There were two different worlds of music in regards to the Claymation Christmas Celebration. The first cycle is from the actual television broadcast on CBS. As the company the sells the video doesn't allow full length YouTube versions of the show, the best thing available other than BUYING your own copy, are various YouTube videos posted by fans over the years.

I have the original master tapes somewhere...the operative word being "somewhere."

The second cycle came about after the TV broadcast was a hit, and an album on Atlantic Records was produced and released shortly after receiving the Emmy Award for Best Animated Program. The album was more elaborate in production, and a great chance to showcase the talents of a number of Northwest musicians and singers.

Side One (remember when albums had sides?)

Rudolph featuring the California Raisins
As much as I hate to start with the song that in my estimation "killed the Christmas Goose," (see details here) it is the first track on the album, and was the "single" that was released to radio, along with "Hark." While I love the job that Portland acapella group The Streetcorner Singers did on it, the fact that I was told in no uncertain terms to copy the original Barry Gordy/Motown version (because we had paid for the rights to use it), annoyed me from the start. I played all of the backing instruments, including 4 tracks of sleigh bells. People on Amazon actually complain it was a Motown Rip-Off. Uhm…duh!

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Good King Swing
This is one of my favorite vocal tracks on the record. I think it still holds up, even with its synth-heavy "brass" section and dated 80s dance track groove. Ron Tinsley (Mr. Smooth Soul in body, voice and spirit) and I do the vocals, and Ron kicked this out on the first take.

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We Three Kings Bop
This is one of the cuts from the TV special that I hear time and time again is a childhood favorite. I suspect it has to do with the great animation as well as the battle between the kings and the camels to see whose version will win out. While I performed and produced all of the music again on this one, the voices of the kings and camels were local talent. The kings were local choir directors Dan Sachs and Jim Steinberger, as well as their deep-voiced friend, Pat Harryman. The camels were sung by the incredible Ron Tinsely and myself. Great fun.

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God Rest Ye
Gosh…can you tell that Michael Jackson's "Bad" was on the charts when I did this one? The MJ sound kind of dates this- but the vocals by Portland's Calvin Walker and guitar parts by Eugene's favorite jazz guitarist, Don Latarski help this one get over the MJ groove.

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Carol of the Bells
This is one of my favorites from a purely funny, clever animation standpoint for the TV special, but I really didn't think it belonged on the record. Without the visual, you kind of lost the joke- so I had to do a voice-over of a bell chastising "Dumb Bell," when he missed his part. I would have preferred to have my daughters doing their version of "Oh Christmas Tree"…but "Oh well!" There were a lot of politics in regards to the Vinton franchise- and keeping as much music from the original soundtrack was important.

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Silent Night, Jazzy Night
This one was added on to fill out the album sides time-wise. As kind of "cheesy" as the synth-brass band is in the backing tracks, the lead vocal by the AMAZING Linda Hornbuckle, another Portland blues legend, was nothing short of inspired.

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Side Two (remember when albums had sides?)

Noel
With lead vocals from John Koonce from Portland's "Johnny and the Distractions" fame (and the NW answer to Bruce Springsteen), this track also features NW blues legend and longtime friend, Terry Robb on guitar. These guys were consummate pros, knocking out their parts in one or two takes. Jeff Homan, another Portland jazz player of renown in clubs and recording, supplied the sax solo. This is also the first time that the equally amazing Marilyn Keller appears on the record. Longtime vocalist for Don Latarski, she came into the studio at the last minute on recommendation from Don, and hammered out track after track of backing vocals on the first take. Incredible.

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Hark!
Ron Tinsely, Marilyn Keller and Jeff Homan come together for one of my favorite tracks on the album. I really like the counter rhythms of the bridge/chorus on this one, and the way Ron and Marilyn stab the opening lines of each phrase. Just plain fun.

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Up on the Housetop
OK. This was done originally as a joke, but Will and his staff loved the twisted and brutal way it tells the story of a kindergarten teacher introducing Santa to her class, that it stuck. The teacher's part was done by my very talented and operatic sister, Jane Evans (now a very respectable Middle School principle and weekend warrior jazz singer). She and I had a blast with it, just messing around with reactions and sound effects. Her over-the top campy character reminds me of Margaret Dumont, the stuffy lady who is the foil of Groucho Marx in many of their films. I play Santa as an angry victim…perhaps I was channeling my inner rage at having to deliver an album with such a ridiculous production budget.

The funniest Post-script to this song, is that for years and years, I received a small royalty check for foreign airplay from ASCAP, based on the fact that this song was a favorite with a cluster of Scandinavian radio stations. It was their version of "Grandma got run over by a reindeer" I guess. Too funny.

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Joy!
As I have said on the "Video Music" side, this is the song that really launched the whole project forward. The album version is the full-length version that allows the natural ending of the song to work. I created the original tracks in the small recording studio I used for my ad agency work, on an 8 track recorder. These tracks were bumped later to 16 track- then 24 track for the final mixes, but most of the original demo is actually part of the final product. I play and sing everything except the amazing sax solo by Warren Rand, and of course the lead (and bass) vocal be the equally amazing Ron Tinsley. I really enjoy the mixing of styles on this one…from African/Latin beats to blues… it kind of captures the amazing range of popular music.

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Waffle, Waddle, Wallow, Wassle
This is a studio compilation of the three versions of Waffling, Waddling, Wallowing and finally Wassailing that appear in the TV soundtrack- cut together to make a complete storyline. Johnny Counterfeit and Tim Conner play Rex and Herb, the rest of the voices are mostly me, my wife Debbie, and a handful of staffers from Vinton and a couple of local celebrity Geese. I think I overdubbed my voice something like 40 times across these tracks in layers. Great fun…if you get the joke.

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Angels We Have Heard on High
This song ends the album with another very "80s synth groove" with double-time chorus that makes me smile every time I hear it. The heavy bass riffs, with the synth steel drum solos are filler between some truly amazing vocal layering by Marilyn Keller and Ron Tinsley with Lea Jones from "The Tones" adding the lead vocal lines. To watch Ron and Marilyn nail track after track of perfect, tight harmonies, against the ever-shifting meter changes of this song was a pleasure to produce and witness. Voices like angels, those two…

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