Deck Those Halls, Part 6 (Tracks 16-18)

Greetings holiday music fans. It looks like we're going to have a race to the finish here, because with only nine days to go before the big day I've still got 27 tracks to discuss here in some form or fashion. That's a pretty tall order, so I'd best get to it.

Track 18
C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S, by "Little" Marcy Tigner (1973)

When I put together my first few holiday mixes some 15 years ago, a significant number of the tracks I included were selected solely because of how awful they were. Seriously! Wait, you don't believe me? Try this little number on for size:  Track 32 from my 2005 mix. Or this one:  Track 34 from my 2006 mix. OK, I can hear the cries of "Uncle!" I'll stop. I only wish I'd shown that same sort of mercy and self-restraint when it came to picking this year's Track 18, but for some reason I turned sadistic and chose this monstrosity by the deceitful Marcy Tigner.

News flash! This hateful mess of audio was recorded by a middle-aged woman impersonating a child, and not by a cute little girl, as the "artist" would have you believe. Well, I already wrote about this woman in a 2011 post, and I have nothing more add. I apologize for my cruelty in selecting this track and promise it won't happen again.

(NOTE: I thought I'd amuse myself just now by doing a Google search for pictures of "Little" Marcy and her keeper online and discovered two horrifying facts. First, this obnoxious young child appears to have had quite a time of it in the 1970s, because  my Google Image search turned up at least 20 different album covers featuring her happy little face.  Even worse, tucked among the pictures the search turned up were several of my 2011 mix! Never again – I promise! (Look at this kid closely, by the way. I'm not even sure she's a human being.)

Track 17
Holiday Greetings, by Eddie Kendricks 

Eddie Kendricks

An Alabama native known for his distinctive falsetto voice, Eddie Kendricks is perhaps best known for his work during the 1960s as a member of R&B supergroup The Temptations. From 1965 through 1973 the group had 15 Top 10 records, including four Number One singles:  "My Girl," "I Can't Get Next to You," "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone," and "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)." Kendricks sang lead vocals on the latter song, which has been described as "Eddie's finest moment." Another song featuring Kendricks on lead vocals was intended to be the follow-up single to "Just My Imagination," but Kendricks left the band on bad terms around that same time, and the would-be follow-up, "Smiling Faces," was given away instead to the band The Undisputed Truth.

Kendricks was quickly signed by Motown after leaving The Temptations, and though it took awhile to get started, he enjoyed a very successful solo career. I was a huge fan of R&B, soul and even disco when I was growing up, and I first got turned on to Kendricks after hearing his rather touching single, "Shoeshine Boy." That was only a modest hit, but Kendricks also had smash hits like "Keep on Truckin'" and "Boogie Down," which made it to #1 and #2, respectively, on Billboard's Hot 100.

Tragically, Kendricks died of lung cancer in 1992. But he will be remembered as a huge contributor to an era of amazingly rich music.

Listen to "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," by the Temptations, featuring Eddie Kendricks on lead vocals

Track 16
O Christmas Tree, by The Orphan, The Poet

NOTE AS OF 1/1/24:  I recently discovered that the links to online versions of this track posted below no longer work. I've searched the internet high and low for alternate versions but seem to have struck out completely. This track simply doesn't seem to be available online, for purchase or otherwise. Too bad, because it's an awesome song. Sorry. 

Drum roll, please . . . for now we come to my very favorite song on this year's mix, "O Christmas Tree," by the Dayton, Ohio band The Orphan, The Poet. You can hear the song HERE. I've played it at least 30 or 40 times over the past couple of months, and it hasn't lost a bit of its original appeal to me. They also have a number of other awesome holiday tunes kicking around, such as their version of "Have Yourself a Merry, Little Christmas," which, through the magic of the interweb, is available below:



If you're lucky enough to live in Dayton (did I just write that?), be sure to attend the band's Christmas Extravaganza at the Canal Public House in Dayton this Friday night, starting at 7:30. And wherever you're from, check out their beautiful version of "O Christmas Tree."

We'll be back with more sometime soon.

