I used to know something about Gilmar, but I forgot. Oh, yes--mail order, hit knockoffs. See this excellent blog page: Gilmar
No connection to the Gilmar Girls TV series. (Ha-yuk-yuk!) I have bunches of these, and they featured the same tracks as Tops and Value Hit Parade. There must have been a few outfits devoted to making the masters for the cheap labels, that's all I can guess.
And these sixteen selections--crammed onto a single 45 rpm disc, with surprisingly good sound!--are all Tops/Rondo-Lette/whatever re-reissues. Luckily, they're highly enjoyable (and highly edited!), with the Kostelanetz-style tracks (Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, Jingle Bells) especially cool. One always has to wonder how the cheapo labels managed the occasionally excellent track. I do, anyway. Maybe some ambitious label folds, and they buy the masters?
Gilmar did good with this one. Maybe the best cheap-EP Christmas carol mishmash ever.
Click here to hear: Gilmar Holiday Favorites, Sides 1 and 2
TRACK LISTING
Lee