The great thing about posting a Part 1 of something is knowing for sure that you haven't skipped any installments. Unless you happened to post a part 0, but I didn't. I don't think I did, anyway.
I just checked, and, no, I didn't.
The popular meaning of zero, by the way, is "nothing." Yet, that definition is the seventh (and last) to appear in my dictionary. The seventh! Obviously, what we need is a Wikitionary (i.e., an open-content collaborative dictionary) in which popular meanings could assume top-definition status.
Nope, never mind. Under "zero," we read in Wikipedia: "Zero is a number which means nothing, null, void or an absence of value." (Not to mention proper punctuation.) Hey, cool!
I guess we don't need a Wikitionary, after all. However, I'm a little confused by W.'s entry for "nothing," which points out that zero and nothing are not identical concepts, mathematically. How can they not be identical and yet be identical? I'll be someone's been messing with the W. entries again. No wonder the site states, in its General Disclaimer, that "Wikipedia cannot guarantee the validity of the information found here." That's because "nothing found (in Wikipedia) has necessarily been reviewed by professionals with the expertise required to provide you with complete, accurate or reliable information." No wonder so many people rely on Wikipedia. Who needs complete, accurate, or reliable information, anyway? To say nothing of the Oxford comma?
But we're hear to hear--I mean, here to hear--Bob (James West) Conrad's rendition of White Christmas. This track comes from 1959's We Wish You a Merry Christmas: 15 Great Christmas Favorites Sung by Warner Bros. Stars. Conrad, who started out as a nightclub singer, was in the cast of W.B.'s Hawaiian Eye at the time:
White Christmas (Irving Berlin), Bob Conrad, from 1959 W.B. LP.
From the same album, we have Eddie Cole, brother of Nat "King," with light and jazzy version of "You'd better not pout, you'd better not, etc." Cole was starring in Bourbon Street Beat. This track proves that talent sometimes runs in the family:
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Gillespie, Coots), Eddie Cole, from 1959 W.B. LP.
Small world--Arthur Treacher recorded this very same song for the 1966 LP favorite And a Sled...and a Catcher's Mitt...and a Puppy...and a Popgun...and a Big Christmas Album for Merv Griffin & TV Family. And here it is:
Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town, Arthur Treacher with Mort Lindsay's Orchestra, 1966. From the MGM LP, And a Sled, Etc.
From that same LP, we have David Soul singing Children Go Where I Send Thee. (What LP, you ask? Why, And a Sled...and a Catcher's Mitt...and a Puppy...and a Popgun...and a Big Christmas Album for Merv Griffin & TV Family. That one.)
Children Go Where I Send Thee, David Soul with Mort Lindsay's Orchestra, 1966. From the MGM LP ...And a Catcher's Mitt, Etc.
Also from And a Sled...and a Catcher's Mitt...and a Puppy...and a Popgun...and a Big Christmas Album for Merv Griffin & TV Family, we have Pat Marand singing the complete version of Silver Bells, a 1950 song that's interesting to hear with its verse left in for a change. And Pat has a lovely voice:
Silver Bells (Livingston, Evans), Pat Marand with Mort Lindsay's Orchestra, 1966. From the MGM LP ...And a Puppy, Etc.
Does Merv sing anything on this album, you ask? Why, of course.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Martin, Blane), Merv Griffin with Mort Lindsay's Orchestra. From the MGM LP ...And a Popgun, Etc.
More celebrity Mas sounds to come from your Mas music headquarters, MYPWHAE.
Lee
7 comments:
Shocked, shocked I am that you have kept this Merv Griffin LP a secret from me for all these years! How dare you!
Who needs complete, accurate, or reliable information, anyway? To say nothing of the Oxford comma?
Oxford comma? Won't make much difference if half the population is illiterate.
Ah... So, there really was an Arthur Treacher... not just another fast-food chain name.
Ernie,
I wanted to wait until the world was ready. What an album, huh? Arthur Treacher and David Soul! I just read that Soul initially appeared on MG as a masked singer. This was the gimmick that got him into show business. Very strange....
William,
Ha! You're right, of course!
Paul F.,
Yes, Arthur was for real. In a manner of speaking. He played butlers, mostly, in the movies. I've always considered Stanley Holloway more gifted, but that's just me.
Lee
Wonderful songs on thisa album ! I wish I could hear the whole thing ! The music is well done, and it's a great freeze frame of the style of entertainment that would soon fall out of fashion (At least for a while :) )
Great posts, Lee. I thouroughly enjoy your site, and i look forward to discovering new treasures every day. Keep up the wonderful work.
aww thanks for getting me into the holiday spirit!! studying for finals in holiday-less buildings doesn't help..
Post a Comment