TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Avram Davidson takes over the Editor position for this series–succeeding Anthony Boucher and Robert Mills–and presents readers with a solid collection. I enjoyed Ron Goulart’s “Please Stand By,” one of Goulart’s Max Kearny stories (you can read more about Max Kearny here).

Theodore L. Thomas’s “Test” is chilling while James Blish’s “Who’s in Charge Here?” will challenge you as most of his stories tend to do. Avram Davidson includes one of his own stories, “The Singular Events Which Occurred in the Hovel on the Alley Off of Eye Street,” complete with its own looniness.

My favorite story in The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction, Twelfth Series is J. G. Ballard’s moody “The Garden of Time.” Doom is approaching but a couple manage to stave it off…for a time. Avram Davidson makes a good start as Editor. We’ll see how he does next month. GRADE: B+

• ix • Introduction (The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 12) • (1963) • essay by Avram Davidson
• 1 • Test • (1962) • short story by Theodore L. Thomas
• 6 • Please Stand By • [Max Kearny] • (1962) • short story by Ron Goulart
• 31 • Who’s in Charge Here? • (1962) • short story by James Blish
• 37 • Three for the Stars • (1962) • short story by Joseph Dickinson
• 50 • When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed • (1962) • short story by Vance Aandahl
• 73 • Landscape with Sphinxes • (1962) • short story by Karen Anderson
• 77 • My Dear Emily • (1962) • short story by Joanna Russ
• 101 • The Gumdrop King • (1962) • short story by Will Stanton
• 108 • The Golden Horn • [Tales of a Darkening World] • (1962) • novelette by Edgar Pangborn
• 148 • The Singular Events Which Occurred in the Hovel on the Alley Off of Eye Street • (1962) • short story by Avram Davidson
• 156 • A Kind of Artistry • (1962) • novelette by Brian W. Aldiss
• 184 • Two’s a Crowd • (1962) • short story by Sasha Gilien
• 194 • The Man Without a Planet • (1962) • short story by Kate Wilhelm
• 202 • The Garden of Time • (1962) • short story by J. G. Ballard
• 211 • Hop-Friend • (1962) • short story by Terry Carr

I’m a big fan of Rhino Records so when I saw this Home For Christmas CD set, I had to have it. Rhino usually takes a historical approach to their compilation CDs and Home For Christmas follows this methodology. Just about all the Christmas songs I grew up listening to as a kid are here. It’s a trip down Memory Lane. How many of these Christmas Classics do you remember? GRADE: A

I own many of Bette Midler’s albums but I only got around to listening to her Cool Yule Christmas CD last week. Bette Midler alternates jazzy renditions of Christmas songs with conventional interpretations. While I liked “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” I was less pleased by the Hawaiian “Mele Kalikimaka” which I’ve always regarded as a “gimmick” song. And adding Christmas lyrics to “From a Distance” does not make it a better song…or a true Christmas song. So, Cool Yule is a mixed bag: some good songs, some duds. GRADE: B-

TRACK LIST:

1. “Merry Christmas” (Fred Spielman, Janice Torre) – 3:13
2. “Cool Yule” (Steve Allen, Eric Kornfeld) – 2:28
3. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin) – 3:55
4. “Winter Wonderland/Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” (duet with Johnny Mathis) (Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith/Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne) – 2:46
5. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” (Kim Gannon, Walter Kent) – 3:21
6. “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” (Frank Loesser) – 3:58
7. “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” (Irving Berlin) – 3:25
8. “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow/Johnny Marks) – 2:47 [bonus track on CDs released at Target]
9. “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Veni, Veni Emmanuel)” (Traditional) – 3:12
10. “Mele Kalikimaka” (Robert Alexander Anderson) – 2:34
11. “From a Distance” (Christmas version) (Julie Gold/Special holiday lyrics by Jay Landers) – 5:11
12. “White Christmas” (Irving Berlin) – 3:20

Tracklist:

1-1	Leroy Anderson–	Sleigh RideMusic By – Leroy AndersonMusic By – Leroy Anderson
1-2	Burl Ives–	A Holly Jolly ChristmasMusic By, Lyrics By – Johnny MarksMusic By, Lyrics By – Johnny Marks
1-3	Bobby Helms–	Jingle Bell RockMusic By, Lyrics By – Jim Boothe, Joe BealMusic By, Lyrics By – Jim Boothe, Joe Beal
1-4	Judy Garland–	Have Yourself A Merry Little ChristmasMusic By, Lyrics By – Hugh Martin, Ralph BlaneMusic By, Lyrics By – Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane
1-5	Johnny Mathis–	Carol Of The BellsAdapted By – Johnny MathisMusic By, Lyrics By – Leontovich*, Wilhousky*Adapted By – Johnny MathisMusic By, Lyrics By – Leontovich*, Wilhousky*
1-6	Fred Waring & The Pennsylvanians–	The Twelve Days Of ChristmasWritten-By – TraditionalWritten-By – Traditional
1-7	Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters–	Jingle BellsMusic By, Lyrics By – James S. Pierpont*Music By, Lyrics By – James S. Pierpont*
1-8	Mabel Scott–	Boogie Woogie Santa ClausMusic By, Lyrics By – Leon ReneMusic By, Lyrics By – Leon Rene
1-9	Gene Autry–	Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane)Music By, Lyrics By – Gene Autry, Oakley HaldemanMusic By, Lyrics By – Gene Autry, Oakley Haldeman
1-10	Brenda Lee–	Rockin’ Around The Christmas TreeMusic By, Lyrics By – Johnny MarksMusic By, Lyrics By – Johnny Marks
1-11	Connie Francis–	I’ll Be Home For ChristmasMusic By, Lyrics By – Buck Ram, Kim Gannon, Walter KentMusic By, Lyrics By – Buck Ram, Kim Gannon, Walter Kent
1-12	John Fahey–	Joy To The WorldMusic By, Lyrics By – George F. Handel*Music By, Lyrics By – George F. Handel*
1-13	Roger Whittaker–	Away In A MangerLyrics By – James Ramsey Murray*Music By – Unknown ArtistLyrics By – James Ramsey Murray*Music By – Unknown Artist
1-14	The Orioles–	Oh Holy NightMusic By, Lyrics By – Adolphe Adam*Music By, Lyrics By – Adolphe Adam*
1-15	Eartha Kitt–	Santa BabyMusic By, Lyrics By – Joan Javits, Phil Springer*, Tony SpringerMusic By, Lyrics By – Joan Javits, Phil Springer*, Tony Springer
1-16	Johnny Mercer–	Winter WonderlandMusic By, Lyrics By – Dick Smith (3), Felix BernardMusic By, Lyrics By – Dick Smith (3), Felix Bernard
1-17	Charles Brown–	Merry Christmas BabyMusic By, Lyrics By – Johnny Moore (2), Lou BaxterMusic By, Lyrics By – Johnny Moore (2), Lou Baxter
1-18	Paul Anka–	Oh Little Town Of BethlehemArranged By – S. Feller*Written-By – TraditionalArranged By – S. Feller*Written-By – Traditional
1-19	The Inner Voices*–	We Wish You A Merry Christmas/Caroling CarolingArranged By – Morgan AmesMusic By [Caroling], Lyrics By [Caroling] – Alfred Burt*, Willa Hutson*Written-By [We Wish You] – TraditionalArranged By – Morgan AmesMusic By [Caroling], Lyrics By [Caroling] – Alfred Burt*, Willa Hutson*Written-By [We Wish You] – Traditional
1-20	Mel Torme*–	The Christmas SongMusic By, Lyrics By – Mel Torme*Music By, Lyrics By – Mel Torme*
2-1	Bing Crosby–	White ChristmasMusic By, Lyrics By – Irving BerlinMusic By, Lyrics By – Irving Berlin
2-2	Harry Simeone Chorale*–	The Little Drummer BoyMusic By, Lyrics By – Harry Simeone, Henry Onorati, Katherine Davis*Music By, Lyrics By – Harry Simeone, Henry Onorati, Katherine Davis*
2-3	Vaughn Monroe–	Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!Music By, Lyrics By – Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne*Music By, Lyrics By – Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne*
2-4	The Beach Boys–	Little Saint NickMusic By, Lyrics By – Brian WilsonMusic By, Lyrics By – Brian Wilson
2-5	Jimmy Boyd–	I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa ClausMusic By, Lyrics By – Tommie ConnorMusic By, Lyrics By – Tommie Connor
2-6	Buck Owens And His Buckaroos–	Santa Looked A Lot Like DaddyMusic By, Lyrics By – Buck OwensMusic By, Lyrics By – Buck Owens
2-7	Mario Lanza–	Ave MariaWritten-By – TraditionalWritten-By – Traditional
2-8	Brook Benton–	This Time Of YearMusic By, Lyrics By – Brook Benton, Clyde OtisMusic By, Lyrics By – Brook Benton, Clyde Otis
2-9	The Jackson 5–	Santa Claus Is Comin’ To TownMusic By, Lyrics By – Haven Gillespie, J. Fred CootsMusic By, Lyrics By – Haven Gillespie, J. Fred Coots
2-10	Spike Jones & His City Slickers*–	All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)Music By, Lyrics By – Don Gardner*Music By, Lyrics By – Don Gardner*
2-11	Jackie Wilson–	Deck The HallsArranged By – Michaels*, Tarnopol*Written-By – TraditionalArranged By – Michaels*, Tarnopol*Written-By – Traditional
2-12	Mahalia Jackson–	Silent NightMusic By, Lyrics By – Franz Gruber, Joseph MohrMusic By, Lyrics By – Franz Gruber, Joseph Mohr
2-13	Jimmie Rodgers (2)–	Little Shepherd Of Kingdom ComeWritten-By – TraditionalWritten-By – Traditional
2-14	Bing Crosby–	Adeste FidelesWritten-By – TraditionalWritten-By – Traditional
2-15	Gene Autry–	Rudolph The Red Nosed ReindeerMusic By, Lyrics By – Johnny MarksMusic By, Lyrics By – Johnny Marks
2-16	Bobby Darin–	Go Tell It On The MountainWritten-By – TraditionalWritten-By – Traditional
2-17	Harry Belafonte–	Mary’s Boy ChildMusic By, Lyrics By – Jester HairstonMusic By, Lyrics By – Jester Hairston
2-18	Frankie Lymon–	It’s Christmas Once AgainMusic By, Lyrics By – E. Blackman*, E. Blackman*, L. Blackman*Music By, Lyrics By – E. Blackman*, E. Blackman*, L. Blackman*
2-19	Perry Como–	There’s No Place Like Home For The HolidaysMusic By, Lyrics By – Al Stillman, Robert Allen (3)Music By, Lyrics By – Al Stillman, Robert Allen (3)
2-20	Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians*–	Auld Lang SyneWritten-By – TraditionalWritten-By – Traditional

