Ernie (Not Bert)

Christmas In July 2009-Day The Fourteenth

2009-07-18T16:45:00.003-04:00

OK, here're the new shares for today, or, technically, the shares for last Tuesday. I'm still playing catch-up from my short illness, so bear with me. I may not get caught up this weekend, but I'm making good progress.

I'm cheating a little bit again today, as all the shares come from the same LP. The record is only Christmas on one side, so I guess I could share it now or at Christmas time, but I choose to share it now. The LP is The Charm Of The Old Music Box (Hacker Music Box Records 13993), and it's 13 Christmas songs as played by ye old timey mechanical music boxes. Not the little cheap ones you may have had as a kid, but mechanical wonders from the days before recorded sound. It might be a bit much to listen to all these tracks in a row, but put them on random play with other Christmas music and you'll find yourself enjoying them every time they pop up. The songs include Silent Night, Star Of The East, Angel's Serenade, Oh How Joyfully (O Sanctissima), Oh Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fidelis), O Tannenbaum, First Noel, Hark The Herald Angels Sing & Ave Maria. The types of music boxes include German Kaliope, Regina, Mira & Polyphon.

Here's the download link. If all goes well, I'll see you later on this evening with another share.

PS-More Christmas on music boxes here, here and here.

RIP Walter Cronkite

2009-07-17T22:34:00.002-04:00

I just read about the death of Walter Cronkite this evening. He's one of those folks that you think will never pass away, will always be there, like that uncle you thought was really old back when you were little, but now you're all grown up and that uncle is still there. But Mr. Cronkite is no longer with us. I remember watching films (from a projector!) in class that featured him reporting on historical events, walking into the middle of a raging battle with his microphone and proclaiming You Are There! I only have vague memories of watching his evening news broadcasts at my grandparent's house. I can remember the bare set better than anything else, none of the flashy stuff you see today. And I can remember one night he wasn't there, instead they had some younger guy with big sideburns. I guess that was Dan Rather, or maybe Roger Mudd, not sure. Oh, and Walter used to be the voice of Spaceship Earth at EPCOT. They recently redid that ride, and I don't think it's narrated by him anymore. Oh, well, time marches on.

Christmas In July 2009-Day The Thirteenth

2009-07-17T20:08:00.003-04:00

Now, let's see, last time you heard from me was Sunday, and here it is Friday. Sorry about that. Hard to stay focused on Christmas when you're sick. But I'm back and I've got some music to share with you, so let's jump right back in, shall we?

Track one is a nice little ditty called Over The Alps by Jack Shaindlin Conducting The Cinerama Symphony Orchestra from the soundtrack Cinerama Holiday (Mercury MG 20059, 1955). I read that this is from the second Cinerama movie made. Cinerama was one of those ultra-widescreen formats that Hollywood came up with in the fifties to combat the onslaught of television. Didn't really catch on as it was so difficult to produce the films and then project them on three screens. But this soundtrack has a few winter, snow and skiing tracks that I liked, so you'll be hearing some more from it later on. I think I left the tag off of the file, but this track was composed by Morton Gould.

Track two is Sun Valley Polka by Larry Chesky And His Orchestra from their self-titled album (Stella S-LP 913). I don't think this is related to the winter song It Happened In Sun Valley, but for the sake of my having something to share tonight, try to pretend it's the same song, only in the form of a polka!

Track three is from the great Roger Miller, Footprints In The Snow from his self-titled LP (RCA Camden CAS-851, 1964). Someone posted a comment about why I didn't post Old Toy Trains the other day, and that got me to thinking about Roger Miller. I found this track and figured it was a good one. I haven't dug up Old Toy Trains yet, but I'm looking. I know it's around here somewhere.

Track number four is another song by Hollywood Sound Stage Orchestra called Snow Frolic, written by Francis Lai and pulled from the LP Love Story And Other Romantic Film Favorites From Film Sound Track Scores (Stereo Gold Award GA-3 1). Are you feeling chilly yet? I know I am.

