Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best $5 Investment You'll Ever Make!, December 25, 2004
I'm a kinda old dude, I guess. I remember in '49 as a little boy when My mom & dad went Christmas shopping and bought the 10 inch LP version of this Crosby classic. I've played it every year since for all those decades, even though it is now worn out.
Every time I play the current cd version, I am stunned by the feelings and memories it conjures up of times that, in many ways, were much more wholesome and meaningful than they are now. Memories of the smell of a christmas tree, the sight of the bubble lights twinkling away and of a Santa soon to be here. And these songs just bring it all to life. Really indescribable, but oh, so wonderful! To this day, it's the one album that will rekindle that old Christmas spirit.
Bing was an absolute master of his craft back when this album was made and John Scott Trotter's orchestrations were to Bing what Nelson Riddle was to Sinatra - perfect!
There's no point in reiterating the performances of these superb songs. That's been done a million times already. I just wish they'd remaster the songs so that they are sonically what they were in '49 rather than the somewhat harsh electronic enhancements they have embellished them with for so many years now.
But ultimately, it makes no difference because it is the music that is important and, for my money, this is the finest Christmas album ever made and will be the best $5 investment you will ever make!
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Rosetta Stone of Modern Holiday Music, October 13, 2004
It's a little annoying that so many people only associate Bing Crosby with Christmas music, given his monumental and pioneering achievements in the recording, movie, and radio industries. But let's face it, nobody does Christmas better than Bing. Admit it - the Holidays just don't feel complete unless you've heard Bing croon "White Christmas" at least once. The fact is, anyone who's ever recorded a secular Holiday song since World War II owes a debt to Mr. Crosby. And this is the album that started it all.
"Merry Christmas" (its original title) was first released in the form of a multiple 10-inch 78-rpm record set in 1945, later making the transition to 33 1/3-rpm LP, and eventually becoming the very first million-selling Christmas album.
Bing's 1935 recording of "Silent Night" (the '47 version is included in this collection) was, in fact, the very first Christmas record to become a huge hit. Ironically, Bing had been reluctant to record a religious song for the purpose of commercial gain, and he only agreed to do it if the proceeds went to charity.
Irving Berlin's "White Christmas", on the other hand, was not only the first secular Holiday tune to do well, it ultimately became the biggest selling record of all time (current estimates have it at over 50 million), and it opened the floodgates to an onslaught of annual postwar Holiday recordings by major artists that continues to this day. Its initial success was attributed to its striking a chord with homesick GI's in the Pacific Theatre of Operations during the Second World War, but that somehow spilled over onto the Home Front, and it continued long after the troops returned. So much so that it cracked the Top 40 in an amazing sixteen different years!
For my money, "I'll Be Home For Christmas" is the real gem of this set. Could the troops have been any less pensive and wistful upon hearing this breathtaking recording in the winter of 1943 than they had been with "White Christmas" the year before? Bing's voice floats hauntingly over the opening guitar strains as we're drawn for a brief moment into a parallel, yet more reflective and somewhat melancholy realm . . . until we're finally lulled gently back to our own time and place with the exquisitely sustained final note. This is artistry of the highest order, and the perfect marriage of singer and song. Anyone who only remembers the aging Bing Crosby of the leisurely TV Christmas Specials of the 1960's and `70's should give this performance a serious listen.
Holiday novelty tunes are certainly still a part of our world, and "Christmas In Killarney" and "Mele Kalikimaka" have to be categorized as such, but they're so darned warm and infectious one can't imagine this collection without them. Besides, once upon a time Bing was as well known for singing Irish and Hawaiian songs as he was for Christmas ones.
Another one of my favorites is "It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas", which unfailingly elicits an almost Pavlovian reaction of childlike anticipation of the Yuletide season every time I hear it.
There's a lot more to enjoy here, particularly Bing's workout with the inimitable Andrews Sisters on the jazzed-up "Jingle Bells" (recently ripped off, note for note, harmony for harmony, and pause for pause, by Barry Manilow), but I'll leave the rest for you to discover. Or rediscover, since these songs and carols are all practically a part of our collective unconscious. If they're not, if you're too young to have heard this collection before - well, trust me, it's essential Holiday listening.
And it is, as they say, the perfect stocking stuffer!
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love Christmas Music? You Need This!, November 8, 2003
I love Christmas music, often pulling it out to listen to mid-year. And you'll never catch me listening to anything but Christmas music from Thanksgiving to Christmas. That's why I'm a little ashamed to admit to only just now getting this classic collection.What I've been missing all these years is a truly wonderful CD. Bing has a rich, strong voice that is pleasing to listen to. The arrangements feel dated, but that's part of the charm. It feels like an old friend from the very first listen. My only real complaint (and a minor one at that) is the pacing of the album. The first six tracks are all slower numbers. They do include a great version of "Silent Night," and Bing's classic recording of "White Christmas," so I do enjoy listening to them. Still, by "I'll be Home for Christmas," I'm ready for an upbeat track. Fortunately, the second half doesn't disappoint in that regard. "Jingle Bells" and "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town," both sung with the Andrews Sisters, kick things up a notch or two. Both are fairly familiar arrangements with just enough newness to set them apart from the other versions you already have. The CD ends with the songs I was unfamiliar with. "Christmas in Killarney" is a fanciful description of the holiday in Ireland, while "Mele Kalikimaka" wishes us a Merry Christmas from Hawaii. Both songs sound a little like the land they represent and are a fun way to end the CD. The recordings here are old, as shown by the occasional scratchy background noise, especially noticeable on "Adeste Fideles." But it doesn't affect my enjoyment one bit. My only regret is not getting this great CD sooner.
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by Bing Crosby 
