The Little Drummer Boy

Adolphe Adam (Composer), Katherine K. Davis (Composer), Christmas Traditional (Composer), Harry Simeone Chorale (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Harry Simeone Chorale
• Composer: Adolphe Adam, Katherine K. Davis, Christmas Traditional
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Island / Mercury
• ASIN: B000001F93
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,679 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: SIMEONE,HARRY CHORALE
Title: LITTLE DRUMMER BOY
Street Release Date: 09/17/1997
Domestic
Genre: XMAS VOCAL

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is the classic version., October 7, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Little Drummer Boy (Audio CD)

I haven't been able to find this CD reissue anywhere other than amazon.com. It is the classic 1959 "Sing We Now of Christmas" album, which was repackaged with new art work and retitled "The Little Drummer Boy" in 1963 on 20th Century Fox Records. The album was reissued by budget Mistletoe Records in the early 1970's and remained in print up until the 1980's. The Harry Simeone Chorale released other albums titled "The Little Drummer Boy," but they were nowhere near as good as this one. Anybody who bought this as an LP in the 1960's can now have the music preserved on this CD. And everytime I hear it, it brings back a floodtide of memories of different Christmases when this was played. I would give this a 5 star rating but the packaging is terrible. It is colorless and cheerless, a line drawing of a boy playing a drum, and drab coloring and printing. The CD disc itself indicates the "Harry Simeone Choral," not "Chorale", a careless error. Until the CD is rereleased with improved packaging duplicating the original "Little Drummer Boy" artwork (or even the lesser "Sing We Now of Christmas" artwork), and the printed lyrics of the original packaging, part of the enjoyment of listening to the CD will be missing for me. It would be nice to see a picture of Harry Simeone (has anyone ever seen one?) and have some liner notes about the recording of the album, recording dates, persons in the Chorale, etc. And it's not complete something you can hold in your hands and not need a magnifying glass to see or read, and look at as you enjoy the music. It's rare when CD packaging can duplicate that experience

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finest Christmas Choral Group Record Ever, December 15, 1999

By 

Anthony G Pizza "trivialtony" (FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Little Drummer Boy (Audio CD)

It is sad that this classic traditional Christmas album is harder and harder to find each year. It is on a label rarely-used anymore (Casablanca, originally 20th Century Fox,) features no liner notes or lyrics for sing-a-long caroling. (The cheapo Mistletoe reissue of this album does, however.) No matter; this album remains one of the most reverent, well-sung Christmas programs ever, taking in traditional carols and spirituals (from the hit title song to the beautiful "O Holy Night" and a "Go Tell It On The Mountain" that swings!) and weaving them into a near-operatic retelling of the Christmas story. The carolers who come to your door (if they still do) should sound half this good. Where you can find this CD, buy it.

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Little Drummer Boy ~ Harry Simeone Chorale, November 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Little Drummer Boy (Audio CD)

We grew up with this on vinyl and listened to it so often we would even hiccup where the record skipped. This recording defined the mood of joy and reverence in our home, filling in the traditional and liturgical gaps left by the many popular "Rudolph"-type albums. The subtle symphonic accompaniment emphasizes the sweeping range of voices in the chorale, but there's certainly no lack of grandeur in the horns or sweetness in the harp and oboe. The arrangements and medleys are so well put together that hearing a single carol on another recording will have you anticipating the next song. The spirituals are intense and full of emotion, as are the spoken transition pieces between medleys. I'm not an expert on recording quality, but I believe the CD to retain the same warmth and depth as 1960-something album. There are newer versions of this album, but the selections are a bit different; some of the lyrics in the original songs have been changed; and the accompanying music is anemic and poorly recorded. Stick with this original, and you're guaranteed satisfying, meaningful, and somewhat nostalgic Christmas music that even your boy band-listening kids will love!