The fifth and final track for this day is Winter Nocturne by Buddy Cole from his posthumous LP Buddy Cole Remembered (Doric DO 1421, 1980). I think this song does a nice job of conjuring up a cold winter scene. This LP collected together a number of unreleased recording by Cole after his death.

And there you go, several days late, but I'm finally posting again. Here's your download link, stay tuned for more goodies as I try to get caught up.

No More Sears

2009-07-16T13:45:00.001-04:00

I was saddened to read earlier today that the Sears Tower in Chicago is no more. Luckily, it didn't meet the same fate as the towers of the World Trade Center in New York, they just sold the naming rights to someone else. I've got a feeling this new name, Willis Tower, will take a while to catch on. I was surprised to learn that Sears hadn't occupied the building in any capacity since 1992. I was there in March of last year and I just remember it being really, really, really tall.

I'm Back

2009-07-15T17:48:00.001-04:00

Hi gang! Sorry I've been MIA for a few days. I had a little bout with something that made me a little too ill to post, but I'm feeling much better now. I'll get back to the Christmas in July stuff tomorrow, promise! And thanks for the emails and comments. :)

Christmas In July 2009-Day The Twelfth

2009-07-12T20:17:00.003-04:00

Are you ready for a little music here on the twelfth day of Christmas, in July, that is. How do I know these are all Christmas songs? Because they all feature the word Christmas in the title. Piece of cake!

Let's begin with Merle Haggard performing Blue Christmas from his tribute to the then recently deceased Elvis Presley, My Farewell To Elvis (MCA MCA-2314, 1977). Good stuff here, and a fitting tribute to The King.

Track two is a cover of a Francis Lai soundtrack song, The Christmas Trees performed by Hollywood Sound Stage Orchestra from their album Love Story And Other Romantic Film Favorites From Film Sound Track Scores (Stereo Gold Award GA-3 1). Now that I know there's a Christmas song from the soundtrack to Love Story, I'll have to track down the real soundtrack LP. Shouldn't be too hard to find.

The last three tracks are all versions of the same song as written by no less than Andrew Lloyd Webber and featured on the soundtrack to The Odessa File (MCA MCA-2084, 1974). Version one of Christmas Dream is performed by no less than Perry Como With The London Boy Singers. Version two is entitled Christmas Dream (Carousel Version) and it's credited to Anthony Bowles And Alan Doggett. The third and final version is called Christmas Dream (German Band) and it's performed by Adolf Stahuber. All three versions are quite good, but I'm particularly proud of the Perry Como version.

There you have it, Five Christmas songs for the 12th of July. Here's the download link, knock yourselves out.

Ye Olde Town Pump

2009-07-12T20:10:00.002-04:00

Time for a little compare and contrast. As I mentioned a while back, I visited some caverns while I was in Ohio. One of them, creatively called Ohio Caverns, featured the odd-shaped formation above, a deformed soda straw called Old Town Pump. I recognized it from the website as soon as we walked by it, except that I didn't realize it was so small. I doubt if the pump part is over two inches tall. Anyhow, I bring it to you tonight so you can decide if it's pump-like or not. Below is a picture of an old pump, taken at a different cavern in Ohio, coincidentally next to a cemetery. Do you see a resemblance?

The Best From July Of 2006

2009-07-11T20:37:00.004-04:00

Here's a little treat for those of you who might be new to Christmas in July. Each year I try to put together a best-of, for the folks who don't want to download everything, or for those who like to have a nice little collection to play all at once. Either way, it's a nice way to summarize all of the great music I shared out in July of 2006. Big thanks to Captain OT for the cover art!