Gee Whiz ... It's Christmas (Again!), Part 3

My 2011 holiday CD is titled Gee Whiz ... It's Christmas (Again!), and my first posts on this new blog have featured some of my thoughts about the individual tracks that appear on this year's release. I'm reviewing the 43 tracks from start to finish, however, the tracks will be presented in reverse order within each day's individual post. Today's post looks at Tracks 8 through 12:

Track 12
Happy Christmas Time, by Linn, Linda & the Jordanaires (c. 1957)

This track was the "B side" of a rather sad holiday single called "Christmas Orphan" by an all-but-forgotten act who went by the name Linn and Linda. I haven't been able to find out much about them or this song. From the look of the disc label, this could have been a low-budget vanity release, except that Linn and Linda secured The Jordanaires to sing back-up for them. The Jordanaires were closely associated with Elvis Presley throughout most of his career, frequently touring with him and singing back-up on many of his biggest hits. That's a pretty high-powered back-up group for a vanity act. In any case, this is a sweet little tune that I like a lot. I'm especially keen on the lyrics about the holiday gifts received by members of the household:

Daddy got an electric razor,

That’s the fad these days,

Mommy got a hair kit,

Makes gray hair fade away.

Me I got a dolly,

My sister got the bed,

And we got some doll clothes,

And bonnets for our head . . .

And little Junior got his gun.

Christmas time is happy,

Excitement everywhere,

There’s fun for everybody,

So throw away your cares.

There’s so much to do now,

There’s so much to see,

Everybody’s playing, so merrily . . .

And Little Junior broke his gun.

Sounds like the perfect Christmas to me!

Track 11

Christmas Lost and Found (Part 2), from Davey and Goliath (1960)

See Track 6 comments.

Track 10

Christmas Is On Its Way, by Little Marcy Tigner (1973)

Little Marcy (left), with her creator

Gospel singer, trombonist, and fledgling ventriloquist Marcy Tigner couldn’t seem to find her niche in the entertainment world until the early 1970s, when her husband, Everett, overheard several record company executives discussing plans to recruit youngsters to record a new children’s record. After sharing this news with Marcy, Everett helped his bride cut a demo tape, which consisted of several Bible songs rendered in the style of a very little girl. Well, Marcy not only got the gig, but she also got herself an imaginary friend in the form of her new alter ego, Little Marcy. Tigner and Little Marcy were prolific during the 1970s, releasing more than 30 children’s records, nearly all of which focused on Christian themes. In fact, the act became so popular that a Little Marcy doll was mass produced and marketed along with the records and, eventually, videocassettes. This song is the title track from one of Little Marcy's 1973 albums, and, in case you're wondering, it doesn't fall under the category of Mark's Genuine Favorites. Quite the opposite. I’ve always thought that including some truly awful material on my annual CDs makes them more entertaining and memorable. My first several CDs were almost entirely made up of stuff like this. In time, I’d like to think I managed to strike a more appropriate balance between good and awful. Retaining a sizable sample of kitschy numbers not only makes you laugh, but it helps make everything else sound that much better, don’t you think? 

Track 9

Christmas Seals Promotion, by Ricardo Montalbán (1965)

For more than 100 years, the American Lung Association has depended on the annual Christmas Seals campaign for a major portion of its funding. Colorful stamps are typically sent free of charge to households across the country every Fall in order to raise awareness of lung-related diseases and solicit contributions. The late Ricardo Montalbán recorded this promotional message in 1965.

Track 8
Another Xmas Day Can Only Disappoint U, by Payroll (2006)
This track’s a mystery to me in that I can’t tell you much of anything about the band that performed it, what its lyrics mean, or the context in which it was created. I found this song several years ago on a compilation record called A Very Booty Christmas. Although the title sounds rather cynical and depressing, the tune is upbeat and pleasant, and it struck me as a good track to follow Wish List. I’ve searched the internet for more information about Payroll, but about all I found was a listing in the All Music database that they released an EP in 1999 on the Anvil Records label. Anvil seems to be almost as mysterious as Payroll, although I did discover a My Space page that suggests the label has six bands on its roster and is run by a fellow named Colin Bartram, who is based in Moltonborough, New Hampshire. I went to summer camp near Moltonborough for several years, and I can tell you it's not exactly the musical capital of the Northeast. In any case, I like this song a lot. If you know anything more about it than I do, I’d love to hear from you.

Watch for thoughts on the remaining tracks from this year's CD in the coming days. Meanwhile, I hope you're having a wonderful holiday season!