Merry Christmas [Original recording remastered]

Andy Williams | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 24, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0002S94LG
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #43,490 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Andy Williams, Merry Christmas

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars God bless you, Andy Williams!, July 10, 2005

By 

CAM (South Windsor, CT USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Merry Christmas (Audio CD)

At Christmas I played this vinyl LP in the dining room of my family home over and over again. This is my favorite album of all time. My favorite song is the haunting "My Favorite Things" from the Sound of Music--what a treasure! No one does the Christmas carols/songs like Andy Williams. Christmas would not be the same without him. His high baritone voice brings all these songs to life and adds a special warmth to the holidays. So many memories were rekindled when these updated versions were released. All you have to add are snowflakes. God bless you Andy Wiliams and Merry Christmas to all!

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest Christmas Album Ever to Grace The Ear of Mankin, December 8, 2004

By 

J.R. Samataro "Joshua" (Salem, NH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Merry Christmas (Audio CD)

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe help to
make the season bright, but the thing that makes my
season bright is arguably the greatest compilation of
holiday music to ever grace the human ear.

It is The Andy Williams Christmas Album. It's the
most wonderful music for the most wonderful time of
the year. Hands-down. No questions asked.

What makes this collection of festive melodic
delights so special? Where do I start? Perhaps the
most logical point would be with the man himself, Andy
Williams.

Williams' voice is dripping with holiday spirit on
this album, and that by Jove that spirit is
contagious. If Santa Claus was to hire a lounge
singer, it would without a doubt be Williams. His
rendition of "O Holy Night" is honestly spectacular.
After 16 Christmases, I still get the chills hearing
it. When Williams hits the highs on the word "divine",
I feel as though I have heard the voice of an angel,
who is coincidentally singing "O Holy Night" while
giving me a back rub.

The album came to life 40 years ago as the lovechild
of Williams, Producer Robert Mersey, and Columbia
Records. The music has been a mainstay come Christmas
time in my family, and as a young lad I quickly
learned to appreciate the man behind what came to be
known as the Samataro Soundtrack of Christmas.

Let us delve into the splendor of the recording. The
release itself is a perfect balance of fun and upbeat
ditties like "Happy Holiday/ The Holiday Season" ,
sacred Christmas hymns such as "Away in a Manger",
tender treasures including "The Christmas Song
(Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)", and even a few
tunes with a Williams spin on them. "The Twelve Days
of Christmas" have transformed into "A Song and a
Christmas Tree", an updated (well, circa 1963, anyway)
version of the holiday gem, highlighting, for
instance, "two candy canes" in place of "two turtle
doves".

Nary a December has the voice of Williams been absent
from the house I call home. It is worth noting that
the year I lost the Andy Williams cassette tape
Decemeber became one of the worst months of my entire
life. It's just not the same without Andy. He becomes
a part of you, an annual twelfth-month tradition that
when not celebrated leaves a void the size of
post-Christmas dinner Anna Nicole-Smith in your life.
Simply astonishing.

I consider myself a case-study. For as long as I can
remember, I have listened to The Christmas Album each
December. And every December, heartwarming television
specials try to remind me of their true meanings of
Christmas, haberdashery that includes such quotables
as "it is better to give than to receive", and "make
this holiday picture-perfect, digital camera only
$59.99 (only at Macy's)!". No, friends, none of these
adages have taught me anything. Only one man has done
that.

Andy Williams has made me realize the true meaning of
Christmas. The evidence is incontrovertible. The
meaning of Christmas lies in festivity, tradition, and
12 glorious selections of music that seem to have been
written by God Himself. No, friends, the bestowment of
The Andy Williams Christmas Album is no act of
God---but it is a miracle. Miraculous, because in
essence, it is the perhaps greatest compilation of
music ever to grace the human ear. And that's just not
the egg nog talking.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the Best, Ever....Merry Christmas!! : ), December 8, 2006

By 

Katherine Du Maurier - See all my reviews

This review is from: Merry Christmas (Audio CD)

Not only is Andy Williams "Merry Christmas" album my favorite of all time in sheer nostalgia value,, it's also simply the best Christmas music ever made, in my humble opinion.

On a nostalgia scale, it is off the charts. My very first Christmas memory ever as a wee tyke was listening to this album while decorating the Christmas tree with my big brother and sister. I was about 3 years old. Every year we would get this out at Christmastime, and as a child my heart would beat with excitement almost beyond bearing, because it meant one thing: CHRISTMAS WAS HERE!!!

Today, when I get out this CD and share it with my own 3 kids -- I can see the same joy in their eyes. When the first strains of "Jing-a-ling, jing-jing-aling....just hear those sleigh bells ringin'..." ring out for the first time each season, I get a lump in my throat. Partially from sweet family memories (and new ones in the making), partially from the sheer Christmas cheer it brings.

I think I read once that Europeans refer to Williams as the "Emperor of Smooth", and that is quite an apt description. His smooth, gorgeous voice brings a powerful emotion to every Christmas song, joyous or deeply spiritual; his happiness is clearly evident with each verse he sings -- it is simply heart-warming to hear.

Well, I could go on and on....but I have certainly made my point. If I could recommend only one Christmas album, or if I had to contain myself to only one for the rest of my life (you see, I adore Christmas music!), it would be without a doubt Andy Williams "Merry Christmas". Over 30 years of listening, and I have never, ever gotten tired of it. It is timeless.....