I wasn't going to share this album out because who needs another Christmas organ music LP?This album and I have a long history. I found it earlier this year when I located just the record alone at a local Goodwill store. The album cover turned up much later.
The front cover was in great shape. The back was hideous. Watermarks, coffee mug rings, a small food stain... was it food? It took me forever to clean it up in Photoshop.
Why all this for a Christmas organ album? When you see the name "Sy Mann" on the back cover, you tend to overlook little details like coffee and food stains!
For those who don't know who Sy Mann is, let me quote from a review I did back in August of an album I got last Christmas from our friend Ernie at his incredible blog Ernie (not Bert) (which he just upgraded to STEREO! WOW!):
"But organ music in the hands of Sy Mann, then it becomes something that deserves special attention. If the name Sy Mann sounds familiar, that's because he was one of the main forces behind "Switched On Santa" - one of the top five Christmas albums of all time."
On this album, Mann gets plenty of solos at the Wurlitzer organ solo on tracks like "Deck The Halls", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", and "White Christmas" (whose lyrics were never printed on the back - guess that was extra $$$ when they licensed the song!).
The Malvin Carolers are also featured on the album, singing your favorite Christmas carols. They do a fine job on standards like "Joy To The World", "Silent Night" and "The First Noel" but listen for those Mann accents on the Wurlitzer!
"Let's All Sing Christmas Carols"... not a bad idea for this first of three posts on Christmas Eve:
Sy Mann & The Malvin Carolers - Let's All Sing Christmas Carols
Happy listening... and singing if you like!
Capt
