VA – Christmas Carousel

The artwork on this CD is very typical of budget Christmas compilations.  The front cover is pleasing with yellow Christmas trees all aglow on a dark blue background.  A list of the songs included wrap around the edge of the CD in a clockwise order.   The back cover artwork features a numerical track listing, performing artists and the songs writers under the titles.  Time signatures follow the writer credits.  And a few songs list the orchestra leaders.

The front cover opens into a two page, single-fold layout.  The back of the layout is the exact same as the back of the CD.  No new information included.  It would have been nice to have recording dates listed in one of these two places.  The cover opens up to, uh, well… nothing.  Blank on both sides.  Bummer.  But here again, not unusual for budget Christmas CD’s.

Let me start off with what’s best about this compilation CD of Christmas music.  It is really good.  It features original Christmas songs by some of the best Pop singers of the 60’s and 70’s.  Andy Williams, Robert Goulet / Carol Lawrence, Jim Nabors and Julie Andrews.  It also features some great groups and singers that you may not find in your own Christmas collection.  The Dustin Tracy Singers, John Davidson, Vikki Carr and Mike Douglas.  (Yes, THAT Mike Douglas.  I have both of his Christmas albums; from 1968 and 1979.  Look for reviews of those in this blog’s future).

This CD features traditional Christmas hymns and secular Christmas songs everyone will be familiar with, albeit maybe not by these singers.

One of my favorite stand out songs on here is the first one, Deck The Halls by the Dustin Tracy Singers.  People familiar with this blog will already know how much I enjoy harmony groups from the 60’s and 70’s singing Christmas songs.  The Dustin Tracy Singers, Ray Conniff Singers, Singers Unlimited and Mike Sammes Singers are just a few.

Another favorite is The First Noel by Mike Douglas with Frank Hunter & his Orchestra from Mike’s 1967 Christmas album, My Kind Of Christmas.  Believe it or not, as great as a talk show host as he was, rivaled only by Johnny Carson, he was an awesome tenor.  An excellent singer!

Another great tenor was John Davidson.  Presented here is John singing O Come All Ye Faithful from his 1969 Christmas album, My Christmas Favorites.

When people ask me, “With so many Christmas songs, what’s your favorite Christmas song?”, I almost always respond with What Child Is This? by Vikki Carr.  It’s on here as well.  It is the most beautiful, soulful and somber rendition of this song that I’ve heard.  It’s not just Vikki’s vocals, but the instrumentation that accompanies it that makes it so special to me.  You sit quietly by the window on Christmas Eve, with the Christmas tree filling the room with its lights and tinsel, and you think of what this night means to you while listening to Vikki Carr singing What Child Is This? and see if tears don’t come to your eyes.  (It’s doing it to me right now while I type this).

Now, the bad stuff about this CD.  There really is only one thing wrong with this CD.  And that is, there are only 10 songs.  It’s not uncommon for the many, many Christmas compilations that are released every year to feature only 10 – 12 songs, but since most songs on here are great to listen to during the Christmas season, and because they did such a great job of song selection, doubling the number of songs would have certainly doubled the pleasure.

This Christmas compilation features Christmas songs from the last decade of the classic Christmas era.  These are not contemporary arrangements you find in today’s collections.  There are no synthesizers or wailing electric guitars or heavy bass lines.  These were done at a time when full orchestras performed the songs and singers came in and gave it their best.

If you’re looking for budget Christmas CDs to get your collection started, skip over this one and get one that features the same kind of artists but has more songs.  There are many that do.  If you are given a copy of this as a gift or see it at a yard sale, cherish it.  Put it in your collection and listen to it during the Holidays.  You won’t be disappointed.

I do have to take points off for only having 10 songs and very minimal information included in the notes, so

I give this CD :

**1/2*