Esquivel - Merry Xmas from the Space-Age Bachelor Pad (1996)

In 1959, RCA Victor released The Merriest of Christmas Pops album. This was a split release of sorts, with half of the tracks produced by Ray Martin and half by our man Esquivel. In 1996, Brother Cleve produced an Esquivel Christmas album for Bar/None Records by combining these six tracks with four others and supplementing the package with two new recordings.

The two new tracks, the new album's opener and closer, were produced by Cleve's band Combustible Edison and feature newly recorded narration by Esquivel. With his passing on January 3rd, 2002, these two tracks stand as Juan Garcia Esquivel's last recorded material.

Breaking down the album's contents, tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 9 and 10 are taken from The Merriest of Christmas Pops LP. Tracks 2 & 3 ("The Christmas Song" and "Here Comes Santa Claus") feature The Skip-Jacks, which included actress/nude model Stella Stevens. Track 11 "I Feel Merely Marvelous" (from the Broadway musical Redhead) was originally the b-side to the "Whatchamacallit" single. It's not really a holiday tune, but is a great rarity that fits in nicely here. Three previously released holiday-themed tracks help fill out this short album, two from 1959's Strings Aflame ("Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" and "Sun Valley Ski Run") and one from 1962's More of Other Worlds, Other Sounds ("Snowfall").

Esquivel - Merry Xmas from the Space-Age Bachelor Pad (1996)
1. Jingle Bells (Greetings from Esquivel!) (2:19)
2. White Christmas (1:45)
3. Here Comes Santa Claus (2:31)
4. Parade of the Wooden Soldiers (2:31)
5. The Christmas Song (2:32)
6. Frosty the Snowman (2:20)
7. Snowfall (3:39)
8. Sun Valley Ski Run (2:14)
9. Blue Christmas (2:24)
10. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (2:07)
11. I Feel Merely Marvelous (2:28)
12. Auld Lang Syne (Adios from Esquivel!) (0:48)

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