Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Best!, August 27, 2004
Andy Williams, along with Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Johnny Mathis, and Nat King Cole, will always be closely associated with Christmas--and rightfully so. All these crooners made beautiful albums that became part of the soundtrack to the American Christmas celebration. It's a pity that so many contemporary artists have made Christmas albums that don't sound "Christmasy."
Not to worry here--Andy's made one of the best ever recorded. Some of the tracks on this CD are among the very best versions ever recorded: Happy Holidays/The Holiday Season, The Christmas Song, It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (written especially for Andy's variety series from the 1960s), The First Noel, the very tender Away In a Manger and the touching Sweet Little Jesus Boy. The only reason I rate this album 4 stars instead of 5 is that I simply don't care for the arrangements of White Christmas and Silent Night--but that's just personal taste.
The really good news here is that Columbia/Legacy has just remastered this CD, along with Andy's "green" album ("Merry Christmas") and made them a part of their "Essential Holiday Classics" series. The remastered versions can be indentified by their yellow stickers proclaiming the remastering and by the added borders of treble clefs and snowflakes on the CD cover. Both albums sound better, especially "The Andy Williams Christmas Album" which had anemic, hissy sound. The new version is bright, full, and detailed and the hiss is gone! By all means scrap your old copies and buy the new. You deserve the treat!
|
|
|
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Christmas Classic for the Ages, November 7, 2005
I grew up listening to this album, and the familiar grin of Andy from the lower left corner of the cover brings back many memories. But, unlike many Christmas albums that make one nostalgic, this album has withstood the test of time and emerged a classic.
Like many holiday LPs of the era, Andy's eponymous ablum was divided by sides. Side One conjures the secular fun of the holiday while Side Two dedicates itself to the carols of the season. What this ends up as for the contemporary listener is a wonderful musical journey that is full of delights.
The first track is Andy's soothing rendition of "White Christmas," which is mellower than Bing's--and a perfect way to kick off the album. From there, "Happy Holiday-The Holiday Season" shows what Andy will be leaning toward as the album progresses--some fun, swinging numbers. This track was so good that the Manhattan Transfer virtually duplicated it on their own Christmas album 30 years later. The classic "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" debuted here, which helps explain why Andy's version is still the definitive one. (On a side note, one of the co-writers of the tune is more famous as the composer behind the "Gilligan's Island" theme.)
"The Christmas Song" is beautiful--especially when Andy soars into the final chorus. I prefer it to Nat King Cole's original recording for sheer beauty. Andy's version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" (A Song and a Christmas Tree) takes the song to wonderful heights of 60's-era stereo tricks, while "Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells" (arranged by the lady more famous as the author of the "Eloise" books) kicks the end of Side One into the stratosphere. Absolutely amazing arrangement that swings with the best of the psychedelic 60's. (On another side note, the song fits perfectly over the opening titles of the original "Austin Powers" film and takes the song to a completely different level.)
Andy's versions of some best-loved carols are also quite lovely, with his versions of "The First Noel" and "Silent Night" being among the loveliest recordings. His "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" makes excellent use of his vocal ability and showcases the beauty of his under-appreciated talent. The only drawback to Side Two is the warbly-voiced child who practically wrests control of "Away in a Manger" away from the star.
All in all, though, this is a stand out for any season. Often copied (Michael W. Smith most recently did a version of "Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells" that is virtually identical to Andy's), but never duplicated, it is a triumphant holiday album that will be listened to by my great-great grandchildren. And somehow that red cover with Andy's grin will bring back holiday memories for them, too.
|
|
|
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Most Incredible Christmas Album of All, December 11, 2004
Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe help to make the season bright, but the thing that makes my season bright is arguably the greatest compilation of holiday music to ever grace the human ear.
It is "The Andy Williams Christmas Album." It's the most wonderful music for the most wonderful time of the year. Hands-down. What makes this collection of festive melodic delights so special? Where do I start? Perhaps the most logical point would be with the man himself, Andy Williams.
Williams' voice is dripping with holiday spirit on this album, and that spirit is contagious. If Santa Claus was to hire a lounge singer, it would without a doubt be Williams. His rendition of "O Holy Night" is honestly spectacular. After 16 Christmases, I still get the chills hearing it. When Williams hits the highs on the word "divine," I feel as though I have heard the voice of an angel, who is coincidentally singing "O Holy Night" while giving me a back rub.
The album came to life 40 years ago as the love-child of Williams, producer Robert Mersey, and Columbia Records. The music has been a mainstay come Christmas time in my family, and as a young lad I quickly learned to appreciate the man behind what came to be known as the Samataro Soundtrack to Christmas.
The release itself is a perfect balance of fun and upbeat ditties like "Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season," sacred Christmas hymns such as "Away in a Manger," tender treasures including "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)," and even a few tunes with a Williams spin on them. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" have transformed into "A Song and a Christmas Tree," an updated (well, circa 1963, anyway) version of the holiday gem, highlighting, for instance, "two candy canes" in place of "two turtle doves".
Nary a December has the voice of Williams been absent from the house I call home. It is worth noting that the year I lost the Andy Williams cassette tape, December became one of the worst months of my entire life. It's just not the same without Andy. While every December, heartwarming television specials try to remind me of their true meanings of Christmas, it's just haberdashery that includes such quotables as "it is better to give than to receive" and "make this holiday picture-perfect, digital camera only $59.99 (only at Macy's)!" No, friends, none of these adages have taught me anything. Only one man has done that.
Andy Williams has made me realize the true meaning of Christmas. The evidence is incontrovertible. The meaning of Christmas lies in festivity, tradition, and 12 glorious selections of music that seem to have been written by God Himself. No, the bestowment of "The Andy Williams Christmas Album" is no act of God -- but it is a miracle. Miraculous, because in essence, it is the perhaps greatest compilation of music ever to grace the human ear. And that's just not the egg nog talking.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
by Andy Williams 