1. Clebanoff-Bobsled
2. Ted Heath/Edmundo Ros-Baby It's Cold Outside
3. Lionel Hampton-Gin For Christmas
4. Marty Gold-High On A Windy Hill
5. Eastman-Rochester Pops-Brazilian Sleigh Bells
6. Dinah Washington-I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
7. Henry Mancini-Latin Snowfall
8. Yuji Takizawa & His Blue Bones Orchestra-White X-mas
9. Will Glahé-The Skater's Waltz
10. Esquivel-Sun Valley Ski Run
11. Billy Vaughn-The Chipmunk Song
12. Percy Faith-Little Bells And Big Bells (Glocke Und Glockchen)
13. Lawrence Welk-The Merry Christmas Polka
14. Jerry Murad's Electronic Harmonicats-March Of The Toys
15. Richard Hayman & His Harmonica Orchestra-Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers
16. Ian Fraser & His Orchestra-Sleigh Ride
17. Eddie Layton-Winter Wonderland
18. The Smothers Brothers-Swiss Christmas
19. David Rose-Christmas Tree
20. Eydie Gormé-Winter Night
21. Bernie Green With The Stereo Mad-Men-The Skater And His Dog
22. Enoch Light & The Brass Menagerie-My Favorite Things
23. The Four Freshmen-Santa Claus Is Flat Gonna Come To Town
24. David Carroll-The Ski Song (Slalom)
25. The Monterey Brass-We Need A Little Christmas
26. The Three Suns-Busy Holiday
27. Six Fat Dutchmen-Sleigh Bell
28. Billy May-Snowfall Cha-Cha
29. Dick Schory's New Percussion Ensemble-Holiday In A Hurry
30. Armengol-Ave Maria
31. The Crew-Cuts-Auld Lang Syne

I went through and linked each track to the original day I shared out that track, so you can find out more info about it if you're interested. I've been meaning to add those links each time I've posted this comp, but never gotten around to it until tonight. I'm a lot lazier than you might think. (Esquivel doesn't have a link because I didn't actually share that one on any day. Think of it as a bonus track.) Here's the download link, enjoy!

The Little Lighthouse

2009-07-11T20:02:00.001-04:00

This is a view of the little lighthouse that stands at the spot where the Cuyahoga River empties into Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio. I've taken plenty of pictures of it, but this was the closest I've ever gotten to it without being on a boat.

Christmas In July 2009-Day The Eleventh

2009-07-11T00:01:00.001-04:00

Day number eleven, and another hodgepodge of track with no real rhyme nor reason. Well, I suppose some of these do rhyme, at least the vocal ones. Wait, did I include any vocal tracks today? Just one, looks like. Let's start with that one.

Track one, the vocal one, is Winter Sky by Billy Edd Wheeler from the LP Memories Of America (Kapp KS-3425). I recorded this one because of the title mainly, but when I listened to the lyrics, he does talk about the birth of Jesus, so maybe it's closer to being a Christmas song than I realized. And that's it for the songs that have any rhyme. Come back tomorrow and maybe I'll have some more. Now, on to the tracks with no reason...

Track two is something I tried to record last year, but the copy I found was in terrible shape. It looked OK, but the vinyl was nothing but noise. I finally scored another copy, so that means I get to share a version of Greensleeves (or, if you prefer, What Child Is This) with you by Ferrante & Teicher from one of their earliest prepared piano LPs, Soundproof-The Sound Of Tomorrow Today (Westminster WP 6014). Not as crazy as the stuff they did on their prepared piano Christmas album, but still nice to have.

Track three is a version of Swingin' Shepherd Blues by blog favorite Ethel Smith. This is from her LP Bouquet Of The Blues-Ethel Smith At The Organ (Decca DL 8955). To tell the truth, I like the individual tracks of hers that I find much better than the tracks from her full Christmas LP. And I know that this track isn't really Christmassy, but I like to include it, and I'm going to use the excuse that shepherds came to see the baby Jesus. So there!

Track four is my first version of Sleigh Ride for the year (I think), but it's not going to be the last. Oh, no, nowhere near the last. This one is by Werner Müller And His Orchestra from their LP Werner Müller Plays Leroy Anderson (London Phase 4 SP 44057). Gotta love those Phase 4 records, they have such great sound. This is the second track from the label I've brought you this year, I believe.

