Lorne Greene: Have a Happy Holiday

Just last week I was hit like a lightning bolt with the thought "Why haven't I shared Lorne Greene before?"  Lorne Greene's "Have a Happy Holiday" was one of the four Christmas records we had when I was growing up, along with a Bing Crosby, Firestone Vol. 5, and a country music collection.  I played Lorne Greene and Bing Crosby over and over.

I think there are two reasons why I haven't shared this yet.  First, it has been shared before on other blogs, and I try not to duplicate efforts too often.  So I just never moved it into the ripping queue.

Second, and maybe I knew this before and subsequently forgot, "A Christmas Cantata" on side 2 of the album has a significant scratch.  A scratch that, despite my efforts, prevented me from ripping the whole album.  Still, I wanted to share out my copy of this great record from 1965.  So, I ripped all that I could (everything except "A Christmas Cantata"), cleaned the rips, removed the noise and prepped them to share.  For the Cantata, I went to my archives and found the files I had downloaded a few years back, and included the Cantata from that share.  So, thanks to the festive friend who shared this out previously.  Although I don't recall the source, I want to give credit where credit is due.

So, it is with great pleasure that I bring you Lorne Greene's "Have a Happy Holiday".  This is a terrific record.  Lorne's strong baritone voice is perfect for the song selections and readings.  His recital of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" is especially good, and one of the reasons I loved this record in childhood.  Lorne recites the poem with jingly cheer, much animation in his voice, and is accompanied by a Joe Reisman score. 

I'm also very partial to "Christmas is A-Comin'", one of the four songs on the album (except for the ones that are part of the Cantata).  It's a very nice rendition of a classic song, and once again Lorne shows his talent as an interpreter of the whimsical aspects of the piece.

This is one of my favorite a;bums.  Please enjoy "Have a Happy Holiday", courtesy of Der Bingle and the unnamed contributor of "A Christmas Cantata", the final track on the record.

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Sorry folks!  This is available now on CD, so have to remove the link.