The Voice of Christmas: The Complete Decca Christmas Songbook

Bing Crosby | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 6, 1998)
• Original Release Date: October 6, 1998
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Mca
• ASIN: B000009RCX
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,425 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Bing Crosby is the father of the Christmas album. He sired the whole shooting match in 1942 when he recorded Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" for the Decca soundtrack of Holiday Inn, and the season has never been the same since. "White Christmas" isn't just Crosby's signature tune, it's also that of Christmas, selling millions around the world and inspiring countless recording artists to create their own holiday versions every year. This long overdue two-disc package features the original recording of "White Christmas" (often replaced by a later version on reissues) as well as all the seasonal songs Crosby cut over three decades. And with extensive liner notes and guest artists such as the Andrews Sisters, The Complete Decca Christmas Songbook is a slam-dunk gift buy for the whole family. --Martin Keller

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars *THE ULTIMATE CROSBY CHRISTMAS COLLECTION.*, July 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Voice of Christmas: The Complete Decca Christmas Songbook (Audio CD)

There is no finer collection of Bing Crosby's Christmas music than this one. Collected over the course of two discs (one red, one green) are ALL of Bing's holiday recordings, both secular and religious, which were commercially released by the Decca label. The tracks span the years 1935 to 1956, from Bing's glowing vocal peak on tunes such as Silent Night and Adeste Fideles (1935) to the mellow, burnished voice of Silver Bells (1950) and Snow (1954 - w/ Peggy Lee, Danny Kaye, and Truely Stevens).

Bing's well known affiliation with Christmas music began in 1935 when Decca Records chief Jack Kapp suggested that Bing record Silent Night and Adeste Fideles for commercial release. Bing insisted that he did not want to profit financially from religious music, but the issue was resolved when it was arranged for profits to go to charity. Featured here are these gorgeous versions of Silent Night and Adeste Fideles, plus later versions, all excellent and with interesting differences. White Christmas, Irving Berlin's famous composition, first recorded by Bing in 1942 (for the Crosby/Astaire film Holiday Inn), is the biggest selling single of ALL TIME, and is also here in several different incarnations.

Aside from the classics I've already mentioned, this set provides many other fantastic treasures including Bing's moving 1956 reading of I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day, his spirited 1949 medley of Deck The Halls/Away In A Manger/I Saw Three Ships, and refreshingly lesser-known treats such as 1955's The First Snowfall. Also worth mentioning are the several Christmas tunes that Bing recorded with The Andrews Sisters, all of which are present here, including their hip, swingin' take on Jingle Bells. Another winning combination of vocals takes place when Miss Peggy Lee joins Bing for a jazzy duet on 1952's Little Jack Frost Get Lost. Add in Bing's fine renditions of evergreens such as I'll Be Home For Christmas and The First Noel, as well as his sprightly readings of children's favorites like Here Comes Santa Claus and It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, and you've got yourself an absolute treasure trove of Yuletide cheer.

No one accustomed to recordings of this vintage will be disappointed with the sound quality here, which is really quite good. With beautiful packaging, including a fold out insert with extensive liner notes, pictures of original record sleeves, and session information for all 44 tracks, The Voice Of Christmas is, without a doubt, the ultimate holiday collection of the most celebrated Christmas crooner of all time.

P.S. - For those who would like a fine companion disc dealing with Bing's later Christmas recordings, including his 1977 duet with David Bowie, the best bet is Bing Crosby's Christmas Classics.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bing Crosby really is the voice of Christmas, December 12, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Voice of Christmas: The Complete Decca Christmas Songbook (Audio CD)

I just wanted an album with a lot of Bing Crosby Christmas songs on it,and I really didn't pay all that much attention to the track listings. "Silent Night" and "White Christmas" are each presented 4 times, "Adeste Fideles" twice, and so forth. This really is more for the collector than for a person like myself that just wanted some traditional holiday music. I put the CD player on "shuffle" to try and mix the music up a little bit better,but ended up with "Silent Night" twice in a row. I think Bing Crosby is truly the musical voice of Christmas,but the average person would be better served by buying one of his other Christmas albums. Merry Christmas.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This album is for the die hard fan, December 9, 1999

By 

stephanie (PEI,Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Voice of Christmas: The Complete Decca Christmas Songbook (Audio CD)

This complete 2 cd set of Bing's Christmas songs are dated from the 30's to the mid 50's. The sound quality on most is good but there is just no way to make those old recordings sound perfect, although this is probably the best it's going to get. This album is meant for the collector of Christmas music rather than the listener, some listeners might get turned-off with Silent Night and White Christmas appearing so often. All are different slightly and it gives the listener a sample of Crosby's work. I loved this album because I liked the sample of old recordings and the newer 1950's collaborations. The 1950's version of White Christmas with Danny Kaye is of excellent quality, as is most of this cd that has been remastered. If you love Christmas music this set is a must, if you just want a Christmas cd with Bing singing, would might want to pass on this one.