Christmas album reissues

@Likecats , how is that Jim Reeves album? I think I may need to add that to my collection.

 

It doesn't appear that Real Gone has officially announced these, but I'm seeing them on Amazon so I thought I would post this year's Christmas titles. These all seem to have a November 8 release date.

First up is Jim Reeves: Twelve Songs of Christmas (Remastered and Expanded Edition)

Has there ever been a warmer voice than that wielded by Gentleman Jim Reeves? That light, warm baritone helped change the face of country music, helping to usher in The Nashville Sound with a series of albums and singles produced by Chet Atkins. He is without a doubt the greatest country crooner of all time'and of all his releases (and there are a lot of them'the Bear Family label's collection of complete commercial recordings spanned 16 CDs!), his 1963 holiday album 12 Songs of Christmas just might be his most enduring. Now, this record'which features such holiday evergreens as 'An Old Christmas Card' and 'C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S''has never gone out of print in the CD era, or any other era, for that matter; but the CD that is currently available is a full 20 years old, and, to be kind, the sound on that release is showing its age. So, we have given it a fresh remastering by Vic Anesini at Sony's Battery Studios, and added two holiday-themed songs ('Snowflake' and 'Scarlet Ribbons') to this Expanded Edition to make it, er, '14 Songs of Christmas!' Steve Harmon contributes brand-new liner notes to accompany vintage photos. A Christmas classic, sounding bigger, better, and even warmer than before!

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Leroy Anderson: The Complete Christmas Collection

Having released Christmas collections from Percy Faith, Ray Conniff, Fred Waring, Mantovani, Andre Kostelanetz, and more, we at Real Gone Music have hit just about every note in our survey of great, holiday-themed easy listening records and artists. But one iconic orchestral bandleader remains to be addressed, except that this one made a name for himself more as a composer than a conductor. Leroy Anderson, the man no less an authority than John Williams labeled 'one of the great American masters of light orchestral music,' and author of such wildly inventive works as 'The Syncopated Clock' and 'The Typewriter,' first gained fame by composing pieces for Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra, then went on to score the first-ever million-selling instrumental single with 1951's 'Blue Tango.' In 1955, Anderson put his limitless creativity to work recording his first-ever holiday release, Christmas Carols; the album proved to be such a success that he re-recorded it in 1959 with a new song sequence under the name Christmas Festival (named after the marvelous concert overture that begins the record). Neither album, the mono 1955 release or the 1959 stereo release, have come out on CD (the 1959 release was issued on CD in mono); we've put both albums together on one 2-CD set and added bonus mono and stereo versions of the Anderson classic 'Sleigh Ride' (all remastered by Tom Pickles) to create The Complete Christmas Collection! And to top it off, Leroy's son Kurt Anderson has provided us with personal, in-depth liner notes and photos from the family archives to fashion the ultimate Yuletide treat for fans of this American music giant.

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Eugene Ormandy: The Complete Columbia Christmas Albums

Eugene Ormandy s 44-year tenure as music director of the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra remains the single longest affiliation of conductor and orchestra. Under the direction of Maestro Ormandy, the orchestra earned two Grammy Awards and three Gold records. Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records are thrilled to bring to CD both of Ormandy s original Columbia Records Christmas albums in one deluxe package. The Complete Columbia Christmas Albums presents The Glorious Sound of Christmas (1962) and A Christmas Festival (1964) on one CD. On The Glorious Sound of Christmas, Ormandy and The Philadelphia Orchestra welcomed The Temple University Concert Choir under the direction of Robert Page for a stirring set of traditional carols including Joy to the World, The First Noel, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, and Silent Night. Two years later, Ormandy was back in the studio with the Orchestra and Choir, adding The St. Francis de Sales Boychoir led by Peter La Manna. A Christmas Festival (CD debut!) picked up where its predecessor left off, with the same lush grandeur in celebration of the season. It featured The Little Drummer Boy and Jingle Bells alongside stirring renditions of classics such as Here We Go A-Caroling and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Both albums were produced by Thomas Frost with arrangements by Arthur Harris. This new edition has been newly remastered by Mike Piacentini at Sony s Battery Studios and features new liner notes by Joe Marchese of The Second Disc. The Complete Columbia Albums captures some of the most magnificent Christmas music ever released in new sonic splendor.

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Chet Atkins: The Complete RCA Victor & Columbia Christmas Recordings

It's for good reason that Chet Atkins remains one of the most revered names not only in country music but in American music itself. A producer, A&R man, songwriter, sometimes-vocalist, and above all, a guitarist par excellence, Atkins defined the sound of country with his championing of RCA's lush Nashville Sound. A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee and a 14-time Grammy winner (including a Lifetime Achievement Award), Atkins recorded three albums of Christmas music throughout his lengthy career. Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records' 2-CD set The Complete RCA Victor and Columbia Christmas Recordings is packed with almost 50 vintage holiday tunes from this legendary musician originally released between 1953 and 1996 on both of those labels. These joyous and virtuosic recordings encompass rare singles, the complete albums Christmas with Chet Atkins (in both its original 1961 version and re-recorded 1976 iteration) and East Tennessee Christmas, and numerous one-offs from various albums over the years. Chet brought his singular guitar style to recordings of both pop and country hits ('Jingle Bell Rock,' 'Blue Christmas') and classic carols ('Away in a Manger,' 'Ave Maria') plus favorites like 'Winter Walkin'' and 'East Tennessee Christmas.' Annotated by The Second Disc's Joe Marchese, and remastered by Vic Anesini at Sony's Battery Studios, The Complete RCA Victor & Columbia Christmas Recordings proves you don't have to be from Tennessee to enjoy the classic country sound of Chet Atkins, C.G.P. (that's 'Certified Guitar Player,' naturally)!

