Welcome to episode 84 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I’ll be talking about the 1964 compilation, “Golden Christmas Party.”

This is a great album and I was awfully glad to add it to my collection. The fact that Michishiro is on it yet the guys in Japan didn’t know about it really surprised me. It gives me hope that I’ll be able to uncover some more rarities. I’ve found a few things on 8-track and Laser Disc that they don’t include on their lists, but I’m not quite willing to invest in those. Of the two, I’d probably get an 8-track player long before I’d consider Laser Discs, although neither are in my plans at the moment. I’m content to focus on vinyl, shellac, flexis, cassettes and CD’s.

Speaking of which, I’ve managed to carve out some time to get caught up on my vinyl backlog. I still have a sizeable pile to get through, but I’ve added quite a few albums and singles to iTunes in the past week. A lot of that effort has been in preparation for my Christmas in July episode. Be sure to tune in for that on the 25th because I’ll be including a few really rare tracks you can’t hear anywhere else. Up first, though, is another real treat. I’ll be covering the Christmas music of the Spacemen. Their Christmas output consists of just one EP and two singles, but it’s some of the coolest Christmas music to come out of Japan in the 1960s.

As always, any feedback on this episode would be appreciated. If have any suggestions, or if you’d like to recommend a song or album for a future episode, drop me a line and let me know.

Remember, I’ve added a button to my Ko-fi page. If you’d like to support me one cup of coffee at a time, a donation is only $3. I’ve also opened a Redbubble store. I only have a couple designs up, but keep an eye on it as I’ll be trying to add more. Half of any proceeds or donations received will be donated to support the people of Ukraine, while the rest will be used to purchase new Japanese Christmas music to review for future episodes. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. And if you get a chance, leave me a review on iTunes. Thanks!

Welcome to episode 83 of Holly Jolly X’masu! In this episode, I’ll be talking about Yoshiyas Ueda and Swing West’s “Electric Guitar Christmas.”

I keep saying I’m a sucker for these flexi-discs. Whether it’s a sonojournal, a promotional flexi, a musical greeting card, or a cardboard postcard, I have a hard time passing on them when they show up for sale. They’re poorly documented overall, and a lot of them are hidden gems, containing great music from unknown artists. I’ve been lucky enough to get some of the most sought-after flexis and I look forward to sharing more of them with you.

I was pretty fascinated with Swing West, especially as I learned more about them and how so many members of the band went on to do bigger and better things. While those individuals would have a huge influence on the Japanese recording industry on their own, Swing West is mostly forgotten today, which is a shame considering how great their music was, and how innovative and adventurous some of their arrangements were. While there isn’t much of their music online, I did find a video for Masayuki Yuhara’s version of “Ame no Ballad,” which I’ve posted below.

Masayuki Yuhara – “Ame no Ballad” – 1971

I hope you enjoyed learning about Swing West and their Christmas music. Join me on the 25th when I talk about the 1964 compilation, “Golden Christmas Party.” I’ve mentioned before how I’ve been lucky enough to find a few albums that my friend Santa-ro didn’t previously know about. This is one of those and the bulk of the music on it was never included anywhere else. It’s a real treat, and you’re sure to enjoy it.

As always, any feedback on this episode would be appreciated. If have any suggestions, or if you’d like to recommend a song or album for a future episode, drop me a line and let me know.

Remember, I’ve added a button to my Ko-fi page. If you’d like to support me one cup of coffee at a time, a donation is only $3. I’ve also opened a Redbubble store. I only have a couple designs up, but keep an eye on it as I’ll be trying to add more. Half of any proceeds or donations received will be donated to support the people of Ukraine, while the rest will be used to purchase new Japanese Christmas music to review for future episodes. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. And if you get a chance, leave me a review on iTunes. Thanks!