The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

In good time before the upcoming winter and Christmas season, it could be interesting to learn more about such recordings. So to make it simple, what are your favorite Chrismas 78 records, and if possible, it could be nice to include a YouTube link if the recording is on YouTube. Language also really don't matter much here, it is more about the general feeling of the song, and that it is a good listen etc.

Some favorites--All credit goes to the more tech-savvy who uploaded them.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jG9eAI9pTI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HceACv2xx48


Angels from the Realms of Glory- - (I like this one a great deal)
https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-19919/


Gloria from Twelfth Mass-- 1918
https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-27954/

The Birthday of a King (this is a good one too)
https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-132168/

The Star of Bethlehem
https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-123733/

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-130938/

Honorable mention goes to the Blue Amberol cylinder of "Ring out the Bells for Christmas."

What I'd love to know--is it's pretty easy to tell which old 78s in that pile of records are religious carols, but what other songs were popular before the explosion of crooners in the '30s-'40s? "Jingle Bells" is often recorded as "Sleigh Ride Party" but what other kinds of music was considered appropriate to play at Christmastide?

Among the Blue Amberols are :

3034 The Santa Claus Song.
3035 Christmas morning with the kiddies.
23139 The awakening of Scrooge.
2464 The night before Christmas.
23148 The night watchman's Christmas
4635 Santa Claus hides in your phonograph.

My favourite on disc is "Cantique de Noel" (Adam). I have both the Caruso and the Plancon recordings

I dread the next few weeks when "White Christmas" and it's ilk blasts forth from every shop.

I like any bing Crosby Christmas song, specially the bc& sisters& big schoen Santa Claus if coming to town.
I also like Frank Sinatra versions of white Christmas and silent night.
I like The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole.
And of course, jingle bells by the Shannon Quartet!

I touch on some of mine in this article that I wrote about four years ago: https://www.tnt-audio.com/vintage/chris ... 017_e.html

One more that I *didn't* mention there is Max Reger's "The Virgin's Cradle Song" as recorded by Claudia Muzio in that series she did for Columbia in the early 1930s. Orchestral accompaniment, "wrong" language, and all, has there ever been a more heartwarming performance of anything?

not my transfer or posting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le_0tbZaZkg

Freddy Martin's "Nutcracker" in dance tempo- Victor Musical Smart Set P-124. Released in about 1943 or so I think

Here's an excerpt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAEQl_4vgNU

Once in Royal David city- king's college choir. (1948)
All through the night- Paul Robeson
Are my ears on straight- Gayla Pevey
I'm walking backwards for Christmas- The Goons
All I want for Christmas- Spike Jones & city slickers
Winter wonderland- Louis Armstrong
Silver bells- Doris Day

Inigo wrote: Wed Oct 27, 2021 1:28 pm I like any bing Crosby Christmas song, specially the bc& sisters& big schoen Santa Claus if coming to town.
I also like Frank Sinatra versions of white Christmas and silent night.
I like The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole.
And of course, jingle bells by the Shannon Quartet!

I recently acquired a copy of Frank Sinatra singing White Christmas. It was in a recent collection I purchased.

I haven't heard it yet but am looking forward to hearing it - particularly as you recommend it !

Don't forget the Silent Night version too... It was my father's favourite. In Spain it was issued prior to the one by Bing, and he liked Bing's too, but always saw it as a second to the FS.
I have the Dinah Shore version too.
I don't like Dinah's singing very much, but some songs she renders nicely... My first 78 of Dinah was The Egg And I, b/w Who Cares What People Say, in the Spanish issue. I love so much these two songs, but maybe it's because it has been in my collection for more than 40 years, and I've played it very much. The accompaniment by Sonny Burke orchestra is fine.