Here's what the eBay ad said: "THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY EVA-TONE FLEXI RECORD FROM 1958 COMPLIMENTS OF McDONALDS."
"Oh, boy," I said in my head. "A McDonald's flexi-style record from 1958! Hm.... The art doesn't look like the right period, but what the heck. I need this one." I bid on it and won.
Now, had I looked at all three pictures (I only noticed the cover) and actually read the description in the ad, I'd have learned right off that 1) It's not the fast-food-chain McDonald's, 2) The disc style is way post-1958 (in fact, Eva-tone Soundsheets started in 1962), and the 1958 date is the song copyright, not the date of issue. You'll recall that 1958 was the year Harry Simeone tried to claim Katherine K. Davis'Carol of the Drum as his own, renaming it as The Little Drummer Boy.
Every clue to tell me this is not a 1958 McDonald's freebie, including the following sentence in the ad text: "This is not the McDonald's fast food chain." Oops. That cold have been an important detail.
Duh. Double-duh. Triple-duh.
So, anyway, enjoy this circa-1970 McDonald's (not the fast food chain) Eva-Tone Soundsheet recording of The Little Drummer Boy.
The Little Drummer Boy
I are a savvy and informed eBay customer.
Lee