Customer Reviews

Christmas With

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Like everyone else who has contributed an Amazon.com review for this title, I grew up listening to the vinyl version of CHRISTMAS WITH CHET ATKINS. I waited for years to see it released on CD, and was bitterly disappointed when it was because the CD version is mastered at the wrong speed! It is noticeably slower than the vinyl version, and the pitch of some tracks actually waver mid-song. Listen to the beginning of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and you will hear the pitch of the guitar rise after the first 5 seconds or so. I called Razor and Tie to tell them about this bad mastering, and they completely blew me off. But as a guitarist with an extremely sensitive ear (my main guitar is a vintage Gretsch similar to the one on the cover of the album's original vinyl release) the CD drives me nuts if I listen too closely to it! I still give the CD 2 stars just because it's better than not having this classic album on disc at all. But I hope one of these days a properly mastered version of it is released -- Chet deserves much better!

November 2004 -- I am revisiting this review because I wanted to comment on the content found in the "SO MUCH FOR GOLDEN EARS" review. With all due respect to the gentleman who wrote this review, the sonic flaws found on this CD are most certainly NOT a result of audio effects that Chet intended to be on the original record. As I mentioned above, the pitch wavers right in the middle of certain tracks, sometimes for just a moment, sometimes for considerably longer. One only needs to compare the vinyl version of the album to the CD to hear that these flaws are not at all present on the album as it was originally released -- the CD is improperly mastered, period!

Contrary to one of the many glowing reviews of this cd, this cd WAS INDEED remastered incorrectly. Yes, Chet's technique intentionally created the interesting effects you hear and read about in other fans reviews here, but don't let their lousy ears fool you into buying this. I have the lp and the cd and I always go back to the lp because the cd was mastered so poorly. Whoever was responsible at Razor and Tie for the crummy sound should be ashamed of himself. He took a wonderful Christmas classic and butchered it. What a pity, since Chet's recordings were always so top notch! A blue Christmas, indeed...

I have loved Christmas with Chet Atkins since I was a kid- it has been a part of my christmas celebrations since the early 60s( the record was released in 1961). Imagine my delight in finding it on CD.The thing of it is, it's not the same record. There are a number of differences between the CD and vinyl version; the songs "Little drummer boy", "Silent Night" and "White Christmas" are alternate takes-not bad, just different. There is a noticeable "flutter" on "Jingle Bell Rock" and a few other tracks which makes me wonder whether the original master recording has been compromised in some way. This might also explain the use of alternate takes. Having said all that, Christmas with Chet Atkins is a woefully underrated record that continues to delight me over forty years after it was recorded. Chet's poignant interpretation of "Coventry Carol/God rest ye merry gentlemen is just one highlight. Despite the sonic liberties taken with the original, this record is still very much worth your time.

Great Holiday music on this album that merits five stars. However, as another reviewer mentioned, the original LP had a great cover of a guitar superimposed over a winter woodland. What happened to the cover? Someone at the recrod company did the customer a disservice by not using that great artwork. For lack of the cover, I have to give the whole package 4 stars.

OMG do NOT buy this CD.

I grew up listening to a wonderful stereo vinyl version that we took very good care of, and later on I bought another one before it went totally out of print sometime in the 80's. That vinyl print is the album Chet made -- this CD has royally jacked it up in a way that is truly unlistenable.

It's as if R&T forgot to bake the tapes before mastering. Each and every song starts about a half step flat until the tape speeds up after a few seconds. In some cases, there is such bad wow and flutter throughout the tunes that I feel as if I'm about to lose my lunch. What a disrespectful smear on Uncle Chet's legacy ... indeed, on high fidelity in general.

A note to Razor & Tie (a label not usually associated with releases that suck) -- next time, call RCA's corporate office in Tokyo, Germany or elsewhere and find a real clean safety master of the original if one is available. The keeper of the vault who released this particular master to you should be banished and shot. It really is that bad. The alternate takes alone render this release a non-event. None of them are good enough to sit alongside Chet's original choices, and they are all sonically compromised as well so why bother?

I am confident I could transfer my cleanest vinyl copy of this album to digital and have something a million times better than this. A sad footnote to a brilliant career and an equally brilliant album .. :'(

Chet Atkins poignant reading of"Coventry Carol/God rest ye merry gentlemen" is just one highlight of this wonderful christmas record. One side is devoted to "current" yuletide faves such as "Jingle Bell rock", while the other side features more traditional carols. Chet's supple guitar playing, bracketed on several numbers by the exquisite vocal stylings of the Anita Kerr Quartet, has never been better. This record has been a part of my Christmas celebrations for many years and it is a real pleasure to discover it on compact disc.

the reviewer who states this album is mastered wrong is right!
There are noticible "wobbles" in the sound, otherwise
the playing of Chet is great, he plays solo classical on the songs at the end of CD which is real nice.

If you remember the vinyl Christmas album with the Gretsch Chet Atkins Hollowbody superimposed over a snowy woodland scene, you'll realize this is the CD version. Only a real afficianado will notes a few subtle differences. Apparently different versions of a couple tunes were taken from the master tapes for the CD. Though intended as a seasonal treat, licks on this album have been copied by guitarists around the world. If you like the fingerstyle sound of Mr. Guitar, this album must be in your collection. It has been a family favorite since it was originally released.

This was a Christmas album, my mother had when I was a child. This was always a favorite of mine, really takes me back to that time. I still played this album, but wanted it on CD. I wasn't sure if it had been produced in that form, anyway, I found it here and was very pleased.

Although the original LP came out in 1961 and this subsequent CD in 1997, It is still one the best rendition of Christmas music ever. This CD is a must for all Christmas music lovers. Good clear sound and great rhythm makes this CD most enjoyable. A few noisy passages on some of the tracks from old master sources(???) keep it short of a 5 star rating. Beyond those small imperfections, the playing of these classics by Mr. Atkins is just great.