The Sounds Of Christmas (Warner Bros. Records) (MONO)

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxsoQpVY6mN5pxVgPQrSXBQIFmLrXpfhVnLc12_0lEJsU_gef9Cqc3LmCvEkIL20W99xoL-835jGqX-k7Gg29GJjfFZzVu1PgMxGmErVKYzMlV6-H2_qoz8_BVa-3rqTUjU6WprdhpnRm/s1600-h/sounds+of+christmas,+the+%28WB%29+-+A.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278383109151269074" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxsoQpVY6mN5pxVgPQrSXBQIFmLrXpfhVnLc12_0lEJsU_gef9Cqc3LmCvEkIL20W99xoL-835jGqX-k7Gg29GJjfFZzVu1PgMxGmErVKYzMlV6-H2_qoz8_BVa-3rqTUjU6WprdhpnRm/s320/sounds+of+christmas,+the+%28WB%29+-+A.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 320px;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Back in October, I <a href="http://christmasyuleblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/warner-brothers-stars-we-wish-you-merry.html">reviewed</a> "Warner Brothers Stars - We Wish You A Merry Christmas" - an album released on Warner Bros. Records from 1959 - the second year of WB Records existence (and available for download courtesy of our friend <a href="http://ernienotbert.blogspot.com/2006/11/merry-christmas-indeed.html">Ernie (Not Bert)</a>.)<br /><br />Here's an album from 1958 - one of only two Christmas albums released on Warner Bros. Records that year (the other being Jimmy Joyce's "<a href="http://ernienotbert.blogspot.com/2006/12/may-day.html">A Christmas To Remember</a>" - Ernie again).<br /><br />What stars are on this album? Who's got the hot song? It's an entire album of Christmas music boxes accented with bells & chimes.<br /><br />This album might have been the first Christmas music box album ever - Rita Ford's legendary "Music Box Christmas" on Columbia wasn't released until 1961 and I've yet to see a Christmas music box album earlier than this.<br /><br />And guess what? Ernie did it again - he has this <a href="http://ernienotbert.blogspot.com/2008/12/another-something-from-warner-bros.html">very same album</a> in the STEREO format. Turns out I had the mono version after all with some nifty promo labels:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5A9r7WgGatii20wozO8h6qDZ5uLT9e4lf_5fcdMQ2ZhyphenhyphenW3IMIg-dWK2PZyxGo3THALZnSKZMbvoNs6TiqUCTQC08BvLi7KNm472XDDVni6DzIyrtXX1Tycm83WrwZhUo8if0o4cbLEHf/s1600-h/sounds+of+christmas,+the+%28WB%29+-+side+1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278384494293530306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5A9r7WgGatii20wozO8h6qDZ5uLT9e4lf_5fcdMQ2ZhyphenhyphenW3IMIg-dWK2PZyxGo3THALZnSKZMbvoNs6TiqUCTQC08BvLi7KNm472XDDVni6DzIyrtXX1Tycm83WrwZhUo8if0o4cbLEHf/s320/sounds+of+christmas,+the+%28WB%29+-+side+1.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 320px;" /></a><br />Naturally, I'm biased on which version sounds better - Ernie's. Go get a copy. I did go back and re-transfer the album and properly recorded it into mono - it sounds a little better than my first try. So I have that going for me...<br /><br /><a href="http://rapidshare.com/files/172088415/Sounds_Of_Christmas__The___WB___MONO_.zip"><br />The Sounds Of Christmas (Warner Bros.) (MONO)</a><br /><br /><br />Happy listening...<br /><br /><br />Capt</span></span>

The Sounds Of Christmas (Warner Bros. Records) (MONO)

Back in October, I reviewed "Warner Brothers Stars - We Wish You A Merry Christmas" - an album released on Warner Bros. Records f...

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Warner Brothers Stars - We Wish You A Merry Christmas