Track five, and the final entry for tonight, is by Joe "Finger" Carr and is something I wish I'd had when I shared out my toy related tracks the other day. The song is The Wooden Sailor And The China Doll, and it's from the Stereo Showcase (Capitol SKAO 1268), a fancy demo LP from Capitol that showed off some of their new stereo catalog. Got some more tracks, or at least one more track from this LP to share with you later on this month.

And that's the whole ball of wax. Here's the download link, thanks for your patronage. If you're bored, click a random link at right, you never know where you might end up...

Who Are These People?

2009-07-10T22:32:00.002-04:00

So, there's a blog out there that seems to be reposting my stuff. Well, it's not really a blog, I guess, but an aggregator. They collect and repost stuff from several places that they think is about Sarasota. The problem is, they aren't crediting me, in fact, they aren't even linking their copy of my stuff back to me. They only list me among a long list of contributors, none of whom I recognize. Seems to be a lot of stuff in there about Sarasota real estate, so it's probably being done by some sales company. I sent them an email to see what's up, we'll see what they come back with.

Here are links (1, 2, 3) to the last three posts of mine that they re-posted, all from tonight. Take a look and tell me what you think. Should I get aggressive with these folks?

Funny thing is, I bet a few minutes from now this post about them will show up on their site...

Crabby

2009-07-10T21:19:00.002-04:00

I meant to share this guy with you a while back, as I shot him right before I went to Ohio, but I forgot. I shot him in the shallow water at Quick Point Nature Preserve on Longboat Key. I like to go out there at low tide and see what I can see in the water and on the sandbars. This night I found this cool looking crab. He really didn't like me, after I pushed him out of the seagrass with my feet and tried to take his picture. Right after this shot, he tried to burrow backwards into the sand, but I wouldn't let him. When I finally felt I had enough pictures, I let him go and he scuttled off sideways back into the grass, lickety-split.

To The Left

2009-07-10T20:46:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite places to go in Ohio is Brandywine Falls, a large waterfall down in the Cuyahoga Valley. It's just a small stream that flows over the top, not the mighty Cuyhoga, but it's still a hundred foot drop, so it looks pretty neat. I'm sure you're looking at this picture and wondering what I'm talking about, because it sure doesn't look like the picture. Well, when I was there this year, the sunlight wasn't on the actual falls, it was just to the left, and it was really lighting up an area of water seepage that was leaching some iron out of the rocks. So I got some nice orange color alongside the leafy summer greenery. I thought it was a nice picture.

SR-71

2009-07-10T20:22:00.002-04:00

While waiting for the flight home from Washington, DC, I took the bus over to the Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport. One of the more impressive planes they have there is this SR-71. For a plane that didn't exist for an awful long time, it seemed awful real to me. They said that when the Air Force decided to give this one to the Smithsonian, it flew from California to Washington in some insanely short period of time, breaking all sorts of speed records, taxied over to near the hanger where you see it now, and it's been there ever since.

I wonder how the decals stayed stuck to it at the incredibly speeds it reached. I still don't know, but there they are.

Christmas In July 2009-Day The Tenth

2009-07-10T00:01:00.002-04:00

Ten days in, that's means we're almost one third of the way through. Still a long way to go, though. No big theme tonight, just some tracks that I've been looking forward to sharing with you for one reason or another. Let's jump right in, shall we?

Track one is another song by Mr. Jack Daniel's Original Silver Cornet Band, We Wish You A Merry Christmas. You got another track from this LP, Hometwon Almanac (Spring Branch Productions SB-2, 1977), earlier in the month.

Track two is my first and maybe only celebrity vocal of the month. It's Let There Be Peace on Earth from the LP High Upon A Mountain (Dot DLP 25109, 1960). Who sings this, I hear you asking? Why it's Eddie Arnold! No, wait, that's not right. How about Eddie Albert! That's better. Yes, all the way from Petticoat Junction to your ears.

Track three is Vaughn Monroe and his iconic Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! in yet another re-recording for yet another label. This time is from His Greatest Hits (Dot DLP 3431). I think I brought you an early stereo rerecording of this last year. Nope, it was three years ago. How time flies when it's always Christmas.

