A sample of some obscure - and maybe not obscure - tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.

Today's selection: Alan Parsons Project - "Gold Bug" 1980

"The Gold Bug" was off Alan Parsons Project's album "Turn Of A Friendly Card" released in 1980. Alan Parsons himself provides the whistling.

The Alan Parsons Project consisted of Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson. An English collaboration formed in 1975, their first album was "Tales of Mystery and Imagination", based on Edgar Allan Poe's work as was "Gold Bug". "Turn Of A Friendly Card" was their 5th album (of 11 total). "I Robot" was their most successful album; "Friendly Card" was 2nd most

A selection of some of my favorite Christmas carols. A daily event through Christmas.

Today's selection: Tennessee Ernie Ford - "O Holy Night" - 1847/1958

Written by a French poet as a song to celebrate a Christmas Mass dedication of new stained glass windows. Translated into English in 1855, certain verses were modified to allow a "singable translation". It was the first song played over radio in 1906. It is considered to be the most popular Christmas song - it's certainly my favorite.

This version was recorded in 1958.

A selection of some of my favorite Christmas carols. A daily event through Christmas.

Today's selection: Leon Redbone & Dr John - "Frosty The Snowman" - 1950/1988

Frosty The Snowman was first recorded by Gene Autry in 1950, followed by Jimmy Durante the same year. Autry had success with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and looked to have another Christmas song.

The song has been covered many times through the years; a TV version came out in 1969 with Jimmy Durante as the narrator.

Leon Redbone performed a duet of the song with Dr John on Redbone's 1988 album "Christmas Island"

A selection of some of my favorite Christmas carols. A daily event through Christmas.

Today's selection: Mormon Tabernacle Choir - "Angels We Have Heard on High" 1862

Taken from a 18th century French tune, the English version was produced in 1862. The lyrics are based on Luke 2:8-20

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is a 360-member choir based in Salt Lake City. The first choir performed in Salt Lake only a month after the Mormons settled the valley in 1847. Known from the beginning as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the name was changed in 2018 to "The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square".
I suspect like Twitter becoming X, the choir will still be known by the original name ...

A selection of some of my favorite Christmas carols. A daily event through Christmas.

Today's selection: Blackmore's Night - "We Three Kings" - 1958

The song "We Three Kings" was written in 1857 by the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Williamsport, PA for a Christmas pageant in NYC. It has been compared to music written in the Byzantium era and is the first popular carol written in America.

Ritchie Blackmore was a founding member of Deep Purple, Rainbow, and Blackmore's Night - a medieval folk group.

Not quite Deep Purple style, eh?

Candice Night first met Ritchie Blackmore at a 1989 Rainbow concert when she asked for an autograph. By 1991, they were a couple based on their interest in Renaissance-era music. "We Three Kings" was released in 2006 on their "Winter Carols" album.