JLA GRANT MORRISON OMNIBUS weighs in at 8 pounds, 1504 pages, and a list price of $150. I didn’t know the JLA GRANT MORRISON OMNIBUS existed until I read about in on Rick Robinson’s blog. You can read what he said about it here.

The artwork and color is fabulous! But the stories of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern and all the other members of the Justice League of America are fun to read. And at over 1500 pages, there are a lot of stories!

I had to rest the JLA GRANT MORRISON OMNIBUS on the Dining Room table to read it. The weight is too much for any lap! But the experience of reading JLA GRANT MORRISON OMNIBUS was terrific! If you have a friend who loves comic books and graphic novels, JLA GRANT MORRISON OMNIBUS would make a perfect gift! Did you read comic books when you were a kid? What was your favorite? GRADE: A

Peter Rothstein’s musical All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 details the real-life truce between Germany and the Allies, which occurred on Christmas day during World War I, resulting in a single night of camaraderie, music, and peace before both sides returned to fighting and killing each other in the morning.

For a few hours, the soldiers on each side of the battlefield engaged in an informal truce. They traded items–chocolate, tobacco, puddings, rum–and showed pictures of their families. Many of the Germans knew how to speak English which made the brief friendly exchange possible. And they sang songs together.

The masked and vaccine-checked audience Diane and I were with loved the variety of songs and commentary (from letters, diaries, journals, Official War Documents, speeches, epitaphs, and memoirs). But, anyone with a knowledge of History realizes what the end result of this magic moment will be. GRADE: A

MUSICAL NUMBERS:

PROLOGUE

Will ye go to Flanders? Scottish Folk Song, arr. Erick Lichte

THE OPTIMISTIC DEPARTURE

Come on and Join (Alexander’s Ragtime Band)  Irving Berlin 

God Save the King  English Traditional

Good-By-Ee  R.P. Weston and Bert Lee

It’s a Long Way to Tipperary  Jack Judge and Harry Williams

Les Godillots  Paul Briollet and Eugene Rimbault, based on Traditional French song