Track four. I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony) by The Mike Curb Congregation from Softly Whispering I Love You (MGM SE-4821, 1972). I miss seeing this Coke commercial every Christmas.

Track five, and the one I like best from this batch, is the old Percy Faith classic Brazilian Sleigh Bells, this time as performed by The Duluth Accordionaires, Directed By John Copiskey. The Album is Jeno's Pizza Presents Music To Eat Pizza By (Northland Foods-RCA Victor Custom Records 812I-9323, 1967). That's right, it's an all-accordion album given away by a pizza parlor! You just don't get any better than that! And it's really a great track!

There you go. Five more. Follow this download link and have at it. See ya again tomorrow.

Little Birdie

2009-07-09T21:27:00.002-04:00

I spotted this bird in a flower garden near the Smithsonian Castle in Washington, DC. At first I thought it was fake, just an ornament for the garden, but she watched me as I got closer, and eventually flew away. I don't know if she thought she was well hidden or if she was trying to draw me away from a nearby nest or what, but it made for a nice picture. No idea what kind of bird it is. Anybody recognize it and want to clue me in?

Unfortunately, this reminds me. I'm running out of space in my online Picasa account, so I'm going to have to do something soon to share more pictures. I know I can double that space for only a small fee, but then I have to pay that fee for the rest of eternity or the blog goes away. I guess they really sucker you in, don't they? Four and a half years of free posts, and then they hit you up with the recurring charge for the rest of your life. Oh well, I enjoy the blogging and the sharing, so it's probably worth it.

The Highest Court

2009-07-09T20:40:00.001-04:00

Here it is, the Supreme Court, the last say when it comes to the law of the land. I stumbled on it almost by accident during my time in DC. I wasn't going by the map, I was just wandering from site to site, trying to take it all in. I remember it wasn't far from the US Capitol, on the way to Union Station. Or something like that, it's been almost two months since I was there for two days, so I don't have much memory to go on. Pretty impressive place, too, but oddly deserted when I was there. I guess it's off the beaten tourist path somewhat, and not as glamorous as Air And Space, or the Washington Monument.

Just for the record, there is not a statue of a lady out front wearing a blindfold and carrying some scales to weigh out equal justice. I was a bit disappointed by that.

D.C. Pei

2009-07-09T20:20:00.002-04:00

I promised a long time ago to bring you more pictures of this building, and here they are. When I was in Washington DC, I didn't realize that the National Gallery Of Art-East Building was designed by I.M. Pei. If I'd been aware of that, I would have taken more and better shots. I might even have walked around to the other side. But I didn't know, so these are all you get. I believe these views are all from 4th street, just off Mall, which makes this the west side.

Mr. Jefferson

2009-07-09T19:48:00.001-04:00

I thought I'd share some pictures of the Jefferson Memorial with you tonight. This monument is on the other side of the tidal basin from the rest of everything, so it's a bit of a hike. I walked all the way around, and it's a pretty boring trip most of the way. You get to pass through the FDR Memorial on the trip, but I screwed up and went through it backwards, but that's a story for a different post.

And here's Mr. Jefferson himself, from a rather unique angle. He's a big guy, probably ten feet tall, maybe more. I was in a play about him back in elementary school, and I don't remember him being that tall, but we were all pretty short at that age.

Christmas In July 2009-Day The Ninth

2009-07-09T00:01:00.000-04:00

Day Nine! And awaaaaaaay we go!

Track one is Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming by the St. Louis A Cappella Choir and the album The Lutheran Hour (RCA Victor LSP-1863, 1958).

Track two is Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring by Jerry Read Smith & Tom Fellenbaum from their album The Strayaway Girl (Song Of The Wood 7811, 1981).

Track three is also Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring, but this time it's by The Glasgow Orpheus Choir, Conducted By Sir Hugh Robertson. The album is Glasgow Orpheus Choir (Capitol T6003).

Track four is In Dulci Jubilo by Virgil Fox and his LP Heavy Organ-Bach Live In San Francisco (Decca DL 75323, 1972). I think I may have labelled the LP 'Back Live In San Francisco', but I'm pretty sure it was Bach. Sorry...

