Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music
Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music | ||||
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Studio album by Perry Como | ||||
Released | 1946 (original release) | |||
Recorded | 1946, 1947, 1953 | |||
Genre | Christmas | |||
Label | RCA Victor | |||
Perry Como chronology | ||||
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Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music was Perry Como's first Christmas album, originally issued by RCA Victor as a 78 RPM album set in 1946. The original release included "O Little Town of Bethlehem" which was replaced in 1947 by Irving Berlin's famous song "White Christmas". This album, along with Como's later stereophonic Christmas albums, Season's Greetings from Perry Como and The Perry Como Christmas Album, from 1959 and 1968 respectively, are among the best-selling Christmas albums of all time. RCA has reissued Merry Christmas Music on LP, tape and compact disc several times.
Track listing
The original release of Merry Christmas Music was an RCA Victor "Musical Smart Set" consisting of four 10" 78 RPM records.
Disc 1:
- "That Christmas Feeling" (3:23), Recorded August 6, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra
- "I'll Be Home For Christmas" (2:53), Recorded August 6, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra
Disc 2:
- "Silent Night" (3:50), Recorded August 20, 1946 with Organ and Choir conducted by Russ Case
- "O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)" (2:45), Recorded August 20, 1946 with Organ and Choir conducted by Russ Case
Disc 3:
- "Jingle Bells" (2:58), Recorded August 22, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra and Chorus
- "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" (2:15), Recorded August 1, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra and The Satisfiers
Disc 4:
- "Winter Wonderland" (2:37), Recorded August 1, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra and The Satisfiers
- "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (2:54), Recorded August 20, 1946 with Organ and Choir conducted by Russ Case
The 1947 Reissue: This reissue replaced "O Little Town of Bethlehem" with "White Christmas". With this change, "White Christmas" was now on the second side of disc three moving "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" to the first side of disc four and "Winter Wonderland" to the second.
The 1951 Reissue: The same contents as 1947, only the album was now available on a 10" LP (LPM-51) vinyl record as well as a 45 RPM set, containing 4 records.
The 1956 reissue was the first major change.[1] The album (LPM-1243) included the same eight songs as before, as well as eight "new" ones which had been recorded and released in 1953 on the Perry Como LP, Around The Christmas Tree (LPM-3133). This album was also released that year as two separate EPs, one with the same title, Around The Christmas Tree, and the other, Christmas Joy.[2] The 1956 album had the newer songs on Side One and the original eight songs on Side Two. The album was also released on three extended-play 45s. The first two came as a set, (EPB-1243) while the third one was sold separately (EPA-920).
Side One:
- "'Twas The Night Before Christmas" (3:45), Recorded June 22, 1953 with String Ensemble Directed by Mitchell Ayres
- "The Twelve Days of Christmas" (3:59), Recorded May 26, 1953 with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra and Chorus
- "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" (3:32), Recorded May 26, 1953 with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra and Chorus
- "C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S" (2:51), Recorded May 5, 1953 with Mitchell Ayres and His Orchestra
- "Joy To The World" (2:37), Recorded May 26, 1953 with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra and Chorus
- "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" (2:44), Recorded May 21, 1953 with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra and Chorus
- "Frosty The Snow Man" (2:18), Recorded May 21, 1953 with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra and Chorus
- "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" (3:33), Recorded May 5, 1953 with Mitchell Ayres and His Orchestra
Side Two:
- "That Christmas Feelin'" (3:23), Recorded August 6, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra
- "I'll Be Home For Christmas" (2:53), Recorded August 6, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra
