Customer Reviews

Christmas Collection: 20th Century Masters

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Here's a great Christmas present for country fans, Loretta Lynn's classic 1966 album COUNTRY CHRISTMAS is back in print on CD!! This album brings back special memories for country music fans around the world for all the many years families have played it during the holiday season. Of note of the four Loretta originals including the excellent title song and two with classic Loretta sass "To Heck With Ole Santa Claus" and "I Won't Decorate Your Christmas Tree." Loretta does a fine job too on "Silver Bells" and "White Christmas" (two songs rarely recorded by country stars on their Christmas albums), the moving "Christmas without Daddy" and the church Christmas pageant staple "Away in a Manager". She also tackles kiddie Christmas favorites "Frosty the Snowman" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" with charm. This 39-year-old album is sure to win over new fans who have never heard it before and for the veteran fans, it's like a long-unseen loved one coming home for Christmas.

This album was originally released under the title COUNTRY CHRISTMAS in 1967. It features an equal mix of traditional Christmas songs and new Christmas songs. The originals are good, especially the nostalgic "Country Christmas" and the humorous "To Heck With Ole Santa Claus". And Loretta sings the traditional songs well, too. A solid Christmas album the Loretta Lynn fans will love. But it would have been nice if Loretta's rare 1974 single "Shadrack, the Black Reindeer" b/w "Let's Put Christ Back in Christmas" had been included as bonus tracks.

It was years I was looking for this cd - to no avail!
Christmas just wasn't Christmas without Loretta Lynn's classic tracks, but all I had was a worn out cassette recording of my parent's original record.
Christmas without Daddy was our song when Daddy when to Vietnam and then to the Sinai desert; Blue Christmas was the song my big sister sang when she was broken hearted; Country Christmas was the spirit of our tradition, with all our family gathered round that pretty Christmas tree...
I'm so excited I ordered 4 copies: one for each sister.
Have a very merry Christmas!

Born Loretta Webb into a Kentucky coalmining family, Loretta Lynn established herself as one of the leading female country singers of her generation, writing many of her own hits. Several of these hits were feisty songs in which she wasn't going to take any nonsense from other women (for example, You ain`t woman enough to take my man) or from men (for example, Don't come home a-drinking with loving on your mind). Loretta's music in her heyday was always in a firmly traditional country style. This 1966 album is typical of her other music, mixing Christmas standards with original songs, a couple of which reinforce her feisty image.

The set opens with the title track, which is a rousing good-time song that Loretta wrote about a rural Christmas to get you in the mood. The next four songs are familiar Christmas classics, here delivered in a very traditional country style that you don't come across very often even on country Christmas albums. Two of Loretta's own songs follow, the first being a very sad ballad (It won't seem like Christmas), while the second is a very feisty song that is quintessentially Loretta (To heck with old Santa Claus).

Two more Christmas classics follow. Like the four earlier classics, the versions here are distinctive by nature of being delivered in a very traditional country style. The next song (Christmas without Daddy) comes from the pen of one of Loretta's relatives, Jackie Webb, and it is a great country song with a Christmas theme. Next comes the second feisty original (I won't decorate your Christmas tree) in which Loretta makes her feelings clear in another message to Santa. Another excellent song (Gift of the blues) completes a wonderful country Christmas album.

Fans of traditional country music often complain that they are unfairly treated by the music business. Such fans need to buy this album and others in a similar style to prove that there is a market for music like this. Maybe then, we might see more re-issues of traditional country music from the sixties, with or without a Christmas theme.

This is a hard to find CD, and it was great!

i love loretta lynn,i have most of her movies,cd.i wanted her christmas cd.i love the cd.old time christmas songs.i will always keep buying her things

Have missed this music from my youth. So glad its been rereleased, only Loretta can sing these gritty country xmas tunes!

I have ordered from amazon many times ,and never had a problam yet! if you see something you like buy it ,they ship fast Im a happy customer.