Children’s Choir

Guy Lombardo was an Italian bandleader from Ontario Canada.  His father was a performer and had his children take music lessons so as to accompany him in his live performances.  The children formed their own group while still in high school.  The Royal Canadians featured Lombardo brothers throughout most of its existence.  Having started in the 1920’s, they performed what was then called ‘sweet music’, as opposed to jazz, which was called swing.  Other band leaders of the time that played traditional dance music were Paul Whiteman, Ozzie Nelson and Lawrence Welk.

The Royal Canadians had their own unique sound.  A sound that never really changed throughout their career.  Guy Lombardo was adamant about staying with the tried and true formula that made them a success.  A strong woodwind section is the predominant sound you hear.  Lots of brass too.  The Royal Canadians were a big draw everywhere they played and sold over 100’s of millions of records.

This CD re-release was issued in 2007 and features original artwork on the cover and a copy of the original back cover artwork in the CD insert.  (Those are both pluses when the re-issue features original artwork).  The CD insert also lists the songs and features lyrics to them as well.  This album was originally marketed as a ‘sing-along’ with Guy Lombardo and The Royal Canadians.  It was recorded live at Town Hall with the children’s choir of St. Patrick’s Parish in Stoneham, Massachusetts in 1960, and features over 100 children’s voices.  The Royal Canadians performed there every year and when Guy Lombardo wanted to do another Christmas album in 1960, he was openly welcomed to record that album at St. Patrick’s.  The original LP contains 13 songs and the CD re-release includes 4 bonus tracks.

As common with a lot of Guy Lombardo albums, all the songs feature a spoken introduction of the song title followed by the music playing.  Also common to many Guy Lombardo recordings is the placement of a live audience behind the music; giving the listener the sense that they are right there in the ballroom watching the whole performance live.  True that this WAS recorded live, the crowd noise present on the recordings would not be there during the actual performance and is very similar to the crowd noises present on my other Guy Lombardo CDs.  These recording techniques were added in later during post production.  Personally, I prefer that they weren’t there.  They’re not fooling me.  Live albums are fine, but to reproduce a live feeling during post production is kind of cheesy to me.  Many critics would agree.  But Guy Lombardo had a style, and this was part of it.

The album opens with an extended introduction by Guy Lombardo.

The first song is It Came Upon A Midnight Clear and features Guy Lombardo’s long time male vocalist, Kenny Gardner taking the lead vocal while the 100 children voices sing behind him.

The second song, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing has a nice introduction with the orchestra before the voices begin.  Kenny Gardner and the children do a wonderful job with this arrangement.

The first half of the record is traditional Christmas hymns and the second half features traditional Christmas songs written in the 20^th century.

The 8^th song, Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer, has a very upbeat, vibrant tone to it.  Kenny Gardner opens it up and the children follow.  To me, it is one of the standout songs on here.

The rest of the album continues the fun with upbeat arrangements of traditional Christmas songs.

Track 12 opens with a slightly extended introduction by Guy Lombardo, thanking you for attending this Christmas concert before moving into a soulful rendition of Silent Night.

The original album ends with We Wish You A Merry Christmas, a 38 second exuberant Christmas Greeting!

The CD release artwork says it includes 2 bonus tracks, but there are 4 songs that were not included on the original LP.  I can only guess that at one time, other re-issues were released before this CD version and included 2 more songs recorded at St. Patrick’s.  Listings of official re-issues after 1960 are hard to come by.  I know there were some, because it was in 1967 that this LP charted on the Billboard Christmas charts.

The first of the bonus tracks features the Royal Canadians along with the children’s choir singing Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town.

The last song to feature the Children’s Choir of St. Patrick’s Parish is White Christmas.

The CD closes with 2 additional bonus tracks, neither of which feature the children’s choir nor were recorded at St. Patrick’s.  The first of these, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, is an instrumental by the Royal Canadians.

And what Guy Lombardo Christmas album wouldn’t be complete without his signature song, Auld Lang Syne.  This version of Auld Lang Syne is one of the best I have in my entire music collection.  I have quite a few.  Most are short, quick renditions, or are taken from radio broadcasts, but this is a great two minute version that doesn’t feature any vocals.

Guy Lombardo was about as big as it got in the 1930’s and 1940’s.  Having a Guy Lombardo Christmas CD in your collection is almost a right of passage; if not just for the song Auld Lang Syne, which always comes in handy on December 31^st at 11:59.  If you like music of the 40’s, yes, you need some Guy Lombardo.  Now, this CD IS Guy Lombardo And The Royal Canadians at their best, but does feature a children’s choir.  And it was recorded in 1960.  So, technically not from the 1940’s, but the Royal Canadians sound never changed, so all of the Royal Canadians music sounds like the 1940’s.  I think the children’s choir gives this CD another place outside of regular Guy Lombardo music.

Most people will not be grabbing this one off the shelf too quickly when they start their Holiday music listening, but if you like children’s choirs, then this is a good one to have.  It’s vintage 1960’s Christmas children’s choir, absolutely right up there with Norman Luboff’s Children’s Choir (Look for that one later in this blogs future).

I give this CD :

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