Sunday, December 14, 2025

Doris Slater Martin - I Got The Chicken Pox For Christmas

 


First released in 1957, the record was also available as a 78rpm disc, I have it on a 45, the record is part of an activity pack, with actions for children to do during the song, a lot of the records have become separated from the activity packs, when I first posted this record it was still available to buy.

The only recording I could find is taken from a 78.

Doris Stalter Martin - I Got the Chicken Pox for Christmas


Saturday, December 13, 2025

Mike Mercado - Brussel Sprouts

 


Sorry this record or any of Mike Mercado's records are posted on YouTube.

Each time I posted a Mike Mercado record I got a number of comments from former pupils of the schools he had taught in as Brother Solomon later as Mike Mercado, saying his subjects were Discipline and Music in that order, he left the order in 1966 and became Mike Mercado, there were hints of other things being carried out.

It seems the hints that something untoward was happening were true, 

Teacher accused of historic sex assault received pay-out worth £58k today | East Anglian Daily Times


Friday, December 12, 2025

Willie Rainford - There'll Be Rain, Dear This Christmas

 

Released 1972, I have no details about this record, Willie Rainford had another record released in 1977.

A few years ago when I was buying some records from my record dealer, he had a copy of this record I almost turned it down as I had just acquired a copy, something made me change my mind and  I brought the record, when I got the record home and compared it to the copy I already had it was the same label , same song but a different artist, I can not remember where which copy came from, the Willie Rainford release has 'There'll Be Rain, Dear This Christmas' as the 'A' side and 'Christmas Shoes' as the 'B' side and has the catalogue number as C 1035.

George Elliott released the same 2 tracks on the same label as catalogue No.         C-1036 with Christmas Shoes' as the 'A' side and 'There'll Be Rain, Dear This Christmas' as the 'B' side, there is a different musical director for both records.

In the early days of the blog I posted 3 different versions of 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' all of them had the same track on the 'B' side.

The George Elliot version has not been posted on You Tube.

 

Willie Rainsford - There'll Be Rain, Dear This Christmas

Thursday, December 11, 2025

Three Blonde Mice - Ringo Bells


Released November 1964, the First of two singles from this group, the 'A' side 'The Twelve Days Of Christmas' is not on You Tube, while checking my storage I have both sided of their second single from May 1965 so I probably have a copy of that single, when I was buying lots of Christmas records I would get many I had never heard before.


 Three Blonde Mice - Ringo Bells - YouTube

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Bob Rivers - Little Hooters Girl



Bob Rivers sadly passed away earlier this year, I first came across a CD of his when I was in the HMV store in London, I had a long service award and took it as HMV vouchers, I had a couple of pounds remaining, I saw a Bob Rivers Christmas CD at £1 so I brought that and another cheap CD, I went on to acquire most of the Bob Rivers CD's.

The Little Hooters Girl - YouTube

Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Weavers Green - That's How Christmas Began



I found my copy of  this 1967 release from one of the Hook Road Arena Boot Sales some time ago. the 'A' side 'I Saw Santa Sitting On A See-Saw', is not on You Tube, but the'B' side is., I do not recall ever hearing this record until I transfered it to MP3 format.

Windows and Murder

 

One of the buildings we dealt with was in Shaftesbury Avenue, in one corner of the building had some Social Housing incorporated, we had nothing to do with the housing, it overlooked one of the flat roofs, the roof was the responsibility of the Landlord, one of the families living their regarded the roof as their own personal rubbish dump tins bottles and general refuse was thrown on to the roof, in their wisdom the senior management had decided not to renew the window cleaning contract, we had a job issued that there was human excrement on the windows, the little sh1ts that lived there had taken their excrement wrapped it in toilet paper and thrown it against the windows, as a workaround to remove the excrement we used the fire hoses to blast the stuff off, on another front actions were started to evict the family.

A couple of weeks later a child was murdered in the Seven Dials area (part of Covent Garden), it turned out the little sh1t worked as a Rent Boy and he had been murdered by one of his customers, there was a memorial set up for him, reading the letters form his classmates 'he was such a wonderful person', are we talking about the same little sh1t, the family dissapeared, the Landlords cleaners cleared the rubbish from the roof, we had no problems from that area again.

Be careful what you wish for sometimes wishes do come true.