Vinyl Voyage Radio

The next episode e of the FS Detention Club premieres on December 8 at 2pm, Eastern. This episode features two hours of Sinatra's Christmas music from his three solo Christmas albums. Visit the FS Detention Club for more information. A complete schedule is below.

Our Christmas library gets bigger and bigger each year. We have been busy recording an eclectic mix of albums for inclusion in this year's Vinyl Christmas. This is a great mix of old and new. My favorite new album is by Tracey Thorn, the vocalist from the band Everything But The Girl. Her album, Tinsel and Lights from 2012 is sublime; perhaps my favorite Christmas album.  I guarantee you will not be hearing any tracks from this album on terrestrial radio. Brenda Lee, of course, is a staple for holiday classics. But she has other songs beyond "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree."  Ray Charles is new this year, too. Jazz vocalist Kenny Rankin has some wonderful takes on Christmas classics. Another Elvis is in the mix, too. Plus, a very great (and rare) album from 1978:  Christmas Disco . Take a listen. Vinyl Christmas runs through December 27 - Only on Vinyl Voyage Radio.

We are in full swing now for our Vinyl Christmas here at Vinyl Voyage Radio. For this week, we are spinning a great track from Tony Bennett's  1968 release, Snowfall.  And that track is a jazzed up version of "My Favorite Things." A new Song of the Week premieres every Wednesday at 10am Central. It then repeats at 10pm and then a few more times throughout the week. Listen to it played on original vinyl below:

For the last couple of days, I've been able to add some great Christmas albums to our growing archives. Here are the latest additions:  

Originally Published in December, 2015 In 1978, the  Star Wars Holiday Special premiered on CBS. The show was a very weird variety-type program, the style of which was wildly popular in the 70s. This show featured a storyline involving Chewbacca returning to his home planet to celebrate "Life Day." The special includes the entire cast of Star Wars , including the first ever introduction of Boba Fett. It also features a music video by Jefferson Starship and ends with Carrie Fisher singing the theme to  Star Wars .  The special was broadcast once. Only once. And was never released on any form of home media due to the negative reaction the special received. Two years later, RSO Records, in conjunction with LucasFilm, released Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album . That's right: in spite of all the negativity surrounding the Star Wars Holiday Special , they did it again. The album was conceived by Meco Menardo, who famously made a Star Wars disco albu...

From December 20 through December 27, enjoy the most retro Christmas music available. All played on glorious vinyl. Just as you remember it. Merry Christmas, from Vinyl Voyage Radio.

Vinyl Christmas is coming! 168 hours of the best retro Christmas Music....All on Vinyl. Just as you remember it!

Starting on December 20, Vinyl Voyage Radio is pulling out the greatest Christmas music from its archives. This is music that you may have grown up on: Arthur Fiedler, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra and many, many more. This is the fourth year for the Vinyl Christmas. Each year we have added more Christmas albums to the mix. This year we have added albums from Perry Como, Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass and Sandler and Young. If you are tired of the monotony of the Christmas selection on terrestrial radio, give us a listen. Vinyl Voyage Radio is the perfect accompaniment to your 2016 holiday season. The Vinyl Christmas will run from December 20 until December 27.

In 1978, the  Star Wars Holiday Special premiered on CBS. The show was a very weird variety-type program, the style of which was wildly popular in the 70s. This show featured a storyline involving Chewbacca returning to his home planet to celebrate "Life Day." The special includes the entire cast of Star Wars , including the first ever introduction of Boba Fett. It also features a music video by Jefferson Starship and ends with Carrie Fisher singing the theme to  Star Wars .  The special was broadcast once. Only once. And was never released on any form of home media due to the negative reaction the special received. Two years later, RSO Records, in conjunction with LucasFilm, released Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album . That's right: in spite of all the negativity surrounding the Star Wars Holiday Special , they did it again. The album was conceived by Meco Menardo, who famously made a Star Wars disco album in 1977 entitled Star Wars and Other Gal...

