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Willie Colon – Asalto Navideño Vol. II (1973) (50th Anniversary Fania – Craft 2023)

Willie Colon with Hector Lavoe & Yomo Toro – Asalto Navideño Vol.II
Vinyl rip in 24-bit/192 kHz | FLAC |  Art scans | Folk, Holiday, Salsa
2023 Craft Recordings || Orig.rel. 1973 Fania

I wanted to get this post up before the holiday season passed, and I just *barely* made it — Jan. 6 is the end of the Xmas season in Latin America, with the holiday of Three Kings Day / Feast of the Epiphany closing things out.  If you don’t know Willie Colon and the late, great Hector Lavoe, this may not be the place to start. Not because it isn’t good, but it’s not typical of the lean, street-wise salsa sound they helped craft in the formative period of the genre during the late 60s through the 70s.

Willie Colon – Asalto Navideño Vol. II (1973) (50th Anniversary Fania – Craft 2023)

John Fahey – Popular Songs Of Christmas & New Year’s: Guitar Instrumentals (1983)

John Fahey – Popular Songs Of Christmas & New Year’s: Guitar Instrumentals
Vinyl rip in 24-bit/192 kHz || Folk, Holiday
1983 Varrick || Includes insert from Rounder

Less hauntingly beautiful as his initial Christmas LP, this is still plenty enjoyable.  Heck, by 1983, Fahey had released enough Xmas records that I quite literally can’t keep track, especially since at least one (or possibly two) got repackaged with different covers.  Anyway, check this out if you liked any of the others.John Fahey – Popular Songs Of Christmas & New Year’s: Guitar Instrumentals (1983)

The Humblebums – First Collection of Merry Melodies (1969) (Transatlantic TRA-186)

The Humblebums – First Collection of Merry Melodies
Vinyl rip in 24-bit/192 kHz | Art scans at 300 dpi
1969 Transatlantic Records TRA 186 | Genre:  Folk

The other week, I ran a Patreon poll for the site’s handful of patrons to ask what genre the next post should be about, and “folk” won the day.  A few months ago I shared the final Humblebums record, Open The Door, which is split evenly between Billy Connolly and Gerry Rafferty songs.  This debut album predates Rafferty’s participation and demonstrates that it was really Connolly’s project.  In his place was Tommy Harvey, a competent guitarist who went on to play with Hamish Imlach, another Scotsman in the tradition of folk-comedy.  The record opens with “Why Don’t They Come Back To Dunoon?”, a parody of the Jonathan King hit “Everyone’s Gone To The Moon” which remained a staple in Connolly’s live performances.  While I am a big fan of Rafferty’s bittersweet balladeering, this record is less bipolar and more cohesive than their other two releases because of Connolly’s total control over the mood.  And of course, there is some hot banjo playing on it.  (P.S.  If you feel like supporting the site via Patreon, YOU TOO can participate in exciting polls and other activities!)

The Humblebums – First Collection of Merry Melodies (1969) (Transatlantic TRA-186)