Christmas Time!

Whew.  After that last share, we need something to get back into the real Christmas spirit.  I think I've got just the ticket, Christmas Time, a compilation album from the Vocalion label featuring some of the biggest Country & Western stars of the day.  

Loretta Lynn, Kitty Wells, Red Foley, Ernest Tubb, and Webb Pierce are featured on this record, along with some artists that aren't quite as well known - Elton Britt & The Pinetoppers, The Maddox Brothers and Rose, and Lonzo and Oscar.  All in all, this is a really good collection of vintage C&W Christmas recordings, all nicely and subtly arranged, none of the over-production that is so prevalent now.

The album closer "Jangle Bells" by Lonzo and Oscar, is especially refreshing.  A semi-novelty song to the tune of Jingle Bells, it's a bit of humor with a nice fiddle break.

Although this contains Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell Rock", widely available on nearly every CD in your local thrift shop, I haven't excluded it from this record (I suspect other of these songs are too).  I figure everyone grabbing this album already has JBR in their collection.

Enjoy Christmas Time!

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