Our next album comes to us from the wonderful online kingdom known as FaLaLaLaLa. The King of Jingaling, FLLLL's gracious, generous, and benevolent ruler featured this album.(I was awake at 1:30 AM on November 24th, 2006 when I found this online. Many times throughout the downloading season, I'll find myself staying up later, even waking in the middle of the night for 30 - 45 minutes searching for new stuff. I really need to learn how to do RSS feeds!)
The King has shared many fantastic albums over the years at FLLLL. While I offer gems like Alex Houston & Elmer, he offers gold. Not fool's gold. Real gold.
His albums are always a cut above the rest because of the immensely intriguing stories behind the albums themselves.
Last month, The King offered the famous "NORAD Tracks Santa" LP, released at the height of the Cold War. Several years ago, it was The Rhodes Kids whose album was produced by a bonafide porn peddler.
At first glance, you'd think this album is another "cut it quick, get it out, make a Christmas buck" type of album. That's where the King's sharp eye separates himself from the rest.
While doing research on the album, he discovered that this very album was the follow-up to this immensely popular Christmas album:
Perhaps the greatest budget Christmas album of all time, no less! With this in its favor, you're thinking this album has a great chance of being good. Maybe great.
In their attempts to be "hip" and "now" back in the new decade of the 1970s, they decided to go with a medley format - the album itself has six tracks and 20 songs advertised on the front. Adding the usual mix of horns, bouncy beat (enhanced by a very 1970s bass guitar), and choral arrangements adds to the fun, giving the music an overall "Now Sound" feel.
The last word on this album? I'll let the King tell you in his own words:
"But there is something enticing about these folks trying to make centuries-old carols up-to-date. There is a sense of freshness in their approach. They're not just coasting through the old arrangements. The bass gets groovy in a few places, the music swells. You wanna shake your hips a little. It's a bit "Up With People" in places, but fun and warm and charming."
Somewhere in this wide world, someone grew up listening to this album at Christmas. It's always fun to find people offering their thanks for reconnecting with those precious childhood Christmas memories. That's one of the reasons why The King of Jingaling created FaLaLaLaLa - still the best Christmas music resource on this planet.
UP NEXT: What I downloaded on November 24, 2006 at 9:25 AM
Capt
