Callista Cassady

In a previous post, I talked about the great website that is FaLaLaLaLa.com and mentioned several of the people I've met there. In today's post, we get to look at not ah-one, but ah-two Christmas cardboard flexis that were submitted by two longtime FLLLL members.

The first flexi was posted by Shemp at the Members Share forum of FLLLL. This was downloaded by me on November 28, 2006 at 3:25 PM.

Recorded especially for GM employees by GM employees, The General Motors Chorus was established in 1933 as one of the earliest employee activities within General Motors. I'm assuming this flexi was given to file and rank employees as a Christmas bonus.

Or perhaps they were played in the background throughout GM lunchrooms and UAW halls at Christmas time. In any case, you get a medley of standard Christmas carols on each side - all accompanied by a lone organ. The voices blend terrifically, the organ isn't too intrusive, and the end result is pleasing to the ear.

It's also a testament to its time. Back in the day, General Motors proudly sponsored this chorus - sending them to GM functions across the country. That ended back in 1978 when the GM Chorus became fully self sustained.

Today, there are approximately 80 members in the chorus, and less than one-half of the members are employed by, retired from, or spouses of GM employees. Membership is now open to anyone who loves to sing (and who preferably lives in the metro Detroit area).

If interested, check out the GM Chorus' website!

The same evening I downloaded the GM flexi, our friend PDMan, a longtime member of FLLLL, was inspired by Shemp to post his Christmas flexi - which I snagged at 9:12 PM.

I first learned of this Lawrence Welk Christmas flexi years earlier while visiting the Internet Museum of Flexi / Cardboard / Oddity Records curated by the wonderful folks at WFMU-FM. If you dig deep enough, you'll find this very flexi and you can hear a snippet of this one-sided flexi.

Back in 1958, Lawrence Welk was hosting not one but TWO television shows for ABC - both sponsored by the Dodge Motor Company. So when Dodge needed help to push their new line of 1958 cars, they asked Welk if he'd be willing to lend a hand.

The idea was if you test drove a brand new 1958 Dodge, you would walk away with this flexi as a thank you. In some cases, people drove home with the flexi in their new Dodge!

With the assistance of "the luvly little Lennon Sisters", Welk opens the record by greeting us on behalf of "your nearby Dodge dealer." The Lennon Sisters sing "Merry Christmas From Our House To Your House" with wunnerful assistance from The Champagne Music Makers.

Welk thanks the Lennon Sisters, wishes you a very Merry Christmas, and utters a true Welkism as his closing line: "We'll be looking at you on television!".




Shortly after Shemp and PDMan posted their flexis, I got into the spirit. On November 29, 2006, I posted an entry for the only Christmas flexi in my collection at that time - a 1954 Christmas Greetings Flexi from the one and only Liberace!

Earlier this year, an antiques store here in Fort Wayne had a physical copy of the Welk flexi which I picked up in ah-one and ah... I already used that joke earlier - no fair repeating. So that now makes two Christmas flexis in my collection!

I would love to find other Christmas flexis - I do recall that some time last year, a copy of the High Society flexi in the holiday section of the Internet Museum of Flexi / Cardboard / Oddity Records sold for $80 or $90 on eBay.

And I would walk on through the wind, even walk on through the rain for a chance for to purchase this flexi.


Capt

As far as I can remember, I've always had an affinity for Hawaiian music. Somewhere among my archives is a picture of me in a fourth grade school play where I play an obnoxious tourist flying to Hawaii.

If that ever surfaces (think Jimmy Hoffa), I'll be sure to post it...

Some time in high school, I began actively searching out Christmas music. I cannot recall what was the very first Hawaiian Christmas music album in my collection but I was hooked, lined, and sinkered onto that genre.

I tried to find as much Hawaiian holiday hulas as I could find. When the smoke cleared, it emerged as the largest sub-genre of my collection (until Christmas organ overtook it last year).

These sat on my upgrade list for quite awhile until two wonderful people named PDMan (from the FaLaLaLaLa community) and Ernie (of Ernie (Not Bert)) came through in a big way last year.

The first album (pictured above) by the Paradise Islanders was offered by PDMan at FLLLL.com back last December and not only did it have complete artwork but it was in glorious STEREO!

I wish I could give you the background of the group but there's very little out there. According to the Goldmine Christmas Record Price Guide, "Christmas In Hawaii" was released, both in mono and stereo, in 1961 on Decca Records.

The album is strictly instrumental, contains lots of pedal steel guitar, vibraphone, and ukuleles - giving it the classical Hawaiian sound with a Christmas flavor.

Standout tracks include "Jingle Bell Rock", "Mele Kalikimaka" (might be the perfect instrumental version of this one), and two exceptional medleys ("The First Noel", "O Holy Night", and "Joy To The World" in the first medley, "Adeste Fideles", "Deck The Halls", and "Silent Night" in the second) that are perfect in conception and execution!

"Christmas In Hawaii" is perfect for the luau, the office boombox during Christmas time, a cold VFW dinner with relatives on a cold, December night, or any time you want to feel Hawaiian or Christmas-y.

The next album was offered by Ernie way back in 2005 (the first time I downloaded it). For some strange reason, I was missing the back cover on this one (an errant mouse click I believe). Ernie thankfully shared it again last year and presto! There was the sought after back cover and some much needed background info on the group! To quote:

"THE SURFERS are all native Hawaiians. 21-year old Clayton Naluai is leader of the group, singing tenor and baritone. Alan Kalani, age 20, sings high tenor. The 18-year old baritone voice heard is that of Pat Sylva and 19-year old Bernie Ching sings bass.

"The arrangements, which are all their own, give their voices the unusual quality of sounding like the brass section of an orchestra. When singing as a group their voices blend perfectly, with no one voice standing out in front of the others.

