Christmas Cavalcade 2020, Part Three

With just one week to go, it’s time for another couple of festive-themed tracks for you, all part of this year’s Christmas Cavalcade.

 

First up is a find from our old friend Stephen ‘Beany’ Green, who was kind enough to send me a whole CD of funky festiveness recently. It’s British actor Arthur Treacher (I still have no idea if he was related to Bill ‘EastEnders’ Treacher…) and his rather unique take on the classic Santa Clause is Comin’ To Town. Treacher began his movie career in the 1930s, appearing in four Shirley Temple vehicles, and as butler Jeeves in a brace of early P. G. Wodehouse adaptations.

 

In the 1960s he became a regular face on TV in America, eventually becoming announcer and on-screen sparring partner to Merv Griffin. He made two albums with Griffin, Merv Griffin and Arthur Treacher in London: ‘Alf and ‘Alf a collection of musichall favourites, and the clumsily-titled Big Christmas Album For Merv Griffin and TV Family, which also featured an early musical outing from TV actor David Soul and, naturally, Santa Clause is Comin’ To Town.

 

Next up is Derrik Roberts and There Won't Be Any Snow (Christmas In The Jungle) an early (1965) Vietnam War-themed disc that’s guaranteed to warm the cockles at this time of year. It follows the same plot used by so many other pro- and anti-Vietnam discs, but I won’t spoil the denouement for you!

 

There’s not much info out there about this one and, confusingly, on promo copies the singer(s) are credited as a duo, Derrik and Roberts, rather than just Derrik Roberts. The disc was penned and produced by Vance and Pockriss who, between them, were responsible for dozens of hits and even more misses, from the great (Catch a Falling Star and Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini) to the reprehensible (Playground in My Mind and Without Your Love [Mr Jordan] Parts One and Two).

 

As an extra I’m also including the video to Jon Bon Jovi’s horrific remake of Fairytale of New York… a recording so bad that the record company have forbidden people to add their comments on YouTube after it was Universally panned.

 

I’ve never been a fan of their music – although part of that may be my jealousy at being too fat to fit into all of that spandex or too bald to be able to join a hair metal outfit – but Jon himself (who, 40 years ago brought us the Christmas Classic R2-D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas) is a pretty stand up fella, doing immense good work in his local community, and I do feel a bit mean, but this truly is Godawful, and the new lyrics suck balls. It really should not exist, but I’m kind of glad it does. 

And if that’s not enough awful audio, why not join me on Wednesday, 2pm GMT/7pm Eastern for a whole hour of Christmassy crap – including all three of these turkeys - on The World’s Worst Records Radio Show: https://wfmu.org/playlists/WR

 

Enjoy! 

Download Santa HERE 

Download Jungle HERE

Christmas Cavalcade 2020, Part Two

 

It’s another Friday in December, and time for another couple of Christmas-themed oddities. And, to follow last week’s brace of Beatle novelties, here are two more for you to endure.

 

First up is another Beatle-related festive novelty, Ringo-Deer, from Toronto DJ Garry Farrier. Ferrier’s 45 was issued in Canada just in time for Christmas 1964 by Capitol, although the company decided not t opt for a US issue, leaving Ferrier free to license the tracks to New York-based Academy Records. Ferrier had been involved in a number of novelty records, usually with a political bent,

 

Next up is Christmas With the Beatles by Judy and the Duets. This particular disc made the opposite journey, originally issued in New York on the tiny Ware Records Inc label and then licensed to Apex in Canada – the same label that had issued one of Garry Ferrier’s earliest releases, the 1959 novelty The Battle of Queenston Heights/The Tea Taster.

 

Christmas With the Beatles was written by Henry Glover who, together with Fred Norman, was also responsible for the arrangement. Glover and Norman were jazz veterans, Glover having played trumpet with Lucky Millinder, while Norman was a trombonist in the Claude Hopkins Orchestra. Both men also worked as songwriters, arrangers and producers during their long careers. Glover had his own label, Glover Records, which began issuing 45s in the late 50s and ran until 1964, shortly before this 45 was issued. Many of the tracks issued by Glover were published by Jon Ware Music, which would help explain why Glover wrote and arranged this one-off for Ware.

I've not been able to discover who Judy or the Duets were, although I have my suspicions. Glover worked with Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson throughout 1964, and in fact recorded and released the hit duo's first three 45s, so I would not be massively surprised if that's Valerie Simpson on lead vocals. 

 

Enjoy!

 

Download Ringo HERE

Download Christmas HERE

Christmas Cavalcade 2020, Part One

Ho Ho Ho my friends! Yes, it’s that time of year again, and as we wind our way towards Christmas Day what better to keep you warm these cold winter nights than this year’s Christmas Cavalcade?

 

Now, I know I’ve been a bit remiss these last couple of months, only posting once a fortnight (if that) rather than every week, and I intend to make that up to you before the end of the year with tonnes of festive goodies and other delights.

 

Let’s kick off today with a couple of Beatle-themed Christmas crackers. Back in December 2017 I gave you I Want a Beatle For Christmas by Becky Lee Beck and Bring Me A Beatle For Christmas by Cindy Rella (what a ridiculous name!), and those are still available HERE, but today I bring you two more (by my reckoning there are at least a dozen Beatles/Christmas novelties, excluding their own Fan Club flexis).

 

First up is (or are) the Fans and I Want a Beatle For Christmas, issued by Dot in the US in 1964. Despite the title it’s an entirely different song to the one performed by Becky Lee Beck that same year. The Fans were a London-based duo, friends Gita Renik and Jeanette Ross, although the disc does not appear to have had a British release.

 

Next up is a British disc, Santa Bring Me Ringo credited to Tich with The Ted Taylor Four With The Corona Kids. Older British Blog followers will no doubt recall Tich as one half of Tich and Quackers, the schoolboy and duck puppets of ventriloquist Ray Alan, popular in the 1960s. Alan would achieve greater fame when he ditched Tich in favour of the much more grown-up Lord Charles. Santa Bring Me Ringo was co-written by Angelo Badalamenti (yes, THAT Angelo Badalamenti), and the song was also recorded ‘straight’ by young Christine Hunter and issued in the US on Roulette.

 

If you’re after something extra to fill you stocking, tune in to the World’s Worst Records Radio Show this coming Wednesday (9 December), when I shall be playing tracks from the BRAND NEW MRS MILLER ALBUM’ A Christmas Gift From Mrs Miller¸ and talking to her great-nephew Jeff: https://wfmu.org/playlists/WR

 

That’s it for now, but there will be loads more over the next few weeks. Enjoy!

 

Download Beatle HERE

Download Santa HERE