Posted on 04/25/2013 11:39
Thanks Chip and Susan for all the comments and info, the responses to me original question have been coming at a regular enough pace that I decided to hang back and wait for them to run out of gas.
Thanks for all the info on Mark 56.
Chip I did read one other theory on Glenn Miller. It still involved "friendly fire" in this case, a bombing operation was returning from an operation where they did not get to drop their bombs because of weather or something. Since the bombers were carry incendiary bombs they were instructed to drop them in the channel before landing, This was some 100,000 bombs. The theory the path of the bombers and path of Glenn Miller plane that one of the dumped bombs hit Glenn Millers plane as a fluke accident. Again another theory that many think is credible but without substantiation .
Posted on 04/22/2013 06:37
I have a question that is bugging me. While transcribing some of my lesser LPs to digital I started running into some by Mark 56 records.
I know little about them other than they are from California. But I am finding a lot of stuff out on the Web by George Garabedian and Mark 56. The music I am finding for Christmas is all Tijuana sound, and it appears to be multiple releases with different commercial ties (like Phillips 66). The Christmas LPs all seem to have the main title of Tijuana Christmas.
Then I find non Christmas Tijuana sound stuff with lots of commercial ties like Pepsi, Taco Bell, Der Weinerschnitzel, Culligan even Colonel Sanders.
So do we have any kind of story/history on Mark 56 records and what they were all about?
I know this Tijuana sound stuff I mention above is only one part of their catalog but happens to be easy to search for. Also the Tijuana stuff all has very similar graphics and characters on the Jacket.
Posted on 04/06/2013 08:54
Nice picture Chip, yes there a whole group of Standard Oil spin off companies after the government mandated the break up of Standard Oil
Socal Standard Oil of Cal, Socony Standard Oil of NY, SONJ etc
Susan the picture that Chip shows has to be 1960 or newer, the two cars there, one is a 1960 Cheverolet and the other looks like a 1959 Pontiac but I cannot see it clearly enough to be 100%. Also doing an internet search I find a lot of dated service station pictures of many brands that show square top gas pumps in the very early 60s. I have to admit that I cannot remember when they came in exactly
Posted on 04/02/2013 11:57
I have mentioned in other posts that I just have this strange love/fascination with Christmas music that has a commercial or retail tie in. Probably goes back to when I got started with Christmas music with my Dad, going to the Goodyear Store and the Firestone Store right after Thanksgiving to buy their new Christmas LP for a buck. So one of the areas I find that there are quite a few but some obscure releases come from fuel oil/gas stations.
There are the two that seem to be pretty well known because of their higher quality releases Shell Oil and Mobil Oil, but I have slowly found out liers from Clark, Standard Oil, Citgo and now recently Phillips 66. Some are cassettes and not LPs by the way.
Just wondering how many do you know of and what kind of back ground can you give me such as graphics, names etc. so I can go looking on ebay and else where. I have used the names of all the gas stations I can remember from the 60s but have had only the most limited of success.
Lets see what companies do I remember Exon, Conaco, Texaco, Skelly, DX, multiple that were spin offs of Standard Oil, Sunoco, Sinclair , Atlantic Richfield, Union 76, Pure Oil, ARCO, BP, Getty, Marathon, Clark, Gulf, City Service,
So What ones have I missed and should I do internet searches for , and which ones do you (anyone other there) know had some kind of Christmas music promotion/release with their logo on it. For example there is a well traveled LP Don Janse Choir Little Drummer boy that probably most have seen, but there is a version with a Clark Oil Logo on it, same exact LP, just a Clark logo added to the cover.
Posted on 03/11/2013 09:21
Well my temporary euphoria for finding a listing for another Longines Christmas set was quickly dashed.
I found a listing for a set with a name I did not recognize as well as a commercial tie in with ACME markets
Christmas at Home especially for ACME.
However only the most cursory of inspections revealed it is the same as the Shell volume II tie in with Longines
this set has the number FF101 or LWS 495 on the LP label for whatever that means and no ties ins with ACME on the vinyl label whatsoever. (ps no SYS number on the label)
I am getting back to Chips word of pathologically.
Posted on 03/08/2013 12:16
Dont know why but this Longines thing has kind of become a quest for me, trying to figure out when some of these box sets were really released.
