It’s that time of year again, and in some instances, it’s been that time since October – when a bounty of new holiday music albums was released. This year, the quality and amount of vinyl releases are staggering. Here is a look at a handful of recent albums released.
Of the many new holiday music releases in 2020, one of the best is Seasonal Shift (Anti) by Calexico. Unlike some of the schmaltzy product that is released nearly every year, this seasonal album takes an imaginative approach. There are well-done covers of John and Yoko’s “Happy Xmas, War is Over” and Tom Petty’s lesser-known “Christmas All Over Again,” but Seasonal Shift boasts a subtle musical holiday feel, with plenty of distinctive southwestern and international musical moments.
This is very much an international release, with Spanish lyrics and songs with regional and traditional flavors. Calexico also invite over plenty of guests. This is an album that will never go out of style and will quickly join the list of distinctive holiday albums that become perennial favorites.
One of the most beloved Christmas albums of all time is the soundtrack to the holiday television special A Charlie Brown Christmas. Based on characters created by Charles M. Schultz and first shown on television in 1965, the show is easily identifiable by its soundtrack music which has become almost more famous than the show itself. The music was done by West-Coast jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi. The producers of the television show initially approached Dave Brubeck to do the music. He turned them down, but suggested Guaraldi, and the rest is history.
A Charlie Brown Christmas has been reissued countless times over the years, in a variety of formats and configurations. The latest is available in many vinyl editions, in stereo, and includes the original liner notes from Ralph J. Gleason from the audiophile label Craft Recordings. A new twist on the packaging this year is the inclusion of a lenticular print of the iconic cover.
Legacy has issued 10 classic holiday albums on vinyl this year. Of all the releases, perhaps the most iconic is A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records, better known as Phil Spector’s Christmas Album. Originally released in 1963, the album features some of the most popular Christmas songs of the rock era, produced in Spector’s inimitable “Wall of Sound” style. Recorded at the long-defunct Gold Star Recording Studio in Los Angeles, the album features the Ronettes, Darlene Love and many of the other groups and artists from the Spector stable, as well as the famed Wrecking Crew – including Hal Blaine, Leon Russell, Nino Tempo and Sonny Bono. The album was arranged by the legendary Jack Nitzsche and engineered by Larry Levine.
A Christmas Gift For You has been reissued countless times over the years, and was even briefly distributed through the Beatles’ Apple label. This mono recording, with Spector’s original liner notes, is not only a must-have holiday release, but easily one of the best albums ever recorded. Often viewed in America as a defining album of the pre-Beatles era, A Christmas Gift For You was actually released on the same day as 1963’s With the Beatles, the group’s second U.K. album – and coincidentally, the date that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
Legacy has also issued four albums from that for the most part loosely fit into the pre-rock, post-war, American pop vocalist musical style and era. First up is The Dean Martin Christmas Album, reissued on red vinyl. Although put out by Sony’s Legacy imprint, this was actually originally on Reprise from 1966, a year that Martin released five albums, and it was his only holiday album. An album Dino himself actually enjoyed listening to, The Dean Martin Christmas Album captures the staple of the Rat Pack at his most easy-going and swinging best.
Merry Christmas from Johnny Mathis was originally released in 1958 on Columbia Records, and includes backing from label mates and easy-listening giants Percy Faith and His Orchestra on five tracks. Mathis’ vocal take on “Sleigh Ride” has, of course, received the most attention through the years, but altogether this remains one of the most beloved popular-music Christmas albums of all time. Seasons Greetings From Perry Como was originally released in 1959 on the RCA Living Stereo imprint, and was the first of his three albums of Christmas music. Original RCA Living Stereo releases set a standard of stereo audiophile sound that has not diminished through the years and original mint pressings of these releases command high prices. Recording at the fabled Webster Hall in New York City, Como is backed by the Mitchell Ayres Orchestra and the Ray Charles Singers.
Personal Christmas Collection includes music from three different Andy Williams holiday albums: The Andy Williams Christmas Album (1963), Merry Christmas (1965) and Christmas Present (1974). This is the first time this collection has ever appeared on vinyl; it was originally released on compact disc in 1994 through Columbia/Legacy. Gene Autry’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Other Christmas Classics is another release available on vinyl for the first time. The project was originally issued on Columbia/Legacy in 2003, and featured 18 holiday tracks – highlighted by “Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)” from 1947 and the title cut, originally released in 1949.
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