streisand - Ave Maria (Bach-Gounod)
09 Ray Conniff - Frosty the Snowman 10 New Christy Minstrels - We Need A Little Christmas
11 Steve Lawrence - Let It Snow
12 Ray Conniff - Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
13 Jan Peerce - Noel Nouvelet
14 Mormon Tabernacle Choir - March of the Kings
15 Mormon Tabernacle Choir - Deck the Hall
16 Bing Crosby - White World of Winter
17 New Christy Minstrels - Il Est Ne
18 Mormon Tabernacle Choir - Still, Still, Still
19 Mahalia Jackson - Away In A Manger
20 Ray Conniff - We Wish You A Merry Christmas
Edited to add:
For Jena: (No time is the wrong time to fall on your knees and hear the Angel voices.) :)
I love the music and am totally jealous, I have not bought a LP in ages, would have to dig out the old player that is pretty much on the bottom of the storage pile in the garage...a task I am not willing to do for any music. But I know all those songs and can hear them in my head (not that I hear voices or anything) Anyway nice purchase and enjoy it always.
ReplyDelete.-= Lizzy´s last blog ..We all have a whole lot of nothing to say about nothing "STOP TALKING" =-.
Hi Lizzy, and thank you! I checked out your blog, LOVE the title and subject matter. I just turned 40 this year, so I think we have a lot in common. I'll listen to a little Pablo Casals in your honor. :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard the group "Wham" in years....LOL!! I don't have any vintage Christmas albums but that one looks like it's got some amazing artists on it. Love love love Barbra Streisand!
ReplyDelete.-= Helene´s last blog ..Life is never dull, that's for sure... =-.
What a collector's item! My favorite Christmas album is probably from about that same year. It was Bing Crosby and he was posing on the cover with his family. I used to be jealous of that Mary Frances Crosby because she got to wear toe shoes and dance on her father's Christmas special - I thought one's father having a yearly Christmas special was more than enough for her.
ReplyDelete.-= Margo´s last blog ..On Her Last White Christmas, She Probably Complained About It =-.
I know, right? "Wham!"? lol The song is good, though! Love that you know the special spelling of Babs' name. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAh yes Margo, Bing with his deep voice that doesn't match his face and body. :) I think Mary Frances should have invited you to the show and let you dance in your very own toe shoes!
ReplyDeleteI love listening got my mother's old Christmas LPs the crackling sound and sometimes skipping make for a great holiday! :)
ReplyDelete.-= Ms. Freeman´s last blog ..Don’t Get Stuck In the Quagmire of Thinking Small =-.
I didn't know you're that old in your music Heather, he he he..kidding. Those are old time favorites....I love all those songs, especially, O Holy Night. Is it possible for you to convert it into something we can listen to here in your blog?
ReplyDeleteI hope all's well with the family.
Advance merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
.-= Jena Isle´s last blog ..An Immortal Relationship : Friendship =-.
I'll own up to not knowing a couple of those, but of the ones I know, there's not a bad one in the bunch.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it's too bad it doesn't have any of the Charlie Brown Christmas songs on there. lol
.-= Mitch´s last blog ..Be Sure You Know Your Audience Before You State Your Case =-.
Nice list of songs Heather!!! It's already Christmasssssssss! :D I'm so excited for the vacation, he he he..
ReplyDeleteNot sure who Jan Peerce is, but I admit that I love the others even though they may be considered "old fashioned". Some of the older Christmas tunes are my favorites.
ReplyDelete.-= ConnieFoggles´s last blog ..I Caught Santa Product Review And Giveaway =-.
You are so right! There was something about the beautiful nature of the covers as well, that sometimes offered up visible lyrics. Helped when I was trying to get "These are a few of my favorite things" down pat. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI wonder! Hmm... I will check it out, thanks Jena.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I am old in my music. I'm old in many, *sigh*, many things. I like retro with its charm. People took time back in latter days to make quality with extra special touches. Nowadays many things are mass-market and flimsy, lacking in charm. But I digress... again...
Hi Mitch! So awesome to see you here. Aww, The Charlie Brown Christmas. My son watched that last year for the first time. I think he may have been too young for it, just having turned two, because he cried when Snoopy was being chased as The Red Baron, he was afraid for him.
ReplyDeleteNobody knows who Jan Peerce is, that's half the fun of it! lol
ReplyDeleteWait, who are we talking about?
Hi Madz, are you planning a list of Christmas cookies that may be eaten while running? Perhaps..."Angel" cookies? :)
ReplyDeleteI love old records. There is something special about seeing those LP covers and their vinyl interiors.
ReplyDelete.-= Jack´s last blog ..Tales of a 40 Year Old Nothing =-.
I'm with you, Jack! Thanks so much for coming by and sharing. Sharing is caring, in case you haven't heard.
ReplyDeleteOkay, Jena. I found a nice version of O Holy Night for you. :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Christmas album [besides the Muppets singing the 12 Days of Christmas] is Johnny Mathis 'Merry Christmas'. 'Sleigh Ride' is my favorite, but I have to admit his rendition of 'O Holy Night' is quite moving.
ReplyDeleteAndy Williams, is he the singing cowboy or is that someone else? Oh, I wish I still had a record player. {sigh} Alas, I think I only have one 45 [heehee] and it's Le Freak by Chic ! :D
.-= Anne´s last blog ..Show your vehicle how much you care this holiday season. Schedule an oil change. ~ Did I mention this is a giveaway, too? =-.
You are a fan of the muppets! Another reason to love you! I like Sleigh Ride as well. And carol of the bells. Heck, I'm a bonafide Christmas music fool. Do they have Hanukkah music? Besides Adam Sandler? ;-( :lol:
ReplyDeleteLOL! I think Andy Williams was an old-style crooner. Are you sure you're not thinking of The Naked Cowboy? And Anne, I had Le Freak by Chic! I performed a dance to that song in front of my 5th grade class! Aaaaaaaaaaw FREAK OUT! Thanks for the smiles. :)