Christmas Selection Box Sleeve Notes

Selection Box – The Sleeve Notes

Although I’ve been keeping a review of BBC Christmas releases updated here, I haven’t covered all the bits and bobs I included in the Selection Box mix. I’ve also noticed that Mixcloud has stopped showing the tracklist before you listen, which makes it hard to see what’s in store. So, here are my brief ‘sleeve notes’.

2021 Update

Fixed some more blooming spelling errors (am I always in such a rush with these things?) and made a couple of other edits. No new tracks this year, but I’m sure there were some seasonally appropriate trinkets tucked away in amongst the new records I acquired. Maybe next time?

2020 Update

It’s become a tradition to dust this off each year, fix a few things and maybe add something new. This year is no different. Each entry now has a sleeve photo (I think some were yet to be snapped when I did this last time); Spellings have been checked again and a few more comments added. The big excitement this year though is an actual tracklist, so you don’t have to scroll to everything. Each release is linked so you can go and read more sleeve notes and whatnot.

#	Track	Artist	Album	Cat	Year
1	God Rest You Merry	The Saint Martins Singers	God Rest You Merry	REC 88	1970
2	Isaiah 40. v.v. 1-5	Andrew Cruikshank	God Rest You Merry	REC 88	1970
3	Bohemian Carol (Hydom)	Girl Guides	Guiding Highlights	REC 203	1975
4	The Nativity	Louise Hall Taylor	Watch	REC 314	1978
5	Follow The Star	James Earle Adair	Watch	REC 314	1978
6	De Virgin Mary Had A Baby Boy	The BBC Welsh Chorus	Voices From The Holy Land	REC 564	1985
7	Christmas	Johnny Morris	Johnny Morris tells Stories for Assembly	RESR 14	1970
8	The Box Of Delights	The Pro Arte Orchestra	The Box of Delights/The Carol Symphony	RESL 162	1984
9	Mr Snow	Arthur Lowe	The Mr Men Songs	REC 345	1979
10	Christmas Snow	Joe Campbell	The Mr Men Songs	REC 345	1979
11	The Snow Womble	Bernard Cribbins	Womble Stories	REC 253	1976
12	Colours of Christmas	Girl Guides & Douglas Coombes	Songs For Tomorrow	REC 389	1980
13	The Christmas Box	Kenneth Williams	Willow the Wisp	REC 427	1981
14	Mincemeat	John Rollason	Poetry Corner	RESR 27	1971
15	Gremlins	Cast	Gremlins	RESLD 001	1984
16	Cowboy Carol	The Saint Martins Singers	Songs are for Singing	RESR18	1970
17	Keith Harris & Orville	Thank You For Telling Me ‘Bout Christmas	Come To My Party/Thanks for telling me ’bout Christmas	RESL 138	1983
18	Silent Night	Polyphon	BBC Sound Effects no. 4	RED 104	1974
19	Sleigh Ride	The Concert Band Of The Royal Signal Corps	Winter Sports	REC 268	1977
20	Swinging Sleighbells	Arnold Loxam	At the Cinema Organ Vol.2	REC 162	1973
21	Swingin’ Them Jingle Bells	Fats Waller & His Rhythm	Great Original Performances 1927-34	REB 598	1985
22	Troika	The Concert Band Of The Royal Signal Corps	Winter Sports	REC 268	1977
23	A Christmas Carol	Patrick Magee	Characters from Dickens	REC 186	1973
24	At The Christmas Ball	Bessie Smith	Great Original Performances 1925-33	REB 602	1986
25	Christmas Commercial	John Baker	BBC Radiophonic Music	REC 25	1968
26	Christmas East Cheam Style	Tony Hancock	Unique Hancock	REB 150	1973
27	The Ballad of Sandra Claus	Bryan Joan Elliott and the Elf Service	The Ballad Of Sandra Claus/The Goulash Break	RESL 179	1985
28	Christmas Broadcast	King George V	BBC 1922-1972 – 50 Years of Broadcasting	BBC 50	1972
29	Jingle Bells	Dennis Wilson	BBC Sound Effects no. 22 – Music For Silent Movies	REC 347	1979

God Rest You Merry – The St Martin Singers

Tidings of comfort and joy from the spectacular Georgian church’s singers (not choir) taken from twice issued ‘God Rest You Merry’ (REC 88 / REC 256) which anthologised the 1961 Home Service Chrimbo god slot on The Home Service.

Isaiah 40 v.v. 1-5 – Andrew Cruikshank

Thought for the Day with a bit of tinsel and a mince pie and redubbed God Rest You Merry (which is a laugh seeing as most listeners would have been just getting up when this on) for the festive season with music (see above) and readings from the authorised Bible. Cruikshank was well known from the casebook of Dr Finaly’s TV adaptation and has the requisite sincerity, gravitas and gentleness for this no-nonsense nativity narration (that’s enough alliteration – Ed.)

