The Marvelous Stories Behind The Most Played Christmas Hit Records

The Rare & Scratchy Rock 'n Roll groove yard is home to one of the largest known collections of Christmas records this side – or any side of the North Pole – along with an encyclopedic archive of the histories behind those tunes.

And from holiday seasons past comes this Christmas present for you – the pick of those platters plus some pleasing patter with festive and fun factoids. Like the least-known stories behind the most played Christmas records, the first rock and roll Christmas hit, the top-secret technology from the 1940s that was used to create Christmas hits in the 1950s, and a Christmas hit from a blockbuster film that helped bust a real life villain.

This holiday mix also includes the rarest Christmas hit single ever, as well as a song that just could be the worst Christmas record of all time. And it’s all just in time to help you celebrate the songs of the season.

For more information, visit www.rareandscratchy.com / [email protected].

Rare & Scratchy Rock 'N Roll Salutes The 5th Dimension

This edition spotlights a group whose more than ten years of hits started in 1967.

Their music was a mixture of mainstream pop, rhythm and blues, soul, Broadway show tunes, Hollywood movie soundtrack songs, and even disco.

They were everywhere on television during their peak period. You saw them on network variety shows and their own special. They portrayed themselves on a murder/mystery/detecitive series episode.

And they chose their music wisely – drawing on some of the greatest songwriters of their era – especially Jim Webb, Laura Nyro, Hal David & Bert Bacharach, Ashford & Simpson, Neil Sedaka, and Paul Anka, among others.

As race relations evolved during the late 1960s and early 1970s, this singing group also made social action a part of several hit songs.

Their style was described as “champagne soul,” and we’ll serve up a sampling of all their vintage hit singles. They’re the 5th Dimension. Hear how they brought new dimensions to memorable music.

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL SALUTES

THE MAMAS & PAPAS

This episode spotlights an act whose name was inspired by a motorcycle gang.

These singers emerged from relative obscurity in the early 1960's folk music scene to be regularly seen on network television and heard on top 40 radio stations everywhere as their distinctive folk rock vocal harmonies and stage personalities made them international stars. But behind the scenes, sex and drugs also were a big part of their story and even inspired one of their biggest hit songs.

You’re about to hear snippets of every hit single they ever had – both as a group and as solo performers, selected album cuts, and their special connections to such acts as the Lovin’ Spoonful, the Beach Boys, the 5th Dimension, the Rolling Stones, and even Barbra Streisand, among many others.

Please download the tales behind the Mamas & Papas and their remarkable tunes.

It's The Presidents Of Rock & Roll!

Pop music and the presidency have a long history dating back to the founding of our nation. There probably have been thousands of tunes written about the occupants of the oval office, as well as candidates to be the chief executive.

On this episode we’ll survey more than fifty such songs since the dawn of the so-called rock and roll era in the early 1950s.

Most of these recordings made Billboard’s various hit singles and albums charts, and those that didn’t are still worth noting.

We’ve got the most popular presidents in pop music, as well as those who were reviled on records. One president was featured on a CD as a jazz artist. And another was castigated on a two-CD set by multiple artists.

But no matter what your political party is, please elect to download the presidents of rock and roll.

On this episode, we’re going in search of the wildest and wackiest record producers. And we'll countdown the top 10

They’re not usually the names you know when you listen to your favorite songs although they control the final sound that comes out of a recording session. But out of control is the best way to describe some of the greatest record producers of all time.

One held performers at gunpoint in the studio, and another turned a sandbox and an empty swimming pool into studios.

Then there’s the producer who practiced voodoo on his master tapes, and one more who was so obsessed with sound that he spent an entire week tuning a single bass guitar for a recording session.

Still another producer set up tape machines at cemeteries so he could record voices from beyond the grave.

Our Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll researchers have tabulated the top 10 madmen behind the mixer, so stay tuned for our craziest episode yet.

On this episode, we’ll spotlight one of the most popular and influential rock and roll groups of all time – the Byrds.

They flew high on the hit singles and albums charts from the mid 1960s to the early 1970s, covering songs written and sung by Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger and other folk artists. Simultaneously, the Byrds hatched hits with several of their own compositions.

Along the way, the Byrds gave wings to emerging new musical hybrids such as folk rock, country rock, and even psychedelic rock.

All but one of the original Byrds left the nest to form flocks of new rock groups that also flew to great success. Then from time to time, all or some of the Byrds got back together again on some great recordings.

Stay tuned for every Byrds hit single, selected album cuts, original versions of songs they covered, and the stories of how they made rock and roll history.

On this episode, we’ve improvised a sampling of jazz hits that used to be an important part of the playlists of rock and roll radio stations.

Prior to the mid-1970s, top 40 formats often included a wider spectrum of music than they do now. Back then you could hear rockabilly, easy listening, country, rhythm and blues, pop, Broadway show tunes, and jazz on the same station.

That was long before radio, satellite, and Internet streaming rock music stations splintered into more narrowly focused formats such as hard rock, soft rock, classic rock, oldies, album oriented rock, urban contemporary, and so on.

Many of the jazz hits played on top 40 radio stations were cover versions of then-current rock songs, and then there were rock and pop hits that were cover versions of jazz originals. And we’ll cover some of them, too.

So, stay tuned for all that jazz. We’ll hit the high notes here.

You’ve got a reserved box seat for the second podcast of a Rare & Scratchy Rock N' Roll baseball music doubleheader – covering rock, pop, rhythm and blues and baseball.

But first, a little pre-game patter about the platters we’re about to play. Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll show number _017, the first part of this two-part podcast set explores race relations and rock. This Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll podcast number 18 features an all-star roster of 25 baseball songs that rocked.  

This lineup includes the only two Hall of Famers to perform on hit singles, a rhythm and blues star who simultaneously played the outfield for five teams, and several other players who went to bat in pop music, but struck out.

Then there’s the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, and John Fogerty - baseball music connection and the trendsetting version of the national anthem at a World Series game that caused a national controversy.

So, get your musical scorecard ready. The opening pitch for baseball show number two starts when you click to download this show.

You’ve got a reserved box seat for the first episode of a baseball music doubleheader – covering rock, pop, rhythm and blues and baseball.

But first, a little pre-game warmup. One of the most popular programs in the Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll podcast series to date is show number _09, which explores race relations and rock and pop music. So, we’ve expanded on that topic with the first of two baseball music podcasts. The opener features an all-star roster of 25 songs that celebrate and commemorate major league baseball’s race, religious, and gender diversity.

This lineup includes tunes about Jackie Robinson, Hank Greenberg, Ernie Banks, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, and other players who were standouts for what they stood for … and not just for their baseball statistics.

Our starting team also includes songs about the Negro Leagues, as well as women’s professional baseball. And we’ll also circle the bases on some related baseball history, too.

So, get your musical scorecard ready. The opening pitch for our baseball show number one starts when you click to download this show.