Customer Reviews

Ray Conniff - We Wish You A Merry Christmas (6 Medley songs)

5 star:		(87)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ray Conniff and the Conniff singers always remind me of Christmas, probably since I cannot remember a Christmas without hearing the Conniff singers version of famous Christmas carols. Growing up, my parents listened to this album, along with HERE WE COME A CAROLING. My siblings and I used to make fun of it, but I secretly enjoyed it since I have purchased the LP, then the cassette, and finally the CD. I usually listen to it when I need to get in the Christmas mood. The CD contains the snippy renditions of popular Christmas carols that is part of the Ray Conniff style. It also has an original song "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" and an interesting rendition of the Carol of the Bells. Though it is a mid-priced compact disk, it has full price joy and no doubt, will connect with memories of Christmases past and Christmases yet to come.

Ray Conniff's "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" holds so many precious memories for my family and me. We first got the album Christmas of 1965. I had just turned 10. It was not until I heard this album did I fully appreciate Christmas Carols. Ray Conniff has a wonderful gift for touching the harts of both young and old, for my grandparents enjoyed Conniff's Christmas music as well. My father often said that that so much of Christmas is Conniff's Christmas music. In those days we had a "mono" phonograph". By the time we got a stereo, the album was not available. For over 20 years I have been searching for this album. With the advent of CD's, I was hopeful that I would find it reproduced on CD. In Canada, this CD or any Christmas CD by Conniff is not available. So I checked Amazon.com. Lo and behol, there is was. The delivery was prompt, and I am listening to it as I write this. Again, a huge thank you, Amazon!! P.S. I ordered 2--one for Dad for Christmas and one for me!

I was thrilled to find this on cd, the vinyl album I'd had for many years is all scratched & the few cassette versions I had tucked away were always gone whenever I went to get them out for holiday listening (someone in my family 'borrowed' them). In my opinion, this yuletide collection ranks right up there with the Sing Along With Mitch cd! Both bring back memories of fun & laughter during the entire month of December. This is a must-have cd to add to your Christmas music collection. Very highly recommended.

This is a true classic and a beautiful one. You just can't beat Ray Conniff and his singers for joyful, rich Christmas music. The spirit of these performances are magical and endearing. The upbeat numbers are Christmas cheer to the highest degree and the sacred songs are done so beautifully. The singers do an outstanding and haunting job. The final medley containing "The First Noel" is just gorgeous and really showcases the beauty of their voices. Conniff's version of "The Little Drummer Boy" continues to be the greatest one I've ever heard.

When I hear this album it takes me back to the Christmases of my childhood. I can see the beautifully decorated doors and windows covered in shiny paper and bows, and the strings of large Christmas bulbs with their warm, colorful glow illuminating the winter night. Make some memories with Ray Conniff's music and add this superb Christmas CD to your collection. It's guaranteed to be a favorite.

This is one of those albums that epitomizes the contemporary Christmas spirit. My mother bought this when it first came out (with me as a tiny tot) back in the 60's. Now my wife and children are enjoying it every bit as much here in the 21st century. Ray Conniff put together such a diverse collection of Christmas music that it's sure to please everyone. From the 15th century's religious 'The First Noel' to the more modern 'Little Drummer Boy' to the rollicking, always fun 'Deck The Halls,' this CD covers it all! My personal favorite on this collection is 'Ring Christmas Bells,' a take of 'Carol of the Bells.' The way the male and female singers play off each other (and the typical '60's stereo separation of men and women's voices), along with the full, Phil Spector-like orchestration gives this CD a rich sound. Above all, it just SOUNDS like Christmas! There really is not a bad cut on the album. If you have read my reviews of other Christmas music, you know that I am a big fan of traditional Christmas music done in a traditional way. So why such a rave review on a contemporary album? You gotta have SOMETHING to sing along with. This is great for family get togethers, party's, decorating the tree, whatever you feel an upbeat Christmas album is suited for. For a lively collection of Christmas music, with a lot of variety, this album cannot be beat!

Around our house Christmas means lots of holiday cookies, egg nog and the seasonal music of Ray Conniff. I have a mint condition copy of the original vinyl LP I've had for twenty years and along with his other Christmas albums it makes a perfect holiday cassette. Just like Christmas with Conniff, We Wish You a Merry Christmas is heavy on secular music and light on the religious music. The biggest difference is that this time out Conniff relied more on medleys than individual songs to marvelous effect.

Conniff began his career in the late Thirties performing with various big bands (including the likes of Harry James and Artie Shaw). His biggest commercial success was the pop Top Ten "Somewhere, My Love" (from the film Dr. Zhivago) in 1966. But for most Baby Boomers he's probably best known for his wonderful Christmas albums. There's nothing trendy about this music, which accounts for the timeless quality. I grew up listening to my dad play this music, and now my kids are listening to it. (I suspect my grandkids will too.) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I can remember listening to all the Conniff Christmas albums back in the 60's with my parents. I can even recall a Ray Conniff Christmas T.V. special that I watched, which featured Christmas music from all 3 of his albums. As I grew older, I never lost my love of these treasured albums and fantastic arrangements. As I pursued a career in music, I came to appreciate how brilliant Mr. Conniff was with so many of his arrangements (and not just the Christmas material!) I even replaced the old record albums with new albums as time went on since the old records wore out. Now I own these same wonderful albums on CD, and as always, are a staple of my music selection during the month of December. These albums were true classics when they were first released, and have proved to be timeless and ageless, as proven by how great the arrangements sound today. If you are looking for a wonderful addition to your holiday music collection, you cannot go wrong with any one of the Christmas albums by Ray Conniff. In fact, do yourself and your family a favor and get all three. I promise that you won't regret it, and I also promise that they will become annual favorites come each December.

This was the album my parents played when I was a kid, and I am so happy to find it available on CD. If you're in your 40s, and you want to experience the magic of Christmas, like it was when you were a kid, this is THE album for you!

This album will have you in the Christmas spirit right away!! I start playing this album in November before Thanksgiving!!! It puts me in mind to those wonderful Christmas Specials I would watch as a child like Lawrence Welk, Perry Como and of course Andy Williams.

Ray Conniff knew orchestration like few others. His chorale, the Ray Conniff singers have a wonderful blend of harmony and put you in such a great mood when you listen to them. Every single song is wonderful and the medley format definitely works here. One of my favorite songs is their rendition of "O Holy Night", especially when the chimes have a solo. Ah, It's Christmas time again as you remembered it as a child.

Decorate the tree, wrap gifts or have a Christmas party with this recording-It's a gem from start to finish!!!!

Let's face it folks, Ray Conniff was one of the most talented bandleaders around. This marvelous album shows it. After several best selling albums, including his first Christmas album ("Christmas with Conniff"), Ray decided to record another Christmas album. The result - "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". The album opens with an upbeat "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" and then slowly makes its way into "The Little Drummer Boy". Then Conniff lets the great religious feeling fly with his next two songs in a medley of "O Holy Night/We Three Kings of Orient Are/Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly". The last song shows how the singers and Conniff feel at this time of year. After they decorate and light up the tree, they move into the beautiful "Ring Christmas Bells", one of the true highlights of this album and one of the few songs outside of a medley. Then we go onto the Cahn/Styne classic of "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"/Count Your Blessings/We Wish You a Merry Christmas, another stirring medley. Of course we have "The Twelve Days of Christmas" in there. Now we've come to the last medley. The medley Conniff himself called "A masterpiece of performance by the singers" with "The First Noel/Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/O Come, All Ye Faithful/(and an encore of) We Wish You a Merry Christmas".

I said it before and I'll say it again, this is the best Christmas album I've ever heard!