Track five is a version of Greensleeves, but you know it as What Child Is This. It's by The Cascading Strings, Conducted by Johnny Gregory, from the album called Cascading Strings (Fontana SRF 67584).

And that's it. Short, sweet, to the point. None of my meaningless blather. Here's the download link, enjoy yourselves.

All Hale

2009-07-08T21:01:00.001-04:00

Another of the new places I visited in Ohio this past June was Hale Farm down in the Cuyahoga Valley. I didn't actually stop and take the tour, but as I drove by, this old Church caught my eye, so I had to stop and shoot it. It involved parking a quarter mile down the road, then hiking back up the hill and finding a hole in the weeds to crawl through, but I think I got the shot. I'll have to make it a point to go back next time and do some more exploring.

More Edgewater

2009-07-08T20:52:00.001-04:00

Also in Edgewater Park (which I didn't even know was there until this last trip to Ohio), I spotted quite a few cool flowers growing among the rocks on the banks of Lake Erie. I don't know the names of any of them, but they sure were impressive to me. I guess the people fishing down there see them all the time and thus don't pay any attention, but I thought some of these were spectacular.

The orchid-like flowers above were actually on a large tree, and it was covered in them. That was probably the coolest of the flowers there. Not at all what I expected to be growing alongside one of the great lakes in a windswept and often wave-overtopped spot.

Stone Tower

2009-07-08T20:45:00.001-04:00

I was walking along a breakwater in Edgewater Park near downtown Cleveland (Ohio City, actually) recently when I saw something carved on one of the massive stones that front Lake Erie. Looking closer, I realized it was a fairly decent likeness of Terminal Tower, one of the tallest and oldest buildings in Cleveland. After taking the picture above, I pointed the camera towards the real Terminal Tower across the Cuyahoga River and took the picture below. I'm sure you'll have no trouble telling which building it is in the skyline.

Christmas In July 2009-Day The Eighth

2009-07-08T00:01:00.001-04:00

Entering the second week of Christmas In July fun, and I'm bending the rules a little bit. All of the tracks today are from the same artist and the same album, but it's not the whole album. Back during the 1982-83 school year, the Lockhart Cougar Chorus recorded an album, and tonight you're getting most of the tracks from side two. I'm not normally a big fan of little kids singing, much less random schoolkids, but the songs on here are not bad, and some of them are quite unique. I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I did. This was a private pressing, no label info on the record or the sleeve, just a cougar and name on the front cover. Oh, there was a mimeographed list inside showing the names of all the kids in the chorus, as well as the principal and the director. The track titles are as follows:

Twelve Days After Christmas (This is great, if a bit disturbing)
White Christmas (Sorry, no smart comment for this one)
As Long As He Needs Me (Is this even a Christmas song?)
Will The Real Santa Please Stand Up (Eminem was around in 1982?)
Griselda (Another of Santa's unknown reindeer!)
Ding Dong Merrily On High (Some of those Gloria's go on for way too long...)
Christmas Is For Kids (Yes, yes it is)

Trust me, you're gonna love this one. Here's the download link, go get it.

No idea where this Lockhart school is. There's a Lockhart Elementary near here in Tampa, but it's tough to tell. There are probably dozens of them around the country.

Tiny Sunset

2009-07-07T16:24:00.001-04:00

Here's a shot of the sunset over Lake Erie when I was in Ohio a couple of weeks ago. This is actually a very tiny crop of a much larger picture, but I wanted to show you the mirage effect that occurred out over the lake. That's not a cloud in front of the sun creating that line, it's layers of different air temperature over the water, creating odd reflections and refractions (same things that cause the not-mythical Green Flash!). I wish I'd been able to get better pictures of it, but there was a train going by behind me, and I wanted to get pictures of that, too. So this was about the best I got of the sunset. This was shot with that fancy lens I rented, and it's cropped to well within an inch of it's life and it still doesn't look too bad.