1968- "Christmas Lullaby"

[Final re-edit March 17th, 2012]

.....Five years after releasing the first Motown Christmas album, The Miracles were in a slightly different position. Warren 'Pete' Moore's military service was no longer an issue, obviously, but Claudette only worked with the group in the studio and even then inconsistently. Reportedly she had feared that the rigors of touring had caused multiple miscarriages and not only endangered the possibilities of her and Smokey having a family but endangered her life as well. When they eventually had two children and Smokey left the group in 1972 she retired from recording entirely. There were no other changes in personnel as of 1968 (Bobby Rogers, Ron White and guitarist Marv Tarplin were still the rest of the group), the name of the group had officially changed to Smokey Robinson and The Miracles. That reflected Robinson's higher profile as a songwriter and producer, as well as Vice President of the label. While The Miracles were still a good selling group one could argue that Robinson's name had lately been appearing on more and bigger hits by other artists than his own group's. Also, although they had perfected their chosen style of performance it was a style that in the late 1960's was becoming passé. Fortunately that wouldn't hurt them when recording Christmas carols.

.....On October 11th, 1968 Warren Moore and Terry Johnson produced a recording session for a traditional Christmas carol and an original of their own. Terry Johnson had been Isaiah Johnson of the 1950's doo-wop group The Flamingos from about 1956 to 1963 and joined Motown as a staff writer from 1964 to 1974, when he left to form his own label. At some point, Johnson and Moore collaborated with Beatrice Verdi to compose the song below. Verdi was also an industry veteran probably best known for co-writing a number of songs for Dusty Springfield but whose roots also go back to doo-wop. Her sister performed as Virginia Verga in The Carmelettes, a group that has become the subject of the theatrical memoir "Girl/Group: A Daughter's Tale" by Susan Murphy. Murphy's mother Angela had been a member and Beatrice worked as their manager, although I haven't seen the play and don't know how much, if any, of a role she has in the stage version. More relevant to Motown's history is that she would later co-write the Jackson 5's hit "I'LL BE THERE".

• 03:56 "CHRISTMAS LULLABY" (Warren Moore, Terry Johnson, Beatrice Verdi)
• 03:08 "GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN" (Traditional; see below)
• performed by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles
• original source: VALP MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM MOTOWN Motown MS681 (US) 12/06/68
• reissued as: VALP CHRISTMAS GIFT RAP Motown MS725 (US) 11/70

.....The song "CHRISTMAS LULLABY" is exactly what its title says, a beautiful song sung to children on Christmas Eve without the cloying unction of "BEDTIME FOR TOYS" or "CHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS SONG". Unfortunately that also makes it a poor candidate for an A-side, which may have been in the back or Moore and Robinson's minds when the session was scheduled. Both of these songs (along with the only original number from their 1963 album, "CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY") became The Miracles' contribution to the label's first Various Artists Christmas album two months later, but they were not necessarily recorded with that purpose in mind. The album contains three songs apiece from four acts, the others being The Temptations (whose first Christmas session would be the week following this one) and The Supremes and Stevie Wonder, both of whose contributions were album tracks not used on their previously issued singles. If there had been no plans for a new single from the Miracles, all three of their songs could have come from their 1963 album. The Temptations would record only standards, whereas all of Motown's prior Christmas singles had original A-sides. The expectation would be that The Miracles would be picked for the single, especially in light of the fact that the commercial release of the "CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY" single had been foolishly scrapped five years earlier. That all looks reasonable on paper, but The Temptations' selections had an obvious broader appeal and got the nod for single format.

.....The recording here of "GOD REST YOU MERRY GENTLEMEN" is the first released by a Motown artist and has an arrangement by Wade Marcus that recalls Coltrane's take on "MY FAVORITE THINGS" and some additional production by Smokey Robinson. The title omits the contentious comma altogether. For those unaware of this point, the real title is "GOD REST YE MERRY, GENTLEMEN" but it is more frequently printed erroneously as "GOD REST YE, MERRY GENTLEMEN" which changes the meaning from "may the Lord leave you land owners in a happy state" to "all you happy guys should go to sleep", which has nothing to do with the lyrics. The song has been adapted several times from the poem by John Bell, written in the 1700's. The Miracles' version most closely resembles the first and third verses (of seven) of the version collected and published by William Sandys in 1833. The original tune, almost unrecognizable in its jazz form here, was unattributed but published by E. F. Rimbault in 1846. It ends with an additional half verse I didn't recognize, but will now look for as I plow through the rest of my collection.

