Vocalion VL 73856 (Album)
Happy Holidays
Probably only issued as a stereo album (see ‘Notes’)
Issued November 1968 – 33 rpm LP
Side 1:
Winter Weather
with the Starlighters
Issued before on Columbia CL-691 (Album 'Happy Holiday', November 1955)
Matrix No. RHCO 33411 * Recorded 14th April 1955
Winter Wonderland
with the Starlighters
Issued before on Columbia CL-691 (Album 'Happy Holiday', November 1955), and on Columbia CL 910 (Album
'Ski Trails', November 1956)
Matrix No. RHCO 33429 * Recorded 29th April 1955
Sleigh Ride
with the Starlighters
Issued before on Columbia CL 910 (Album 'Ski Trails', November 1956)
Matrix No. RHCO 33816-7 * Recorded 23rd April 1956
Let It Snow!, Let It Snow!, Let It Snow!
with the Starlighters
Issued before on Columbia CL-691 (Album 'Happy Holiday', November 1955), and on Columbia CL 910 (Album
'Ski Trails', November 1956)
Matrix No. RHCO 33412 * Recorded 14th April 1955
The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)
Issued before on Columbia CL-691 (Album 'Happy Holiday', November 1955)
Matrix No. RHCO 33431 * Recorded 29th April 1955
Side 2:
Twas The Night Before Xmas
with Timothy John Weston
Issued before on Columbia CL-691 (Album 'Happy Holiday', November 1955)
Matrix No. RHCO33430 * Recorded 29th April 1955
Toyland
Issued before on Columbia CL-691 (Album 'Happy Holiday', November 1955)
Matrix No. RHCO 33432 * Recorded 29th April 1955
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Matrix No. unknown * Recorded 13th May 1955
(O Little Town Of Bethlehem, by a Children’s Choir.
Issued before on Columbia CL-691, Album 'Happy Holiday', November 1955)
Silent Night! Holy Night
with Children’s Choir
Issued before on Columbia CL-691 (Album 'Happy Holiday', November 1955)
Matrix No. RHCO 33441 * Recorded 16th May 1955
NOTES
This album is marked ‘Enhanced for stereo’ – which means that an artificial stereo effect was added to the original mono recordings from the albums ‘Happy Holiday’ and ‘Ski Trails’. Only ‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’ had not been issued on one of these albums before.
In his Vocalion Album Discography, Mike Callahan from Both Sides Now Publications suggests there’s a mono version of this album too (catalog number: Vocalion VL 3856) . However, the ‘Album Reviews’ section of Billboard’s December 7, 1968 issue only mentions a stereo version. Furthermore, I haven’t spotted a mono version VL 3856 on Ebay or on record sellers’ websites so far. I assume that ‘Happy Holidays’ was one of the first Vocalion albums only available in a stereo version. Disagree? Then please contact me at info@jostafford-discography.com
The fact that Billboard listed this album in its December 7 issue points to a release date in November, 1968.