THE GRIM REALITY 

Pack Up Your Troubles  George Henry and Felix Powell

The Old Barbed Wire  English Traditional 

I Want to Go Home  Lieut. Gitz Rice

Deutschlandlied  Franz Joseph Haydn

Keep the Home-Fires Burning  Ivor Novello

O Come, O Come Emmanuel  12th c. plainchant

CHRISTMAS 

Christmas in the Camp  Harrington and Scott 

We Wish You a Merry Christmas  English Traditional Carol

Die Wacht am Rhein  Karl Wilhelm 

Christmas Day in the Cookhouse Traditional English 

O Tannenbaum  German Carol, arr. Timothy C. Takach

THE TRUCE 

Silent Night  Franz Gruber, arr. Erick Lichte

Angels We Have Heard on High  French Traditional 

Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella  French Carol

In Dulci Jubilo  German Carol

Wassail  Erick Lichte, based on traditional texts 

Minuit chrétiens (O Holy Night)  Adolph Adam, harm. Erick Lichte 

Will Ye Go to Flanders? (Reprise)  Scottish Folksong, arr. Erick Lichte 

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen  German Traditional Carol  

Wie schön leuchtet derMorgenstern  Philip Nicolai, arr. Erick Lichte 

Good King Wenceslas  Piae Cantionis

THE RETURN TO BATTLE 

Auld Lang Syne  Scottish Folk Tune, arr. Timothy C. Takach

EPILOGUE  

The Last Post  English Bugle Call 
Silent Night (Reprise)  Franz Gruber, arr. Erick Lichte

---

Dan Richer, Chef of Razza, with Katie Parla delivers the truly complete cookbook about one of my favorite foods: The Joy of Pizza: Everything You Need to Know. Richer has made a study of pizza over the years and everything he’s learned about it is in this book. No matter which style of pizza you prefer, Richer has it covered. We first saw Dan Richer when he was featured on CBS Saturday Morning.

Diane’s favorite pizza is the Margherita. Richer’s recipe on page 174 walks you through the process from start to finish. With just six ingredients–dough, tomato sauce, mozzarella, sea salt, extra-virgin olive oil, and fresh basil leaves–you can create a delicious pizza in as little as 15 minutes! With food prices zooming upward, preparing food a home takes on new meaning.

Are you a fan of pizza? What’s your favorite? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Where pizza begins: ingredients and how to choose them — 4

Dough — 5

Toppings –17

Rubrics — 52

Techniques — 60

Before you start — 61

Mix the dough –65

Bulk ferment with Stretch and folds — 77

Shape and proof — 83

Stretch and build — 93

Bake — 102

Pan pies — 117

Wood fired masonry oven baking — 123

Pizza dough recipes — 141

Classic and seasonal pizzas, sauces, and condiments — 170

Resources — 253

Videos and PDFs — 255

Acknowledgements — 256

Index — 257

The inconsistent Buffalo Bills (7-5) face the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-3) with current NFL passing leader, 44-year-old Tom Brady. With their disappointing loss to the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football, the Bills’ chances of making the Playoffs dropped to 50%. A loss in Tampa Bay would drop their already iffy chances further. The Buccaneers are 3 1/2 point favorites. How will your favorite NFL team do today?

We saw SIX in New York City over the Thanksgiving weekend. Six, a transplanted British musical about the six wives of Henry VIII, is full of fun and frivolity. These onetime queens, blinged and bedazzled as fabulous pop-diva ABBA clones, undertake a six-way singing competition to decide who had “the biggest, the firmest, the fullest… load of B.S. to deal with” from their kingly husband. Backed by a live band, the sextet’s set resembles an episode of The Voice.

Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow, who wrote the script in 2017 while studying at Cambridge, pretend to a historical aura while gleefully emptying their subjects of historical content. As Moss explained in an interview, SIX is “about showing that women and non-binary people can tell stories that don’t include men.”

The six historical women are grafted onto six contemporary pop-music brands. Catherine Howard (Samantha Pauly) delivers her bubblegum anthem “All You Wanna Do” à la Ariana Grande, and Anne Boleyn (Andrea Macasaet) evokes pop-punker Avril Lavigne with “Don’t Lose Ur Head.” These mashups constitute the show’s creative achievement: they are clever — devilishly clever — and the performers all acquit themselves admirably in their delivery. Brittney Mack commands attention as a Nicki Minaj-ian Anne of Cleves. Adrianna Hicks as a Beyoncé-inspired Catherine of Aragon is, quite simply, electric.

