Customer Reviews

Frank Sinatra Christmas Collection

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Reprise and the Sinatra Family bring together a rare find "The Christmas Collection", featuring the head of the clan Mr. Frank Sinatra in fine voice for this special time of the year ~ classic arrangements from Harry Betts, Don Costa, Jack Holloran, Nelson Riddle and Dick Reynolds...with Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians, Jimmy Joyce Singers & Orchestra and Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra...joining in the seasonal splendor are his children Tina, Nancy and Frank Jr., making this Christmas all the more special.

Performances cover several decades of Frank's career, including a few with Bing Crosby like "WE WISH YOU THE MERRIEST" and "GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN" [1964], featuring Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians from "The Twelve Songs Of Christmas" ~ "THE CHRISTMAS SONG" and "WHITE CHRISTMAS" [1957], previously unissued from "Happy Holidays With Bing & Frank" an ABC segment from The Frank Sinatra Show with Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra, a nostalgic outing for the two crooners and Riddle...you can tell they are having a blast.

All of the Sinatra's join in with "I WOULDN'T TRADE CHRISTMAS", "THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS" and "THE BELLS OF CHRISTMAS (Greensleeves)" [1968], featuring Tina, Nancy, Frank Jr. and Dad(Frank), with Nelson Riddle arrangements from the album "The Sinatra Family Wish You A Merry Christmas", sounds like a tree trimming gathering as the Jimmy Joyce Singers & Orchestra put the final touches on the decorations...Frank seems the happiest with his children around him.

The closing bonus track of "SILENT NIGHT", the vocal recorded on August 27, 1991...orchestral was arranged and added by Johnny Mandel featuring Bill T. Miller [celeste], Al Viola [guitar], Ron Anthony [guitar], Chuck Berghofer [bass], Julie Berghofer [harp], Larry Bunker [percussion], Jim Hughart [bass], recorded and conducted by his son Frank Jr. on March 25, 2004 ~ this tender and emotional track will bring a tear to your eye...you'll remember how much we miss "Ole Blue Eyes"...they'll never be another like 'em, but we have him in our hearts...just the way it should be!

Total Time: 53:46 on 18 Tracks ~ Reprise 76542 ~ (10/26/2004)

Bought this CD on the basis of the good reviews here. I like it, but overall, I don't think it touches the quality Frank gives us on "Christmas Songs by Sinatra."

This version relies on lots and lots of choral support -- which isn't my preferred way to hear Sinatra.

"Christmas Songs by Sinatra" contains more straight Sinatra. Also, it has more traditional songs, whereas this CD has lots of songs that I don't think Frank sings as well as the old standards.

Don't get me wrong, I think this CD is fine. But I'd recommend "A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra" and "Christmas Songs by Sinatra" IF you prefer Sinatra singing classic Christmas songs largely on his own.

I bought this album a few weeks ago to check out and add to my arsenal of Holiday music. It seems to have become permanently affixed to my CD player. I cannot bring myself to replace it's slot with any other music so far. I LOVE it, and have been listening to it over and over, and it's not even Thanksgiving yet!!

Frank Sinatra's "The Christmas Collection" is a must have for the Holidays. Sinatra seems to bring everything Christmassy to this gorgeous album. It's sentimental, it captures the spirit of giving, and the warm holiday feeling. There are some real treasures here. There are several performed together with Bing Crosby. "The Christmas Song", and "White Christmas" are a couple that the two did on a TV show that aired in 1957 and was found in the vaults.

He gives this album a real homey and family feeling. He sings with Nancy, and Frank Jr. on "The Bells of Christmas", "I Wouldn't Trade Christmas" and a fun and original rendition of "Twelve Days Of Christmas". Grandaughter Angela ("A Baby Just Like You") is mentioned in song, and pays tribute to his mother as well.

"Go Tell it On The Mountain" is a beautiful rendition (With Bing),and the tenderness he puts into "Silent Night"( a bonus track previously unissued) will evoke goose bumps. Of course there's some fun as well with "Santa Clause Is Coming To Town". And I hardly have to mention Frank's voice. So familiar, recognizable, smooth and comforting.

Other songs included are "The Christmas Waltz", "The Little Drummer Boy" and "We Wish You The Merriest"(more fun with Bing). There are 18 wonderful tracks in all(see buying info for complete list), and the CD a good length, running close to an hour. An excellent quality of some of these very old recordings.
A nice booklet in included and has some informative notes relating to the recordings, and each song is listed with the original date recorded(ranging from the 50's through the 70's), and some great pix of Frank too.

You may have some of these Christmas songs on other albums, but this is Sinatra, and he does it his way. It's a sentimental holiday journey with Sinatra that you may want to listen to all year long!

A highly recommended addition to your Holiday music!
Happy Holidays To All....Laurie

also recommended:Nothing But the Best -- USPS Special Edition (includes first day cover of Sinatra stamp and rare bonus track)

here's a few more you may enjoy for the holidays;
Yule B Swingin' Too,
Harry for the Holidays,
and To Wish You a Merry Christmas

As a long-time fan of Sinatra from over the pond, I've never thought that he was that interested in Christmas, or at least the seasonal songs of Christmas. His album for Capitol was OK, but not up there with the likes of Nat Cole, or Perry Como, or even Dean Martin. This collection from Warners doesn't do much to change my mind.

