Help of the holiday variety

[gwyn]

So, for years I've had this Christmas tape that was started by a friend of mine (okay, the great Long Lost Love of My Life, for whom I've never stopped carrying a torch and is the only boyfriend I ever had that I didn't stay friends with afterwards because it just hurt too much) and over the years expanded and added to so that it now has about a jillion different sound levels and is next to impossible to listen to. All the songs were off records except a few, and some were so rare and hard to find in the days before CD compilations (I spent three years trying to score a copy of Eartha Kitt's Santa Baby and paid through the nose when I finally got one; now it's on every CD in the world) that the records were scratchy and awful and just kind of painful to listen to. Some I've managed to dig up on CDs, but it's just really hard to justify spending money right now with the upcoming contract-end on, of all things, Christmas songs I actually have, even if poorly.

There are some songs I'd love to dig up, though, for a Christmas compilation to replace my ancient but beloved mix tape. So I figured I'd ask on my flist to see if anyone might have mp3s (or AACs if you're on a Mac) of any of these that they might be willing to share with me. I know you're probably saying "get them yourself, bitch" because now I have DSL and there's all that file sharing and whatnot, but... I am just swamped with shit to do and I could of course abandon my two WIPs and the articles I'm trying to sell and the essays I'm working on for publication and the vids I need to do like right this minute because deadline looms, but I'm thinking people would probably rather I finish those effing fannish things rather than spend the time trying to learn how to do these file sharing thingies (and you might laugh at the whole learning to do thing, but you know what? I am so stupid that it would take me weeks to understand how to set things up, use them, and all of that. I can't even figure out how to use the mp3 blogs correctly!). I kept poking around looking for freebies without file sharing but I couldn't seem to locate any. So that is why I'm asking and it can't hurt to ask, right? If actually finishing fic isn't a good payment maybe we can work out some trades with the thousands of songs I actually *do* have.



The Otis Redding version of White Christmas (*the* most kick ass version of all time)
The Ronettes' Frosty the Snowman and Sleigh Ride and I Saw Mommy..., The Crystals' Rudolph
The Royal Guardsmen: The Snoopy and Red Baron Christmas song, whatever it's called (Christmas Bells?)
The Carpenters: Merry Christmas, Darling (see! I told you you would laugh!)
The Kinks: Father Christmas
Greg Lake: I Believe in Father Christmas
Robbie Robertson: Christmas Must Be Tonight (I keep finding snippets of this but not the whole thing)
That Bing Crosby/David Bowie song that I only have on an ancient scratchy record
Beach Boys: Little St. Nick
Elton John: Step into Christmas
Bruce Springsteen's Santa Claus is Coming to Town (which sadly I only have on an ancient bootleg album)
Darlene Love: (Christmas) Baby Please Come Home
The Pogues' NY Christmas song
And yeah, I suppose I have to include the John Lennon song even though it's starting to drive me batshit


So yeah, if any of you have these to share or can direct me to an easy place to DL I will love you forever. Well, I love you all anyways, regardless.

ETA: OMG, I can't believe I forgot the one I wanted most and yet can't find a full version of: The Waitresses' Christmas Wrapping. My tape version is so bad it's scary.

Comments

[sdwolfpup.livejournal.com]

I bought a Christmas CD this year just for that David Bowie/Bing Crosby Little Drummer Boy song. I can cover that, the Bruce Springsteen, and the Carpenters. :)

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

OMG!!! Huge gigantic kisses -- I never thought anyone would have the Carpenters (or at least admit it!!). Thank you!

[sdwolfpup.livejournal.com]

I also have the Beach Boys and the John Lennon song. Woo hoo!

I love The Carpenters Christmas album. It is my secret shame. Hee. (Also, I'm including 'Little Altar Boy' as a gift with purchase because I adore that song, too, but delete as you like.) I'm going to zip them all into one file and send through Yousendit.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Whenever people go off on the Carpenters I just roll my eyes. Yeah, there's the cheesy 70s effects and and the backgrounding and all, but Karen had a gorgeous voice and I loved the fact that she broke ground as a female drummer. I'm like Buffy about the Ice Capades: I like them without the irony.

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

I have the Kinks and the Pogues, thanks to vagabondage. :-) Coming right up!

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Gasp!! Thank you!! The Kinks song is truly one of the greatest ever. I love the cynicism mixed with joyful music.

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

My email's being annoying per usual, so I put them up here. (http://www.frankworsley.com/gwynsongs.html)

:-*

[elz.livejournal.com]

I have: The Ronettes, The Crystals and Darlene Love. Let me see if I can dig up anything else.

[elz.livejournal.com]

Also able to find: Snoopy, Elton John and Greg Lake. Can you unpack zip or rar files on a Mac, or should I upload them individually?

