Xmas Show 2017 on WDGY (#6)
Sun 24 Dec 2017 @ 10:30am 740am
Dr. Rox Remember When? (Article: Dec 2017 #81-xM)
By: RLSchwinden aka MrZerro
When I was a kid growing up in Sioux City, Iowa in the 60s & later in Jackson, MS. in the 70s I loved Christmas, not just because it was the one big time score of toys for the year, (the 2nd big score being my birthday in May) & I love toys I am still selling them decades later (Mr. Zero’s 55113) I loved the snow on the ground, the smell of the furnace turning on for the 1st time of the year, the warmth of the heat coming out of the grates, the Christmas tree & all the decorations & the colored lights, not just on our own tree but all over town, well, to this day I love to hop in the old PT Cruiser put in one of “Dr. Rox Remember When?: Christmas CD Mixes Volumes 1 -10” take a ride around town & check out the house all decked out with lights & such.
In fact when I was a baby my family used to call the Christmas tree “Ricky’s Babysitter” my family would just set me down in front of the Christmas tree and there I would sit until someone came to pick me up to move me somewhere else (same with the fireplace, the rest of the year). Now on Christmas ’71, I remember going over to my younger sister’s Michelle’s Godmother’s house, & there she sat in a rocking chair drinking hot chocolate & listening to some Christmas music on a recordplayer (which is self contained, a Turn Table is totally different with an Amp & Speakers) , I thought to myself “This is what Christmas is all about” My youngest sister Carrie, will listen to Christmas music all year long, I remember the 1st time I saw her about age 9, sitting on the floor of her room listening to Christmas music in Aug ’85, & me sweating to extreme Iowa summer humidity laughing hysterically.
Now growing up in Iowa & Mississippi the places to buy Records were limited, & forget about trying to find “Rare” records at all, I vividly remember thinking when I saw certain “Un-Common” records, ”Where can somebody find something that?” Now I know, having worked in the “record Biz in one form or another since 1985, I know they made them, I know they sold them but where? In 1985 my co-worker Kevin, told me about a Monkees Christmas song, I replied “Nonsense, if there was one I would have it” next day he came back with a “Mix Cassette Tape” with the hand written label ” Rock N Roll Christmas Songs” & sure enough, the was a Monkees Christmas song ”Christmas Is My Time Of Year” so I asked him where he got this, he told his brother Keith, knew a DJ at a Night Club who made, this tape. So I went to the club & met this DJ ”Ace” I asked him about the cassette tape & he told me about it & made me a copy of it. Thus began the Tradition of my own “Dr. Rox Remember When? Christmas Mix Tapes” in 1985.
In 1986 I was hired at “RecordShop” (out of Golden Valley, MN) where my boss Marc, made the same kind of “Christmas Mix Tape” every year, as well, however Marc having been in the Record-Biz a full 10 years before me, he turned me onto an untold amount of “Rare” Rock N Roll Christmas Songs, so from 1985 to 1999 I made an annual “Christmas Mix Tape” in ’95 I worked at BestBuyCo, where I worked with 3 computer techs Serley, Tony & Brian, where the 4 of us worked on a method to transfer Audio Cassettes to CD files, to “Burn” our on CDs, it took us a couple years to figure this out, & by then the “Audio CD Burners” became available for about $1700.oo, so in 1999 I was able to make my Annual “Christmas Mix CD” & I have made one every year. Now working retail can be challenging period & can kinda suck especially at Xmas time, but like Ebeneezer Scrooge in the very end of ”A Christmas Carol” I have vowed to keep Christmas alive & well.
Now in 2017, after 31 years of making “Christmas Mixes” I have a weekly “Vinyl Radio Show” on WDGY (740am & 92.1fm & Streaming 103.7) on Sunday’s @ 10:30am I am able to Broadcast: “Mr. Zero’s PsychoGello Vinyl Radio Show” & Co-hosted with my gal: De Dee! So in this installment of “Dr. Rox Remember When: Music History Article (#81)” I am going to cover the songs used in my “Christmas Radio Show” & when I 1st heard them;
Let the journey begin …
- PsychoGello “Nerd Is The Word” 2017
A commercial I wrote & recorded for my RecordStore “Mr. Zero’s 55113”.
