December is here and we are - no doubt - starting to think about families and friends. Here in the U.K. the Winter weather is beginning to appear; ice on the windscreen (windshield), crispy cold - so wrap up warm - type conditions and the need to "stoke the boiler" on the old central heating system… Christmas parties are soon to be upon us and I wish you all a great holiday season!

Nashville is the home of country music (as I am sure that you all know) and it is also the home of the most professional musicians. From 12th to 16th November I was able to savour the magic of "making music"; a delightful feast that I enjoy - first hand - once a year. As I have said before, the players who work for me on these sessions are the best not just in terms of musical ability but also in terms of pure"professionalism".

Whatever I ask them to do, they do it, to the best of their ability and then (somehow) manage to add a little bit more - at least that's how it feels. I don't speak "musician-ese" and the Nashville players, with their unique numeric notation system speak a "dialect" that is a little different from most musicians - but we always manage to communicate, effectively. They are keen to give me exactly what I want and then to add a little "Nashville magic", which they always seem to be able to do.

There is no doubt in my mind that by travelling to Nashville and assembling this collection of the best players, I am able to create music of the highest possible standard. This is not "cheap" but it is worthwhile; I really would not want to compromise on this. Although I do use music from other sources, which is of an excellent standard (you always get the best from Sting and Snow) - it is only in Nashville that I get a chance to be a part of the final act of "creation"; it is an "amazing journey"!

Now for the other news:

Following the changes that occurred, last month, we have made a few changes to the staff listings on the web-site and have included references to a number of callers that have been involved with our company over the years; you may like to check these out on the Guest Caller - dropdowns on both the Sting and the Snow pages.

BEST SELLER LISTING (positions on the October 2006 listing)

No.5 - Who Wouldn't Wan'na Be Me? - SIR 1206

NEW RELEASES (December 2006):

On The Wings Of A Nightingale - SNW 1005 - vocal by: Tommy P Larsen
You Can't Hurry Love - SIR 1204 - vocal by: Carsten Nielsen

MP3/CD RELEASES (December 2006):

Tjälfe / Nimrod - SNW 508 - Hoedown / Patter - Instrumental
Bridge Over Troubled Water - SIR 347 - vocal by: Paul Bristow

SPECIAL NOTE: as we have now released ALL of our library on MP3, we are now going to start releasing any and all of our library on CD, where we have not done so already. These CDs will be made from the original studio masters (where available) and will include Higher and Lower Key variations (on singing calls) - there are 149 tracks to release on CD and we will be releasing them at the rate of 3-per-month!

INDIVIDUAL RECORD HISTORIES including ALL THE ADDITIONAL LYRICS:
As all the previously released records have now been covered, this month's history sheet features our newest singing call releases: On The Wings Of A Nightingale and You Can't Hurry Love

If you want to hear how these top-selling recordings sound, just click on the musical note symbol .

Okay, now where did I put those Christmas Records and what were the lyrics to "Jingle Bells"? I do enjoy the Square Dance scene at this time of year - so until we meet again, keep your chestnuts roasting! Have a great December - "speak" with you next month!

Go Squareful! - Paul Bristow (Owner and Producer Sting and Snow Records)