Another source of info kind of came to me, Longines did not sell through stores to my knowledge so they had to contact customers some how. I thought of mailings , then I thought of ads in news papers and magazines.
with a little digging I found one This happens to be for Christmas at the Fireside.
The add says newly recorded music so I am making the leap of faith that this ad was released close to the release of the LP.
This is from Oct 1966 Life magazine. So I am thinking this set was a 1966 release. Not definitive but at least we know it cannot be newer than that.
So my new found friend is google books for searching old magazines.. I will be digging into the main stream magazines of the 60s and 70s Life, Look, McCalls, Sat Evening Post, Time. Trying to figure out which one Logines advertised in the most.
Posted on 03/05/2013 13:38
Well Chip maybe I do not feel as inadequate and maybe I can help you a little for a change.
I got the following Longines box set The Joy of Christmas from an ebay find.
the usual inadequacies prevaled looking for a date when it was produced. Eureka on the LP label there is a date
so this particular set appears to be a 1973 release.
So while you do not seem to be a big fan of Longines releases, you can at least fill in the blanks on this one box set.
Posted on 01/28/2013 15:49
Thanks Chip for all that info. It is what I needed.
I do not feel so inadequate trying to find the dates now, since you struggle also.
Ps I love your choice of words particulary "pathalogically"
Posted on 01/27/2013 13:04
I have collected several Longines Symphonette box sets over the years and quite often struggle trying to figure out the year they were released. I am working on one now called
Longines Symphonette Society proudly presents A Joyous Christmas Treasury
Twas the Night Before Christmas
Fred Waring plus others.
This is a 4 lp box set courtesy of Decca LWS 528 thru LWS 531 or DL 734401 thru DL 734404 lable numbers
Does anyone have a clue on the year of this box set? And as a follow up does anyone have dates on the whole Longines Christmas group which may be as many as 10 box sets (thats a guess on my part I probably have 5)
Posted on 12/23/2012 13:56
Johnny you asked about my avatar, well here it goes, its a family a joke.
As I grew Up my favorite movie was the Ten Commandments. As my kids grew it was a requirement that when it came on TV around Easter Time we all watched it together to the point we knew the lines and could recite them with the actors. When my daughter brought her fiance over to our house at Easter time, of course we made him watch the movie with us, he had never seen the movie. Prior to that he had asked me what should he call me , Steve, Dad , Pop what, I said I did not know. Well as we watched the movie and he complained about how bad it was , in one scene where they referred to Seti the Pharoah, as Oh Great One, as a joke I told him, There that is what you can call me. Well the joke stuck. So my nickname became Oh Great One. As I got on a few Christmas Blogs, I called myself Oh Great One, the boards latter shortened that to OGO. So My Avatar is Seti from the movie Ten Commandments, with a Christmas Stocking Hat to make him more in the spirit.
So no I am not from Egypt, I am just an American with a lot of Swede in me.
Posted on 12/14/2012 16:20
Yes this is an old thread, but I said something here that now needs a correction.
I mentioned that I had no access to the Yule Log and was frustrated.
Well if you can tell by looking at me I have a big smile on my face and it will take quite a while to wipe it off.
Thanks to a very good friend (you know who you are and thanks) I now have a copy of the 4 hour and the 3 hour version on a dvd.
I have been listening to it all day as I do various Christmas projects.
Chip
What a great selection of music , everything I wanted and more.
The version I have is a VHS quality rip but still the music comes through just great and I love the blend between songs.
So having been deprived all these years I now have experienced the Yule Log and can say Yahoo thanks.
So if having a copy of the Yule Log is a sin , please forgive me, but where I live it is not available.
Posted on 11/22/2012 10:28
Great feedback and info so far. I just digitized another Diplomat record by the Choraleers called Twas the Night Before Christmas. Nice track selection but production values are really poor. It is the first LP I have that has an honest to goodness blister. a big pimple on one side but without a corresponding dimple on the reverse side.
So any info on the Choraleers, is this one group or many using the same name. I have a couple of LPs that are VA with a group called the Choraleers and they sound very good and the music is good. But most of this Diplomat LPs stuff seems to be of very poor technical and artistic value.
PS this is Thanksgiving AM so I hope you are all having a Happy Thanksgiving with Family and Friends
Posted on 11/19/2012 17:07
Midwestern roots here. Grew up in Northern Illinois. Now living in Michigan.
