Wrapping Up 2023
Merry and Bright Blog
by Der Bingle
3M ago
Hello all!  It's time to wrap up 2023 here at Merry & Bright.  Covid Update:  Today is day 6 after first symptoms.  All symptoms are gone, I'm feeling fine, but still testing faintly positive on the test strip.  So, activity will be limited for one more day.  Protocol says that I can go out masked (since there's been no fever at all and symptoms are gone), so I'm going to hit a couple of record stores briefly today.  But that's about it.  Seeing "Godzilla Minus One" was on the agenda today, but I think I'll push that back until I test negative. Fami ..read more
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Bells! Bells! Bells!
Merry and Bright Blog
by Der Bingle
3M ago
My final share for this season is a fine, joyful collection of well known Christmas carols by the Klokken Ringers.  I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day is a very nice album of 14 songs, leaning toward the spiritual rather than the secular.  Accompanied by organ, French horn, and flute, the arrangements are classic and the sound is very fitting for your Christmas spirit. Please enjoy The Klokken Ringers I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day  download link ..read more
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Christmas Time!
Merry and Bright Blog
by Der Bingle
3M ago
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 Christ ..read more
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Merry? Christmas?
Merry and Bright Blog
by Der Bingle
3M ago
Here on the longest night, the day on the calendar where we here in North America have the fewest hours of daylight and therefore the most hours of darkness, it seems fitting to share Born To Die.  My reaction when I saw this in the record store was "Well, that's cheery."  The opening song and title track reference suffering and shame.  "March of the Wisemen" certainly has a funereal dirge quality to it.  "I'm Goin' Home", sung by composer Ron Hamilton, speaks of being tired of what the Earth offers.  If you're tired of Ho Ho Ho's and jingling bells, this may be y ..read more
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The Soul of Santa: Doing Good This Christmas Season
Merry and Bright Blog
by Der Bingle
3M ago
What could be better than a new album of amazing Christmas music?  Easy! When purchasing that album supports a charitable organization with abundant heart and overflowing soul, in their mission to ensure that everyone has a space in this world, regardless of disability. The Soul of Santa "Do Good" Foundation is a Kansas City-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization striving to connect individuals with disabilities in our community to the resources they need to live a full, productive life.   Donate to The Soul of Santa The Soul of Santa describes their mission as "Our mission i ..read more
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Son of New Music Roundup
Merry and Bright Blog
by Der Bingle
3M ago
There was too much great new music for just one roundup, so here we go with another!  Bring on the Son of New Music Roundup (2023). Negah Santos - "Christmas Time" Negah Santos, percussion whiz from The Late Show Band, did a late season single drop, "Christmas Time". Negah, composer, vocalist, and percussionist, is joined by Eduardo Mercuri, Joe Saylor, and MIchael Thurber on this happy little Christmas ditty.   Negah Santos Bandcamp page ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ojay - "December Snow" Ojay, hailing from ..read more
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Mango Island Sound "So Many Christmases Ago"
Merry and Bright Blog
by Der Bingle
3M ago
Every year, it seems, one of the songs that I receive from the many artists around the world and feature in the New Music Roundup connects with me in a way so that it deserves a feature post all its own.  "So Many Christmases Ago" by Mango Island Sound is that song this year. "So Many Christmases Ago", written by Mark Pelczarski, sole permanent member of Mango Island Sound and performed by Mark, his band, and features singer-songwriter Aurelea on vocals.  "So Many Christmases Ago", with its calypso-influenced sound and lyrics brimming with nostalgic memories, will fill you w ..read more
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Sunday Sonny
Merry and Bright Blog
by Der Bingle
3M ago
Today's share is my favorite of the season, although it's just a single, not an album.  I am very pleased to share Sonny Stitt's single of "Christmas Song", parts 1 and 2 on the A and B sides of the record. Sonny Stitt emerged as a bebop saxman during the late 1940s.  Sonny was a contemporary of Charlie Parker, and early in his career was (unfairly, IMO) criticized as being a Bird copycat.  Sonny later transitioned away from alto sax to tenor (although he played both throughout his career), which quieted some of the critics. Sonny Stitt was a prolific artist in the studio ..read more
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Sunday Share: Nora Aunor "Seasons Greetings"
Merry and Bright Blog
by Der Bingle
3M ago
I'm pretty excited to share this album.  I found this in a great record store in Manhattan KS recently (Sisters of Sound, if you happen to be in the Little Apple).  The guy in the record store said that Nora Aunor was pretty big time in the Philippines, her home country.  'Pretty big time' is an understatement.  Ms. Aunor is an actress and singer who has been performing since the 1960s, and is still active.  In 2023 she filmed Pieta, a drama-thriller movie.  She has received 17 FAMAS (Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences) nominations, winning Best Actress f ..read more
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Merry and Bright Interview with Tim Neely (part 2)
Merry and Bright Blog
by Der Bingle
4M ago
Part 2 of my exclusive interview with Tim Neely, Christmas Music Collector All-Star and author of the Goldmine Christmas Record Price Guide. ------------------------------------------------------------- MB:  Ok, let’s get to some nuts and bolts, or should I say chestnuts and peppermint sticks, of Christmas music.  In 1997 your book, the Goldmine Christmas Record Price Guide, was published.  Even now, 25+ years later, it’s still an indispensable guide for the serious collector.  How did the Goldmine guide come about?  TN: First, thanks for the compliment. The Christmas ..read more
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