The Piped Pipers Christmas Album

 Well, Surprise, Surprise, I decided to make yet another post. This album is just too interesting to not share. 

     The Pied Pipers were a very famous vocal group from the 1940's. They backed up many great acts including Tommy Dorsey. They were so well known that even in the 50's Tops produced a couple albums featuring them. Sadly this album is not entirely comprised of Pied Piper material, rather a couple soloist appear on this album as well. Basically this album is half Pied Pipers and the rest is filled with material from a couple other artists. In an attempt to keep the album unified, Tops had the whole album backed by an Organist named George Marther. The two tracks I would recommend are "White Christmas" (0:04) and "The Christmas Song"(27:10)

       I like the album, It sounds great in stereo, but rather dull in mono. The tracks are set up so that on the left channel you get the vocalists, and on the right channel you have the organ. You could almost get a two for one album by panning your stereo system by adjusting the sound to come out of just the left or right speaker. I did choose to leave this album unrestored just because it's to late in the season for me to restore it. Please enjoy this album, as the stereo copy of this album is hard to find.

Here's the link to the video, I can't seem to embed it here like I usually do. Here's the link toThe Pied Pipers and others Hollywood Vocalists!

White Christmas-Pied Pipers

Silent Night- Bill Reeve

Good King Wenceslas-Pied Pipers

The First Noel- Norma Zimmers

Good Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen-Pied Pipers

Joy To The World- Thurl Ravenscroft

Side 2

Jingle Bells- Pied Pipers

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear-Norma Zimmers

O, Come All Ye Faithful- Pied Pipers

Hark, The Herald Angels Sing- John Gabreil

The Christmas Song- Doris Drew

Deck The Halls- Pied Pipers 

"18 Christmas Songs" By Johnny Cole & "Others"

This album is from Broadway Records, a cheap budget label from L.A. It's one of the most generic Christmas albums out there. The album features recycled material from three different artists: Johnny Cole, studio recordings that were originally released on Crown Records' "Kiddies Christmas" (CLP-5083), and a recording of "White Christmas" from Eli Oberstein's budget record line. While I do own the complete versions of all the songs featured on this album, I won't be cleaning them up as I usually do."

Track List:

A1 Silent Night

A2 O' Come All Ye Faithful

A3 The First Noel

A4 O' Little Town Of Bethlehem

A5 It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

A6 O Holy Night

A7 Away In A Manger

A8 Auld Lang Syne

A9 O Tannenbaum

B1 Hark, The Herald Angels Sing

B2 Joy To The World

B3 Good King Wenceslas

B4 Deck The Halls With Holly

B5 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

B6 Jingle Bells

B7 Shepherds Carol

B8 Bring A Torch, Jeanette Isabella

B9 White Christmas

A "Royale" Christmas Album

This is a reissue of one of the first Christmas albums, 12" LP records, which Oberstein put out on Royale Records. In years past [speaking from the year 2024 revising this 2013 blog post], I thought Eli had some Church group taped for cheap. Still, after collecting for several years, it appears these recordings originated from the Sonora Records catalog, released on 78 rpm records, of which Oberstein had acquired the rights a few years before the initial release of this album in 1951 (this copy being a ~1955 reissue). This album features a small but talented choir and a collection of anonymous organ and chime selections on the second side. The album concludes with an okay organ and chimes recording of "White Christmas."

The recordings are high quality on the first side, the arrangements are varied, and several depart from traditional choral recordings contemporary to it. Sadly, the organ selections on the other side of the record sounded distant in places. However, given it was a 1940s recording, likely done with a single microphone placed inside a large chapel at a certain point in the middle of the room, which the recording engineer thought was the best spot- it is okay. The first selection was damaged and caused the needle to skip quite frequently; the rest of the album is much better. That being the case, if you want to avoid the jumpy first track, just start listening at 1:39. A better copy will come my way, or someone will upload a better-quality copy in the future. For now, we must make do with what we have here.

Side 1- The Caroleers

1. Silent Night (0:04)
2. Hark The Herald Angels Sing (1:39)
3. Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem (4:20)
4. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (6:47)
5. Away In A Manger (8:13)
6. Joy To The World (9:34)
7. The First Noel (10:39)
8. Good King Wenceslas (12:18)
9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (15:14)
10. Rejoice (17:12)
11. Adeste Fideles (18:32)

Side 2- Organ and Chimes 

1. Silent Night (20:21)
2. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen- Adeste Fideles (23:09)
3. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (25:59)
4. Hark The Herald Angels Sing- Away In A Manger (28:19)
5. The First Noel- Holy Night (30:55)
6. Little Town Of Bethlehem (33:40)
7. Jingle Bells (36:10)
8. White Christmas (38:34)