Bohemian Carol (Hydom) – Girl Guides

Lovely woman! Dresses a bit funny though and smells of patchouli oil. Y’know, Carol, lives in one of those big houses but doesn’t wash her net curtains? No, not that kind of Channel 4 Alternative Christmas Message kind of bohemian! Hydom does not seem to have a meaning but this was originally a Czech Carol, (don’t worry I’m not starting that again, but we will be back there later…) hence the Bohemian. Massive earworm. The Girl Guides were not all camp songs and twee songs about Donkeys! If you want to know which Guides were singing on this, all I can tell you is that they were from some sections in the West Country. Is that vague enough for you?

The Nativity – Louise Hall-Taylor

The first of a pair of double-barrel named presenters from Watch, starting with (be still your pre-teen beating heart) Loiuse Hall-Taylor on a trip to The Holy Land (cue donkeys!) and a continuation of the Christmas story with the three wise men (cue camels!), or are they kings? Raewyn ‘stick ’em with a’ Blade doesn’t get a look in and who remembers her anyway? Still, at least she doesn’t have to wear a set of curtains and sofa covers like Louise.

Follow The Star – James Earle Adair

Back to the studio where James (more hearts a-flutter?) will be found with a load of cardboard models and a song from ‘Follow The Star’ rock-opera. Loads more about that here: http://bbcrecords.co.uk/blog/bbc-records-christmas-selection-box-of-delights/ and here http://timworthington.blogspot.com/2015/12/watch-nativity.html

De Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy – The BBC Welsh Chorus

One thing about these Welsh people – they got a great sense of rhythm.

Slightly worrisome to the modern ear rendition of the West Indian song, but very nicely performed for all that, and well-meant. One of the ‘fun’ carols! No Aled on this one. Well, it serves him right for usrurping poor Peter Auty.

Christmas Story – Johnny Morris

I was the Inn Keeper in infants, but I have no real memory of it. It was under-written if I recall correctly though.

Johnny Morris is much better known to me for Animal Magic – in it’s wah-wah- guitar plus electric piano lounge-funk era – but he was busy on the wireless too. Here, he’s building up the inn keeper’s part with a load of moaning about the mad shepherds losing their minds out in the hills, before being pulled up short by the arrival of little baby JC himself. And that’s it for the Nativity, so you can relax and enjoy the rest of the mix. For now…

The Box of Delights (The Carol Symphony) – The Pro Arte Orchestra

The jewel in the crown of children’s Christmas fireside fantasy spectaculars, and no, I will not admit that the Children of Green Knowe was better! Remember that theme do you? No, I didn’t think so! (Okay, apart from you). Now available in its proper ‘as heard on TV’ form courtesy of a luscious reissue from Silva Screen with all the Roger Limb synths hosanna in Excelsis glory, but presented here in the original ‘as heard on the wireless back in ’43’ original mix (but not this recording from the sixties).

See how this track bridges from the story of the first noel in the preceding tracks into the fantastical and pagan yule? It’s this kind of attention to detail that get’s lost without these notes to point them out.

Mr Snow – Arthur Lowe

Arthur Lowe as Father Christmas and a voluble, slightly bumptious and overly discursive Yorkshire snowman? What more do you want!? Really, what? Here starteth the children’s section proper.

Christmas Snow – Joe Campbell

Written by Joe Campbell with Lyrics by Roger Hargreaves himself and arranged by Keith ‘Light & Tuneful’ Mansfield, this plaintive, ever-ascending yearning for a white Christmas is rather lovely if a bit ‘too many chocolate coins from the tree in one go’ sickly. Nothing to do with Mr Men really, but that’s okay.

The Snow Womble – Bernard Cribbins

More soothing seventies storytelling (I’ll allow that one – Ed.) now, from Wimbledon Common. Cribbins is in the burrow and all’s right with the world.

Colours of Christmas – Girl Guides and Douglas Coombes

More perishing Guides?! Yes, but this time with an organ backed waltz through the colours of Christmas. You know! The colours! Look, they did a lot of Christmas stuff, okay? And I happen to like this one.

The Christmas Box – Kenneth Williams

What’s better than Arthur Lowe and Bernard Cribbens? Kenneth Williams, that’s what! I mean, who. Willo-The-Wisp was a pre-evening-news delight for all, with a host of characters for Kenny to get his teeth (and throat and tongue and, well you get the idea) into. And, here’s our first bit of humbug from the ever-furious Evil Edna.

Mincemeat – Jon Rollason

If you’ve ever wondered what Keith and Candice-Marie got up to at Christmas then this would be a good indicator I think. More Raisins in December than Nuts in May though. That’s not to say that it isn’t good. It is. Very. A banger, in fact. Jon Rollason set this poem to music but the original verse by Elizabeth Porter Gould is normally sung to Sing-a-song of Sixpence. Rollason thankfully comes up with a fresher tune. As I say, banger.

