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Little Drummer Boy sleeve mystery

Printed From: Top 40 Music on CD
Category: Top 40 Music On Compact Disc
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Topic: Little Drummer Boy sleeve mystery

Posted By: Brian W.
Subject: Little Drummer Boy sleeve mystery
Date Posted: 12 January 2012 at 2:38am

I notice on the Record Research site that the original two-color 1958 sleeve for Harry Simeone's "Little Drummer Boy" has the words "Original Version" printed in the upper left-hand corner. Whitburn says that sleeve was issued only in 1958, the year the single debuted.

I recently obtained a near-mint copy of this sleeve myself. But I'm confused... why would it say "original version" if it was the first year of issue?

Replies:

Posted By: Yah Shure
Date Posted: 12 January 2012 at 11:27am

Brian, my 1958 promo copy on 20th Fox 121 also has the same "original version" in the rectangular box as my 1958 stock copy. My promo 45 reissue on 20th Century Fox 429 also includes the same wording in parentheses.

I'd chalk it up to marketing. Since cover versions were still common with Christmas recordings at the time, the notation on the 1958 20th Fox 45 may have been intended as a peremptory statement, thereby decreeing any subsequent cover versions to be pale imitations, unoriginal or otherwise inferior to Fox's real deal.

The irony, of course, is that the "original version" notation eventually helped to differentiate the 20th Fox recording from Simeone's mid-'60s cover version on Kapp. The "original version" notation was still being used on both the label and picture sleeve of the ABC-distributed 20th Century Fox 6429 reissue 45 into the late '60s.

The final 20th Century Fox reissue 45 (2434) from 1978 is the only Fox 45 version I have that does NOT mention "original version."

Posted By: Brian W.
Date Posted: 14 January 2012 at 3:03pm

Thanks for the info, Yah.

Posted By: Paul C
Date Posted: 17 January 2012 at 2:53pm

Some further irony: About four years ago, I came across a version described on iTunes Canada (not sure about other countries) as 'Re-recording'. I was intrigued by its running time and decided to buy a download and whadda-ya-know, it was the elusive original version!!

I just checked again, and iTunes Canada is still describing the original version as a re-recording while not giving any descriptive comment to the dozens of appearances of the Kapp version. It appears that some folks have placed the Kapp version on iTunes Canada on the mistaken assumption that the recording is from 1958 and therefore in the public domain here.

Posted By: Brian W.
Date Posted: 18 January 2012 at 9:05pm

Paul C wrote:

Some further irony: About four years ago, I came across a version described on iTunes Canada (not sure about other countries) as 'Re-recording'. I was intrigued by its running time and decided to buy a download and whadda-ya-know, it was the elusive original version!!

I just checked again, and iTunes Canada is still describing the original version as a re-recording while not giving any descriptive comment to the dozens of appearances of the Kapp version. It appears that some folks have placed the Kapp version on iTunes Canada on the mistaken assumption that the recording is from 1958 and therefore in the public domain here.

It's the same way on iTunes US, Paul. That's the CD reissue called "The Little Drummer Boy," which is a reissue of the original "Sing We Now of Christmas" album, containing the hit single. (Though leaning slightly to one side, in an apparent attempt at fake stereo.) That's still available on CD.