I'd never heard of this Nat King Cole recording, from a 2001 re-release, but it's one of those times where, although I've never heard the song before (I don't think), it sounds utterly familiar. It's a 2001 rerelease of this material, featuring the singer's (and Frank Sinatra's) arranger/conductor, Nelson Riddle. Perhaps that's why this sounds so familiar to me. Whatever is the case, I just love this kind of stuff. It's so elegant and delicate, yet it swings like a mother. I think if I could go back in time to any place in the 20th century, I think it would be this era.
There is no Wikipedia entry for it, but the Amazon description is as follows:
Night Lights is the Nat "King" Cole album that time forgot. Recorded with Cole's regular musical director Nelson Riddle over Christmas and New Year of 1955-1956, it's never been released complete until now. This is Cole as pop singer rather than jazz pianist, and while the album is only now making its debut on this 24-bit digitally mastered CD, several numbers were released as singles and became chart hits: "Too Young to Go Steady," "To the Ends of the Earth," and "Never Let Me Go." That still leaves 12 cuts which have never been issued before, and as these were all brand-new songs at the time, that makes them world premiere recordings. The nostalgic "Sometimes I Wonder" plays virtually as a trial run for Cole's classic take on "Stardust," while "Once Before" and "I'm Willing to Share This with You" add ethereal voices in distinctive 1950s Hollywood style. Impeccably produced, with sophisticated arrangements by Riddle that balance lush strings, subtle rhythms, and instrumental colors from instruments such as flutes and celesta, this is warm-hearted, tender, and glowingly romantic music. Though they don't match the very best in Nat "King" Cole's catalog, these 20 ballads still make a fine album. They sat on the shelf for decades but the restored sound is first rate.
"Ask Me Why" is a song by The Beatles originally released in the United Kingdom as the B-side of their hit single "Please Please Me." It was also included on their first UK album, Please Please Me.
Written in early 1962, "Ask Me Why" is principally a John Lennon composition, but was credited to Paul McCartney and John Lennon, as were all other Lennon/McCartney originals on the first pressings of Please Please Me album. It was part of their live act prior to their recording contract, and was one of the songs performed at their Parlophone audition in Abbey Road's studio three on 6 June 1962. The song emulates in style that of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, by whom Lennon was influenced, and draws its opening guitar phrase from the Miracles’ "What’s So Good About Goodbye" (1961).
That kookoo cat over at Retro Hound has presented me with a challenge I can't ignore or take for granted. See, the way it all works is, this dude challenged Retro Hound to come up with a list of 10 favorite Christmas performances. Retro Hound then in turn challenged my brethren of the blog: My Retrospace and The Dino Lounge, as well as I Love Retro Things and Dad's Dish Retro Blog, in addition to Exquisitely Bored in Nacogdoches. Hey, when anyone even tries to spell the name of my blog (not an easy task, I know), I make a noble effort to reciprocate. This probably isn't what I would describe as being a list of "top 10 Christmas song performances of all time," but they certainly are ten of my favorites. This is more stream of consciousness than anything. I've tried very hard not to look at what they've put so as to have a blank slate, but it's possible I have chosen exactly what everyone else has chosen, which in this case, will be entirely coincidental. Ho, ho, ho.
I love everything from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. So I guess one of choices would have to be the entire soundtrack to that classic 1964 Rankin & Bass special. I have no doubt some of my first memories, period, are of watching this show for the first time. I have memories from very early childhood intertwined and echoing around in those musical notes and lyrics.
If the comments after my first post about this McCartney and Wings tune are any indication, this song is almost universally hated, by everyone except me. I love Paul, so I love "Wonderful Christmastime." The following was expunged from the Wikipedia entry for this song around the time I did the post, back in 2006:
In Japan, there have been numerous attempts to ban the "Wonderful Christmastime" due to the song being directly attributed to 143 separate cases of suicide. In 1987, one Osaka radio station reportedly played the track back-to-back for three days straight, in the lead up to Christmas. Tokyo Police Department reported 57 fatalities during the 1986-87 period alone. A Japanese government spokesman was popularly quoted as saying that "the syncopated synthesizer appears to send people scrambling for the fish knife."
Another one (like the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer soundtrack) embedded in my chromosomes is Vince Guaraldi's music for A Charlie Brown Christmas. I hear stuff like this and I'm two years old and at my Grandparents (all of who are gone) for Christmas again. It's funny, but I get memory flashes of Sesame Street, The Electric Company, and even ZOOM when I hear this music. I think they all must have the same kind of 1960s/1970s era New York City street vibe or something, but it's also because those would have been the shows I was watching when I saw A Charlie Brown Christmas for the first time.
"Sleigh Ride" is a popular light orchestral piece composed by Leroy Anderson. The composer had the original idea for the piece during a heat wave in July 1946; he finished the work in February 1948. Lyrics, about a person who would like to ride in a sleigh on a winter's day with another person, were written by Mitchell Parish in 1950. The orchestral version was first recorded in 1949 by Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra. The song was a hit record on RCA Victor Red Seal (78 rpm) and has become the equivalent of a signature song for the orchestra. The 45 rpm version was originally issued on red vinyl.
Recorded in Hollywood during July of 1957 for A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra, I think it's a gorgeous tune. Written by pallies Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne especially for Frankie.
I'm not sure I'd say this is a "favorite performance," per se, but I sure have a lot of memories tied to The Year without a Santa Claus, the Rankin & Bass Christmas special from 1974. Now that was a Christmas. I would have been eight years old (prime time for Christmastime!) and life was grand. I can remember the Snow Miser/Hear Miser segment frightening me, fascinating me, and amusing me, all at the same time.
It was released in February 1967, but I know that The Beatles began working on "Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever" during the previous December. So "Penny Lane" generally make me think about Christmas. It's also possibly my favorite Beatles song, but that changes from time to time. And because most Beatles albums/singles were released around that time of the year, I think a lot of people associate Beatles music with the holiday season. I have a fairly thorough post about their Christmas, Fan Club recordings too, by the way.
Cheesey beyond all get up, but OMG, how I used to love and look forward to watching these Rankin & Bass specials! How different my childhood would have been without them. From Christmas 1970, when I was four, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town triggers so many sensory memories of Christmas. I'm reminded of my father's mother with this one for some reason. I must have seen this while I was at her house one Christmas or something.
Newly released from Capitol Records after a decade of making legendary music there, Sinatra was now the CEO and main artist for Reprise Records in December of 1961 when he recorded , "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" for his debut Reprise album, Ring-A-Ding-Ding!.
Well, I think that's ten. And I'm sure I'll think of songs I should have added to this later on, but there you have it - my top ten Christmas song performances. Merry Christmas to my bloggin' brethren. Live long and prosper. Na noo, na noo. Klaatu barada nikto.
I'd never heard of this Nat King Cole recording, from a 2001 re-release, but it's one of those times where, although I've never heard the song before (I don't think), it sounds utterly familiar. It's a 2001 rerelease of this material, featuring the singer's (and Frank Sinatra's) arranger/conductor, Nelson Riddle. Perhaps that's why this sounds so familiar to me. Whatever is the case, I just love this kind of stuff. It's so elegant and delicate, yet it swings like a mother. I think if I could go back in time to any place in the 20th century, I think it would be this era.