Gremlins

But is it a Christmas fi… Let’s not, eh? Not really a BBC movie either, but a story record was released so, here’s a bit of it. There’s precious little of the original sound recording (cast, music, sound effects etc.) on this disc, but the accompanying book (booklet?) has genuine screenshots, so it’s not a total waste of time.

Cowboy Carol – The Saint Martin Singers

Another returning act, but this is pulled from a Schools record and sits in the children’s section quite nicely. The Cowboy Carol (no, not doing it) is an American seasonal classic and comes from a play called Cowboy Christmas – three cowboys follow a star with inevitable consequences.

Thank You For Telling Me ‘Bout Christmas – Keith Harries & Orville

B-side of flop follow-up single to Orville’s Song (I can’t! You can! boooof!), but it’s Christmas, so it’s sidled on in here and I’d better explain myself, a bit. Downtempo, to the A-side’s party vibes, ‘Thank you…’ , with it’s ‘Zat you Santa Claus’ aping “‘Bout” in the titles is only here for the introduction and because sometimes I just want to be inclusive. Dont’ @ me.

Silent Night – Polyphon

Silent Night. Polyphon. Simple. A Polyphon is a kind of music box with delusions of grandeur. Made in Germany, hence the apt choice of, (checks notes) err, Austrian Carol (can’t think of one for that, anyway).

Sleigh Ride – The Concert Band Of The Royal Signal Corps

With the kiddies safely tucked up and lulled to sleep by that Polyphon (I am a storyteller and my story must be told) the grown-ups can settle down with their Black Magic, Brazil Nuts and get the Christmas spirit(s) flowing. The Royal Signal Corps seem to have been more open to the frivolous than their arch enemies in the battle for supremacy of BBC Records, The Band of the Welsh Guards. And so they are whip crackin’ away here with a slightly stiff reading of Sleigh Ride.

Swinging Sleigh Bells – Arnold Loxam

Leeds Odeon is the setting and we’re off for a rollicking ride with the Wurlitzer 3/19 and Arnold Loxam at the keys. This is quite a hidden gem and exactly the kind of nostalgic, yet obscure and not faded from overuse festive treat I like to dig out for your listening pleasure. You can totally feel the old cinema atmosphere in the Leeds Odeon (long gone alas, but still holding memories for me) and although I never saw an organ in action there or anywhere else I can transport myself back to that place. I’m in for Where Eagles Dare, coat still on because it’s not that warm and a packet of Poppets on the go. Lovely.

Swingin’ Them Jingle Bells – Fats Waller & His Rhythm

Jingle Bells gets a thorough jazzing up here and no mistake. Crooners get most of the Christmas market these days yet there’s plenty of more swingin’ jazz takes on the classics.

Troika – The Concert Band Of The Royal Signal Corps

I love love love Troika, but this is a very different arrangement to what you’d expect. In fact, I gave it a thorough kicking in the other post, so why bother here? I still love Troika, that’s why! But also, we’re starting to head into the humbug section and the uncertainty of this version seems to signal (ho-ho) a bit of mood change.

A Christmas Carol – Patrick Magee

Actual humbug from the actual Scrooge and serious acting chops on display by Pinter and Beckett favourite Magee here.

At The Christmas Ball – Bessie Smith

Remember those colours of Christmas? Well here come The Blues. Bessie’s been at the Dubonnet and, although the lyrics are party-time, this ain’t for the kids.

Christmas Commercial – John Baker

Sardonic realisation of Oh Come All Ye Faithful from the elves at the BBCs own magical Workshop. Well, one elf in particular; the jazz maestro with “the tiniest pieces of tape you’ve ever seen in your life”, John Baker.

Christmas East Cheam Style – Hancock

Hancock, in reliably curmudgeonly mood, lays down the law to his lodgers on decking the halls, Christmas trees, and Christmas lunch. “Dead miserable”

The Ballad of Sandra Claus – Bryan Joan Elliot and the Elf Service

Hey, she’s not called Carol, so let’s give them that! This Czech Carol, sorry, Ballad is BBC Records at the office party, tie around its head, one arm around an unwilling colleague (Radio 1, presumably), demanding to know why everyone is so booooring?

Christmas Broadcast – King George V

1932. The old king. Shitting himself with fear, hands shaking his Kipling composed script. 3 PM slot because that’s the most propitious time for short-wave radio to reach around the empire. Lord Reith’s idea, it ruined the grandfather of the empire’s Christmas day. He didn’t even have Doctor Who to look forward to. (Nor do we now! Ed).

Jingle Bells – Dennis Wilson

That’s the OTHER Dennis Wilson. Composed the Till Death Us Do Part theme? Well anyway, this is just a little outro from an LP of music for silent films. And that’s all, for now. Merry Christmas!