Customer Reviews

Music of Christmas

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is it, folks! If you like an old-fashioned, very Christmasy-sounding album, this is the one to buy.

Tracks from this album were played everywhere when I was a kid: at parties, in stores, in commercials. It was THE sound of Christmas for me, but I had no idea what the album was. When I first heard the song samples on Amazon, I was thrilled. THIS is what I had been looking for all these years and didn't know it! When I listen to this CD I am immediately transported to the Christmases of my childhood (and isn't that often what we're really looking for in older Christmas albums?).

Why only 4 stars for the rating? Sound quality. This CD is rather thin-sounding, trebly, hissy, compressed, and lacking in clarity, presence, and dynamics. Sony/Legacy restored Percy's "Music of Christmas, Volume 2" (which was recorded the same year, 1958) and it sounds wonderful. Just imagine how wonderful this album would be if Sony would spruce up this classic. I have contacted Sony's reissue label, Legacy, several times asking them to remaster this album. Let me encourage everyone reading these reviews to do the same--they need to hear from as many of us as possible: legacyrecordings.com. Click on contact and go from there.

Also highly recommended from this period: Johnny Mathis' "Merry Christmas." Percy Faith did the arrangements on this album also, and it is my favorite vocal Christmas album of all time because it has that late 1950s early 1960s nostalgic, Christmasy sound that you just can't find in later albums.

My father and I would spend hours and hours, down the basement, in the den, listening to Percy Faith and his orchestra, The "Music of Christmas" album. Every selection is fantastic. The arragements are the best I have ever heard. It was always the first album we would pull out, at Christmas time, and the last album we would put away, after we rang in the new year. As years went by, the rest of my family ventured, one by one, down to the den to see what was keeping my father and I so occupied, at this joyous time of the year. They had the same reaction. They sat and listened as the stings and horns, of this beautiful orchestra, wrapped their hearts in the true feeling of Christmas. I can't listen to that album in the den anymore, but thanks to the miracle of re-production on CD, that wonderful feeling of Christmas is still alive, and this Perch Faith "Music of Christmas" is the first CD I pull out at Christmas time, and the last CD I put away after I ring in the new year.

Percy Faith's MUSIC OF CHRISTMAS contains familiar holiday music in traditional arrangements. Since the recording has been around for many years and has had wide radio play and is sometimes heard in department stores and elevators, people are probably familiar with some of the tracks without even realizing it. There are a few notable arrangements. "The Holy and the Ivy/Wassail Song arrangement uses a less familiar version of "The Holly and the Ivy" and the arrangement of "Deck the Halls" could almost be called "Fantasia of Deck the Halls." Each of the tracks has that certain Percy Faith sound, made famous by his rendition of the theme from "A Summer Place."

This is the perfect instant Christmas spirit recording. Usually I listen to it in early December when things begin to get busy and I need to get in the spirit. These older familiar renditions of the holiday music we all love.

I first heard Percy Faith, Music of Christmas as a child almost 40 years ago, and I've been listening to it ever since. Growing up at home, Music of Christmas became THE Christmas album. As a young man studying music, a close friend and I sat on the couch (quite closely together) one Christmas season and marvelled at the sensitive musical excellence of these instrumental arrangements. As a father for many years now, my family enjoys these carols and songs every Christmas season. It's the only music we play Christmas morning when we open our gifts--year after year after year. Not just because of its musical excellence, but because these songs really do touch the heart. Percy Faith has captured the whole Christmas experience--social, religious, family--in this music. The only CD that's better than Music of Christmas that we've ever managed to discover is Percy Faith, Music of Christmas Volume Two. Believe me, five stars is far too low a rating.

This was the first LP Christmas album I ever had, a present from my sister. I treasured it for many years, even the scratches it accumulated. It was always the first Christmas music I wanted to play every year. As I transitioned to CDs, I grieved for my old Percy Faith album. Last year I learned that I could have it again, on CD! Now I treasure my Percy Faith Christmas music again. To me, this music IS Christmas.

I love Percy Faith's "Music Of Christmas" and long for a proper remastered version. So I occasionally buy imports in the vain hope that someone overseas has done what Columbia won't do domestically. Unfortunately, this British import was clearly lifted from someone's vinyl - with a few snaps, crackles and pops - and one near-skip. Oddly enough, it may have a better dynamic range than the current American version. Go figure.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to get the genuine Sony/Columbia CD released in 1990. DO ORDER THIS ONE>>Music of Christmas It was digitized from the original 1950's Columbia master tapes, and costs a couple of bucks more. DO NOT make the mistake I did, of ordering the cheaper one, an import released in Sept 2009. DON'T ORDER THIS ONE>>Music of Christmas This cheap import was literally made from an LP copy (you can HEAR the noise from the vinyl record grooves, and about 30 seconds into track 3, Deck the Halls has a huge scratch in it!). Those cheap imports are going to be returned and I am spending the extra $2/copy to get the REAL Sony/Columbia one. I hope everyone else can learn from that mistake I made!

