Christmas album reissues (1 Viewer)

[Dick]

Great "next year" news for fans of this album. It was announced back in August that this will have a new remastered release in 2017.

From the Yule Log Message Board:

And now, after years of perseverance, I have finally secured the re-release on CD -- with a PROPER digital remastering -- of the #1 album in my all-time Top 500:

Percy Faith's 1959 stereo re-recording of Music Of Christmas.

For this release, I will personally write the CD liner notes myself. In addition, we will try to secure from Sony the following seven great bonus tracks that came from non-Christmas Percy Faith albums:

"Toyland" (from The Columbia Album of Victor Herbert LP, 1958)
"March of the Toys" (from The Columbia Album of Victor Herbert LP, 1958)
"My Favorite Things" (from The Sound of Music LP, 1960)
"Be a Santa" (from Subways Are for Sleeping LP, 1961)
"Brazilian Sleigh Bells" (stereo version from Carefree LP, 1961)
"Judy (aka Christmas Is)" (instrumental version from More Themes for Young Lovers, 1964)
"Soleado (aka When a Child Is Born)" (from Summer Place '76, 1976)

I was unaware that this album had been completely re-recorded for stereo, although if I had noted the original year of release (1954), I'd have realized stereo didn't really hit for another couple of years. I had thought that the extant CD was monaural because Sony simply decided the mono mix of an original stereo session was better, which was so frequently true of CD editions (The Beach Boys, etc.). Thanks for this info, and I, too, look forward to the eventual new release.

 

[Dick]

It is going to be extremely difficult this year to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to give these CDs a whirl.

Why wait? I play Christmas music (especially the Percy Faith tracks) all year long, when I'm in the mood. Beautiful music, spiritual or not (and I am not a religious person) is good to hear any time at all.

 

[DennisBassi]

The Julie Andrews/Andre Previn Christmas album was covered pretty thoroughly by Kevin recently here:


http://www.hometheaterforum.com/topic/342663-christmas-movies-and-tv-episodes/page-2


While I'm waiting for my CD, here's me with my vinyl copy of this terrific album:

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Revisiting this thread, I just purchased the Julie Andrews album for $4.99 at Amazon and since it included Autorip, I am listening to it now. Great stuff!

 

[Mike Frezon]

It is going to be extremely difficult this year to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to give these CDs a whirl.

My personal rule, Rodney, is that I allow myself to play Christmas music as soon as the first snowfall hits--or Thanksgiving Day--whichever comes first. Since we had some heavy flurries across my area a few days ago, I've already fired up some of my new discs this season!

 

[Rodney]

That was much easier for me to do when I lived in New England, before moving to Houston.

 

[davidmatychuk]

My personal rule, Rodney, is that I allow myself to play Christmas music as soon as the first snowfall hits--or Thanksgiving Day--whichever comes first. Since we had some heavy flurries across my area a few days ago, I've already fired up some of my new discs this season!

If I waited for Vancouver snow to play Christmas music, I'd still be waiting from two years ago. As a musician, now entering my 31st year of Christmas shows, I'm fortunate enough to qualify for extended Christmas music-listening time under The Rules Of Show Business, which state that Christmas specials are filmed in April, that the real Christmas creativity hits you in the summertime, and that Christmas is over and done in September, long before December 25th. So naturally I get to play Christmas music all year long, guilt-free. It's one of the perks.

 

[Rodney]

Guess what I found in my mailbox yesterday?

 

[davidmatychuk]

That's some mailbox!

 

[Mike Frezon]

That's some mailbox!

I'll bet it had a big red bow on it!

 

[KPmusmag]

My personal rule, Rodney, is that I allow myself to play Christmas music as soon as the first snowfall hits--or Thanksgiving Day--whichever comes first. Since we had some heavy flurries across my area a few days ago, I've already fired up some of my new discs this season!

I have been listening to these

since Sept 1.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Steve:


Very helpful post. Not as far as my wallet is concerned. But I just ordered five selection from them...including the Mathis.


I went and checked and found that the only Mathis Christmas disc in my Christmas CD collection was the most recent 2013 disc. All the others were LP...or I was depending on some of the compilation discs for various Mathis tracks.

And anal kind of guy that I am...all the Mathis LPs still have the plastic on the sleeves! I know people have always said its not a good practice (because it'll warp the vinyl discs!)...but I have never found that to be true (if stored properly). And the benefits to the cardboard sleeves from the plastic trumped any scares about warping. Look how nice those look! Two still have the price I paid at Strawberries Records for the LPs ($4.99!).

So my wife and I are in the middle of the "Big Basement Cleanout" this week. And I had the opportunity to move and get my hands on my stash of Christmas Albums (three full wooden crates!). And I found me another Mathis Christmas LP:

It, however, is simply a duplicate cover for the classic Mathis/Percy Faith LP (center in the picture in my quote). It's funny how they also used an image from the very same photo shoot when they re-released the album.

 

[Rodney]

So my wife and I are in the middle of the "Big Basement Cleanout" this week. And I had the opportunity to move and get my hands on my stash of Christmas Albums (three full wooden crates!). And I found me another Mathis Christmas LP.

Nice. I haven't hand any vinyl in quite some time, and miss holding those album covers in hand while listening to the music. The small CD booklet isn't the same.

BTW - did you ever get Johnny Mathis' Complete Christmas Collection last year?

 

[Mike Frezon]

You betcha! How could ANY aficionado of vintage Christmas music not upgrade their Mathis Christmas collection!

And what a wonderful collection it is!

 

[davidmatychuk]

Now more than ever: "The NORAD Christmas Album"!

 

[Rodney]

Now more than ever: "The NORAD Christmas Album"!

Nice, I haven't seen that cover before. I am used to this one:

 

[Rodney]

My favorite Christmas music starts from the 40's through the 70's. I found a great internet station that plays only the old classic Christmas songs, up through The Carpenters. It's called Classic Holiday Radio. Check it out.

Just wanted to resurrect this message from last year and give a big thank you to Bob for letting me know about this station. I checked it out this morning and enjoyed hearing these classic songs. Yeah, "bending" my rule about listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving, but I should follow the advice of others and "keep Christmas in our hearts through every day of all the year".

 

[Alf S]

Just wanted to resurrect this message from last year and give a big thank you to Bob for letting me know about this station. I checked it out this morning and enjoyed hearing these classic songs. Yeah, "bending" my rule about listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving, but I should follow the advice of others and "keep Christmas in our hearts through every day of all the year".

I don't have speakers at work yet, but when I do I'd love to listen to this station, but color me confused. Is the music playing immediately when you open the page? Or am I supposed to click somewhere?? I chuckled though, the page looks like the kind you'd see back in the early early 90's.

 

[Rodney]

I don't have speakers at work yet, but when I do I'd love to listen to this station, but color me confused. Is the music playing immediately when you open the page? Or am I supposed to click somewhere?? I chuckled though, the page looks like the kind you'd see back in the early early 90's.

Oh, the page is definitely old school, and truthfully, I like it that way. On the left is a menu for the applications for you to play the music. I used iTunes, but if you are on a Windows machine you can use the Windows Media Player button. Winamp or Realplayer, do people still use those?

 

[Alf S]

Ok good deal. Thanks

 

[Alf S]

Now more than ever: "The NORAD Christmas Album"!

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I watched the story on Mysteries at the Museum of how the whole Santa tracking at Norad started. Quite amusing how it went down.