"With THE SURFERS are Harold Chang, who plays bongos and shakes mararas and sleigh bells for Santa Claus; James Kaopinki, who keeps the bass rhythm; and Jules Ah See, who comes in on chimes and plays a really clever Hawaiian steel guitar. Jules, at times, makes the electric steel guitar sound like an organ which with a bowed string bass is quite effective.

"If you like Christmas, you will find this album an unusual Christmas treat."

The understatement to end all understatements. The voices and harmonies are reminiscent of a barbershop quartet. Add in the Hawaiian element, then sprinkle Christmas all over it, and this is quite the San Honolulu treat!

Standout tracks? "Here Comes Santa In A Red Canoe" is the first song on the album and a Hawaiian Christmas song that should be right up there with "Mele Kalikimaka" - quaint, funny, and extremely catchy. You'll be humming this one for hours after you hear it.

Others include "Deck The Halls", "Hawaiian Santa" (another song that should be up there with "Mele Kalikimaka"), "Adeste Fideles" (in Hawaiian!), "Come Dance And Sing" (to the tune of "Carol Of The Bells"), "Jingle Bells", "Winter Wonderland" (with intro intact! WOW!), and a touching "Silent Night" (sung in Hawaiian).

This above the rest album was released in 1959 on HiFi Records. If these lads were in their early 20s then, that means most should be in their late 60s now - I would love to hear from any of the Surfers about their careers, other albums they recorded (Ernie reported he found at least one other from them), and what they've been up to since.

PDMan and Ernie, mahalo! Nice scores, gents!


UP NEXT: The first of 125+ Christmas albums I downloaded last Christmas!


Capt

Many moons ago, this elegantly lush album was offered at Christmas time at Basic Hip - one of the first vinyl sharity sites. It was a good rip of the mono version of this album, with a good scan of the front cover only.

(BTW, they still offer a great deal of rare, exotic, and incredibly strange albums via their Basic Hip Digital Gold service where I picked up the soundtrack to "Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls"!)

I searched high and low, both on the Internet and off, to find a copy of this album so I could acquire the back cover or perhaps (dare I say it) a stereo version!

Late last November, a member of the FaLaLaLaLa community named PDMan (he was once a program director in radio, hence PD, man!) stunned everyone when he shared a pristine copy of the STEREO version of this album with complete artwork!

The "Idol Of The Air Lanes" aka Jan Garber would have been mighty proud.

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1894, Garber studied music at the Combs Conservatory in Philadelphia, hoping to enter the classical music field. Before his career began to take off, he was drafted into WWI. How many people have we talked about here at the yuleblog who were born in the 19th Century and a World War I doughboy?

While stationed at an Army training camp in Alabama, Garber formed a marching band and became fascinated with popular music. After his discharge, he wisely abandoned his classical career in favor of a job with bandleader/contractor Meyer Davis.

Garber was quickly made leader of one of the Davis orchestras, proved himself a crowd pleaser, so in 1920 left to form his own hot jazz outfit for a brief time. In 1921 he joined Milton Davis' Orchestra and rechristened the name to The Garber-Davis Orchestra.

For several years, the orchestra was the toast of the South, playing one successful tour after the other. But in 1924, Davis found himself in trouble. Seems a jealous husband threatened his life and Davis quickly sold out his half of the orchestra to Garber and headed north.

In 1932, Garber fell under the spell of Canadian bandleader Guy Lombardo. Garber was so smitten that he fired all the members of his present band except one and bought out the Freddie Large Orchestra, a Canadian orchestra to get that Lombardo feel. Large became Garber's lead saxophonist - a position he kept until his death in 1968!



The new group became quite successful, playing lush music, touring the country, and appearing on the "Burns & Allen" radio program where he acquired his colorful moniker "Idol Of The Air Lanes". How or why is still a mystery to me!

Around the start of World War II, Garber decided to switch gears again. He disbanded the dance orchestra and formed a swing band. It was bad timing since the big band/swing band era was just about dead and the recording ban of 1942-1943 hurt Garber's chances of becoming a success.

At the end of World War II, he formed a new dance orchestra which gained popularity and Garber never again tinkered with his orchestra. During the 1950s, Garber's group appeared regularly in Las Vegas and played the Southern horse show circuit.

According to the Goldmine Christmas Record Price Guide, Garber recorded and released as a single a version of "Blue Christmas" in 1950 on Capitol Records (Capitol F1257). Anyone have a copy? It would be nine years later when Garber - now recording for Decca Records - came out with this album - both in mono and full stereo in 1959.

The very first song is "Jumpin' Jiminy Christmas", a wonderful tune with chorus that bounces your right into the mood. Other standouts include "Jingle Bell Rock" (an obvious nod to rock n roll), "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer", and "Christmas Chopsticks".

Many of the instrumentals ("Sleigh Ride", "Silver Bells", "Winter Wonderland") have that old 1920s - 1930s Guy Lombardo sound to them. However, Garber elevates it to pure dance music, full of whimsy. This is a wonderful, elegant, fun Christmas album!

The Jan Garber Orchestra continued to record actively through the 1960s and tour into the 1970s. Garber retired from show business in 1971 and his daughter, Janis, led the band until 1973, when it disbanded. Jan Garber passed away in 1977.

However, the Orchestra continues on to this very day! It has an active website where you can learn more about Garber, the latest incarnation of the orchestra, and their schedule of performances - last month, it played some dates in the Indiana area - had I known, I would have made a road trip!

PDMan, thanks again for sharing this album (and a whole slew of others that I've yet to review - coming soon to a yuleblog near you)!


UP NEXT: The Moog Machine - Christmas Become Electric


Capt