Customer Reviews

A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Original Sound Track Recording Of The CBS Television Special

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I really don't think any Christmas music collection could be complete without this soundtrack. When I think back of my childhood and watching the Charlie Brown Christmas Special on CBS during the holidays, I can't help but remember the warm feeling that Vince Guaraldi's arrangements instilled in me while watching the special. Looking back now, I also think that this soundtrack music was my first memorable exposure to jazz and probably set the stage for my musical appeal to instrumental jazz. "Christmas Time is Here" has become a Holiday jazz standard and has been re-recorded by a number of jazz vocalists but my personal favorite is "Skating". This is the Tao of Christmas. You can't help but lose yourself in the meditative freedom expressed in this arrangement, like the Peanuts characters in the movie, gliding so freely, smoothly and gracefully on the frozen pond in the pristine greyness of winter.

If you grew up watching the Peanuts during Christmas, this CD takes you back to that place in your childhood Christmas heart.

It wasn't only the wonderful humor of Charles Schulz and the adorable child voices that made "A Charlie Brown Christmas" such an enduring holiday favorite. The score by Vince Guaraldi was sophisticated and sensitive and stands alone as one of the best holiday albums ever. Frankly, we play it all year long, yes, Christmas in July or June or whenever.)

The original compositions ("Skating", "Linus and Lucy", "Christmas is Coming") are brilliant, quirky and humorous, yet are far from childish. They are jazz compositions of real merit, and Guaraldi must have been a true "Peanuts" fan because he really was able to interpret Schulz's characters in musical form.

The score also has Guaraldi's interpretations of favorite Christmas carols. In "Greensleeves" in particular, you can hear how Guaraldi flavors this English classic with snippets of the Charlie Brown music--very clever and makes the score hang together as a unit and not just a patchwork of holiday tunes.

Sometimes the sound is a bit fuzzy on this recording (made originally in 1965), but that doesn't detract much from the pure pleasure of the score. This is a CD we play frequently and I must say, it never palls. I hear new things every time.

A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of the few Christmas shows that actually got it right. The music that Vince Guaraldi recorded for it has taken on a life of its own. Christmas Time Is Here has become a standard now and deserves to be. Sadly, Vince left us in the mid 70's before the cartoon and the music really became a cherished classic and I hope he knows how special this recording is to me and many, many others. Skating is like a 3 minute trip to another world and his version of The Christmas Song is among my top 3 favorite versions. This is the most relaxing beautiful Christmas music you could ever want to hear. You can forget about the overblown tripe that the so called "music elite" puts out now, this is the real deal.

And please, everyone remember Charles Schulz, the creator of the Peanuts gang, in your prayers tonight. He was recently diagnosed with cancer and needs our support. Get well soon Sparky.

Thanks (so much) to the timeless annual television special which delights us each December, it's difficult to find a collection of songs which touch the inner child in quite the way A Charlie Brown Christmas does. The late Vince Guaraldi's brilliant interpretations of these holiday standards are borderline genius---tailor-made to reflect the Peanuts characters' pursuit of integrity and meaning as adults trapped inside little children. As good a true jazz piano record as anyone will find, this treasure chest echoes of many happy Christmases past, and warms the heart and soul like nothing before or since.

There simply aren't enough positive adjectives to describe this soundtrack. I wholeheartedly recommend it to all---those who fondly remember the TV special and look forward to its return every year; those who desire to add a slightly different flavor to their yuletide music collection; and those who enjoy fine jazz, by an artist whose immense talent was barely realized, but fortunately captured here. And pardon the cliche', but like a fine holiday wine, this one only betters as it ages. Drink it in as it rekindles your most joyous childhood memories.

STAR TRACKS: Classic carols "O Tannenbaum," "What Child Is This" (extended later on the album as its traditional "Greensleeves"), and "The Christmas Song" each are delivered in a style unlike any holiday chestnuts, but "My Little Drum," a lovely interpretation of "The Little Drummer Boy," is a far more stirring rendition than the famous original it borrows from. "Christmas Is Coming" and the ebullient "Linus and Lucy" are spirited, youthful celebrations guaranteed to raise a smile on anyone, anywhere, at anytime. But for pure imagistic splendor, the beautifully desolate "Christmas Time Is Here" (performed twice, once with a small children's choir) and the colorful "Skating" may be the album's most evocative numbers, transporting the listener into the story's animated world which every one of these enchanting songs so perfectly support.

While the late pianist Vince Guaraldi had a huge hit in 1962 with "Cast Your Fate to the Wind," the man will forever be associated with Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang, especially for the score to the TV special A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS.
Airing on network television every year since its 1965 premiere, A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS is one of the few holiday programs highlighting the true meaning and worth of the Christmas season, and has become an American institution. It has also served another purpose: introducing generations of kids to the thrill and magic of jazz music.
In addition to updating some of the best traditional classics ("O Tannenbaum," "What Child Is This," "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing," "Greensleeves"), as well as an instrumental version of Mel Torme's "The Christmas Song" (that actually is most popularly known in its Nat King Cole version as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire"), and a smidgen of Beethoven's "Fur Elise," Guaraldi put together some elegant and uplifting arrangements:

-"Skating" is an evocative piece that takes the listener out gliding across the ice, through a light snowfall.
-"Christmas Is Coming," a wonderful hybrid of bossa nova and California cool, which goes far in interpreting the Season's excitement and anticipation.
-The soft, lullaby-like "Christmas Time Is Here," which, in my opinion, happens to be one of the most soothing songs in the history of popular music.
-And, of course, "Linus and Lucy." Easily one of the most recognizable tunes the world over.

