Customer Reviews

The Sinatra Christmas Album

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This release is worth five stars without a doubt. I have all of Sinatra's Christmas releases but this one is the best. This compilation contains Christmas standards and "newer" tunes (for their time). Although I normally don't review each song, this album is worth the effort

1. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - This is a warm, Christmas classic done in a traditional fashion as only Sinatra can do.

2. Old Fashioned Christmas - This song makes you long for Christmas in less complicated times. Beautiful song!

3. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day - Another Christmas standard done as only Sinatra can do them.

4. Little Drummer Boy - This song is a pure delight. This song is perhaps the most reverant Sinatra ever sounded.

5. Go Tell It On The Mountain - Sintra and Bing Crosby do an excellent version of this gospel / Christmas classic. This is pure fun, and the listener can tell that Sintra and Bing are having a ball with this one.

6. We Wish You The Merriest - Another Sinatra and Bing delight. This one really gets the listener in the Christmas mood.

7. Whatever Happened To Christmas - This is one of my all-time favorite Sinatra songs. Although it is somewhat out of place following such a festive song as "We wish you the merriest," this is a very well crafted and well delievered song. It reminds me of the "Let Me Try Again" album.

8. Twelve Days Of Christmas - This is a family sing-along of a classic song with re-written lyrics. With its 1960s feel it's fun and gets the listener in the Christmas spirit.

9. Bells Of Christmas (Greensleeves)- Any song set to Greensleeves is a great song in my book. This is another Sinatra family sing-along, with Frank Jr. doing a wonderful job sounding very much like his father. A very beautiful and haunting Christmas classic.

10. I Wouldn't Trade Christmas - More 1960s era fun with the Sinatra family.

11. Christmas Waltz - A remake of the Sinatra classic. This version is every bit as good as the original, if not better. 12. Baby Just Like You - A very reflective song which lets you peek behind the image and see the man himself. I love this song with it's honesty and openness. Not a Christmas standard or classic, but a very worthy addition to this compilation.

13. Christmas Memories - Another reflective song that the forces the listener to reflect. Wonderful delivery. A very nice well to conclude this album.

This is a wonderful album to build Christmas memories around. This is my second all-around Christmas album, second only to Elvis' Wonderful World of Christmas.

the Sinatra Christmas album recorded in the 60's and in the 70's is a so-so effort. The quality is excellant as the album has been digitally remasterd. Tracks 1 through 6 are Frank at his finest but after that the album takes an unfortunate turn. Isolating tracks 1 thru 6 we get Sinatra doing a wonderful job on Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Old Fashioned Christmas and an absolute one-of-a-kind job on I heard the Bells on Christmas Day....as far as I am concerned there have been no other versions of this song that even come close to matching it (although Bing's version is very close). Speaking of Bing Crosby, Frank and he are incredible on Go Tell it on the Mountain, and we Wish You the merriest Christmas. It is obvious they are having fun and it comes through in their two numbers.After track 6 the album is all over the place, is takes an unfortunate turn for the worse, a personal touch on the 12 days of Christmas just doesn't make the grade. Sinatra fans should get this album for the first 6 tracks, they are quite comparable to his other two Christmas album offering, but somewhere after track 6, the album loses it's direction. If you are chosing just one Frank album make it the jolly christmas from Frank it's the best of all his X-mas recordings.

Frank Sinatra never recorded an entire Christmas album for Reprise Records, but this CD compiles all the Christmas songs he recorded for that record label. Songs are taken from an album he recorded with Bing Crosby and Fred Waring, an album he recorded with his three kids, and a handful of singles. Most of the material is good, but there are a few weak songs here, especially among the ones he recorded with his children. Still, it's very complete, and well worth getting if you're a Sinatra fan.

This collection of seasonal songs by Sinatra brings together miscellaneous material from the Reprise years, 1962-1975. It's a nice complement to, but no substitute for, his earlier holiday offerings on Columbia and Capitol ("A Jolly Christmas" is not only Old Blue's best but possibly as good a Christmas album as anyone has ever recorded). If there's any dissatisfaction with "The Sinatra Christmas Album," it's that no one has seen fit to reissue in CD format the original Reprise LP from which several of the songs were collected: "12 Songs of Christmas Sung Together by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians." Perhaps the title is too long, or the music is deemed excessively sentimental by today's standards. A pity, because the album is not only of a whole but a rich and moving experience.