- Beatles “Christmastime Is Here Again” 1967 – 1995 (re-mix)
I heard this one from my High School friend Mindy B. on a bootleg LP, this version was only released on a CD Single in 1995.
- Monkees “Riu Chiu” 1967
I saw his one in the ’67 TV Show of The Monkees, in 1986, there are 2 Versions available, one lifted from the TV Show from a 2 CD “Pisces” boxset from 2005, the other recorded in the Studio, without David Jones, Chip Douglas took his place, oddly enough Chip recorded the version the Monkees used to learn this song from, on the “Missing Links 2” CD in 1990.
- The Who “Christmas” 1969
This is an edited version I used from the rock opera “Tommy”.
- Bobby Sherman “Yesterday’s Christmas” 1970
As a kid I collected “Cereal Box Records” Bobby Sherman was one of those few artists whoreleased them, he was also on The Monkees & Partridge Family TV Shows.
- Partridge Family “Christmas Card To You” 1972
I did not know about this record until my friend Lew gave me an “8-Track” of it for Xmas in 1989, I transferred it to Cassette & played the stuff out of it.
- Osmond Family “Silver Bells” 1976
This is from the 2nd of 2 Christmas LPs from the Osmonds, the 1st is insanely rare from 1963, like most of my Christmas Music, I got this one when it was Issued on CD in the 90s.
- (Monkees) Dolenz, Jones & Tork: “Christmas Is My Time Of Year” 1976
In ’75 David & Micky of The Monkees had a re-union with Boyce & Hart & occasionally Tork that lasted until 1977, Chip Douglas was able to get them to record, this 1968 Turtles Christmas song. It was only issued on a 45 Single, then in re-issued in ’84 & then on a Various CD in 1988.
- Wishing Star “Mr. Zero’s In St. Paul” 2017
This is a commercial that my Musical Partner Terry wrote & recorded with our friend Amy F. on Lead Vocals.
- Elton John “Step Into Christmas” 1973
I found this song while working in Los Angeles in 1993 for “WhereHouse Ent” out of Torrance, CA. we were given CD Samplers as Xmas gifts, I remember listening to the song in ’94 thinking “How many kids are going to know what a ‘Turntable’ is in 1994, as the USA Stopped making Vinyl Record LPs in Dec 1987, almost 8 years earlier.
- Energy w/ Tommy Bolin “Miss Christmas” 1972
Being born in Sioux City, it is almost a requirement to be a Tommy Bolin fan as he was also born in Sioux City. In the early 2000’s I was looking to collect all of the “Archives Series” CDs (30 in all) on Tommy Bolin. Bolin’s favorite band he was in was “Energy” in ‘72 with Bobby Berge, Jeff Cook, Stanley Sheldon & Tom Stephenson, the band recorded 2 separate Demos, which were combined & released as a “Full Length” Energy CD in 1999.
- Jethro Tull “A Christmas Song” 1968
This is one of the Many Songs I heard from my good friend “Ace” the DJ back in 1985, from his (the 1st Mix Tape) Christmas Mix Tape, this originally was only released as a 45 Single.
- Queen “Thank God It’s Christmas” 1974
I got this one from my old Drummer, Pat C. In “Palace Guard” in 1984, released on a 12″ Single, only.
- Emerson, Lake, Palmer “Father Christmas” 1977
I found this on my own when Woolco (& the rest of the world) stopped selling “8-Track Tapes” in Dec ’82, there were bargain bins with hundreds of great titles on clearance, probably for.99 cents each, I picked up a lot of titles I had not heard before, like this one & Chris Squire’s “Fish Out Of Water”.
- Jesus Chrysler “Mr. Zero’s” 2012
The very 1st “Original” Theme song for my RecordStore, written by my old friend Bakko & his band from St. Paul, MN.
- Cheap Trick “Com’on Christmas” 1996
I am a huge Cheap Trick fan! Thanks to my old high school bass player Brett, in ’96 they released a boxset with this hidden gem on it. I will be doing a WDGY Radio Show on them in Jan 2018.
- Kinks “Father Christmas” 1977
I got a few KINKS 45s from my Godfather Jim in 1973, I have been a KINKS fan ever since, in ’86 they had a new “Hits” LP, so I bought it, & this song was on it. I loved the song so much I tried to work it into our regular set of my band “Da Rude Boyz” (a New York Dolls rip-off) I will doing a Radio Show on them in May 2018.
