1. The Little Drummer Boy
2. Christmas Medley: Joy to the World/Deck the Halls/O Come All Ye Faithful/Jingle Bells
3. New Year's Medley: Auld Lang Salsoul/I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover/Alabama Jubilee
4. Sleigh Ride
5. There's Someone Who's Knocking
6. Christmas Time
7. Merry Christmas All
8. Silent Night
9. New Year's/Americana Suite
10. You're All I Want For Christmas
11. Deck The Halls
12. Joy To The World
13. The Salsoul Christmas Suite
14. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
15. Joyful Spirit
16. The Little Drummer Boy (Dank Remix)
PURCHASE FROM AMAZON
2. Christmas Medley: Joy to the World/Deck the Halls/O Come All Ye Faithful/Jingle Bells
3. New Year's Medley: Auld Lang Salsoul/I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover/Alabama Jubilee
4. Sleigh Ride
5. There's Someone Who's Knocking
6. Christmas Time
7. Merry Christmas All
8. Silent Night
9. New Year's/Americana Suite
10. You're All I Want For Christmas
11. Deck The Halls
12. Joy To The World
13. The Salsoul Christmas Suite
14. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
15. Joyful Spirit
16. The Little Drummer Boy (Dank Remix)
PURCHASE FROM AMAZON
There are some who wax nostalgic for the nostalgic wax of the Disco era. The enjoy its kitschy aspects, the memories of a time of total hedonism, birth of the "greed is good" generation. Disco was built for dance and good times. And some of it is, honestly, so bad...it's good. There are some who feel that way, particularly about Christmas Disco music. I am not one of them. But if you get your jollies from Christmas Disco, there is probably no better or more honest representative of the genre than "Christmas Jollies" from the Salsoul Orchestra.
The Salsoul Orchestra was made up, mainly, of members of the group that recorded for Philly International as MFSB (short for Mother, Father, Sister, Brother). The MFSB song "TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia)", released in 1972, is so iconic and wonderful that even a little ol' Disco hater like me can't resist. Contract disagreements ensued and the studio singers and musicians who made up MFSB fled to the Disco and Latin Music Salsoul label. Conducted by Vince Montana, Jr., The Salsoul Orchestra continued churning out the beats, occasionally landing a hit, such as "Tangerine". But their best selling album--indeed, the label's best selling album--of all time was "Christmas Jollies" released in 1976. Oh, "Christmas Jollies" wasn't an immediate #1 album or anything--it actually charted higher in 1977 than it did in its first year--but it became the kind of perennial seller that fortunes are built on. When the Disco era ended, it ended badly. People turned on the genre even quicker than they'd embraced it (for once, I was ahead of my time). And "Christmas Jollies" disappeared into the discount bins in the deep recesses of thrift shops and used record stores.
With time and distance, a new generation caught on to the kitsch and embraced "Christmas Jollies" as a lost classic of otherwise forgotten Christmas tuneage (oddly, no one seemed as eager to embrace the sequel--"Christmas Jollies II" released in 1981 and only available on CD as an import).
The original "Christmas Jollies" has been reissued on CD many times (the rights seem to have been passed around more than a coke spoon at Studio 54). But last year was the first time the album was available for digital download. And not only that, but the digital release contained all the tracks from both volumes PLUS a remix of "Little Drummer Boy".
We lovers of the hard copy can now enjoy a CD version of "Christmas Jollies: The Deluxe Edition" courtesy of Friday Music (who previously reissued the Jackie Gleason and Ferrante & Teicher Christmas sets) and Ryko. And its not nearly as bad as I remember (though that's a rather low bar to clear). And, if nothing else, it did include one original track that has gone on to be one of those "lingering on the edge of standard" songs--"Merry Christmas All"--which, thanks to the Poor Souls (they beat Brook Benton to it by a year), is an absolute staple of a Beach Music Christmas (and I love Beach Music more than I detest Disco).
"Christmas Jollies: The Deluxe Edition" comes to CD September 16. And, love it, hate it, or indifferent to it, you probably should own it if you're regularly trolling a site like this. C'mon, you know you want it. Shake your groove thing and pick it on up.
The Salsoul Orchestra was made up, mainly, of members of the group that recorded for Philly International as MFSB (short for Mother, Father, Sister, Brother). The MFSB song "TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia)", released in 1972, is so iconic and wonderful that even a little ol' Disco hater like me can't resist. Contract disagreements ensued and the studio singers and musicians who made up MFSB fled to the Disco and Latin Music Salsoul label. Conducted by Vince Montana, Jr., The Salsoul Orchestra continued churning out the beats, occasionally landing a hit, such as "Tangerine". But their best selling album--indeed, the label's best selling album--of all time was "Christmas Jollies" released in 1976. Oh, "Christmas Jollies" wasn't an immediate #1 album or anything--it actually charted higher in 1977 than it did in its first year--but it became the kind of perennial seller that fortunes are built on. When the Disco era ended, it ended badly. People turned on the genre even quicker than they'd embraced it (for once, I was ahead of my time). And "Christmas Jollies" disappeared into the discount bins in the deep recesses of thrift shops and used record stores.
With time and distance, a new generation caught on to the kitsch and embraced "Christmas Jollies" as a lost classic of otherwise forgotten Christmas tuneage (oddly, no one seemed as eager to embrace the sequel--"Christmas Jollies II" released in 1981 and only available on CD as an import).
The original "Christmas Jollies" has been reissued on CD many times (the rights seem to have been passed around more than a coke spoon at Studio 54). But last year was the first time the album was available for digital download. And not only that, but the digital release contained all the tracks from both volumes PLUS a remix of "Little Drummer Boy".
We lovers of the hard copy can now enjoy a CD version of "Christmas Jollies: The Deluxe Edition" courtesy of Friday Music (who previously reissued the Jackie Gleason and Ferrante & Teicher Christmas sets) and Ryko. And its not nearly as bad as I remember (though that's a rather low bar to clear). And, if nothing else, it did include one original track that has gone on to be one of those "lingering on the edge of standard" songs--"Merry Christmas All"--which, thanks to the Poor Souls (they beat Brook Benton to it by a year), is an absolute staple of a Beach Music Christmas (and I love Beach Music more than I detest Disco).
"Christmas Jollies: The Deluxe Edition" comes to CD September 16. And, love it, hate it, or indifferent to it, you probably should own it if you're regularly trolling a site like this. C'mon, you know you want it. Shake your groove thing and pick it on up.
RSS Feed
