Merry Christmas [EXTRA TRACKS] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Supremes, Diana Ross

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 12, 1999)
• Original Release Date: October 12, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
• Label: Motown
• ASIN: B00000JPBY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #192,808 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
You can consider the Supremes another 1960s supergroup on Motown, a label that boasted it was "the sound of young America." The Supremes always were dominated by the diva Diana Ross--even at Christmas. Fans should note, however, that the fantastic "Silent Night," a previously unreleased song, does feature Florence Ballard's lead vocal, a rare occasion when lady Di is not front and center. This updated version of the 1965 record includes its original 13 songs, plus 4 tunes not previously available in one set, including producer-songwriter Henry Fuqua's "Just a Lonely Christmas." Merry Christmas from the Supremes is rich with original songs by Jimmy Webb ("MacArthur Park") and includes other nontraditional songs such as "Born of Mary," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Me," and "Little Bright Star." Together with its seasonal standards and R&B-pop arrangements, it's pure Christmas fun. --Martin Keller

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Christmas Necessity, December 4, 1999

By A Customer

"Merry Christmas" is by far one of the most compelling Christmas releases ever made. Combining old-fashioned holiday standards ("Silver Bells", ""The Little Drummer Boy", "White Christmas") with fun holiday favorites ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Santa Clause Is Coming To Town", "Joy To The World"), this record is a beautiful representation of the holiday spirit. The instrumentation is pure Christmas-esqu and the ladies' vocals evoke the joy of the holiday season. In addition to the nostalgic sounds, the record includes some incredible Motown originals: "My Christmas Tree", a tearful, heartfelt ballad filled with longing; "Little Bright Star", an excellent song in the classic Motown tradition, and the albums sole single "Twinkle Twinkle Little Me", whose 45RPM single is creatively displayed in the CD's inlay. In addition, 4 previously unavailable tracks are featured, including the unreleased "Noel" and Flo Ballard's gospel-esque "Silent Night", featuring her upfront on a rare occassion. This long-overdue re-release is an absolute MUST for anyone who wants a holiday collection.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, Flo Ballard is showcased!, November 14, 1999

By	Albert Lee (New York) - See all my reviews

This a wonderful, must-have album for Supremes fans. All the songs are wonderful with great harmonizing from Mary and Flo. Little Bright Star is a nice, catchy Motown tune. Diana's lead vocals are great, but FLO BALLARD's performance on Silent Night is absolutely ASTOUNDING. Such vocal force and clarity. This song showcases Flo's gospel background. Great liner notes from Andrew Skurow and superb mastering (etc.) by Harry Weinger. I highly recommend this album.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mary, Florence and Diana ALL sing on "Merry Christmas", December 3, 2002

By	Gary M. Smith (Glenolden, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Contrary to what two previous reviewers reported, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard do sing on all songs on their Christmas album, except "The Christmas Song" and "Noel". Any "true Supremes fan" definitely will recognize their voices and not attribute the singing to "substitutes". In reading the booklet notes, it quotes Mary as saying how ecstatic they all were about recording the album. It also explains how the background music tracks were recorded in L.A. in August, 1965 and the vocals were mixed "a month later". Nowhere in Mary Wilson's book "Dreamgirl" does she state that she took a vacation and did not sing on "Merry Christmas The Supremes". This being said, the album remains a classic, with the impeccable harmonies of Florence and Mary very evident. My favorites are "White Christmas", "Silver Bells", "My Christmas Tree" "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Me" because of the excellent background vocals enhancing Diana Ross' leads. It is refreshing to hear Florence Ballard's excellent rendition of "Silent Night" in it's complete version. I've had the LP version of the original 12 songs since it came out in 1965 and I can only say that the newest CD version is a welcome update. However, on the original monaural version, the sound has a different quality to it, more like a slight echo, which I found more preferable. All in all, it remains a Christmas album everyone should have, Supremes fans and non-fans alike. Mine will get lots of play this Christmas season.