.....After the 1968 compilation was reissued in 1970, the original song rarely turned up on collections, although the carol was included on The Miracles' second Christmas album and remained in print that way. These are the appearances I found:

• LP THE SEASON FOR MIRACLES Tamla TS307 (US) 11/23/70 - incl. "GOD REST..."
• VA2LP A MOTOWN CHRISTMAS Motown M795V2 (US) 09/25/73 - incl. "GOD REST..."
• VALP IT'S CHRISTMAS IN MOTOWN Music For Pleasure SPR90010 (UK) c.1973 - incl. "CHRISTMAS LULLABY"
• VALP WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS Natural Resources NR4011T1 (US) 10/78 - incl. "GOD REST..."
• LP THE SEASON FOR MIRACLES Motown 5253ML (US) 07/82 - reissue of the 1970 LP
• VA2LP A MOTOWN CHRISTMAS Motown 5256ML (US) 07/82 - reissue of the 1973 VA2LP
• CD THE SEASON FOR MIRACLES Motown 3746352532 (US) 08/01/92 - reissue of the 1970 LP
• VACD 20 CHRISTMAS CLASSICS Motown/Universal 731453-01092-5 (?) c.1993 - possibly British, this uses the cover art of the 1978 VALP but contains both songs
• VACD CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY Motown Master Series 37463-6326-2 (Germany) 10/19/93 - incl. "CHRISTMAS LULLABY"
• VACD MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM MOTOWN MCA Special Products 737463-85002-5 (US) 11/24/93 - incl. "GOD REST..." [almost identical to 1978 VALP]
• CD OUR VERY BEST CHRISTMAS Uptown/Universal 6012153-356-20 (US) 10/12/99 - incl. "CHRISTMAS LULLABY"
• CD 20TH CENTURY MASTERS/THE CHRISTMAS COLLECTION: THE BEST OF SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES Motown/Universal 6024986-031-78 (US) 09/23/03 - incl. "CHRISTMAS LULLABY" [this is identical to OUR VERY BEST CHRISTMAS with new packaging]
• VA2CD THE ULTIMATE MOTOWN CHRISTMAS COLLECTION Motown/Universal B0013383-02 (US) 10/13/09 - incl. "GOD REST..."

.....Perhaps next year for the 50th anniversary there will be a package combining the 1963 and 1970 albums as well as "CHRISTMAS LULLABY" and promotional record greetings. All of that comes to less than 70 minutes, leaving room for an outtake or two if there are any.

1968- "Winter Wonderland" (Funk Brothers)

.

.....A year ago I placed this track in 1965 because that was the date given in the liner notes of its first appearance. Having dug a bit further, I'm not sure when it was recorded or even by whom. The song "WINTER WONDERLAND" was recorded in 1963 by The Miracles for their Christmas album that year at a session produced by Ronald White. After that the song did not appear on any Motown single for at least three decades. It also did not on any of the Christmas albums by The Supremes (1965), Stevie Wonder (1967), The Temptations (1970 and 1980), The Jackson 5 (1970) or a second album by The Miracles (1970). It also didn't appear on any of the various artists albums, VALP MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM MOTOWN (1968), VALP CHRISTMAS GIFT RAP (1970; same as 1968 album, repackaged), VALP IT'S CHRISTMAS IN MOTOWN (UK, 1973), VA2LP A MOTOWN CHRISTMAS (1973 and 1982), VALP WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS (1978) or VALP CHRISTMAS CHEERS FROM MOTOWN (1989, the only one made entirely of new recordings).

.....So, when this track surfaced:

• 02:02 "WINTER WONDERLAND" (Felix Bernard) [mono]
• performed by The Funk Brothers
• produced by Ronald White
• previously unreleased, recorded 1965
• compilation produced by Cary E. Mansfield
• digitally remastered by Bill Inglot and Dan Hersch at Digiprep, Los Angeles, CA
• unreleased tracks mixed at Penguin Recording, Eagle Rock, CA
• original source: VACD CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY Motown Master Series 37463-6326-2 (Germany) 10/19/93

.....Not only was the production attributed to Ron White but the songwriting credit omits Dick Smith, as does the 1963 Miracles album and its 1982 reissue. (It was corrected for the 1987 CD version). However, this track is clearly not the instrumental backing for The Miracles recording, even though it is very likely some of the same staff musicians playing the same song. It's not a radically different arrangement but different enough to distinguish between them. Also, the recording date given was two years after the LP version's release and in 1965 the only notable Christmas project at Motown was Harvey Fuqua's work with The Supremes. If The Funk Brothers were recording with White it must have been for an abandoned single.

