At the holidays, we often look back to our childhood fondly for favorite things we enjoyed back in those simpler years. I have my share of memories, including a handful of holiday albums that even today, get at least one spin during the busy holiday season. One of those I spin is A Merry Mancini Christmas. Thankfully, RCA has chosen to commit that album to CD, but has also released an enhanced version (featuring a new transfer from the 3-track masters) called Greatest Christmas Songs. The running order has changed, and a few tracks have been added, but the music remains the same. (It’s nothing a programmable CD player can’t fix!) One of those extra tracks is the lush and jazzy “Snowfall” which hails from the Mancini Touch LP from the late 50s. The music is what you’d expect from mid 60s’ Mancini: a few medleys of popular upbeat Christmas songs strung together on one side in more of a jazzy pop-standards vocal configuration, and the quiet and more reflective songs with strings on the flip side. The vocalists, incidentally, include Mancini’s wife Ginny, who was an in-demand singer herself back in the day. One true highlight is the Mancini-penned “Carol For Another Christmas” which opened the second side of the original LP. Well worth seeking out if you’re a fan of Mancini’s!
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Peggy Lee: Christmas [Christmas Album Countdown]
If you are a fan of the classy 60’s Capitol sound of Peggy Lee, this Christmas compilation will be right up your alley. Thing is, there are a few variations on this CD out there, that it is difficult to find one that covers all of the bases. This particular disc covers eight of the twelve tracks from Peggy’s Christmas Carousel album (the title track of which appears on this disc), and three additional tracks. Arrangements are by Billy May. What I enjoy most is Peggy Lee’s voice–I am not a fan of many female singers, but if they sing in a lower register such as Lee’s, I’m often smitten. She has always gone beyond being a mere vocalist on her albums: her own knowledge and touch to the music bring such touches as the “I Like A Sleighride” phrase injected into “Jingle Bells.” The classy arrangments also help keep the proceedings from being generic or sappy (as much holiday music can be). This is a welcome holiday play around the house, and you can’t go wrong with Christmas (pictured) or the more modern release Christmas with Peggy Lee.
Christmas discussions aplenty at A&M Corner and Speakeasy Forums!
We have a lot of holiday music discussions happening at A&M Corner–a lot of A&M favorites, and a new thread with your own holiday picks. The Speakeasy is also running a thread as well. Feel free to drop by and tell us about your holiday favorites! And, we have a couple more entries posting here over the next couple of days, so stay tuned!
Michael Franks: Watching The Snow [Christmas Album Countdown]
Leave it to Michael Franks to put a new spin on holiday tunes. Rather than cover the tired and true, Franks gives us a set of new original tunes to get us through the entire winter season, making the album title Watching The Snow appropriate for its general overall mood.
While there are some Christmas songs on the album (“I Bought You A Plastic Star for Your Aluminum Tree,” “Christmas in Kyoto,” and “Island Christmas” with Veronica Nunn), others are more oriented toward the colder months of the year (“Said The Snowflake” and the title track). Franks is in his trademark smooth downtempo mode on many of these tracks, making this one of those great late night fireside albums.
Nat King Cole Christmas Picks [Christmas Album Countdown]
For this installment, I’ll highlight two CDs by a favorite vocalist and pianist of mine: the incomparable Nat King Cole. Instantly recognizable, Nat King Cole’s voice was lent to many hits throughout the 50s and 60s. Over his career, he had recorded a number of Christmas tunes. One such collection is on his album The Christmas Song, which is the title of arguably the most famous rendition of that holiday chestnut (on an open fire). Cole’s voice is in top form, and the orchestrations are courtesy of Ralph Carmichael. This is very much a holiday album in the traditional sense, as you would not find Cole taking any chances with jazz renditions or trio interpretations of the classics. To some it is an acquired tastes, but many of us grew up with albums such as this one, and it’s like comfort food.
For a more upbeat and family-oriented album, give a listen to the Cole, Christmas and Kids compilation CD. Released in the 1990s, the songs are clearly more oriented to the little ones hanging stockings by the chimney: “Frosty The Snowman,” “The Little Christmas Tree,” “All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)” and “Take Me Back To Toyland.” “The Christmas Song” makes an appearance here as well, but it is an earlier and slightly less polished version. One bonus track is a promotional spot for “Toys For Tots.” This CD is not an actual full album, but instead collects tracks from a couple of different years all in one place, all nicely remastered and sequenced to make a nice holiday album.