I am one of the many unfortunates that cannot get and have not been able to get the Yule Log.
No Antenna TV in my viewing area, no local channels carrying it, get my TV thru Directv satellite and no one there carries it either. Each Year I just sit and sulk.
Posted on 11/19/2012 11:03
Lots of good discussions of classical and very good Christmas Music. My question is about the more mundane music.
I have a bunch of LPs from Diplomat Christmas Records, these are all kids type records, I would be interested in knowing who is Diplomat Christmas Records, I can find out nothing about them. Were they a subsidiary of some brand etc?
Secondly the music on their LPs appear to be predominantly by a group called the Caroleers or the Caroleer Singers. I looking to find out the history of this group or even if they were one group or many. I seem to see several variations of the name on LPs.
So none of this is about the quality of the music or recordings (mostly sub par) but just the who when where type question.
The above is just one example of many
PS edit, the jackets or labels also list S.P.C. Newark . One jacket says Synthetic Plastic Co. Which is little to no help to me.
PPS edit. Well if I had done my home work a little of this would have been known by me. SPC owned several off brand lables. The first was Peter Pan Records. Again other than being part of the same parent company I am not sure if there is any tie in between Peter Pan and Diplomat.
Posted on 08/08/2012 16:28
Thanks for all the extra info Chip
Very good logic and explanation in you attachment.
I agree with you on the logic behind what qualifies as a " Christmas Song"
Now if we can just understand the logic that moves a song in the public's mind from a nice seasonal song to something that is attached to the holidays.
I am trying to remember if there is anything new is the last 5-10 years that might qualify as a classic in the making.
Posted on 08/07/2012 17:59
Other songs that you wonder how did they become Christmas Catagory songs are
1. Let it Snow Let It Snow Let It Snow ( winter yes, but no attachment to Christmas Holiday)
2. Winter Wonderland (same argument)
3. Jingle Bells ( yes if you listen to the words even this classic has no direct attachment to Christmas)
4. Toyland ( kids wishes and greed by no tie to Christmas)
I do not know why but basically if you listen to the main playlist of Dorris Day is where you will find some of this kind of music featured, classic music played at Christmas but not really Christmas with a direct Christmas theme. Why Dorris Day , I dont know, its just something I noticed. Yes she records Christmas music, but if you notice you rarely find music with the classical Christmas religious theme.
Posted on 05/16/2012 11:50
I happen to stumble on a series of Christmas LPs from the Salvation Army that I picked up at a thrift store.
The first one I listened too was interesting.
Called Army of the Stars Happy Birthday America the 1975 Christmas Program.
The music in general is very good with some by the California State University Choir and others by other notable artists. But what got my interestest besides being Quadraphonic is a note on just on the LP label
It says not for sale or broadcast. My question is if this was not for sale or broadcast, how did it get out to the public. Was it some kind of gift, promo, or give away?
Posted on 04/28/2012 11:41
While this is not part of the Christmas to Remember series it is part of the Montgomery Wards series.
This came out prior to the Christmas to Remember grouping which were 1968 -1970
Wards also released Merry Christmas from Wards or Montgomery Wards presents Chrsitmas Favorites in 1965.
If Wards did anything between 1965 and 1968 I am open to comment.
I have seen comments about this LP in the past but just found it at a rummage sale today.
Not saying its anything great as far as music, it looks fairly common as far as tunes and whoever the artist is unknown. But just something to fill out the list. It has a house number W-101 by Wards for an ID, no mention of any major label helping or sponsoring.
Posted on 04/20/2012 14:34
Just as a short note and follow up to this thread.
Chip I just found the 1957 Christmas Hymns and Carols by Robert Shaw Chorale at a local thrift store.
I am listening to it now, it was 79 cents well spent.
Your recommendation is right on, it is nice, different song order but still the same great sound and arrangements and technically much better. Wow. Thanks for the recommendation.
Posted on 04/18/2012 15:07
Interesting!
In this case they changed the "name" even though both LPs were box sets by Readers Digest and exactly the same song tracks, cover etc. Those sneaky guys. When I dig for LPs on the internet, I tended to find the cyclophonic trade name used more on LP Box sets that I found on EBAY from the UK , Australia and the like.
Thats not an absolute, just a trend that I saw.