You need to be in the mood for a production like SIX. Fortunately, we were. The mantra “Divorced, Beheaded, Died; Divorced, Beheaded, Survived” presents an easy way to remember what really happened to these women minus the bling. GRADE: B+

MUSICAL NUMBERS:

• “Ex-Wives” – Company
• “Ex-Wives (Reprise/Playoff)” – Company †
• “No Way” – Catherine of Aragon and Company
• “Anne Boleyn (Interlude)” – Company minus Anne Boleyn †
• “Don’t Lose Ur Head” – Anne Boleyn and Company
• “Heart of Stone” – Jane Seymour and Company
• “Haus of Holbein” – Company
• “Haus of Holbein (Playoff)” – Company †
• “Get Down” – Anna of Cleves and Company
• “All You Wanna Do” – Katherine Howard and Company
• “I Don’t Need Your Love” – Catherine Parr and Company
• “I Don’t Need Your Love (Remix)” – Catherine Parr and Company ††
• “Six” – Company
• “Megasix (Encore)” – Company †

Back in 2013, Penguin Press launched an ambitious project to re-translate and republish all 75 Inspector Maigret mysteries by Georges Simenon. You can read all about it here.

But back in the early 1990s, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich had the rights to the Maigret mysteries and in 1992 published Inspector Maigret’s Case Files: Murder a la Carte. This omnibus volume included four of Maigret’s mysteries: Maigret and the Pickpocket (1967), Maigret and the Toy Village (1944), Maigret’s Rival (1944), and Maigret in Vichy (1968). These just seems like random choices to me.

In Maigret and the Pickpocket, Maigret discovers his wallet and badge are missing. But shortly thereafter, the culprit confesses to the crime and leads Maigret to the body of his dead wife.

In Maigret and the Toy Village, Maigret investigates the murder of “Peg Leg” Lapie, a sailor, whose body is found in a picturesque cottage near Paris.

I liked Maigret’s Rival, where Maigret has to outthink his former colleague, Inspector Cavre (known as “Cadaver”), who now works as a private detective. A scandal surrounds a friend’s brother-in-law that results in a murder.

While on vacation, Maigret compiles a dossier on a murdered woman who was found dressed in lavender. Maigret in Vichy shows Maigret, near the end of his career, still can solve fiendish crimes.

Although this omnibus has no rhyme or reason in its selections, the result is a fun reading experience. Are you a fan of Maigret? GRADE: B+

 Ally McBeal – A Very Ally Christmas

Label:	Epic Records Group – 501017 2
Format:	CD, Compilation
Country:	United States
Released:	2000
Genre:	Rock, Funk / Soul, Pop
Style:	Pop Rock, Soul

I listen to a lot of Christmas music each year. I start after Thanksgiving and listen to one or two Christmas CDs each day until Christmas. It seems like every group or singer thinks they can do a Christmas album well. Some do, some don’t. Here’s an example of a good Christmas CD…and a bad Christmas CD.

I’ve been a Vonda Shepard fan for years. Vonda came to the attention of the masses when she provided much of the music for the TV program that ran from 1997 to 2002, Ally McBeal. David E. Kelley (no relation) usually concluded an episode by the characters meeting in local bar where singer Vonda Shepard regularly performed (though occasionally handing over the microphone to the characters).

Listening to Ally McBeal – A Very Ally Christmas by the unusual mix of songs…and the singers who sing them. For example, Robert Downey, Jr. delivers a moving rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “River.” Macy Grey does a nice job with “Winter Wonderland.” And Jane Krakowski handles the classic “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” with verve! Vonda Shepard performs all the songs she sings on this album well, but my favorite is “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve.” GRADE: B+

Tracklist:

1	Vonda Shepard–	This Christmas Backing Vocals – Jeff Young (2), Vonda ShepardBass – Jim HansonDrums – Andy KammanGuitar – Val McCallumPiano, Keyboards – Jeff Young (2)Written-By – Donnie Hathaway*, Nadine McKinnorBacking Vocals – Jeff Young (2), Vonda ShepardBass – Jim HansonDrums – Andy KammanGuitar – Val McCallumPiano, Keyboards – Jeff Young (2) Written-By – Donnie Hathaway*, Nadine McKinnor	3:51
2	Vonda Shepard–	The Man With The Bag Arranged By [Horn] – Jerry HeyBass – Jim HansonDrums – Fritz Lewak*Guitar – Bruce WatsonPiano – Jeff Young (2)Saxophone – Larry WilliamsTrombone – Bill Reichenbach (2)Trumpet – Gary Grant, Jerry Hey Written-By – Dudley A. Brooks*, Hal Stanley, Irving Taylor	2:34
3	Vonda Shepard–	Please Come Home For Christmas Bass – Jim HansonDrums – Andy KammanGuitar – Val McCallumOrgan [B-3], Organ [Wurlitzer] – Neil LarsenPiano – Vonda ShepardSynthesizer – Jeff Young (2) Written-By – Charles Brown, Gene Redd	3:06
4	Vonda Shepard–	Silver Bells Backing Vocals – Davey Faragher, Jeff Young (2)Bass – Davey FaragherBells [Sleigh] – Pete ThomasCelesta – Vonda ShepardDrums, Percussion – Andy KammanGuitar – Bruce WatsonPedal Steel Guitar – Greg LeiszPiano – Jeff Young (2) Written-By – Jay Livingston, Raymond Evans	1:42
5	Vonda Shepard–	Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow Acoustic Guitar – Val McCallumArranged By [String] – Jerry HeyCello – Stephen Erdody*Concertmaster [Violin] – Ralph D. Morrison III*Pedal Steel Guitar – Greg LeiszPiano – Vonda ShepardViola – Roland KatoViolin – Rachel R. Purkin *Written-By – Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne	2:15
6	Macy Gray–	Winter Wonderland Backing Vocals – Dawn Beckman, Sy SmithBass – Greg RichlingChamberlin – Patrick WarrenDrums – Matt ChamberlainProducer – Andrew SlaterRecorded By, Mixed By – Dave WayTurntables [and DJ] – Kiili Beckwith* Written-By – Dick Smith (3), Felix Bernard	2:54
7	Jane Krakowski–	Run, Rudolph, Run Backing Vocals – Brandon Adams, Melanie Taylor, Renée Goldsberry*, Terron BrooksBass – Davey FaragherDrums – Andy KammanGuitar – Bruce WatsonPiano – Jeff Young (2) Written-By – Johnny Marks, Marvin Brodie	2:14
8	Lisa Nicole Carson–	Santa Claus Got Stuck In My Chimney Bass – Jim HansonDrums – Andy KammanGuitar – Val McCallumPercussion – Vonda ShepardPiano – Jeff Young (2) Written-By – Billy Moore, Jr., William D. Hardy	1:27
9	Jane Krakowski–	I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus Backing Vocals – Renée Goldsberry*, Sy Smith, Vatrina King*Bass – Jim HansonDrums – Andy KammanGuitar – Val McCallumPiano – Jeff Young (2) Written-By – Tommie Connor	2:30
10	Calista Flockhart–	Santa Baby Backing Vocals – Carmen Carter, Lynn Davis, Vatrina King*Bass – Davey FaragherDrums – Rob LaddGuitar – Val McCallumPiano – Jeff Young (2)Saxophone – Dan Higgins Written-By – Joan Javits, Philip Springer, Tony Springer	2:11
11	Vonda Shepard–	Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Arranged By [String] – Jerry HeyCello – Stephen Erdody*Concertmaster [Violin] – Ralph D. Morrison III*Guitar – Michael LandauPiano – Jeff Young (2)Viola – Roland KatoViolin – Rachel R. Purkin* Written-By – Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane	2:33
12	Robert Downey Jr.–	River Arranged By [String] – Jerry HeyBacking Vocals – Vonda ShepardCello – Stephen Erdody*Concertmaster [Violin] – Ralph D. Morrison III*Guitar – Bruce WatsonPiano – Neil LarsenViola – Roland KatoViolin – Rachel R. Purkin* Written-By – Joni Mitchell	4:07
13	Robert Downey Jr. & Vonda Shepard–	White Christmas Arranged By [String] – Jerry HeyCello – Stephen Erdody*Concertmaster [Violin] – Ralph D. Morrison III*Guitar – Val McCallumPiano – Neil LarsenViola – Roland KatoViolin – Rachel R. Purkin* Written-By – Irving Berlin	2:41
14	Vonda Shepard–	What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve Arranged By [Strings] – Jerry HeyBass – Davey FaragherCello – Cecilia Tsan, Stephen Erdody*Concertmaster [Violin] – Ralph D. Morrison III*Drums – Pete ThomasGuitar – Val McCallumPiano – Neil LarsenViola – Roland Kato, Victoria Miskolczy*Violin – Jacqueline Brand*, Josefina Vergara, Karen Jones (2), Katia Popov, Margaret R. Wooten *Written-By – Frank Loesser	3:25