Yes, it is that time of the year--time for the 4th annual Vinyl Christmas here at Vinyl Voyage Radio. We have some great Christmas memories ready to share with you. Tired of the same old songs being played on terrestrial radio?  Look no further: we have songs that have not been played on terrestrial radio. Ever. The 4th annual Vinyl Christmas begins tomorrow, Tuesday December 21 at midnight and will go through December 26. This is my favorite time of the year. These songs bring back many Christmas memories. My parents had a reel-to-reel tape deck, playing hours of this music recorded from their vinyl albums. Many of the albums being played on Vinyl Voyage are from their collection. Here you will hear Burl Ives, Barbara Striesand, Living Voices, 101 Strings, Bing Crosby, Ferrante and Teicher and many, many more.  Browse the albums in our playlist below--you may find something you haven't heard in years! Merry Christmas! 2015 Vinyl Voyage Christmas Playlist

Yes, it's that time of the year.  On Sunday, December 21 the Vinyl Voyage will go all Christmas music all the time.  Until Saturday, December 28. Relive your Christmas memories with great songs from Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Vikki Carr, and many, many more.  Remember those old Christmas compilation albums?  Yes, we have them. Compilations you could buy from Ace Hardware and True Value.  Christmas Memory compilations. These compilations featured great singers, plus orchestras such as Boston Pops, Robert Shaw Chorale, Henry Mancini and the Vienna Boys Choir. This isn't the music you hear today too much on the radio.  No Mariah Carey here.  Or Wham! Just pure Christmas memories. Only on Vinyl Voyage Radio. Merry Christmas! Click here for the live feed.

Yep.  It's getting to be that time of year.  Terrestrial radio started playing Christmas music on November 13 here in Chicago.  Way too early, in my opinion.  Especially when they play the same 10 songs every hour. Last year, Vinyl Voyage went all Christmas for a week in what we called "Christmas Music that Doesn't Suck."   Get ready, the "2nd Annual Christmas Music that Doesn't Suck" is just around the corner. Over the last several weeks, I've been scouring the local thrift stores for Christmas vinyl goodies. This year, we are adding a few more to the rotation that now exceeds 450 songs.  That's a lot of Christmas music.  I read last year that the local terrestrial radio station that plays Christmas music has only 150 songs or so on their playlist.  And it is painfully apparent. New this year: I can't believe I didn't have this album:   The Carpenters:  A Christmas Portrait . This album came out in 1978 and features the oft-hear...

Some of the albums you will hear on the Vinyl Voyage Christmas. It's been hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit this year.  And with all of this talk about the so-called "war on Christmas"----I don't see it.  If there is a war, Christmas has won. Radio stations began playing Christmas music just after Halloween.  In fact, Christmas beat the shit out of Thanksgiving this year with stores opening on Thanksgiving so that people can start even earlier their Christmas shopping. Perhaps Linus was right, Christmas is too commercial. It's not like when we were children, is it?  Perhaps it is because we are not children anymore.  But we can relive some of that through the power of music. One thing I have discovered since starting Vinyl Voyage Radio a couple of years ago:  music is a time machine.  Nothing like hearing a song from the past to bring back a flood of feelings from a time long gone. This year on Vinyl Voyage Radio, we are going to...

About two weeks ago, the local radio station here in Chicago flipped to all Christmas music all the time.  Now, for me, that is way too early. I don't necessarily like Christmas music before Thanksgiving.  I happen to really like Thanksgiving and don't like the fact that Christmas is overshadowing this equally important holiday.  Plus, my wife's birthday falls around this time, so the Christmas encroachment is pretty nefarious. I do like Christmas music, however.  But good Christmas music, not the kind played on the radio-station-that-shall-not-be named (For those of you who live in the Chicago area, you know what I am talking about.  This station literally sucks the life out of Christmas.)  How many times a day can a person hear Wham's " Last Christmas " before wanting to harm himself or others? Some of my best memories of Christmas as a kid involves music.  Good music. My parents had a rather large collection of Christmas albums.  They too...