Customer Reviews

Save The Children: Christmas Carols and Festive Songs

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

 

 

A few weeks ago, I read a review of this album on Playbill.com, and I decided to try it out for myself. I was not disappointed! This CD features casts from New York, London, and Sydney singing some of the best Christmas carols. My favorite song is "When a Child is Born", which features my favorite singer - Michael Ball. Michael Crawford, Elaine Paige, and Colm Wilkinson are some other featured artists on this album. This is a wonderful album to add to your Christmas collection!

Powerful voices telling powerful stories. I have loved this set since it was produced and wish it was available to purchase so I could give it to friends. A nice mix of song types and arrangements. Buy it if you can find it.

I have a copy published in 1989 (not 1990 as listed above, unless it was re-issued)-- it has been, and remains to be, my absolute favorite Christmas music album. The collection contains over 30 Christmas favorites sung by late-80's Broadway stars, some as solos (including Michael Crawford) and some as ensembles, and the accompaniments are world reknowned orchestras. It was a 'sleeper', and yet everyone who has heard my copy has been absolutely mesmerized by it. If you appreciate Broadway and celebrate the Christmas season, FIND THIS CD!

This is a great CD bring together Twenty international Musical Broadway casts including Cats,Phantom of the Opera ,42nd Street, Les Miserable South pacific six symphony orchestra

What else can I say: I love this album! I managed to get a brand-new 2-cassette collection recently and I am just crazy about it. I am always on the lookout for new music to play at Christmastime, and this is definitely one of the best I've ever come across. I originally purchased this solely because of the inclusion of the solo by Michael Crawford, "Let's Pretend", but it didn't take me long to fall in love with the whole album.

Dated from 1988, the companies of some of the biggest musicals of the 80's perform Christmas carols for a holiday Save The Children benefit. The selection of songs are fantastic, the arrangement and orchestration timeless, and the quality of the talent is immeasurable. The style with which it is all put together is reminiscent of a Victorian church choir or a group of Christmas-eve carolers. There are also several solos by people like Colm Wilkinson, Elaine Paige, Sarah Brightman, and Frances Ruffelle. Every one of the vocalists put their heart and soul into making this the best possible Christmas album, and they succeed overwhelmingly.

It's a shame that this great work is out of print, but if you can find a copy, don't fail to jump on it. It's such a wonderful, cozy Christmastime treat, and I can hardly wait for December when I can listen to this without getting strange looks! If you enjoyed this album, be sure to check out Sarah Brightman's and Michael Crawford's individual Christmas albums. They include many of the songs heard on this album and are just as good.

I ordered this item and was told it would be delivered in six weeks. When I had not received it in six weeks I sent a note to Amazon. The vendor sent me a post office confirmation that the item was delivered within one week of order. The post office claimed that because weeks had passed they remembered nothing. This appears to be one of those cases where no one is really at fault but the customer loses. I guess that is a danger any time you order on line.

Wonderful collection, the solos and small ensembles are by far the best pieces on the album, but all are worth owning. Favorites are Colm Wilkinson - A Winter Boy, Michael Crawford - Let's Pretend and Frances Ruffelle -I Watch You Sleeping. When A Child is Born with Michael Ball is also wonderful. Worth the price. Truly enjoyable collection of holiday spirit.

I recently obtained a copy of this CD set. I cannot express my disappointment enough. Based upon the reviews below, these CD's are BEYOND OVER-RATED AND BEYOND OVER-TOUTED... Mind you, the carols are good - note I said "good", not "great". I have heard better from high school choirs and shopping mall choirs!

On the CD, all but three (3) selections are performed by groups or "troops" of singers - and I think when they put together the "troops" they included the backstage crew members! There is no attempt at singing in a choral style or in vocal parts (bass, baritone, tenor, alto, soprano, etc). It is as if each person were handed a sheet of words to the carol they had been selected to perform, and told to sing when they heard the music in their earphones.... Additionally, the "troops" are identified as such, i.e., The Broadway Cast of Cats, The London Cast of Phantom, etc., with no clue being given as to who is performing with each troop.... Given the audio quality of the vocal recordings (poor to dismal) of the group-sing selections, I guess this is all that is necessary.

There are three bright spots on the two CD's: 1.) Colm Wilkinson, who was appearing in a Broadway production at the time, sings a wonderfully performed solo, and 2.) Michael Ball, who was with the London Cast of Phantom at the time, sings a wonderful selection with a very nice, uncredited female soprano, (the third solo is by a gentleman- unknown to me - who, in my opinion, is NOT a SOLO singer, and should have been paid NOT to sing), and 3.) the orchestrations of most, if not all, of the songs are beyond belief! In many cases, the orchestration of the pieces are the ONLY redeeming quality and the ONLY thing that makes listening to the CD's bearable. Unfortunately, the orchestration sooooo tremendously "outshines" the vocals that one wonders why the vocal tracks were laid down over such wonderful music! These CD's truly represent a missed opportunity to have some wonderful stage talent leave a vocal gem for future generations.

If you can get a copy for under $15.00, go for it - but, remember you have been warned of the disappointment that awaits you... If you have to pay more than that to get the CD's and you just have to have a CD or two with some of your favorite Broadway stars performing Christmas music, then my recommendation would be to skip these CD's and spend your money where your ears will thank you - buy a copy of Michael Ball's Christmas CD or Linda Eder's Christmas CD or Michael Crawford's Christmas CD. Each is worth owning, and the performances are a million times better than that found on the Save the Children CD's.