While I can recommend Ally McBeal – A Very Ally Christmas, I cannot recommend Chicago 25. I like Chicago’s music and own several of their CDs. But Chicago captures none of the Christmas spirit with their versions of Christmas classics. Right off the bat, “Little Drummer Boy,”–not one of my favorite Christmas songs–sounds more like a funeral dirge. It’s also painful to listen to “Feliz Navidad.” Not a song that requires the typical Chicago brass section. Skip Chicago and stick with Vonda Shepard! GRADE: D

Tracklist 

Little Drummer Boy	4:05
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen	3:23
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas	4:03
The Christmas Song	3:40
O Come All Ye Faithful	4:47
Child’s Prayer	3:24
Feliz Navidad	4:18
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town	3:57
Christmas Time Is Here	3:49
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!	3:30
What Child Is This?	4:41
White Christmas	2:29
Silent Night	3:18
One Little Candle	1:27

Back in the 1960s, one of my favorite Science Fiction writers was Murray Leinster (aka, William Fitzgerald Jenkins). In those days, I read every Murray Leinster short story or novel I could get my hands on. Luckily, Leinster was a prolific SF writer so there was plenty to read.

FIRST CONTACTS: THE ESSENTIAL MURRAY LEINSTER edited by Joe Rico could easily be titled The Best of Murray Leinster. In his informative Introduction, fellow SF writer and friend Hal Clement writes about Murray Leinster’s long and successful career. Editor Jo Rico also describes the arc of Murray Leinster’s career and the changing interests of one of the SF genre’s best writers.

The first story in this collection is “A Logic Named Joe” from 1946 that pretty much describes what we consider today to be computer. I’m a big fan of Leinster’s “First Contact” which burst on the SF scene in 1945 and created a whole new sub-genre of human/alien interaction. “The Strange Case of John Kingman” will haunt you. “Proxima Centauri,” told from the aliens’ perspective, leaves you with a new sense of our place in the Universe.

My favorite story in FIRST CONTACTS: THE ESSENTIAL MURRAY LEINSTER is “Exploration Team.” “Exploration Team” is a science fiction novelette, originally published in the March 1956 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. It won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette in 1956. It predicts how planets might be explored. “Exploration Team” is one of the works in Leinster’s “Colonial Survey” series. It is also one of the four novelettes that were re-written and included in Leinster’s fix-up novel Colonial Survey, where it appears as a chapter titled “Combat Team”. When I first read “Exploration Team,” I was floored by the concepts and the writing. Later, when I read Colonial Survey I was floored again by Leinster’s attention to detail and his ability to make something as potentially routine as exploring a planet so exciting.

If you haven’t read Murray Leinster’s work, FIRST CONTACTS: THE ESSENTIAL MURRAY LEINSTER would be a great place to begin! GRADE: A

Table of Contents:

• Will by Hal Clement — 13
• Editor’s Introduction by Joe Rico — 17
• A Logic Named Joe — 19
• If You Was a Globulin — 33
• The Ethical Equations — 49
• Keyhole — 63
• Doomsday Deferred — 77
• First Contact — 85
• Nobody Saw the Ship — 109
• Pipeline to Pluto — 123
• The Lonely Planet — 133
• De Profundis — 157
• The Power — 167
• The Castaway — 181
• The Strange Case of John Kingman — 201
• Proxima Centauri — 213
• The Fourth-Dimensional Demonstrator — 251
• Sam, This Is You — 261
• Sidewise in Time — 277
• Scrimshaw — 315
• Symbiosis — 327
• Cure for a Ylith — 339
• Plague on Kryder II — 353
• Exploration Team — 385
• Introduction to the Unpublished Stories by Joe Rico — 419
• The Great Catastrophe — 421
• To All Fat Policemen — 461