.....The release of CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY came at the onset of a succession of domestic Christmas compilations from Motown. The Miracles' version of "WINTER WONDERLAND" showed up on VACD A MOTOWN CHRISTMAS CAROL (1995) and VACD A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM MOTOWN VOLUME 2 (UK, 2001), while The Funk Brothers' version was on the simultaneously released VACD A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FROM MOTOWN VOLUME 1 (UK, 2001). A month later a new wrinkle emerged:

• 02:02 "WINTER WONDERLAND" (Felix Bernard, Dick Smith) [stereo]
• performed by The Funk Brothers
• produced by Norman Whitfield
• previously unreleased alternate mix, "recorded September-October 1968, as an instrumental only during the sessions for the Temptations' album CHRISTMAS CARD"
• "First issued with a different mix on the Various Artists album CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY Motown 6326, October 1993."
• compilation produced by Harry Weinger
• digitally remastered from original sources by Kevin Reeves at Universal Mastering Studios-East
• mixed by Suha Gur
• original source: VACD A MOTOWN CHRISTMAS VOLUME 2 Motown/Universal 440 016 364-2 (US) 11/06/01

.....I don't have the next appearance of the track, VACD 20TH CENTURY MASTERS/THE CHRISTMAS COLLECTION: THE BEST OF MOTOWN CHRISTMAS [VOLUME ONE] (2003). I also don't have either pressing of the Temptations' collection CD THE BEST OF TEMPTATIONS CHRISTMAS (2001 and 2003), which doesn't list the song but I would like to be able to confirm whether or not it appears as an unlisted track at the end. The only other appearance I can confirm is on VA2CD THE ULTIMATE MOTOWN CHRISTMAS COLLECTION Motown/Universal B0013383-02 (US) 10/13/09. It has four things in common with the liner notes of the 2001 stereo mix: it gives the correct composer credit; it attributes the production to Norman Whitfield; this new collection is supervised by Harry Weinger; and the mastering was again done at Universal Mastering Studio-East (this time by Ellen Fitton).

.....Only one thing doesn't make sense. If the track was intended for The Temptations' first Christmas album, produced by Barrett Strong and Clay McMurray, why was this track produced by Norman Whitfield? Whitfield produced almost all of the Temptations albums from 1968 until the the label moved its studios to California in 1973 and he was a songwriting partner with Strong, so it is possible that Whitfield initiated the sessions for the backing tracks assuming that he would take on the project and backed out, allowing Strong to take over. Considering the direction Whitfield steered the group after the departure of balladeer David Ruffin, into psychedelics and black consciousness politics, it doesn't take a lot of imagination to see him becoming disenchanted with the prospect of recording holiday standards. I was hoping to see some kind of tie breaker (is it a 1965 recording produced by White or a 1968 recording produced by Whitfield?) by consulting the website "Don't Forget The Motor City". The site confirms the recording date as October 11th, 1968 but attributes the recording to The Temptations, not The Funk Brothers, and attributes the production to Barrett Strong. A week later Strong would begin work with The Temptations on their Christmas single (which I'll get to in a later post). If the notations in DFTMC are correct, The Miracles were recording a Motown original on the 11th, the subject of the next post.

1966-1970- James Brown on King

.....James Brown recorded about three and a half LP's worth of Christmas songs between 1966 and 1970. I would like to think that he was prompted by the success of Gary Walker's "SANTA'S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG", which I discussed in the previous post, if only because it made a good story. It probably had more to do with his expressed desire at that time to provide inspiration to impoverished black youth. It was a common sentiment at the time and much of his previous material was more oriented for adult audiences. What I can be certain about is that most of the songs were original compositions, many of them written by himself, Alfred "Pee-Wee" Ellis and Nat Jones. Since my purpose in this blog is to account for the earliest recordings of original 20th Century Christmas songs, Brown alone could provide about three weeks of daily entries. When I ran across a CD compilation I had and went to look up the original catalog numbers for the singles, I was reminded that Brown died on Christmas Day, 2006. That makes this year the fifth anniversary and perhaps deserving a little more than a mere mention. Instead I'm going to post a full discography of his original releases. A complete, exhaustive discography would be more difficult, since this material became the basis for numerous repackagings under similar sounding titles. All times are roughly approximate, since they vary among the reissues.

