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Christmas On The Block

from Spellbound by Saklad

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**Alan Mann's "Christmas On The Block" by Saklad, Kweder, De Meo, & Saklad gkids-
Free Download (enter $0) [lyrics below] new trax/ mix for 2017 on Alan's 30yr rip, which opened doors past years. TY WXPN Helen Leicht, WSTW Mark Rogers, WCHE Charlie Silvestri, Dan Herman, long time support Michael Tearson, Pierre Robert wmmr, Cyndy Drue wmgk, more & online.
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" Former Alan Mann & The Free Arts Band member, Larry Saklad, has released a new recording of Christmas On The Block, both in honor of this legendary local favorite and to Alan's 34th anniversary of it's first release in 1983. Saklad was Mann's original piano/keyboard man in The Free Arts Band thru '79 who also released another recording of this song in '95, tracked & mixed @ Art Inst Of Phila and aired on Street Beat, then local original music show hosted by Cyndy Drue (WMMR, now @ WMGK); years later he felt it was overproduced- not authentic to the original, which this new recording aimed at correcting, including Alan's favorite- a 12 string Guild guitar! (And now 6 grandkids singing ala Mann's track!)"

The story goes something like...
... Alan Mann was late getting home to his girlfriend, and somewhere in West Phila-Overbrook, had a vision of the wonderful lights decorating a School For The Blind, feeling both the irony and magic of how that must be for those students, that "their's is the most beautiful Christmas On The Block", and had the whole song written by the time he arrived.
History and tradition have surrounded this folk song ever since it's first low-fi release and subsequent early MTV video, which also recieved full support from Yoko Ono, and had loyal fans' requests thru-out these passing years. But Alan never had the chance to produce a true studio quality recording of it before he was gone. Larry relays how not two weeks before, Alan Mann spoke at length with him near 24th on Walnut, Phila, outside his mgr's brownstone, about re-joining the Alan Mann Band, that he missed piano...

"Ultimately," states Saklad, "this has been a labor of love, and mighty happy about how this new record turned out! albeit 33 years later".
Released by: KidGrin Records [indie]
Release date: Nov 22, 2017 this fresh mix (1st mix rel 11/29/11)

lyrics

"Christmas On The Block" © Alan Mann 1983 [rip '87] by permission- Mann family, Robin (Alan Mann’s sister)- “You did a fantastic job with Christmas On The Block... would love for you to do this, anything to keep his name, voice, memory alive”.

There's a streetlight that sits above the night
and it shines it's grey light on the midnight air
and the houses twinkle on the block
but there's one house that shines a special way out there

It's Christmas in the city
and the trees are lighted pretty
but the prettiest Christmas tree of all,
They can see all the colors that we cannot
and theirs' is the most beautiful Christmas on the Block

Though they cannot see the light of day
and their night is forever the fact still remains
In this world of confusion there is peace
There is hope in despair sometimes the beauty is a beast

And they cannot see the lightning
and they cannot see the thunder
But they know what no-one understands
The beauty is a blessing, love is all we got
And theirs' is the most beautiful
Christmas on the Block

In the darkest corner of the night
only dreams illuminate their eyes
They can see all the colors that we cannot
And theirs' is the most beautiful
Christmas on the Block

The cannot see the lightning
and they cannot see the thunder
but they know what no-one understands
The beauty is a blessing, love is all we got
And theirs' is the most beautiful
Christmas on the Block

credits

from Spellbound, track released November 22, 2017
by Larry Saklad of Mann's Free Arts Band, featuring Kenn Kweder blues-harp, Kim De Meo bu vocals, Saklad gkids bu vocals

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Saklad Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

"forging a fresh updated sound w/ lyrics that resonate" Metaphor 6/9/17 2nd ed 14 songs w new Red Eye Rd 4/20/18, Spellbound '15, SAKLAD '10. Performs w guitars & piano-keys, original trax, & w co-writer Kim De Meo, friends. History in Phila Music Scene 30+ yrs, piano-keys vox- Alan Mann, David Rowan, Robert Hazard, work w Essra Mohawk, Carnegie Hall age 10 piano. Christmas on the Block w gkids! ... more

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