The rest of this review remains as I wrote it in May 2005, and applies to the BEAUTIFUL music on this disc. But get the SONY/COLUMBIA DISC with cover that's yellow with poinsettias on it: Music of Christmas

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This album is indeed the standard by which every Christmas album can be judged. I stumbled on the other reviews today during lunch hour and am amazed at how many of them capture my thoughts exactly. I too enjoyed this album with my parents 40 years ago as a young child.

The opening "Joy to the World" literally shouts with joy from the speakers. Next, "Silent Night" offers an amazingly gentle arrangement of this beautiful song. Over and over again, from one end of this album to the other, Percy Faith presents the most beautiful orchestral nuances imaginable in every single song. Listen carefully - you don't want to miss ANY of it!

There is some wonderful Christmas music out there, but if this album is not part of your collection, believe me, something is missing. It just doesn't get any better than this one.

Read the rest of the reviews and you will be amazed at how consistent this feeling is throughout them. Then GET THIS ALBUM, sit down with a tissue or two, listen carefully, and marvel at the arrangements - as Percy Faith conveys in music the wonder of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of mankind.

Well, it would still be Christmas but it wouldn't be the same. For those who grew up with the original album the songs are all present in their original order. There are two additional songs, track 13 - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen & track 14 - Adeste Fideles. Some posters have complained that the sound quality is not what it should be. I guess I didn't notice the quality as much since my old album was full of pops and hisses. The cd, even with limited cleaning, is an improvment to my old album.

All the songs are beautifully arranged. While many people consider instrumental recordings background music or "elevator" music and play them at a soft setting I would suggest playing the cd at a louder setting. The orchestral attention to detail is impressive. Track 6 - Hark The Herald Angels Sing, for example, is so well done that the listener can practically identify every instrument that is played. Another plus for insturmental recordings is the ability of the listener to sing along with the orchestra. In my case I sing by myself as I'm sure nobody else would want to hear me destroy these Percy Faith recordings.

Lastly, for those people that actually have the original album they may be disappointed with the cover art work. The original album had an artists painting of Percy Faith, in a Santa outfit, holding a little sleeping girl in his arms. She appears to have drifted into a pleasant sleep while listening to the Percy Faith Orchestra. It is really an excellent cover. The new cd cover has a still life photo of Christmas poinsettia. While not a bad cover, in my opinion, it does not convey the same warm Christmas feeling that the original cover did.

Growing up, my parents didn't have a lot of money so our Christmas music was recorded live from the radio onto a Wallensack Reel-to-Reel tape. The collection of music came to become our "Holiday Soundtrack". It was schmalzty and amateurish sounding because my dad would cut off in the middle of one song and in the middle of another... Some of the sound quality was really poor but by gosh we loved that Christmas tape and I have spent the better part of the last 25 years trying to find the original recordings.

My first major breakthrough was Fred Waring's 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. That was probably our favorite song of all time.

However, the Christmas tape started out with the most beautiful rendition of Silent Night that I described as "whooo Silent night" and I couldn't find it anywhere. It wasn't Eugene Ormandy, it wasn't the Morman Tabernacle Choir... none of them were the same...

Tonight I found it and upon listening to all of the excerpts for this album, many of the songs are the truly unique arrangements that I have never found anywhere else and which make up the Christmas Soundtrack for my youth. I'm like a little kid again.

This is nearly a completely instrumental album filled with very sentimental renditions in the style of the late 50s and early 60s. It is not really "classical" as much as a bit more "easy listening" type of of music. So if you are looking for true classical full symphonic recordings, this may not be your thing. However, if you like a bit of schmaltz to your Christmas music and you grew up in the 50s/60s, chances are good that you will recognize many of these arrangements. Just a gem of an album that you won't find any place else...

Now if I can only find a good organ rendition of Star of the East, my quest will nearly be complete!

Percy Faith's classic "Music Of Christmas" album has been a part of my family's holiday cheer since before I was born. The CD sounds pretty good overall, except for some hiss in quieter sections. The opening bars of "It Came Upon The Midnight Clear" have some hiss. Also, the snare drums in "Good King Wenceslas" sound more muffled than they did on the vinyl edition - probably in an effort to reduce hiss on the CD.

"Joy To The World" definitely begins this collection in a joyous spirit, although it sounds like the first note is slightly cut off. Some of the trumpets on this CD need to be softened slightly with equalization. I won't take away points, though, because I love this album too much. In fact, it's impossible for me to pick a favorite song from this collection.

"Music Of Christmas" was issued on CD in the 1980's. As good as it sounds, it would still benefit by new remastering, since digital technology has advanced so much since this album was first issued on CD. When this album was released in the 1950's, its liner notes indicated it was "one of the few" Christmas albums without words. This one doesn't need words. You'll find yourself singing along. "Music Of Christmas" has been a holiday classic for nearly 50 years. It continues to delight listeners today.