It’s not really the Christmas season when it comes to record albums, ainna? It’s Bing Crosby season. So let’s get this year’s Christmas album reviews off to a proper start, with this album. It was recorded in 1955 and released as a record in 1956. It’s from a radio broadcast that Bing did on Christmas Eve, so it’s chock full of not only songs that he performs, but also bits recorded by others. Like many albums I’m planning to review this year, it features the spoken word–in this case, Bing’s introductions to the songs and the cutaways.
The album dates from 1956? 1958? But the pressing I got dates from 1973 or so. Reissued 25 years later. So you know there was a market for it. Whether there still is, I don’t know.
The track list includes:
- Happy Holiday
- Joy To The World
- Hark The Herald Angels Sing
- White Christmas
- Adeste Fideles (Oh, Come All Ye Faithful)
- We Three Kings Of Orient Are
- The First Noel
- Carol Of The Bells
- What Christmas Means To Me
- Good King Wenseslas
- Jesus, Sweet Savior (Jesus Sauveur Adorable)
- Angels We Have Heard On High (Gloria In Excelsis)
- Away In A Manger
- Thou Decendeth From The Stars (Tucendi De La Stelli)
- Deck The Halls
- God Rest Ye Merrie Gentlemen
- Oh, Little Town Of Bethlehem
- Silent Night
- Happy Holiday (Finale)
Pretty stock stuff, but with some different bits in there (“Thou Descendeth from the Stars”, “What Christmas Means To Me”, “Jesus, Sweet Savior”).
The most interesting part, of course, is the recreation of an old time radio broadcast.
I like it a bunch, and I’ve got it on steady rotation this year so far.
Album mentioned in this review:
