Customer Reviews

Once Upon a Christmas

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Folks, before wasting your money thinking you are buying the CD version of this album hoping to retire your worn out vinyl copy, then think again. Although the cover of the CD is the same as the record, it actually has little else in common. First, what's happened to Kenny's solo songs? Where are they? And furthermore, why did they put Dolly's "Hard Candy Christmas" on here when it wasn't even part of the original release? I don't understand this concept of "remaking" old albums and re-issuing them on CD. I feel this is deliberate deception on the part of RCA/BMG to make you think you are getting the CD version, when in fact what you are really getting is a watered down and butchered copy of the ORIGINAL "Once Upon A Christmas" that was released in 1984 and went on to become one of the biggest holiday albums of the 80's. So what's going on then? This is precisely the reason I've still got my old vinyl copy of this album, as tired and wore out as it may be! Sorry RCA, but you didn't pull the wool over my eyes. Folks, here is the original track listing for this album, as released in 1984:

1. I Believe In Santa Claus (Kenny & Dolly)
2. Winter Wonderland/Sleigh Ride Medley (Dolly)
3. Christmas Without You (Kenny & Dolly)
4. The Christmas Song (Kenny)
5. A Christmas to Remember (Kenny & Dolly)
6. With Bells On (Kenny & Dolly)
7. Silent Night (Kenny)
8. The Greatest Gift Of All (Kenny & Dolly)
9. White Christmas (Dolly)
10 Once Upon A Christmas. (Kenny & Dolly)

Now, also ask yourselves why this special was never released on home video, inspite of it being one of the highest rated Christmas specials in the history of CBS? Maybe I'm just complaining here, but I'm sick and tired of deceptive and sly business practices on the part of the music industry, and until such time as it cleans up its act, I'll continue to treasure my old LP records and cassettes.

My family owned the original vinal LP and it became an integral part of our Christmas celebration. Then, after years of listening and our change to CD's we were left to create newer Christmas traditions. I'm over joyed to finally have this album has re-issied on CD so I can now add it my own Christmas festivities! I am baffled however (as other reviewers are), over the changed track listing. I love the added song "Hard Candy Christmas" sung by Dolly and am glad it was added, but why did it have to displace Kenny Rodgers' beautiful "Silent Night" and "The Christmas Song"?

Who knows if we'll ever get to hear the full album on CD, so don't let this mistep cheat you out of the warmest and cheeriest Christmas CD ever! Dollys and Kennys voices meld together sublimly especially on "Christmas Without You". Dolly's "Winter Wonderland/Sleigh Ride" is near perfection and is so popular that it can be heard on many other compiliations. From the romantisism of "The Greatest Gift of All", to the holy "Once Upon A Christmas" and the hoe-down feel of "I Believe in Santa Claus", this CD covers all the bases and does it with warmth, heart and spirit. A real treasure.

Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton's, "Once Upon a Christmas", is truely, as the title of one song suggests, The Greatest Gift of All. This CD has brought joy to me and my family for several years now. Rogers and Parton uplift your spirit drawing your attention to every word and emotion in each song. With some traditional songs such as Silent Night and White Christmas to more recent titles like Christmas Without You and Once Upon a Christmas, this CD is sure to suit everyone's craving for holiday joy. Clearly the best Christmas CD available and a must buy. Buy it and you'll have, as yet another song suggests, A Christmas To Remember.

I was so excited to find "Once Upon a Christmas" as a CD because somehow I let the my cassette version get away from me. One of my favorite tracks on the album is the solo of Kenny Rogers singing "Silent Night", which is one of the tracks listed on the CD online, for a total of ten tracks. When I got the album though, there are only nine tracks and "Silent Night" is not one of them. And I don't remember track #7, "Hard Candy Christmas" at all. Regardless, there should be a picture of Kenny and Dolly in the dictionary next to the word "duet". They blend PERFECTLY together! It's not exactly like my original cassette, but it's definately a keeper!

This is just a wonderful piece of work! Kenny and Dolly just have a great chemistry in this CD! The songs will just make you feel GREAT! We put this CD in every year and it just gets better and better! I highly recommend it to everyone! P.S. It's no surprise why it's sold more than 2,000,000 copies!

Am I right or wrong that this album/CD (Kenny/Dolly Once Upon a Christmas) was based on a TV special of Kenny & Dolly??? I vaguely remember it, but I can't find it anywhere on VHS or DVD anywhere... Can somebody help me out on this question... Thanks to all & Happy Holidays 2005...

I was very pleased to find this on CD. I could only find it on Amazon(after searching for hours at retail stores). This CD is one that captures the Christmas spirit and just makes me want to smile, it was always a Christmas tradition in my house, except we listened to the record! Once Upon a Christmas is the most moving holiday song I have ever. . .experienced. I read that it also includes Hard Candy Christmas(from Best Little Whorehouse in Texas). If that is true then the album excludes Silent Night, but it is almost worth it as Hard Candy is an excellent Dolly song.I think anyone, young and old, even those who dont appreciate country, who hears this CD will love it and immediately begin to feel full of holiday spirit. Watch for the TV special!

I agree with the review below. This is not at all like the LP version. I returned mine but still had to pay for the shipping. Oh well, I guess I'll have to keep listening to my old scratchy record.

When I first bought this album on Vinyl LP I thought that it was the best Christmas album that I'd ever heard!!However,having decided that I would like a copy of this on CD,I discover that the track listing has been altered.Missing are the two solo tracks by Kenny Rogers-"Silent Night" & "The Christmas Song".Inserted in their place is an extra solo track by Dolly Parton not featured on the original 1984 release of this album-"Hard Candy Christmas"!I don't know if this has anything to do with a disagreement over royalties paid to these two artists regarding the CD release of this album but the two missing tracks really spoilt the pleasure I could have had by hearing this album in it's entirety on CD....

First of all, I loved this album.

It is one of the greatest Christmas albums ever cut featuring some holiday standards, and some great original songs written by Dolly.

But the album in its last two printings (RCA Records printing from a few years ago, and a new BMG Special Markets printing for 2002) is NOT the original album. As most of you know, the Kenny Rogers solo songs "The Christmas Song" and "Silent Night" have been cut from the album, and Dolly's song "Hard Candy Christmas" (which was never on the original "Once Upon A Christmas" album) is included. This makes for a 9 song CD, despite the original being a 10 song disc.

This is why I give the album 3 stars. It's still a good disc, but without Kenny's solos, it's really missing the original value. Kenny's voice was at its finest in 1984, and his versions of these songs are exceptional.

"Why did RCA do this?", many of you ask.

When Kenny Rogers signed to RCA Records in 1983, he signed for twenty million dollars for six albums. That was the largest amount of money for a record contract in history up to that time. Bob Summer was the head of RCA then.

Not long after Summer signed Kenny, Summer was fired from RCA. The new head of RCA decided that he could not let Kenny be successful. It would make RCA look bad for firing Summer if Kenny was a huge success, especially since Kenny was signed to the label for such a huge amount of money.

From that point on, Kenny got little support from RCA. Think about it...to this day "Islands In The Stream" is not in print on RCA Records (maybe on a Dolly record, but not a Kenny record.) Neither are any of the other RCA hits Kenny had. You can get them on compilations from other labels (Reprise, Madacy, etc.), but only because Kenny Rogers owns all his master recordings from his RCA years and on. Kenny can license out his RCA tracks to other labels.

RCA Records itself has nothing in print of Kenny's except the "Once Upon A Christmas" album. By cutting his solo tracks, RCA actually has nothing of Kenny's in print. The only reason RCA allows the duets with Dolly to be in print is because "Once Upon A Christmas" still sells so well.

So, RCA cheapened the album and cheats the fans of the original album and Kenny solos. Nice job.

Kenny almost signed with Columbia in 1983. I bet if he did, Sony Music would have this album out in its full version.

Too bad.