Episode 129: Tokyo Ocean Orchestra's "White Christmas"

12/18/24 • 46 min

Welcome to episode 129 of Holly Jolly X'masu! In this episode, I talk about the Tokyo Ocean Orchestra’s 1971 album, “White Christmas.” I hope you enjoyed the enigmatic Tokyo Ocean Orchestra as much as I do. I really love this, not just because it’s an 8-track, but because it helps show that there is still plenty of undiscovered Christmas music out there. I’ve been lucky enough to find several records and tapes that have no digital footprint and are truly unknown works of art. Be sure to check out my next episode where I cover another artist who is now virtually unknown, Yasushi Ashida and His Mellow Notes. They were featured in a Kodama Press sonojournal in 1960 and left behind an absolutely spectacular collection of Christmas music. It’s one you don’t want to miss. 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!

Previous Episode

Episode 128: X'mas Stars On 78

Welcome to episode 128 of Holly Jolly X'masu! In this special X’mas Stars On 78 episode, I talk about a selection of my Christmas 78s. I hope you enjoyed this look at older Japanese Christmas records. The work and care that goes into these really make me appreciate them even more. Even though I’ve been collecting them for nearly five years, every time I listen to one, I can’t help but think about how remarkable it is that they’re still available. The best example of this is my Fumiko Noso record from 1909. The fact that this brittle disc of shellac has survived 115 years without any major damage is impressive enough, but it’s also lived through numerous earthquakes, tsunamis, two world wars, and a nuclear attack, not to mention being shipped halfway around the world. Being able to listen to records like that is one of the most fulfilling things about this hobby. Towards the end of the episode, I mentioned how Yuji Koseki’s record was the perfect bookend to the episode. Other than having it end with another version of “Firefly Light,” and spacing out the two versions of “Jingle Bells,” the other coincidences weren’t planned. Before I started writing this episode, I didn’t realize he was born the same year Noso’s “Firefly Light” was released, and that Ichiro Fujiyama, the singer who most helped boost the success of Koseki’s Pop songs, had started out by taking piano lessons from Noso and her father. I loved that it worked out that way. As for the picture discs, I have quite a few more that I’ll talk about eventually. Keep an eye on my social media for pictures of them. 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!

Next Episode

Episode 130: Yasushi Ashida's "X'mas Dance Music"

Welcome to episode 130 of Holly Jolly X'masu! In this episode, I talk about the Kodama Press sonojournal, “X’mas Dance Music,” featuring Yasushi Ashida and his Mellow Notes.

I hope you enjoyed listening to and learning what little I was able to uncover about Yasushi Ashida. The music here really is fantastic. Collecting these old sonojournals and flexi-discs has been an adventure unto itself. While I know what I’m getting into with some of them, others are a complete surprise. Finding gems like this really makes it worthwhile.

As promised in the episode, here’s the contents of the sonojournal:

Join me back here on Christmas Day for another great, new episode. It’s become something of a tradition for me to feature the best, most exciting albums from my collection on Christmas Day, and this year is no exception. This time I’ll be covering one of the ultimate holy grails of Japanese Christmas records, “Rock Christmas Rock” by the Warner Beatniks. This is one that will truly blow you away, so make sure you listen in.

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!