.....There were three singles released late in 1966, possibly all in December:

• 7" King Records 45-6064 (US) 12/66
• 02:41 THE CHRISTMAS SONG (Version 1) (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells)
• 02:44 THE CHRISTMAS SONG (Version 2) (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells)

.....

• 7" King Records 45-6065 (US) 12/66
• 02:54 SWEET LITTLE BABY BOY (Part 1) (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 02:37 SWEET LITTLE BABY BOY (Part 2) (James Brown, Nat Jones)

.....

• 7" King Records 45-6072 (US) 12/66
• 02:53 LET'S MAKE CHRISTMAS MEAN SOMETHING THIS YEAR (Part 1) (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 02:57 LET'S MAKE CHRISTMAS MEAN SOMETHING THIS YEAR (Part 2) (James Brown, Nat Jones)

.....Between the second and third single is the most likely time for the release of the album LP THE JAMES BROWN CHRISTMAS ALBUM King Records K1010 (mono) and KS1010 (stereo) (US) 12/66. Not only was this album pressed several times with minor variations to the jacket but the same songs were assembled in a different order and released again in 1967(?) under the title JAMES BROWN AND HIS FAMOUS FLAMES SING CHRISTMAS SONGS.

• 06:29 LET'S MAKE CHRISTMAS MEAN SOMETHING THIS YEAR (Part 1) (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 00:00 LET'S MAKE CHRISTMAS MEAN SOMETHING THIS YEAR (Part 2) (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 05:15 SWEET LITTLE BABY BOY (Part 1) (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 00:00 SWEET LITTLE BABY BOY (Part 2) (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 02:31 MERRY CHRISTMAS, I LOVE YOU (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 04:37 SIGNS OF CHRISTMAS (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 02:44 THE CHIRISTMAS SONG (Version 2) (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells)

.....and side B:

• 03:54 MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY (Lou Baxter, Johnny Moore)
• 02:41 THE CHRISTMAS SONG (Version 1) (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells)
• 03:21 PLEASE COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (Charles Brown, Gene C. Redd)
• 02:59 THIS IS MY LONELY CHRISTMAS (Part 1) (James Brown, Gene C. Redd)
• 04:46 THIS IS MY LONELY CHRISTMAS (Part 2) (James Brown, Gene C. Redd)
• 02:53 CHRISTMAS IN HEAVEN (Billy Ward)

.....The two versions of "THE CHRISTMAS SONG" and the other three covers on side B seem to be the last of the non-originals. The next two albums contain songs written for (and a few by) Brown that I can't find in any earlier form. A fourth album was released in 1999 and a half a dozen times since under as many titles. It may contain covers or originals, but I haven't sprung for a copy yet and won't be examining it in a post until I have. The two tracks on side B above that aren't covers appear to have been prepared as a fourth single, following the pattern of the first three of being one song in two parts. It's at times like this that I wish I knew more about James Brown's catalogue but he was extremely prolific, in a very rare class with Frank Zappa, Chet Atkins and few others. For instance, a more fanatical fan might have come across a report of a test pressing for such a single or might know if the mastering codes for those two tracks were significantly lower numbers than the other album-only songs, suggesting (but not proving) that they were prepared separately for separate release.

• 7" King Records 45-6187 (US) 09/68
• 02:45 SAY IT LOUD-- I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD (Part 1) (James Brown)
• 02:30 SAY IT LOUD-- I'M BLACK AND I'M PROUD (Part 2) (James Brown)

.....That's not a mistake. Although not a Christmas song, the above single leads the second side of the next album.

• 7" King Records 45-6203 (US) 12/68
• 02:55 SANTA CLAUS GO STRAIGHT TO THE GHETTO (James Brown, Alfred Ellis, Hank Ballard)
• 02:55 YOU KNOW IT (instrumental) (Alfred Ellis, Bud Hobgood)

.....

