BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE LETTERS C and D

All C and D today:

Col Joye - Todays Teardrops - a great hit for the late Roy Orbison

Chordettes - Baby Come A Back A - 1950's harmony

Dave Sampson - If you need me and It's Lonesome

Deep River Boys - Rock around the clock

Dorothy Provine - Don't bring LuLu

Dickie Pride - Frantic

VLADIMIR PUTIN AND OTHERS

Here is another lot of oddities led off by one real odd one.

Vladimir Putin (yes he; the real Russian leader) 'singing' Blueberry Hill. He also plays the piano intro. This was done at a charity fundraiser in St. Petersburg. Some think he is terrible - but he sings better than me.

Mike Preston - Just ask your heart. As any reader will know Mike is a favourite of mine.

Chad Mitchell Trio - Super Skier (live) A bit of comedy.

Patsy Cline - Stupid Cupid. Done for a radio broadcast.



And now the great Sonny West with Oh Boy and Rave On.

How many realise Buddy Holly did not write these great songs and did not record them until a year after Sonny (the main writer) recorded them in 1957? His career is worth looking up.

I'm BACH (Not Johan Sebastian)

I'm back. Been away on holiday - Vietnam & China. We had a great time but of course the music hasn't been able to be actioned but this will now be overcome with again some odds and oldies right here for you.

Grumbleweeds - Hear my song Violetta. A great song done by an odd group. They are a British comedy group and this is an interesting version of a song that is one of my favourites.

Dick James - You can't be true dear.

Brothers 4 - Zulu warrior. I have had this LP for over 50 years.

Gene Autry - Blueberry Hill. Until recently I didn't realise that this song started off in the C & W area.

Dick Todd - Till I waltz again with you.

Chordettes - Humming Bird. I mostly remember them from the Back to the Future film when they sang Mr Sandman.

Yes I am still here

Been away - Vietnam and China.

But meantime some odd and old stuff (music) - so listen up here

Wolves - Distant Drums
Hal Burton - Rave on
Dave Edmunds - Born to be with you
Lenny Welch - You can have her
Velvets - Lana
Billy the Kid Emerson - Apron Strings

First of the new decade

Another mixture of some odd - unusual - strange - songs are here I hope - had some uploading problems!!.

Nope not there - so if you want all of these you need to go back to the Blog entry titled B for British of 3 February 2009. Yes back that far. There is probably a link with a later date but I can't be bothered searching it out!!

Something wrong today with Media fire and also Blogger of late is not loading straight away for some reason. Must be the Xmas Spirit.

Anyway the music -

Whirlwind - Blue moon of Kentucky

Valerie Masters with Banjo Boy.

Chordettes - Hi Lili Hi Lo

Don Cornell - I'm yours

Janis Martin with the Big O hit Ooby Dooby

Jody Miller - Silver threads and golden needles

Julius La Rosa - Torero

Leroy Anderson Pops Orchestra - A Christmas Festival (1959 Stereo Remake) - still a little bit of Xmas

The Auctioneer himself - Leroy Van Dyke and Don't let the stars get in your eyes

Linda Lauries - Stay at home Sue. A 'take off' of Dions big one. I only heard this for the first time the other day.

A 'take off" I assume is an expression that many who do not live down under do not understand the meaning of. It is a sort of rough/different/funny copy of the original.

The greatest Xmas song of all time is ...

The greatest Christmas song ever

I am often told by my children that the greatest Xmas song of all time is the Pogues 'Fairytale of New York'. Quite a nice song but ... The greatest ever - I don't think so.

My argument is that one of the tests is the test of time. Although upon hearing a song for the first time you often know it is a great song; but the question is will it stand the test of time?

Will it still be sung or performed in one or two hundred years time. If it is still as popular in 100 years time then it may be one of the greatest.

I think some songs and artists will last - Elvis, Lois Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, Caruso, The Beatles and so on. Some songs like O Sole Mio in all its various incarnations will go on forever.

Although not a religious person, many great songs that have stood that test of time are religious - How great thou art; Away in a manger; Amazing Grace; O come all ye faithful.

But for Xmas; for me the greatest is Silent Night. (German - Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht)

The original lyrics were by an Austrian, Father Joseph Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber with the carol being first performed in the Nikolaus-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in Oberendorf Austria on December 24, 1818. Mohr had composed the words two years earlier, in 1816, but on that Christmas Eve asked Gruber to compose a melody for the church service.

And so was born what I consider the greatest of them all.



There a literally hundreds of versions and I don't usually put any songs here that are not, it seems, a hundred or so years old.

And although the song is in that category todays version is a recent one; from a magnificent 2006 album by Billy Idol. If you have any spare cash available go out now and purchase his Happy Holiday album. It is simply wonderful. From that great piece of work here is Silent Night by Billy Idol.

Its almost Santa

Xmas is almost here and the music is here. A couple for the season plus a few more.

Peters & Lee - Hey Mr Music Man. Funny how you pick up songs. I had never heard this before then when driving along and listenting to our local Hutt Radio they played it. I tracked it down and here it is.

Johhny Worth - Pretty Blue Eyes. A hit in the UK for Craig Douglas and in the US for Steve Lawrence (Eydie Gorme's husband).
Mike Preston - Marry Me. I am a fan of his.
Larry Page with two songs - Start Movin' and That'll be the day.
Jimmy Boyd - Jingle Bells
Pat Boone with the great White Xmas.

Probably my last for the year so have a good Xmas and a great 2011.