Tonight, one more round of requests as we get ever closer to Christmas.
No. 1: Everyone knows Santa Claus is coming to town. But did you know …
“Santa Claus is Comin’ (In a Boogie-Woogie Choo-Choo Train),” the Tractors, from “Have Yourself a Tractors Christmas,” 1995. It’s out of print.
This one is another tasty slice of country swing. If you’ve heard the Tractors’ mid-’90s single, “Baby Likes to Rock It,” you’ll know this Christmas tune. It’s the same music, with the lyrics customized for Christmas, all by Steve Ripley and Walt Richmond.
No. 2: Sometimes, finding the right Christmas song can make your entire holiday season. In this case, the search goes on.
“Mary’s Boy Child,” Harry Belafonte, from “To Wish You a Merry Christmas,” 1962.
Onie is seeking “a slightly faster (but nowhere near as upbeat as the one done by Boney M) version” of this song. This one, I suspect, is “the slower, more melodic version” Onie has found, but has found lacking.
Belafonte originally cut this tune in 1956 and released it as a single (RCA Victor 47-6735). That, I think, is what Onie is looking for. Six years later, Belafonte re-recorded a longer version of this tune for the album I found last week.
No. 3: One of our visitors is longing for more from “A Creole Christmas,” which he once had on cassette. Now, sadly, that cassette is “worn out and broken.”
“White Christmas,” Allen Toussaint, from “A Creole Christmas,” 1990. It’s out of print.
This is a rollicking instrumental romp, driven by Toussaint’s fine New Orleans piano and nicely complemented by a horn section.
Enjoy. More to come, but …
Just five days until Christmas …
and just three more days for “Three under the tree”
We’re going to wrap up this series on Sunday. When it ends, I’ll post a list of all the songs and provide links to the posts in which they appeared. The tunes will be available through the end of the year, if you’re just too busy to go get them now.
1 Comment
December 21, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Thank you!
And wow…Allen Toussaint. An extra bonus. Santa was very good to me this year, indeed.