• 7" King Records 45-6204 (US) 12/68
• 03:05 TIT FOR TAT (AIN'T NO TAKING BACK) (James Brown, Nat Jones)
• 02:45 BELIEVERS SHALL ENJOY (NON-BELIEVERS SHALL SUFFER) (instrumental) (Bud Hobgood, Nat Jones)

.....The songwriting credit for the A-sides above and below were both changed to "Charles Bobbit, Nat Jones" after these recordings were repackaged by Polydor, which acquired the King Records catalogue in 1971. I really don't know which is correct, but Brown's name was on the 7" vinyl. Also, the subtitle for the above A-side is definitely "AIN'T NO TAKING BACK", despite numerous websites listing this song as "TALKING BACK" or "TURNING BACK" or who knows what. The song is about the child's game, Tit For Tat. Each child hits the other in turn and the other child is allowed to hit back at least as hard as they were hit themselves. The trick is to hit harder than you were hit yourself, but no harder than you can withstand being hit in return. Hence, "ain't no taking back", meaning that you can't hit someone and then change your mind when you realize how hard you have allowed them to hit you in retaliation. It's a way of saying, "No cheating". The game ends when someone quits before hitting back.

• 7" King Records 45-6205 (US) 12/68
• 02:42 LET'S UNITE THE WHOLE WORLD AT CHRISTMAS (James Brown, Nat Jones)(see above)
• 02:35 IN THE MIDDLE (Part 1) (Bud Hobgood, Alfred Ellis)

.....LP SOULFUL CHRISTMAS King Records KS1040 (US) 12/68

• 03:01 SANTA CLAUS GO STRAIGHT TO THE GHETTO (James Brown, Alfred Ellis, Hank Ballard)
• 04:03 SANTA CLAUS, SANTA CLAUS (Charles Bobbit, Nat Jones)
• 02:14 BELIEVERS SHALL ENJOY (NON-BELIEVERS SHALL SUFFER)(vocal) (Bud Hobgood, Nat Jones)
• 03:06 SOULFUL CHRISTMAS (Hank Ballard, Charles Bobbit, Alfred Ellis)
• 03:04 TIT FOR TAT (AIN'T NO TALKING BACK) [see note below single]
• 02:38 CHRISTMAS IS COMING (Bud Hobgood)

.....and side B:

• 04:46 SAY IT LOUD-- I'M BLACK AND PROUD (Part 1) (James Brown[and Alfred Ellis?])
• 00:00 SAY IT LOUD-- I'M BLACK AND PROUD (Part 2)
• 02:42 IN THE MIDDLE (Alfred Ellis, Bud Hobgood)
• 02:42 LET'S UNITE THE WHOLE WORLD AT CHRISTMAS [see note above single]
• 02:20 YOU KNOW IT (vocal) (Alfred Ellis, Bud Hobgood)
• 03:50 SANTA CLAUS GAVE ME A BRAND NEW START (Bud Hobgood, Nat Jones)

.....Soon after, one of the songs was rerecorded as a duet with Marva Whitney and released as an A-side with an earlier A-side as the flip:

• 7" King Records 45-6206 (US) 02?/69
• 02:44 IN THE MIDDLE (Part 2) (Alfred Ellis, Bud Hobgood) with Marva Whitney
• 03:05 TIT FOR TAT (AIN'T NO TAKING BACK) [see note below earlier single]

.....Both sides of "SAY IT LOUD... " also appear on an album of the same name, King Records KS1047 (US) 04/69.

....."IN THE MIDDLE" Parts 1 and 2 eventually appear together on the album LP JAMES BROWN PLAYS AND DIRECTS THE POPCORN King Records KSD 1055 (US) 08/69.

.....The first two albums continued to be available in 1969 but a new single came out as well:

• 7" King Records 45-6277 (US) 12/69
• 03:10 IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME (Part 1)(James Brown, Bud Hobgood)
• 03:15 IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME (Part 2)(James Brown, Bud Hobgood)

.....The following year two singles preceded the third album.

• 7" King Records 45-6339 (US) 11/70
• 03:42 HEY AMERICA (vocal) (Nat Jones, Addie Williams Jones)
• 03:42 HEY AMERICA (sing along) (Nat Jones, Addie Williams Jones)

.....

• 7" King Records 45-6340 (US) 12/70
• 04:24 SANTA CLAUS IS DEFINITELY HERE TO STAY (single version) (Nat Jones)
• 04:24 SANTA CLAUS IS DEFINITELY HERE TO STAY (sing along) (Nat Jones)

.....The third Christmas album was released with an art collage cover that was not obviously holiday themed. It was soon replaced with a cover featuring the title and subtitle in at least 2 inch font on a blank dark background over a small photo that looks like James Brown. Unlike many of the repackagings of Brown's Christmas music these both carried the same title: LP HEY AMERICA [IT'S CHRISTMAS] King Records KS 1124 (US) 12/70. It also became available as Polydor 2391 049.

