25 Holiday Records: 9: Christmas with The Chippers

We're counting down to Christmas Day with a list of 25 records we have in the shop at Royal Cat Records! Why? Because vinyl rules!

This next one is another novelty oddball record, with a Canadian twist.

#9

Christmas with The Chippers

by Various Nameless Artists

Arc Records

AX-3

196-???

This is another beautiful "Canadian vernacular" design from the anonymous staffer at Scarborough's Arc Records, the Canadian discount company responsible for so many weird and wonderful records in the 1960s and 1970s. The cartoon artwork is pretty charming, the colours all work together and combine with the font for a very striking package. Of course "The Chippers" are a rip-off of The Chipmunks, that creation of David Seville aka Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., the producer, writer, and performer who first came up with the idea to make little comedy records with sped up voices. The Chipmunks are still going strong, with a new movie in theatres this week, but The Chippers are long-gone.

Arc put out at least two versions of this record, with different covers but the same songs. The songs here are classic Xmas fare, with orchestral and big band accompaniment and the cute Chipmunk-sounding voices singing along. As background music it could almost be ignored if not for those voices! And you know the kids are just going to play this over and over until we go crazy!!! We're not sure if this was actually produced and recorded in Canada or if it was a package that Arc bought from a U.S. outfit. No credits as usual with these things. Check out the youtube clip below for the actual music.

Tracklist
A1 Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer
A2 There's No Place Like Home For The Holidays
A3 Frosty The Snowman
A4 Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
A5 Let It Snow
A6 White Christmas
A7 Jingle Bells
B1 I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
B2 Winter Wonderland
B3 Sleighride
B4 Deck The Halls
B5 O Tannenbaum
B6 Good King Wenceslas
B7 Twelve Days Of Christmas

25 Holiday Records: 20: Country Christmas by Various Artists (Arc)

We're counting down to Christmas Day with a list of 25 records we have in the shop at Royal Cat Records! Why? Because vinyl rules!

Our next record is kind of a rare gem from one of the most infamous Canadian labels!

#20

Country Christmas

by Various Artists

Arc Records/Arc Sound

AC-9

This is kind of a rare record. It's an early offering from a pure Canadian institution. 

We have a special place in our hearts set aside for ARC Records, the budget Toronto label famous for its country output and ripoff pop records made to cash-in on trends in the U.S. music industry. There were a surprising number of great records produced by this label, including some rock records, although the vast majority of their output is pretty lacklustre. But it is the album sleeve design that we have come to appreciate as an example of a “classic Canadian aesthetic.” Overall fairly generic, their covers are nontheless often bold and colourful with simple graphics and clear iconic layouts. Their basic, stylish lettering is usually a variation on 2 or three fonts and their liner notes are very bare bones, either non-existent or almost so. Usually penned by an ARC executive or a forgotten local dj and typeset using a typewriter, they are charming paeans to obscure Canadian country performers or long-gone lounge acts.

The album at hand is a perfect example, sporting a beautiful yellow cover with red and green highlights, and a black and white clip-art style 1950s cowboy couple in the bottom right corner. Canadian vernacular album design perfection!

The tracks are typical of an Arc offering as well. No songwriting credits are usually given on these records. Most of them are covers of Christmas standards but they show a professionalism and zippiness unique to this sort of low-budget production. The lead track, "New Baby For Christmas," is a peppy number with a good steel guitar solo and fun lyrics: “she’ll kiss me on a hayride and take me on a sleighride and turn my white christmas to blue.”  "Christmas Roses" is a slow waltz about a long-distance romance with some more nice steel. The only clunker here is "Jolly Old St. Nick" —it kind of has the structure of a love ballad/hurtin' song but it’s from the pov of a dumb little kid in the form of a half-talking letter to Santa about filling his stocking.

The highlight of the record are the numbers by June Pasher. Pasher, the pride of New Waterford, Nova Scotia, was a fixture on the Toronto country scene from the 1950s through the 80s, with long residences at The Horseshoe Tavern and other venues. She and her husband also had a couple solo LPs on Arc. "Silver Bells" is June's solo number here, a nice Patsy-Cline style version of one of our favourite Xmas tunes. She also teams up with her hubby George Pasher for a quality duet on "White Christmas." A fun little package that you never see in the wild!

• George Pasher - New Baby for ChristmasA2Bobby Rowan - Christmas RosesA3Neil Flanz & Mickey McGivern - Deck the HallsA4Dusty King - Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReindeerA5Paul Emms - Jolly Old St. NickA6June Pasher - Silver BellsB1Dusty King - Blue ChristmasB2Bobby Rowan - Jingle Bell RockB3Neil Flanz & Mickey McGivern - Jingle BellsB4George & June Pasher - White ChristmasB5Paul Emms - Santa Claus Is Coming to TownB6Artie MacLaren - Old Fashioned Christmas

June Pasher and the boys:

A non-Xmas song from June Pasher:

 

AC-9