40's or 40's inspired christmas music?

[Brad Bowers]

I've found any number of Christmas albums with Big Band and Swing selections from Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, etc. They are always compilations, and not re-releases of original albums, but they are still good to listen too. And you can't go wrong with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. You can find some of their Christmas stuff from the '40s, but any of it has a classic swing feel to it.

Any store that stocks a good selection of Christmas music should have some of these CDs.

Brad

 

[flat-top]

You HAVE to get Hipster's Holiday!! My favorite Christmas CD by far!! Also Santamental Journey, and Yule B' Swingin' vol 1 and 2.
I imagine Amazon stocks all of these titles. If these discs don't put you in the holiday spirit, nuthin' will!
For my money, the BEST Christmas song IS "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole. The sound, the feel and the sentiment are what the holidays are all about.
flat-top

 

[renor27]

retro holiday music

A few years back Atomic Magazine put out a CD called Sleigh Me.
Great music and great artists Lavay Smith, Big Bad Voodoo Dady and many more.
Not sure where to get it but great CD

 

[LaMedicine]

A few years back Atomic Magazine put out a CD called Sleigh Me.
Not sure where to get it but great CD

Since ATOMIC has gone to RetroRadar, why don't you ask them?
They have an online shop, and though they don't have any CDs up, if you ask, they should be able to tell you where/how to get it.


www.retroradar.com

 

[Lauren]

I love the Squirrel Nut Zippers christmas album. They're a little odd, but they definately have that 30's through 50's jazz feel.

 

[Bobbi B.]

There ought to be albums of Chrustmas Swing to be found. Most of the singers who made the step (down, if you ask me!) from the Big Bands into more recent "good music" and/or jazz certainly made such albums, as did many of the bands. When I worked in radio (some stations were still spinning vinyl and I'm not that old), between Thanksgiving and New Year's, you could hardly avoid them! ...If you could find early Dinah Shore or Frank Sinatra (etc.), that'd be the ticket. At the more contemporary end, this trails off into sappy "beautiful music" treatments of holiday standards, the sort of thing known to drive elevator passengers mad, so caveat emptor: listen first, if you have the chance.

Bandleader and basement inventor Raymond Scott wrote a couple of classics in the late '30s, "The Toy Trumpet" and "Christmas in Harlem." (Mr. Scott's work is best known from Warner Brother cartoons. The "assembly line" or "robot" music used in many of them is one of his tunes, "Powerhouse.") His "Siberian Sleighride" suits the season, too.

Lavay Smith's rendition of "Winter Wonderland" is on her latest, "Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing." (I suppose they must be -- we certainly are).

 

[farnham54]

Harry Connick Jr. has a great voice; and from the few songs I've heard of his he does very Golden Era-esque music. He's got a christmas CD out, Harry for the Holidays, but I've not heard it--perhaps someone else if more familiar? Either way, it's probobly not a bad investment!

Cheers,
Craig

 

[kamikat]

Thanks, ya'll! I had no idea there was so much stuff out there. I found "Ella wishes You a Swingin' Christmas" on iTunes and a bunch more on Amazon. I can't decide what to order, but it will probably be "Rhino:Swingin' Christmas" and Brian Setzer's "Boogie Woogie Christmas". The Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Christmas cd looks good too, but has more originals, while the Brian Sezter looks like more carols done in big band style.
kamikat

 

[flat-top]

The Voodoo Daddy CD is, in my opinion, a let down. You should skip it. Brian Setzer on the other hand is AWESOME! Buy it at Target to get extra bonus tracks! Harry Connick has two Christmas CDs, but I recommend the first one, When My Heart Finds Christmas. It's got a real Sinatra sound.
flat-top

 

[Bobbi B.]

A nice version of "Sleighride" (the traditional clip-clopping one, not the Raymond Scott tune) showed up on DirecTV's "Big Bands and Swing" audio channel this evening. It's from "The Most Fab. Christmas Album Ever," credited to Freddy Martin and Merv Griffin! If the rest of it is as good, it would be worth having. (RCA/63489)

...Dinah Shore did an album of Christmas music that was given away at Chevrolet dealers in the '60s. I probably saw it at one of the small-market "good music" stations when I was first working in the biz. Those places were incredibly packratty when it came to music that fit the format.

Many of the Big Band/Swing/Jazz holiday standards (and season-appropriate rarities) are little-heard nowadays. It would be just the thing for a vintage retailer and a refreshing change for shoppers.

BB

 

[Pyroxene]

Expanding on the list of things that have already been mentioned, the first CD I always put in on Friday after Thanksgiving is Merry Christmas from Doc Severinsen and The Tonight Show Orchestra . It's all instrumental but it has a lot of class and style. The silky horns of Doc, Tommy Newsom and others play all the Christmas classics and makes for great music while trimming the tree or wonderful background music where your guests will actually ask you, "Who is this and where can I get a copy."

Next, it's not Christmas without Mel Tormé. You can usually find some great versions of him singing The Christmas Song which he actually wrote. I know it was mentioned earlier but with Mel singing it, makes it all seem right. Look for and sample ones with where he has a string section or brass section or both behind him. I can't help but to close my eyes and imagine I am in a large ballroom, tuxedo dancing with the one I love.


There's a Christian singer named Russ Taff that did a Christmas album. It's in the style of the 40's. It has a great sounding jazz guitar and orchestrations behind him. It's not commercial sounding it just sound very intimate and personal.