It has been gathered from a number of sources, including a 1964 album with Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians, one from 1968 with his family, a one-off Christmas single, un-released snippets from a 1957 TV show, and a recording of "Silent Night", for charity, in 1991.

Highlights are "The Christmas Waltz", and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". The numbers with Fred Waring and chorus are good too, although on some of them there's precious little Sinatra solo; in fact "Go Tell It On The Mountain" is nearly all Bing Crosby.

Crosby takes the lion's share of the three short duets taken from the 1957 TV show - Sinatra joins in, reluctantly and out of time, at the end. The family album must have sounded a good idea at the time, but the songs now sound toe-curlingly embarassing. And he sounds distinctly uncomfortable singing "Little Drummer Boy".

"Christmas Memories", a single from 1975, is a maudlin tune, reminiscent of "I Will Drink The Wine", belying the lyric about stringing popcorn and cookies baking in the kitchen, and by this time Sinatra's voice was well beyond its prime, and sounds it.

"Silent Night" was originally recorded with just piano accompaniment, for charity in 1991; it has had an orchestral arrangement by Johnny Mandel added to it now. Daughter Nancy admits, in the booklet and the DVD, that he was unwell and had to be coaxed (to put it kindly) to do it. I cannot describe how painful it is to listen to this track - he's struggling for breath and it was clearly torture for him; I was just glad he made it through to the end.

The "bonus" DVD, all seven minutes of it, has soundbites from members of the family, Johnny Mandel and the Sinatra alumni, gathered to record the orchestral backing for "Silent Night", then the recording itself, with very brief flashes of a young Sinatra and a Christmas tree.

Throughout all of this the orchestral backing, arrangements and production are as good as you expect with any Sinatra recording; with the involvement of Nelson Riddle, Jack Halloran and Johnny Mandel they couldn't be anything else. It is Sinatra's vocal input that falls short in many ways, which is a shame. I prefer to remember him at his peak, rather than trying to eke out one last song in the twilight of his years.

Don't be fooled by its funky packaging; this album isn't as cool as it appears to be. Although it does have its redeeming qualities, if you're looking for more traditional Christmas tunes sung by Sinatra, look to another CD. (I suggest "A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra.") While I suppose that anything Sinatra recorded could be dubbed "classic," much of Frank's later-years and redux recordings comprises this particular collection. Still a quality holiday CD, but definitely not my favorite.

If you're looking for a Frank Sinatra holiday music collection that contains his holiday recordings post 1960, then this album is the only way to go. This set supercedes the old 1994 Reprise CD "The Sinatra Christmas Album". "The Christmas Collection" has all thirteen tracks that the "The Sinatra Christmas Album" contained (albeit fully remastered), plus an additional five tracks (four of which are previously unreleased):

- "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" (recorded on December 21, 1960 and taken from the 1961 Reprise album "Ring-A-Ding Ding!")
- "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" (a recording taken from the Sinatra TV special "Happy Holidays with Bing & Frank" that aired on December 20, 1957)
- "The Christmas Song" (a duet with Bing Crosby that aired on the same 12/20/1957 TV special as the above track)
- "White Christmas" (another duet with Bing Crosby that aired on the same 12/20/1957 TV special as the two above tracks)
- "Silent Night" (vocals recorded by Frank on August, 27 1991; orchestral track recorded on March 23, 2004)

"The Christmas Collection" is also the only current Sinatra holiday album that contains a majority of its tracks in stereo sound (as was the case with "The Sinatra Christmas Album"). But I personally still prefer Sinatra's 1957 holiday album that he recorded for Capitol Records ("A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra"), which was arranged by Gordon Jenkins (even though it's entirely in mono sound). Sinatra's other holiday collection that's still in print (the 1994 Sony compilation "Christmas Songs by Sinatra") contains the holiday tracks he recorded for Columbia Records during the 1940s, and it's also a good set, but still not quite on par with his 1957 holiday album.

I HAVE READ HERE SEVERAL REVIEWS . SOME OF THEM COMPLETELY DETAILED ABOUT EVERY SONG OF THIS CD, AND A FEW TOO CRITICAL.I DO NOT HAVE MANY SINATRA RECORDINGS AT HOME ,BUT I JUST WILL NEVER STOP ADMIRING THE QUALITY AND PURITY OF HIS VOICE.FOR ME THIS IS "A MUST HAVE".RARITIES LIKE SINGING AT HOME WITH HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS. AS THE TIME GOES BY,HE SINGS BETTER EVERY YEAR!

Christmas songs were not Sinatra's strength, especially as he got older. His Christmas songs with Columbia had nice moments, and several of the Captial holiday recordings are quite good, but his voice seemed to lack the warmth necessary to evoke real seasonal spirit. This recordings suffer in many cases from a "made for TV" artificiality. And he succumbed to the temptation to involve his significantly less talented children. The result is a very mixed bag. Better to stick with the earlier material, and let Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and others do the real holiday heavy lifting.

This is my favorite holliday cd that my wife and two kids like and that is a miracle.I have other holliday cds from a collection of about 50 and this one is played the most.Its very hard to get the younger generation to relate this artist,however Frank Sinatra won my 17year old teenager over..and for that iam very happy.Merry christmas everybody and God bless the Sinatra family for this masterpiece.

...but the rendition of Silent night on this album will bring tears to your eyes...Amazing masterful and a tribute to "the man"...
By far, the greatest CD in my Christmas (and Frank) Collection.