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Christmas Holiday for Romance - Stanley Black and his Orchestra

It's fair to say that Stanley Black is to Britain what Glenn Miller is to America. Both cemented their fame while leading government-backed bands during World War II, Black with the BBC Dance Orchestra, Miller with the Army Air Forces Band, and both command an outsized reputation today among each country's populace. But while Miller, of course, tragically lost his life flying across the English Channel in December 1944, Black's career just continued to blossom after the war; he appeared on over 4000 broadcasts for the Beeb before being appointed house arranger conductor for the venerable Decca label, where he spent 20-some odd years. During that time" between composing music for The Goon Show and the Cliff Richard film vehicles The Young Ones and Summer Holiday among other high-profile projects" he released a series of well-received albums for Decca (and here in the States, London), including such titles as Musical Comedy Favourites, Latin Rhythms, Cuban Moonlight, and The Music of Richard Rodgers. But 1954's Christmas Holiday for Romance just may be the most beloved among all of Black's many releases; his elegant, lush, and tasteful arrangements (sans vocals) guaranteed, as the original liner notes put it, many pleasant hours of relaxed listening. It's an eclectic mix of British and American songs, with a smattering of non-holiday tunes (e.g. Cinderella Stay in My Arms) that fit right in with the albums warm glow. This is Blacks only Christmas album, and it makes its CD debut here, with liner notes by Joe Marchese and remastering by Mike Milchner at SonicVision, and it comes with impeccable credentials, coming in at #30 on theyulelog.com's list of top Christmas albums of all time. Another long-overdue Christmas present from Real Gone Music!

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Great Songs of Christmas: Classic Carols and Pop Favorites

Between 1961 and 1970, households across America delighted in an annual series of Christmas releases available exclusively through Goodyear locations. 900,000 copies of the first volume of The Great Songs of Christmas were pressed and proved so successful that, by December 1, 1961, Goodyear ordered all advertising to stop as the album had already sold out! The following year's order was for 1.5 million albums, and 2 million the year after that. These high-quality albums not only featured the day's top artists but frequently presented songs and versions unavailable anywhere else. Now, Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records are proud to present the first new volume of The Great Songs of Christmas in nearly 50 years bringing many of those rare songs together. The Great Songs of Christmas: Classic Carols and Pop Favorites presents 20 selections (all but one never before on CD or found here in a new-to-CD edit!) primarily drawn from the original, long out-of-print LPs including special Great Songs versions of favorites from artists such as Johnny Mathis, Ray Conniff, Percy Faith, and Andre Kostelanetz; and rarities from Andre Previn, The Harry Simeone Chorale, Mahalia Jackson, and Robert Goulet and Carol Lawrence. As a special bonus, this new volume includes selections from the W.T. Grant's series of custom Christmas albums including never-on-CD songs from 60s rock titans Mark Lindsay (of Paul Revere and The Raiders) and Gary Puckett! The Second Disc's Joe Marchese has provided track-by-track liner notes for this deluxe package, which has been remastered by Vic Anesini at Sony's Battery Studios. The Great Songs of Christmas: Classic Carols and Pop Favorites promises to become a part of your family's annual Christmas tradition just like it was the first time around back in the 60s it's our most collectible holiday release yet!

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I am going to purchase all six of them, but I am most excited about the Great Songs of Christmas, as those old Goodyear and Grant's Christmas albums bring back cherished memories for me. I've read that if this sells well, they will have more volumes in the future.

 

While I agree with you Noel, I feel compelled to comment that now I know how the Kino Lorber Insider must feel when they post about an upcoming release, and the first comment is "But what about Title X?"

 

Noel:

Is this the album? If so, it's currently on sale at Real Gone Music.
I'm told that this Real Gone Music CD is the exact same CD that Steve and Eydie released in 2002 through their record company GL Music.

STEVE LAWRENCE & EYDIE GORME: That Holiday Feeling! CD

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And few albums impart that holiday feeling as successfully and heartwarmingly as this 1964 classic! You get solo Steve (“The Christmas Song,” “Let Me Be the First to Wish You Merry Christmas”),solo Eydie (“White Christmas,” “What Are You Doing New Years Eve”) and the duo’s trademark duet renditions (e.g. “Baby It’s Cold Outside”) of eight more holiday favorites, plus two bonus tracks, Steve’s jolly version of “That Ol’ Christmas Spirit” and Steve and Eydie’s buoyant take on “Happy Holiday.” It’s a happy holiday indeed with Steve and Eydie on the stereo!

SONGS:

1. That Holiday Feeling
2. White Christmas
3. Winter Wonderland
4. The Christmas Song
5. Baby It’s Cold Outside
6. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
7. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
8. Sleigh Ride
9. Let Me Be the First to Wish You Merry Christmas
10. Let It Snow Let It Snow Let It Snow
11. What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve
12. Hurry Home for Christmas
13. That Ol’ Christmas Spirit
14. Happy Holiday