Customer Reviews

Here We Come A-Caroling

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought the other two christmas cds of Ray Connif a few years ago and it never failed to bring back fun and nostalgic memories of my childhood during the Christmas season. I was surfing the internet to look for new Christmas Cds when I accidentally came across this one. I was surprised to know that there is still another christmas album that was released earlier in the 50's by ray connif. After listening to the music samplers at amazon, I immediately ordered a copy of it, for i couldn't wait to have one in order to complete my Ray Connif Christmas Album Collection. Now that my collection is complete,i couldn't ask for more. Ray and his choir were great and the sound of the CD is excellent.

Ray Conniff's "Here We Come A-Caroling" is a 1965 holiday offering from the is in the mold of the rest of their Christmas albums, including his most successful, the 1962 "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." That means familiar songs done in peppy choral arrangement. It might be true that the Ray Conniff singers were muzak before muzak was muzak, but I have to plead guilty to this sound being the one I most associate with Christmas. This album even had a minor hit when "The Real Meaning Of Christmas" made it to #19 on the Billboard Pop chart that year. Nobody is more intent on spreading the Christmas cheer than the Ray Conniff Singers, although this time they do it with mostly traditional religious carols like "Silent Night," "Away in the Manger," "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," and "O Little Town of Bethlehem," the last of which particularly shows the Conniff approach to such songs. The only complaint is that compared to their other albums this one has a shorter playing time, but that is a minor complaint if you like this particularly resisliant type of holiday musical cheer.

I have a large collection of Christmas Music and many are on CDs. I have been converting them to digital for easy listening during the Holiday Season. This Lable is a classic for any collector and will be a wonderful addition to your library. Any person who has any of the Ray Conniff records or tapes in the past will want to have this for their Christmas Collection.

Classic Christmas music with Ray Conniff's funky, upbeat tempos. A pleasure to listen to from start to finish. "Joy to the World" is fantastic. This album and Ray Conniff's "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" are two of my favorite Christmas albums.

Definately an excellent "throwback" Christmas CD to a time when the music was good and you could understand the words.

My parents used to play the Ray Conniff records when I was a kid. The Christmas music was especially good. In a time when good choral music sung in harmony is a thing of the past, this CD is so great to hear again. Other than the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, this may be the best sounding Christmas music sung by a chorus. Great arrangements that the whole family can listen to.

I love the nostalgia this cd brought back. It was shipped to me quickly and in perfect shape and I enjoyed it thoughout the holiday season.

This was such a wonderful album- from the very first song, it puts you right in the Christmas mood! Very cheery and festive, it's perfect for cold days and twinkly Christmas tree lights. All the songs are beautifully harmonized, and great to sing-along to. The album contains some songs you don't really hear at Christmas anymore- Here We Come A-Caroling, Go Tell it on the Mountain, O Tannenbaum- was thrilled to hear their version of it. Excellent album- I could kick myself for not getting this before- very highly recommended!

Loved having the opportunity to hear Christmas songs from long ago. Shipment arrived quickly and enjoyed during the Holidays!

Over the years, Ray Conniff has acquired an entirely undeserved reputation for throttling the living daylights out of popular music on the many lps he recorded with his orchestra and singers. While Conniff's arrangements could, at times, sacrifice intent for rhythm, they were never trivial or boorish. Conniff recorded three Christmas themed albums for Columbia between 1959 and 1965, the best of which is, I think, this splendid 1965 recording. Conniff and his singers do a creditable job of maintaining the feel of the classic carols on this record, which include the spiritual Go tell it to the mountain and the lovely Away in a manger. Conniff's unusual arrangements for God rest ye merry gentlemen and Joy to the world are firmly rooted in 60s pop sensibilities, yet sound fresh and appealing over forty years later.I get the sense that Ray Conniff had a special place in his heart for Christmas music; you can hear that affinity on all of his Christmas lps and, especially on this very wonderful album.