Vince Guaraldi would score a total of 15 Peanuts specials, most of them with TV producer Lee Mendelson. Passing away in 1976, at the age of 47, Guaraldi never truly realized the enduring appeal of his scores or their influence on fellow jazz musicians like David Benoit (who continues Guaraldi's work for Peanuts' features), Dave Brubeck, Wynton Marsalis, and Christian McBride--all of whom have made concept albums based upon Peanuts' themes and characters.

I first watched A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965 as a 12-year old girl, and never missed it each year after that. When I was grown, I made a point to try to decorate my tree while the program was on TV. When my youngest child (now 10) was little, we bought a copy of the video, which quickly became a favorite of his as well, and one we shared multiple times through the season as a family. Then a few years ago my husband bought me this CD for Christmas (genius that he is), and I was instantly transported back in time. It is now played around our home all through the holidays, and in our car as we go skiing and on holiday visits. My son enjoys imitating all the silly dancers during the Linus and Lucy song, and this CD has become a very special part of his holiday time as well. This music is just as fresh today as it was the first time I heard it so long ago, and will hold up for generations to come as some of the most simple, joyful, and coolest Christmas music ever recorded. It is so heartwarming to be able to share memories like this with your children and to share in and pass on the joy!

Every year, right around Thanksgiving, I pull out my copy of "A Charlie Brown Christmas." The soft, soulful sounds of familiar Christmas melodies relax me into another state of consciousness. All of the songs somehow connect me with the longing, sadness and unbridled hopefulness that is Charlie Brown and that is Christmas. Each song is beautifully executed, but it is the vocal rendition of "Christmas Time is Here" that is my favorite song. The voices in the song somehow remind me of all the years as a child that I stared out my frosty window and waited for Santa's sleigh to appear on the horizon. This CD is a must for anyone who enjoys listening to Christmas music that reflects all the authentic feelings we feel around the holidays.

This is one Christmas CD you should have in your collection! If you already have it, give it to someone special!

Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack to the 1965 classic TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas helped incorporate the style of music that became known with Charlie Brown specials (he would do several more soundtracks for Charlie Brown TV specials and their 1st movie until his untimely death in 1977).

This is more than just a soundtrack, as there are many pieces not featured in the special ("My Little Drum", a variation of The Little Drummer Boy, "The Christmas Song", "Greensleeves", and "What Child Is This").

Then of course come the songs from tne special. There's the original compositions "Christmastime Is Here", which opens the special, "Linus and Lucy", which would be featured in many of the other Charlie Brown specials for years, and "Christmas Is Coming" (a bossa nova number, which sounds a little like Richie Valens' "La Bamba"). Of course, you have the traditional Christmas carols included like "O Tanenbaum" (if you close your eyes, you can almost picture Charlie Brown and Linus shopping for the perfect Christmas tree!) and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (which closes the TV special. Sorry, you don't get the anticlimactic "MERRY CHRISTMAS, CHARLIE BROWN!".). Then there's the ode to Schroeder's favorite all-time composer, Beethoven, who as Lucy points out "never got his picture on a bubble gum card" with "Fur Elise" (you can almost picture Schroeder tickling the ivories as you hear this!).

Who could forget this once a year masterpiece? That is, before the age of the VCR? We all remeber waiting breathlessly for this gem to come on TV. How else could 1/2 hour of time seem timeless? Buy this album and take yourself back to your childhood.

With his typical jazzy style, the late Vince Guaraldi hit it big with "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Guarldi composed and performed all of The Peanuts tunes. You'll recognize many of the songs. This is a great Holiday cd. Not too kiddish, not too jazzy - it's just really soothing and alot of fun! It instantly transports me back to my childhood Christmases, so full of magic and excitment. The Guaraldi Trio's (Guaraldi on piano, Monty Budwig on bass and Colin Bailey on drums) smooth yet crisp sound, epitomize the childhood dream of Christmas with this cd. I think that's one reason I love it so much. It's such a nice reminder of yesteryear. In addition to the ever-recognizable Linus and Lucy, Christmas Time Is Here, Skating, Fur Elise, O Tanenbaum, and Hark The Herald Angel's Sing, there are several carols included (in the awesome Vince Guaraldi style)...What Child Is This, My Little Drum (essentially the Little Drummer Boy), The Christmas Song, and a longer version of What Child Is This, also known as Greensleeves. This cd will provide many hours of great listening, for kids and adults alike.

My brother and I grew up with this and still, to this day, we always listen to the cd and watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Now that I have a nephew, I can't wait until we can introduce him to these Holiday classics. It's amazing to think that children of this generation will also grow up knowing and loving the Peanut's gang and Guaraldi's music. What a joy for them!
This is one of my all-time favorite Christmas cd's. In fact, if I had to pick only one cd for the Holiday Season, it would be this one. Would make a great gift for anyone and I usually give several as gifts each year!

So, pop this in your cd player, kick back, and the Spirit of Christmas will come knocking on your heart's door :-)