• 03:49 HEY AMERICA (vocal) (Nat Jones, Addie Williams Jones)
• 03:59 A LONELY LITTLE BOY AROUND ONE LITTLE CHRISTMAS TOY (Nat Jones)
• 03:03 GO POWER AT CHRISTMAS TIME (Nat Jones)
• 06:00 CHRISTMAS IS LOVE (Nat Jones)

.....and side B:

• 04:22 SANTA CLAUS IS DEFINITELY HERE TO STAY [LP] (Nat Jones)
• 06:00 MY RAPP (Nat Jones)
• 03:03 I'M YOUR CHRISTMAS FRIEND, DON'T BE HUNGRY (Nat Jones)
• 03:55 MERRY CHRISTMAS MY BABY AND A VERY, VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR (Nat Jones)

.....The last two tracks were also pressed as a single in The Netherlands as 7" Polydor 2066 276. Again, I wish I had some way of knowing if there had been plans for a U.S. release, since most compilations don't include either track but do emphasize the singles. The one single that I can confirm was kept in print during the 1970's was:

• 7" Polydor 14161 (US) 12/72
• 02:58 SANTA CLAUS GO STRAIGHT TO THE GHETTO [1968]
• 02:50 SWEET LITTLE BABY BOY [1966]

.....Before Christmas this year I hope to post about the most notable compilations of these recordings. Except for the Marva Whitney duet, all the songs mentioned here can be found on 2CD THE COMPLETE JAMES BROWN CHRISTMAS Hip-O-Select/ Polydor 14791 (US) 10/12/10.

1965? Winter Wonderland (instrumental remake)

.....From 1960 to 1990 Motown released seven single-artist albums and three various artists albums of Christmas music, not counting singles, repackagings and overseas editions. Of these, only the first, 1963's CHRISTMAS WITH THE MIRACLES, contained the song "WINTER WONDERLAND". I mention this because there are two collections that have come out since then containing previously unreleased material from that period and each have an outtake of that song-- the same outtake in two different mixes, actually-- attributing it to two different producers in two different years. Here's what I know...

.....first the mono mix:

• 02:02 "WINTER WONDERLAND" (Felix Bernard)
• performed by The Funk Brothers
• produced by Ronald White
• recorded 1965
• original source: VACD CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY Motown Master Series 37463-6326-2 (G) 1993
• and my source: the same

.....and next, the stereo mix:

• 02:00 "WINTER WONDERLAND" (Felix Bernard, Dick Smith)
• performed by The Funk Brothers
• produced by Norman Whitfield
• recorded September-October 1968, as an instrumental only during the sessions for the Temptations' album CHRISTMAS CARD
• "First issued with a different mix on the Various Artists album CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY, Motown 6326, October 1993." [per liner notes of 2001 CD]
• original source: VACD A MOTOWN CHRISTMAS VOLUME 2 Motown/Universal 440 016 364-2(US) 2001
• and my source: the same

.....Ronald White produced the only other version from the 1960's, on the aforementioned Miracles' album. It's not the same music, even though it's probably some of the same session men playing the same song. It's not a radically different arrangement but different enough to distinguish between them. The only Christmas project at Motown in 1965 was the Supremes album, produced by Harvey Fuqua. My guess is that someone compiling notes for the 1993 CD got confused at some point.

.....The most noticeable difference between the mono and stereo mixes is that the stereo mix has a string section. Both versions feature what sounds like a toy xylophone, which sounds sharper in the stereo mix. Because the song isn't an original (see the 1963 posts until I can get around to posting about the 1934 versions), I'm going to hold off doing any more commentary on it until I cover the Temptations' 1968 single.

1968 Canned Heat/Chipmunks

.....In the early days of the CD, labels at first asked people to buy their new music in a more expensive but more durable format, then seemed surprised that those consumers most responsive to the promise of longevity wanted older material. Store bins became dumping grounds for hastily transferred albums lazily packaged. By the late 1980's we saw entire imprints created by labels to distinguish proper restoration and reissue projects from the flood of overpriced CD's offering albums that had never gone out of print on vinyl or cassette in the first place. Trips through the archives, once sneered at as a waste of personnel time better devoted to flogging Milli Vanilli singles, yielded gems the public probably would have asked for if anyone other than fanatical record fetishists had known they existed. Here's one.

• 02:59 "THE CHIPMUNK SONG" (Ross Bagdasarian)
• 02:34 b/w "CHRISTMAS BLUES" (Fito de la Parra, Skip Taylor, Henry Vestine, Alan Wilson, Larry Taylor, Bob Hite,Jr.)
• performed by Canned Heat (and the Chipmunks, side A)
• original source: 7" Liberty 56079 (US) November 1968
• and my source: VA CD LEGENDS OF CHRISTMAS PAST, A ROCK N' R&B HOLIDAY COLLECTION EMI Legends 0777-7-99987-2 2 (US) 1992

.....Despite the A-side's title and credit, this is actually not the recording, or in fact even the song, released ten years earlier, but a playful nod to it done with Bagdasarian's cooperation on the anniversary. Liberty Records was hurting financially in 1958 when producer and sometimes-artist Ross Bagdasarian,Sr. convinced them to issue a novelty song he recorded with variable speed vocals, called "WITCH DOCTOR". He used the same pseudonym, David Seville, he'd used a half-dozen times before without notice but scored huge. A few more such singles and he closed the year with a Christmas single in which a beleaguered 'Dave' tries to teach a cute innocuous holiday song to three singing chipmunks too hyperactive to stay on task. Ross named the chipmunks after two Liberty executives (Al Bennett and Simon Waronker) and an engineer (Ted Keep). He had been hoping to squeeze a few more miles out of the fad before it faded, but Alvin, Simon and Theodore gave him the start of a whole new franchise. The Chipmunks led to albums, merchandising, an animated television series (and the further merchandising tied to that) and more singles right up to 1965, when it appeared that even covers of the Beatles and "The Sound Of Music" weren't going to keep the idea going.

.....In the fall of 1968, Liberty act Canned Heat was in the process of recording their third album, LIVING THE BLUES, a double that would be half-live, half-studio. Producer Skip Taylor bumped into Bagdasarian and suggested that the Chipmunks be dusted off for their tenth anniversary in a way that would bring them up to date. The new recording opens as the original did, minus the Seville character's narration and about half the instrumental vamp that ran under it. The Chipmunks began singing as before but are interrupted by Canned Heat, who have booked the studio to record a song called "A CHRISTMAS BOOGIE". After some characteristically bratty behavior from Alvin, the groups end the song with a Canned Heat-style electric blues jam. At only three minutes, the whole thing manages to be cute without being corny.

.....Having found their A-side (recorded October 15th), they needed a B-side to match it. According to Taylor, Fito de la Parra come up with the basic tune on the piano while he himself wrote the lyrics. The rest of the band then jammed over the part part, which is probably why the song sounds vaguely like a Fats Domino number despite the fact that the recording is filled with electric guitars. "CHRISTMAS BLUES" was recorded October 17th. Except for whatever anonymous personnel made up Bagdasarian's source recordings for the Chipmunk voices, the line-up for both sides was:

• Bob Hite,Jr. on vocals
• Alan Wilson on vocals, harmonica and slide guitar
• Henry Vestine on lead guitar
• Larry Taylor on electric bass
• Fito de la Parra on drums (and piano, B-side)

.....Recorded in true stereo during the album sessions, these songs were mixed down to mono for 7" release to encourage AM radio airplay in 1968. The CD that I noted above as a source claims that they are presented in stereo there for the first time. Thereafter it would become easier to find them coupled on CD, at least it would if you lived in Europe. They appear on:

• CD BOOGIE WITH CANNED HEAT Magic Records 4980302 (France)1999-- Bonus tracks on a remastered CD of the group's previous, second album. The album contemporary to the single was a double, but unable to fit on a single disc. Why they weren't amended to the third album, I don't know.
• CD FUTURE BLUES Repertoire REP4889 (Germany) 2000-- Bonus tracks on a remastered CD of the group's fifth original album from 1970, not counting the compilation album and live album that followed the fourth. This album was even a different line-up, since Harry Vestine left shortly before the Woodstock concert and was replaced by Harry Mandel.
• 2CD FAR OUT Akarma AK 115/2 (Italy) 05/01-- A very well rounded compilation of the first few years of the bands recordings.
• CD CHRISTMAS ALBUM RUF Records RUF 1135 (US) 11/07-- A hybrid album of old and new recordings. The only member from the single's line-up to still be available for the new ones was Fito de la Parra. Check their website for details.