Customer Reviews

White Christmas

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

There are plenty of Christmas CDs by Bing Crosby that you could get, most of them are at least as good if not slightly better than this one. However, one very good thing about this CD is that it provides Bing Crosby in very good voice singing Christmas standards at an excellent price. These recordings were from old radio shows, and, while that means that there is a mild radio hiss in the background. I personally think that this adds a little magic and character to the CD. If you agree and are on a somewhat limited budget, then you should definitely think about adding this Crosby classic to your Christmas collection.

Bing Crosby had a lovely voice, and he sang wonderful songs on the radio. This collection includes snippets of radio dialogue and bouncy 1940s-style arrangements. These are pre-Frosty and Grinch -- we're talking old-school. Both of my grandmas enjoyed listening to it in the car with me. The elder one is in her 90s and doesn't say much, but she did perk up a bit to say what pretty music was on. Definitely worth the money!

I love this CD because it is an old radio broadcast. This CD will take you back in time to the days before tv specials. This is also one of my family's favorite Christmas CDs and we own almost 3 dozen different Christmas CDs. Sing along as he encourages you to "sing in the family key" and "throw your head back and sing". Its a great CD for any Christmas collection!

There are so many things this cd could have been named- something like "Crosby's Radio Christmas" perhaps. Instead the company resorts to trickery by trying to make you think you're buying an inexpensive copy of Bing Crosby's White Christmas- the well known album featuring Bing on the cover in a Santa Hat. You're not. Shame on these guys, and from the looks of the reviews, people are getting fooled. Now, that said, the cd is pretty good! It's nice to hear something other than the same studio versions. This is worth having. The sound quality is what you would expect from 1940's radio, but the content is warm, nostalgic, and VERY enjoyable. I just wish they hadn't tried to trick me. Even though it seems to be supporting their dirty trick, I recommend this cd. It's a nice collection, and not skimpy- which is rare for bargain Christmas cds.
Give it a try, but don't believe the lie!

I searched high and low on Amazon.com to find this specific CD----simply because I LOVE the old radio broadcast snippets that are attached to each song! I grew up listening to this exact CD, and prefer it to any of the other more "sophisticated" studio recordings that are available. I am thrilled to have found this item and can't wait for it to arrive in the mail so I can add it to my collection! If you enjoy authenticity, nostalgia and the 1940s, then you should try this album out, it's really terrific. :)

I was raised with this particular album being played every Christmas morning. It carries a great deal of sentimental value. When I began living on my own, I searched for this album high and low to place in my Christmas collection. It's hard to find because it's titled the same as Bing Crosby's other Christmas cd, "White Christmas".

When listening to this album, it almost feels like you're actually listening to Crosby's old Christmas radio recordings. I prefer this cd because not only because it sounds like an old radio program, but because it has "The Christmas Song" in the mix, which is my favorite Christmas song.

There have been a number of Bing Crosby Kraft Music Hall radio broadcasts released on CD, and they've proven to be quite enjoyable. And I assume they've found their audience. That being the case, there would seem to be no reason NOT to engage in a little truth in advertising and market this CD as what it is: outtakes from his classic broadcasts. The studio version of "White Christmas" (as well as of several other tracks included here) are readily available on numerous other budgetline compilations. This could actually have been marketed as something unique.

In fact, had they left in a bit more of the actual radio banter (as several other CDs in the series did), it would have been even more interesting, fun and (for some) nostalgic. Laserlight didn't need to misrepresent this recording. It would have been a special treat for Crosby fans and for old time radio fans as well.

One special treat is the jazzed up version of "Jingle Bells." Yes, there have been several of those, including a studio take by Crosby himself, but the John Scott Trotter arrangement from this CD is among the cleverest and most musically interesting of all.

It's Bing. It's Christmas music. What more do you need to know? There's nothing modern here. It's great background or sing-along music that your grandparents will love.

If you want a great Bing Crosby Christmas CD purchase the White Christmas CD that shows him on the cover wearing a Santa hat. There you will find all the old favorites including some duets with the Andrew Sisters. This CD is a radio broadcast. It's choppy and doesn't flow like the other one. Some of the renditions are different also. I was very disappointed and wished I had been able to hear it prior to buying it.

I love the reviews here that focus on Laserlight's attempts to market this as some fake White Christmas movie soundtrack, one reviewer even suggests calling it the Crosby Christmas Broadcast - a great idea since that's what this is. Laserlight was probably trying to produce some cheap collection with Crosby's name on it and instead have produced an incredible radio broadcast archive with great touches throughout. I wish I knew what year it was. First, Bing is in great voice here, introducing several songs and then nailing them live with a world-class chorus, orchestra, and band backing him up. His intro to The Christmas Song is worth the price alone, with Bing calling Torme and Wells a "couple teenage tunesmiths around Hollywood," that made me wonder if this broadcast predates any Nat King Cole recordings in 1946 of that great great song. Skitch Henderson, pianist and arranger, takes a live solo on The Christmas Song that is just awesome. He cooks on Jingle Bells as well. Then there's classic after classic with old time radio aspects throughout - and that's not saying the sound is bad, it's actually great and must have been mastered from the original tapes. A snapshot of a year in Xmas history when one of the great vocalists of the 20th century was at the top of his game.