Bobby Helms – Jingle Bell Rock

Most people know Bobby Helms from 2 songs, his 1957 Top Ten hit, My Special Angel, and his 1957 Christmas classic, Jingle Bell Rock.  Played 1000’s of times every Christmas, it is a tried and true Christmas song.  No one does it better!

Bobby Helms was born in Bloomington, Indiana in 1933 and never lived far from there even after becoming more famous.  He had his Top Ten crossover hit in 1957, but Bobby Helms was truly a Country music star.  He would continue to release Country albums throughout the 1960’s but would never achieve the success of his contemporaries or past achievement with Jingle Bell Rock.

That being said, this CD is a re-issue of Bobby Helms’ only Christmas album; recorded and released in 1970.  It’s sad to say, the cover on the CD is completely different from the original LP, which I like better.  The original cover had a current picture of Bobby Helms (1970), in an oval plaque on a yellow background that features a superimposed music sheet with the songs listed on the cover.  Very 1970’s!  I wish the CD had the original cover.

The CD insert is, uh, well, missing.  There is no inside artwork to speak of.  Even the back of the CD cover is blank.  The back of the CD artwork is sparse as well.  Songs are listed, but no writer credit, recording dates or publishers.  This is not unusual for low budget re-releases.

On top of that, the original LP contained 12 songs.  This CD re-issue has only 10.  Bummer!  Missing two songs!

Okay, you gotta love Bobby Helms if you’re gonna like this CD.  Recorded in 1970, this is Classic Country.  Pedal steel guitar is the predominant instrument, and the lead guitar is Classic Country as well.

But maybe it’s Bobby’s voice.  Not a little twangy, a lot twangy!  I’m sorry.  Bobby Helms certainly gave it a good effort, but I think his twangy Country voice fell out of favor in the Country music circles as Country music moved more mainstream in the 1960’s.

All songs are contemporary Christmas songs from the 20th century.

The CD opens with the title song, Jingle Bell Rock, but this is NOT the one from 1957.  I don’t blame him.  There’s more to the life of a Country star than one song from 13 years prior.  This is a new recording done for this LP’s release.  It’s not bad.  The swing is there.  The voice is the same.  But it has a more modern Country arrangement, with the pedal steels.

Here Comes Santa Claus is a vibrant, pedal steel version of the Christmas classic.  This is not that bad either.

The third track, White Christmas, is full of Country twanging, so be prepared.

The whole ensemble does a pretty good job with Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer.  The pedal steel carries the song and Bobby’s voice is well suited to this Johnny Marks classic.

Jingle Bells follows and it’s an upbeat version with more bells and orchestration than most of the others.

Winter Wonderland is another song that is justly complimented with the pedal steel, and Bobby’s voice is well suited to this song.  I like the subtle differences in the vocal arrangement than you normally hear.

Silver Bells is another one that doesn’t seem to fare well with the southern Indiana dialect that Bobby possesses.  It is nicely backed up by a female chorus that oohs and aahs throughout the song.

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus follows, and then Christmas Time In My Home Town follows that.  This is a Christmas song made famous by Charley Pride, and it was originally written as a Country Christmas song, so it makes sense to include it here.  It’s different than your normal Christmas song, so it’s a nice diversion from the other Christmas standards that don’t seem to go over as well.

The CD closes with Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.  I think they may have saved the best for last.  Everyone is doing a great job on this one.  The pedal steel is terrific, and Bobby’s voice is in fine form.  This is a Classic Country Christmas classic.

Overall, if I had to compare Bobby Helms the Country star to any other Country star, I would have to pick Gene Autry.  If you like Gene Autry, this is not that different.  Both had a very twangy sound to their voice and the orchestrations found on their music has a Western Swing feel to it.

I respect Bobby Helms for staying out there even if he wasn’t charting many albums.  I like Classic Country Christmas, and you kind of have to go out of your way to find it.  So, when I play Classic Country Christmas from the 1950’s through the 1970’s, this fits in just fine.  With only 10 tracks, it’s not going to come up that often.  So, unless you’re looking for every Country artist that put out a Christmas album in the 60’s, you can maybe pass on this one.

As I said earlier, the fact that there’s two songs missing is not good.

I give this CD :

**