When Christmas comes to our house, Chubby and Rydell join in the fun...

Here's a few more Christmas tunes from well worn 45's I have saved from my 1960's memory. The main one here that I recall most is "When Christmas Comes To Our House" , sung by Dottie Evans with the Brigadiers Quartet and written by Light/Kurzhene. It's nothing earth shaking but I don't think you'll find too many versions of this tune out there (I could be wrong) and it is a pleasant rendition. It was one of four songs on a 45 rpm EP including work by an Artie Malvin as well as a couple of classics from the Waldorf Music Hall Orchestra. But those other three cuts are pretty forgetable, especially in such poor condition as this, so I offer just the Dottie tune and hope you like it too. I did throw in another single here, one from the duo of Chubby Checker and Bobby Rydell from 1960. Neither tune was holiday magic for me, I prefer the more straight forward "Jingle Bell Rock" to the attempted comedy of the odd "Jingle Bells Imitations", but they are curiosities from some big names. I expect both of these holiday tunes are well traveled in the Christmas compilation archives over the past 48 years but this single was in decent shape and might be new to you for a little fun. Enjoy and keep the Christmas spirit each and every day, at your house, our house, the out house and everywhere! And there are a few others I included on the re-up including Tinkertown Santa Claus by the Cricketones...

Tinkertown Santa Claus

Dottie Evans with the Brigadiers Quartet -
"When Christmas Comes To Our House" - 45 rpm EP
Waldorf / Music-Hall #MH 45-165A (track #2)

Bobby Rydell & Chubby Checker - "Jingle Bell Rock"
1960 - 45 rpm - Cameo #C-205-A

Bobby Rydell & Chubby Checker - "Jingle Bells Imitations"
1960 - 45 rpm - Cameo #C-205-B

Set at 45 and add some seasoning.....

So how can I resist adding some Christmas cheer to the blog that is obviously partially inspired by this special time of the year? "Do You Hear What I Hear" just has to include some token Christmas music to ensure balance and ultimate purpose, or something like that. With only ten days to go I wanted to be sure to add the following mini collection of some very rough recordings from my battered collection of my childhood 45's. To this day I think of "Tinker Town Santa Claus" by the Cricketones as a holiday classic, a standard. But I have yet to meet anyone else that has ever heard of it. I think it is an excellent tune with some laughably enjoyable lyrics. The flip side of the single was a version of Rudolph that was just too roughed up to bother with here, but I did throw in both sides of another single by an artist simply referenced as Santa Claus & his Helpers. Santa and the gang do a memorable job on side 2's "Santa's Laughing Song" which I recall best, and on the flip side the same North Pole crew deliver the carefree, "Santa, The Happy Wanderer". These are pretty rough, never handled with much care, but I wouldn't post them if they weren't pretty special to me in my old age. Hope they prove worthwhile for your holiday listening pleasure. And if anyone knows any history on the artists, please fill me in! I should have a few more to add before Christmas arrives....but on with the music, I don't want to "sound like I'm singing in a hole..." (There's a few other holiday tunes included also linked on a later Christmas post)

Tinker Town

The Cricketones - "Tinker Town Santa Claus" - 45 rpm
Cricket #CX-6B (Pickwick) Side 2
Cast and Orchestra directed by Warren Vincent and produced by Roy Freeman
Written by Freeman & Thigpen

Santa Claus & his Helpers -
"Santa the Happy Wanderer" - 45 rpm
Columbia #4-40577 (ZSP36552) Side 1
Written by Stillman & Moller

Santa Claus & his Helpers -
"Santa's Laughing Song" - 45 rpm
Columbia #4-40577 (ZSP36553) Side 2
Written by Zaret & Kay

The Chick that almost got away......

I recently rediscovered my box of old 45's and was happy to find a few from back when I was just a grade schooler, probably about 45 years ago, in fact. The first one I had to relive was this one by an otherwise unknown to me duo of "Lee and Paul". I vividly recall both sides of this beauty, the bizarre and fun Easter novelty song, "The Chick" and the pseudo polka pop rock hip-swinging "Valentina, My Valentina". It's not too obvious from the record itself but oddly enough it appears that the novelty tune is the "A" side, if you go in order of the reference numbers on the label. This well worn mini-vinyl was a part of some stack of dated 45's my mother bought for me one birthday or Christmas and I certainly got her money's worth out of them. Wish I still had them all but there's a few that didn't get away over the years like this one that I think you will get a kick out of. I tried to do a little research on Lee and Paul who, as noted on the song credits, are primarily song writers, Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss. They cowrote a number of successful songs including another novelty tune, Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, and Tracy (Cuff Links) among quite a few others that seem to add up to a credible career. Don't think this record here was much of a hit. But if I ever make a movie I will definitely find some way to work Valentina into one of the happy-go-lucky scenes where I walk along the Riviera with some bikini babes in the bright sunshine followed by a carefree parade of vacationers and lazy fishermen as we wind our way between beach blankets and colorful umbrellas. As you can see, the song is simply inspirational, see for yourself...

Chick

Lee and Paul - The Chick - 1959 -
Columbia #4-41337 (ZSP 45738) Side A

Lee and Paul - Valentina, My Valentina - 1959 -
Columbia #4-41337 (ZSP 45739) Side B