- Hanoi Rocks “Dead By Xmas” 1981
In 1985, Eric DeW. the guitar player in “Palace Guard” suggested I check this band out, so I bought 3 records by them & LOVED them, I will doing a WDGY Radio Show on them in Feb 2018. I was able to met 2 of the members in Oct 2011.
- Phyl-Tyr “Some People Just Don’t Get It” 2016
This is the band of the son of Mitch A. the Guitar Player: in my “Black Sabbath Tribute Band: Never Say Die” I started writing this song & they finished it up & recorded it for the Store “Mr. Zero’s”
- Ray Charles “That Spirit Of Christmas” 1985
I like everyone else on earth, heard this in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” the scene where Chevy Chase is watching an 8mm film from 1959 & his Mother-In-Law opens the attic door & “Sparky” goes tumbling down.
- Mavis Staples “Christmas Vacation” 1989
The opening theme from the above film written by Mann & Weil & sung by Mavis, this was ONLY issued as a Promo CD Single from Prince’s Paisley Park Records in 1989. In 1996 the song was included on a Various Artist Xmas CD, I found at B.B.C.
- Jackson 5 “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” 1970
When I was a kid before Catechism in ’72, cartoons for the Osmonds & the Jackson 5 were on Saturday mornings, this is where I probably heard this one.
- Norell “Mr. Zero’s” 2014
Written & Recorded by my Music Partner Terry & performed by the national touring band “The Band Famous” featuring Norrel F. this was the 5th Anniversary song for my RecordStore Mr. Zero’s 55113
- Suzy Bogguss “I Heard The Bells” 1990
When I worked at “RecordShop #67” in W. Des Moines, IA. this was ONLY issued to the local radio stations as a “Promo Only CD Single”, I had hundreds of customers coming in wanting her new Cassette or the Single, ummmm … there wasn’t one! Very frustrating, indeed. Years later I got a hold of one of these “Promo Only” CD Singles, turns out I Loved her version of this song.
- Sinead O’Conner “I Believe In You” 1992
Though this is a Bob Dylan song about his religious awaking to Christianity, I heard from my good friend Mary-Lee when she gave me a charity only Various CD (with Micky Dolenz) for Xmas that year.
- Sawyer Brown “It Wasn’t Child” 1992
From the same “Various CD” as above, I am not a huge Country Music fan, but this song makes sense to me as my Step- Dad Dr. W. A. Schwinden (R.I.P.) loved me, though I wasn’t his child. I play this one for you, Dad.
- Westside Mikey “Mr. Zero’s” 2015
This song was written & recorded for my Store’s 6th Anniversary, by my High School buddy Mike L. who started playing professionally in Nashville at age 10 & he is still doing so. See ……
- Clint Black “Looking For Christmas” 1995
I do not like anything else by this artist, but I love this song, my Uncle Tom, works in the hotel industry & worked with Clint, he told me “Clint was a great guy & never goes anywhere without his dog”, kinda cool huh?
- John the Xth “The Goat” 2015 (re-mix 2016)
This is a re-mix of the original for our 8th Xmas Season at Mr. Zero’s 55113, written & recorded by my friend “John the 10th & Snellabration” remixed with me, by DJ Al Neff from “The Goat” in St. Cloud (where I reside).
There you have it folks, starting out with Cassettes in 1985 to CDS in 1999, my 1st annual “Christmas Radio Show” on WDGY 740am & 92.1fm & Streaming 103.7
To be broadcast on Sunday 24 December 2017 at 10:30am. To kick off the New Year catch my Band “KISSin Time” a Tribute to 1974 KISS at Station 57 in Circle Pines, on Sat 30 Dec 2017 @ 10:30pm, we are doing 2 different shows with “GnFnR” to open !!!!
Happy Xmas & Mary New Year, De Dee … MrZerr0
Mr. Zero’s: Music, Video Games, Toys & Movies *Est. 2009
1744 Lexington Ave. N.
Roseville, MN. 55113
www.MrZeros.Com
Heard on: WDGY 740am
92.1fm & Streaming 103.7
Mr. Zero’s 55113 Happy Xmas
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