As a young boy it was a ritual to watch the 1964 TV classic Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The voice for Sam the Snowman was Burl Ives. He put out one or two Christmas Albums that are great. He has a folk approach to Christmas music that rings true with many Americans.

Additionally, don't forget to lookup Christmas music by Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland and Ray Charles.

Regards,
Pyroxene

 

[ITG]

I always enjoy Christmas music from Andy Williams; however, it's not real swingy but is classic nonetheless.

 

[Wild Root]

Oh yes, the quest for vintage Christmas music. You know, for those die hard purists like my self, there is a small variety of original radio broadcasts that Glenn Miller did on Christmas eve in 1941. It features Tex Beneke with the Modernaires singing ‘Jingle Bells’ and some other good holiday tunes. To hear them swing Jingle Bells is really swell! I also really like the Andrews Sisters rendition with Bing Crosby. Now, there’s in my opinion the voice of Christmas, Bing Crosby! He sings the Pop and traditional numbers so well! I have a number of Bing’s Christmas 78’s and I love to spin those on Christmas Eve.

The history behind most of today’s Christmas songs don’t go back very far. Pop Christmas tunes go only back to the 30’s. Jingle Bells wasn’t originally a Christmas song. It was just a song that was fun to sing wile riding in an open sleigh in the winter time. Santa Claws is coming to town came out in the 30’s. And Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer came out in the 40’s. So, most of the pop holiday songs we sang as kids, were rather new when our folks were kids and most of the holiday music played in the 30’s and 40’s were traditional religious songs.

I’m into traditions and I’ll be playing Bing, Frank, Nat, and Glenn this holiday season! Original recordings are my cup! Wile I decorate a Noble Fur with my Grandmother’s ornaments from the 40’s and 50’s! Oh, can’t forget the Lionel Train around the bottom of the tree.

Merry Christmas,

Root.

 

[ITG]

Today I was at Target. In the Christmas section, they had one of those setups where you can push a button and listen to sample songs from CDs. Well, this setup had nuttin' but Christmas music in the price range of $6.99-9.99. There were about 5-6 CDs with old tunes as well as both of Harry Connick Jr's albums...yes the new Harry sounds swingy based on the 2 or 3 sample songs I heard. Anyway, I ended up buying one called "White Christmas" with Bing on the cover. Jingle Bells (Wild Root's suggestion) and Santa Claus is Coming to Town, both with the Andrews Sisters, are on there as well. Price: $6.99. I could have easily bought all of these oldie CDs...there was even a CD with a Louis Prima song on there, which almost sealed the deal for me. However, while listening, I heard this little voice from a child peaking around the corner..."Where is that noise coming from?" he said. So I had to make a quick decision on which CD to buy because this button-pushing-ready 6 year old was waiting to check out this noise machine and push me on my way...hahaa.

 

[Retro Grouch]

Originally posted by Lauren Henline
I love the Squirrel Nut Zippers christmas album. They're a little odd, but they definately have that 30's through 50's jazz feel.

YES!!

That is one of my favorite Xmas albums.

Harry Connick Jr. is another favorite. Not swing or big band but The Chieftains have a good Xmas album...er...CD. I think Bing Crosby had some of the best Xmas music.

Tom

 

[Michaelson]

The Time/Life Christmas collection is a good one too. I'm listening to it as I write this, with Perry Como crooning 'It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas' from the early 1950's. Good stuff there, and all bringing back fond memories for me this time of year. Regards. Michaelson

 

[kamikat]

We ended up getting the Ella Fitzgerald Christmas CD and both the Brian Setzer and BBVD cd's. I'm happy with all three. We cruised the listening stations at Barnes and Noble, checking out all y'all recommendations. Thanks! I hate to say it, but I['m just not a fan of the crooners. The style reminds me too much of visits with my grandfather when he would take away my Micheal Jackson tapes because he wouldn't allow "N" word music in his house.

kamikat

 

[Wild Root]

Sorry to hear your Grandfather would confiscate your Jackson tapes thus, giving you a bad taste in your mouth when a classic crooner would sing. My Grandfather at one time was racist (Not so much any more) but remember, what era he and other Grandparents of ours grew up in and not forgetting that especially in the south and east coast areas most white males were very racist and there are still a few today! I’m sure you already know this.

But, as for me, since we’re on the subject of Christmas music artists and styles that don’t really agree with us, I grew up with my folks playing the Carpenters Christmas to death. I know they were good, but just not my style. It made me depressed, it sounds sad to me. But, that’s one reason why I like the older music because I rarely was exposed to it as a boy. Funny how it may sound, but it was something new when I heard it. I still am hearing old recordings from the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s that I haven’t heard before.

Have a swell holiday season no matter what you chose to play on the phonograph!

Root.

 

[kamikat]

Originally posted by Wild Root
what era he and other Grandparents of ours grew up in and not forgetting that especially in the south and east coast areas most white males were very racist and there are still a few today! I’m sure you already know this.
Root.

My Grandfather's problem was that he was a Greek immigrant. The white folk hated him and didn't consider him "white" and he thought that being a good American meant hating black people. The poor man worked for the State Dept his whole life and never felt that his adopted country really accepted him.

kamikat

 

[wharrell]

Goodyear Christmas Albums !

In our home growing up, it was the famous Goodyear Christmas Albums that came out each year. They were great !

There are some on Ebay now.

Goodyear Christmas LPs on Ebay


I think this was the first one:

Here is another:

And more :

Has anyone ever seen these rereleased on CDs ?