I'm a huge sinatra fan and expected the capitol sinatra album
to be a swingin' affair. I've grown to appreciate it over the
years but it doesn't come close to the Reprise Sinatra Christmas
Album. Album covers a period from the early 60's through the
mid 70's. What I like about this collection:
1. It's in chronological order
2. Great arrangements (sorely lacking on the capitol album)
3. Great choice of songs with a nice mix of the secular and
sacred.
4. Hard to find stuff like Christmas memories and a baby just
like you.
Skip tracks 8-10 and you've got a perfect sinatra christmas collection.

If you're looking for a Frank Sinatra holiday music collection post 1960, then this album was the only way to go, until 2004 that is. This album has since been superceded by the 2004 Reprise set "The Christmas Collection". "The Christmas Collection" has all thirteen tracks that the "The Sinatra Christmas Album" contained (albeit fully remastered), plus an additional five tracks (four of which were previously unreleased):

- "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" (recorded on December 21, 1960 and taken from the 1961 Reprise album "Ring-A-Ding Ding!")
- "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" (a recording taken from the Sinatra TV special "Happy Holidays with Bing & Frank" that aired on December 20, 1957)
- "The Christmas Song" (a duet with Bing Crosby that aired on the same 12/20/1957 TV special as the above track)
- "White Christmas" (another duet with Bing Crosby that aired on the same 12/20/1957 TV special as the two above tracks)
- "Silent Night" (vocals recorded by Frank on August, 27 1991; orchestral track recorded on March 23, 2004)

If you're looking for a Frank Sinatra holiday album that contains a majority of the tracks in stereo sound, then get "The Christmas Collection" (or a used copy of "The Sinatra Christmas Album" if you can find one). But I personally still prefer Sinatra's 1957 holiday album that he recorded for Capitol Records ("A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra"), which was arranged by Gordon Jenkins (even though it's entirely in mono sound). Sinatra's other holiday collection that's still in print (the 1994 Sony compilation "Christmas Songs by Sinatra") contains the holiday tracks he recorded for Columbia Records during the 1940s, and it's also a good set, but still not quite on par with his 1957 Capitol Records holiday album.

I did especially enjoy the added depth to the recordings provided by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians on cuts 2-6 and the Jimmy Joyce Singers on cuts 7-11.

Bing's appearance on "Go Tell It On The Mountain" and "We Wish You The Merriest" was a very nice touch since the two were considered rivals at the time (though I understand they were friends).

As far as the inclusion of Frank's family on "The Twelve Days Of Christmas", "The Bells Of Christmas" and "I Wouldn't Trade Christmas" goes, hey people, it's Christmas! And Christmas is a family holiday, if you've never noticed. Yes, I agree that from a pure musical perspective, the album is flawed by these three cuts. However, by the same token, there's a more intimate and warm feeling here provided by the three songs in question. Also interesting is the "Bells Of Christmas" sung to the "Greensleeves" melody.

So lighten up and forgive Frank for wanting to include his family in three cuts, and for the fact that the "Twelve Days of Christmas" did come out a bit on the "cutesy" side.

Sinatra holiday songs from reprise years available on one CD.
Taken from 3 different albums and two 70's singles. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is a gem. The version recorded for the movie, "The Victors" should have been included as a bonus. Also included are songs from his collaborations with Bing Crosby and Fred Waring and the Sinatra kids. "The Little Drummer Boy" is worth the price of the CD. Except for the Sinatra Family xmas album, the other original albums have not been released on cd and remain out of print. Hopefully one day the Sinatra estate will see fit to release them on cd....This CD is a must for Sinatra fans and a worthwile addition to anyone's holiday collection. I personally prefer the reprise years to the capitol years.

I think that it's confusing how these reviews for 'a Jolly Christmas' are mixed up with the 'Christmas Album' ones. A Jolly Christmas is probably the best Christmas album ever...the Sinatra Christmas album is not. However, there is one major reason to purchase it...The Little Drummer Boy. This is an profound and deeply moving take on this classic. It is pure magic. I can't tell you how wonderful it is...the sample won't do it justice either. The family stuff is is touching in that 'home for the holidays' type of way, but in the musical sense it's garbage.

I bought this CD for the song "What Ever Happened to Christmas", one of my very favorite Christmas songs.
I was disappointed by the family renditions of the songs. I lost interest as I am sure someone listening to my family sing silly versions of traditional Christmas songs would also. When I purchased this CD I did not realize this.
Still, there are some good songs just with Frank.