[umbo.livejournal.com]

I just emailed her the Lake, so unless she has a problem getting it, you don't need to worry about that one.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Oh wow!!! You are the BEST! I can unzip zips, or at least, I've had success with it so far. So I don't think you need to upload individually. Thank you SOOOO much. THis is the first time in years I'll be able to listen to my Christmas compilation without having to run and adjust the volume every five minutes!

[umbo.livejournal.com]

Am emailing you the ELP song as we speak!

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Thank you!!!!!!

[cy-girl.livejournal.com]

It looks like someone has sent you the Kinks but let me know if you still need it. I know my husband has it. He's also a big fan of the Waitresses so I'll ask him about that too.

We have a huge Stax box set so I'll check to see if we have the Otis Redding.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

That would be fantastic -- it looks like Killa has the Waitresses up for me. I covet that Stax set -- it sounds fantastic. I figure that the Otis is going to be the hardest to come by without actually buying something, if it's even out there. It was on an old vinyl 45 so I'm honestly not sure if it's even out on more modern tech.

[cy-girl.livejournal.com]

Sorry luck on Otis Redding. I can offer you Elvis Presley singing White Christmas.

[sisabet.livejournal.com]

I'm all confused - but I am confused with a Christmas CD at home that someone gave me last year and I still haven't unwrapped. So who knows what I have. What are you missing?

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

It looks like Robbie and Bing/Bowie are the main ones. Otis is going to be hard to find but I kind of expected that, sadly. I'm doing way better than I ever hoped, cuz I have such wonderful friends!

[killabeez.livejournal.com]

I have the Waitresses too, on that same CD from vagabondage - will add to the html page I made. :-)

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Vagabondage sounds like a pretty wonderful person!

Which would make sense, since you are, too. Thank you so much.

[klia.livejournal.com]

Sorry I don't have anything you're looking for. If you come up short, you might check iTunes. I hope you find the Bing/Bowie song. I can't believe someone else likes that!

[kassrachel.livejournal.com]

The only one I have is the Pogues one, and it looks like somebody beat me to the punch, there. Good luck finding all of these!

[leela-cat.livejournal.com]

Did you get the Bing/Bowie one yet? I bought a used CD double-set (missing one CD) of Bowie singles, or something like that, just so I could get the special additional CD of Bing and Bowie doing Littler Drummer Boy and Peace on Earth.

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

It doesn't look like I do have it yet, so if sending it is doable (or putting it up for me to grab), that would be incredible! Thank you so much. I just love that song, and even though it's played everywhere, for some reason it doesn't turn up easily on searches for non-filesharing space.

[leela-cat.livejournal.com]

OK. Here's the thing. How do I get the track off the CD and into a file that you can access?

[leela-cat.livejournal.com]

Turns out that CD Creator will let me convert the .CDA file to a .WAV file. Will that help? Or do you need MP3?

Jane

[leela-cat.livejournal.com]

I figured it out and sent you an email to the livejournal.com address with the link to the MP3

Let me know if you have any problems downloading.

Bing & Bowie

[notarysojac.livejournal.com]

Just emailed you the Bing & Bowie from "Can't Get Enough - A New Wave Xmas".

I was certain I had found the Royal Guardsmen one... I know I have Snoopy vs The Red Baron on a 45, so maybe I'm just confused...

The Otis Reading White Christmas sounds like a winner, but I'm not familiar with it.

For some beautifully produced oddball Yuletide tunes, look for a CD that was out several years ago called Blame It On Xmas. We Three Bings is my favourite.

Back to the iTunes mines...

Hey - I have it!

[notarysojac.livejournal.com]

I just discovered that I have the Otis Reading White Christmas - from A Soulful Christmas from WDAS 105.3FM

in the email too now

Re: Hey - I have it!

[gwyn-r.livejournal.com]

Get OUT!!! I cannot believe you found that. I would have put actual money on there being nothing with that out there -- people even laugh at me when I mention it. It's kind of funny in its own way, I mean, it is an odd rendition if you're not inclined to that sort of thing, but I adore it.

You are a total peach.

[spasticat.livejournal.com]

Aha! I can help you on the latest request. I'll post the Waitresses' song on my LJ in about ten minutes.

[par-avion.livejournal.com]

Darn, I have the Waitresses but am late to the party. :(

It's on "The Big 80s" Christmas Compilation, which also has songs from Billy Squier, Daryl Hall & John Oats, Pat Benatar, Queen, The Pretenders, David Bowie & Bing Crosby, Kate Bush, Squeeze, The Smithereens, George Thorogood & the Destroyers, The Ramones, Los Lobos, The Alarm, and Bob & Doug McKenzie.

If any of that sounds interesting, let me know.