<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qMbYmW5iwzs3Q2SO7heIQY5YLx062bHGTlS86mriiwJkgQlZR2EhWRyoG0kDtNK4KqCO0Oj0AnsNj6ivEBgb9li5rOFyPlnkXMPyyZwfG9dMuHDm69rbEoh_nlBw9C585IUKSfIB5AxP/s1600-h/warner+bros.+stars+-+A.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254635503253177010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qMbYmW5iwzs3Q2SO7heIQY5YLx062bHGTlS86mriiwJkgQlZR2EhWRyoG0kDtNK4KqCO0Oj0AnsNj6ivEBgb9li5rOFyPlnkXMPyyZwfG9dMuHDm69rbEoh_nlBw9C585IUKSfIB5AxP/s320/warner+bros.+stars+-+A.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">(Click on image to enlarge)</span></span></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">If you take a blood sample from our friend Ernie (Not Bert), you'll find 80% red blood cells, 10% white blood cells, and 10% vinyl. This was <a href="http://ernienotbert.blogspot.com/2006/11/merry-christmas-indeed.html">downloaded</a> on November 29, 2006 at 1:54 PM from his blog and nearly two years later, I'm getting around to reviewing it - sheesh!<br /><br />Back in the late 1940s, MGM - the movie studio with the roaring lion - created their own record label. For a time, they were the only movie studio with its own record label. By the mid-1950s, television had so badly eroded the box office that other movie studios needed new streams of revenue.<br /><br />In 1957, Paramount began its record label and Warner Bros. were undecided as to start its own label. That changed when Dot Records signed then-WB star <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tab_Hunter">Tab Hunter</a> to its label. Even though Hunter had an iron-clad exclusive movie contract with WB, without a record label, Tab was free to sign with Dot.<br /><br />Sure enough, plans for Warner Bros. Records went into high gear and in March, 1958 - the first record on the new label came out. WB had reclaimed Tab hunter and his new single "Jealous Heart" (ironic, huh?) was released - the only charting record for the entire year!<br /><br />Another mistake from the get go was ignoring rock n' roll. WB decided to go with pop, jazz, classical, spoken word, folk and gospel (see Clint Walker below).<br /><br />Christmas releases for Warner Bros. in 1959 included George Greeley's "22 Best Loved Christmas Piano Concertos", the Guitar's Inc. "<a href="http://christmasyuleblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/guitars-inc-guitars-at-christmas.html">Guitars At Christmas</a>", Ira Ironstring's "<a href="http://christmasyuleblog.blogspot.com/2007/01/ira-ironstrings-plays-santa-claus.html">Ira Ironstrings Orchestra Plays Santa Claus</a>", and the album you're looking at now.<br /><br />To quote Ernie:<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">"This LP came out in 1959, and features the stars from then-current TV shows produced by Warner Brothers. The Warner Bros. record label was brand new at the time, and they were putting out all sorts of interesting stuff. (After you've downloaded it, look closely at the back label. They had so little product out at the time, they were recommending other companies records on their jackets!)"</span><br /><br /><br />BIO LINKS / TRACK REVIEWS:<br /><br />1.) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efrem_Zimbalist_Jr.">Efrem Zimbalist Jr.</a> - Adeste Fideles<br /><span style="color: red;">Zimbalist's voice is astoundingly good (that led to other non-Christmas recordings). Majestic.</span><br /><br />2.) Warner Bros. Stars - Deck The Halls<br /><span style="color: red;">All the assembled stars on the cover merge as one to sing a few choruses.</span><br /><br />3.) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connie_Stevens">Connie Stevens</a> - Away In A Manger<br /><span style="color: red;">Breathy rendition from cutie Connie. She and Edd Byrnes had a HUGE hit the same year with "Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb"!</span><br /><br />4.) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edd_Byrnes">Edward Byrnes</a> - Yulesville<br /><span style="color: red;">This song still has enough charm to give me a smile. That charm is almost used up. Next...</span><br /><br />5.) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Brown_%28actor%29">Peter Brown</a> - Winter Wonderland<br /><span style="color: red;">Great voice and a snappy version of this song! He later starred with Pam Grier in "Foxy Brown"!</span><br /><br />6.) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Danton">Ray Danton</a> - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen<br /><span style="color: red;">This guy could give Thurl Ravenscroft a run for his money. Another majestic song!</span><br /><br />7.) <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0690291/">Poncie Ponce</a> - Mele Kalikimaka<br /><span style="color: red;">Kazuo Kim sings again! Poncie got his start on "77 Sunset Strip", then moved over to "Hawaiian Eye".</span><br /><br />8.) <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/eddie-cole">Eddie Cole</a> - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town<br /><span style="color: red;">The older brother of Nat (listen and feel the similarities), this was recorded near the end of Eddie's career - it swings, baby!<br /></span><br />9.) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Conrad">Bob Conrad</a> - White Christmas<br /><span style="color: red;">I dare you to knock the battery off his shoulder... Robert Conrad sings marvelously - too bad we didn't get to hear more of that in "Wild Wild West" or "Baa Baa Black Sheep"!</span><br /><br />10.) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Provine">Dorothy Provine</a> - Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!<br /><span style="color: red;">From 1958 to 1968, Dorothy starred in many films and a great singing voice to match - then she got married and retired. This is a gem - she sounds a little like Dusty Towne from "SCTV"!</span><br /><br />11.) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clint_Walker">Clint Walker</a> - Silver Bells<br /><span style="color: red;">A bonafide member of </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061578/" style="color: red;">"The Dirty Dozen"</a><span style="color: red;"> singing a Bob Hope Christmas song! Remarkable! This was after Clint's walkout from Warner Bros. (see Ty Harden below) and his first album for WB - a gospel album entitled "Inspiration".</span><br /><br />12.) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Moore">Roger Moore</a> - Once In Royal David's City<br /><span style="color: red;">With his lordly British voice, Sir Roger narrates this song to great effect. The name is Templar... Simon Templar.</span><br /><br />13.) Warner Bros. Male Chorus - Star Carol<br /><span style="color: red;">I'm not sure if Clint, Roger, Bob Conrad, or Edd Byrnes sung on this - but whoever did does a nice job.</span><br /><br />14.) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ty_Hardin">Ty Hardin</a> - It Came Upon A Midnight Clear<br /><span style="color: red;">This guy's Wiki entry is a trip - as for his singing... you gotta read this guy's Wiki entry. It's a trip!</span><br /><br />15.) Warner Bros. Stars - We Wish You A Merry Christmas<br /><span style="color: red;">Several choruses of this ol' favorite from everyone on the cover and presto! End of album!</span><br /><br /><br /><br />Ernie said in his initial review "If you don't find something in here to love, you may as well quit looking." I agree. I especially liked hearing 007 recite his story, Dorothy Provine, and Eddie Cole. <br /><br />Most of the artists on this album sing well and the arrangements don't subtract or detract from their singing. And then there's Ty Hardin...<br /><br />It's hard to imagine from these beginnings came the colossus known as <a href="http://www.wmg.com/">Warner Music Group</a>. As for MGM and Paramount record labels, they're long gone but the WB survived.<br /><br /><br />Capt</span></span>

Warner Brothers Stars - We Wish You A Merry Christmas

(Click on image to enlarge) If you take a blood sample from our friend Ernie (Not Bert), you'll find 80% red blood cells, 10% white bloo...

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