- "Silent Night" (3:50), Recorded August 20, 1946 with Organ and Choir conducted by Russ Case
- "O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)" (2:45), Recorded August 20, 1946 with Organ and Choir conducted by Russ Case
- "Jingle Bells" (2:58), Recorded August 22, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra and Chorus
- "White Christmas" (3:27), Recorded July 10, 1947 with Mixed Chorus and Lloyd Shaffer's Orchestra
- "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" (2:15), Recorded August 1, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra and The Satisfiers
- "Winter Wonderland" (2:37), Recorded August 1, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra and The Satisfiers
In 1961, RCA Victor reissued the album on its budget label, RCA Camden (CAL-660),[3] available in both original monophonic and for the first time in reprocessed (fake) stereo sound.[4] For this slightly shorter budget release, the album retained the same track sequence, except the song "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" was omitted. The album also featured a different cover photo of Como, but utilized the same liner notes from the previous RCA Victor LP release. This version charted 14 weeks on Billboard's Christmas Records album chart peaking at #16 on December 23, 1967.[5]
During the 1970s, Pickwick Records leased the rights to reissue a number of recordings from the RCA Camden catalog and reissued the Merry Christmas Music LP with revised cover art on the Pickwick label. RCA eventually reclaimed the rights to its catalog of Camden recordings leased to Pickwick, and reissued Merry Christmas Music on LP, cassette and compact disc, in 1985. The album has been reissued on the RCA Camden/Special Products label at least three times on CD, each with different artwork. RCA has also issued the album in many countries including Mexico, Australia and the UK. In 2012, RCA reissued all the tracks from Merry Christmas Music along with the rest of Como's Christmas recordings in the 3-CD set, Perry Como Complete RCA Christmas Collection.
Resources
- ^ "Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music ~ LPM-1243 Released 1956". kokomo.ca. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
- ^ "Perry Como ~ Around the Christmas Tree LPM-3133 circa 1953". kokomo.ca. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
- ^ "Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music ~ CAL-660 Released 1961". kokomo.ca. Retrieved 2015-12-28.
- ^ "Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music ~ CAL-660 Released 1961". kokomo.ca. Retrieved 2015-12-28.
- ^ "Billboard Best Bets For Christmas." Billboard, vol. 79, no. 51, December 23, 1967, p. 50. worldradiohistory.com.
- v
- t
- e
- Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music (1946)
- So Smooth (1955)
- We Get Letters (1957)
- Saturday Night with Mr. C (1958)
- When You Come to the End of the Day (1958)
- Como Swings (1959)
- Season's Greetings from Perry Como (1959)
- For the Young at Heart (1960)
- Sing to Me Mr. C (1961)
- By Request (1962)
- The Best of Irving Berlin's Songs from Mr. President (1962)
- The Songs I Love (1963)
- The Scene Changes (1965)
- Lightly Latin (1966)
- Perry Como in Italy (1966)
- The Perry Como Christmas Album (1968)
- Look to Your Heart (1968)
- Seattle (1969)
- Perry Como in Person at the International Hotel, Las Vegas (1970)
- It's Impossible (1970)
- I Think of You (1971)
- And I Love You So (1973)
- Perry (1974)
- Just Out of Reach (1975)
- 40 Greatest Hits (1975)
- The Best of British (UK and Canada) (1977)
- Where You're Concerned (US) (1978)
- Perry Como (1980)
- Perry Como Live on Tour (1981)
- So It Goes / Goodbye for Now (1983)
- Today (1987)
- Perry Como's Christmas Concert (1994)
- On the Radio – The Perry Como Shows 1943 (2009)
- At the Supper Club (2010)
- At the Supper Club Part II (2011)
- At the Supper Club Part III (2011)
- "'A' You're Adorable"
- "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive"
- "And I Love You So"
- "As Time Goes By"
- "Bali Ha'i"
- "Because"
- "Beyond Tomorrow"
- "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo"
- "Blue Room"
- "A Bushel and a Peck"
- "Can't Help Falling in Love"
- "Caterina"
- "Catch a Falling Star"
- "Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba (My Bambino Go to Sleep)"
- "Confessin'"
- "Days of Wine and Roses"
- "Deep in the Heart of Texas"
- "Delaware"
- "Dig You Later (A Hubba-Hubba-Hubba)"
- "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes"
- "Dream Along with Me (I'm on My Way to a Star)"
- "A Dreamer's Holiday"
- "El Cóndor Pasa"
- "Far Away Places"
- "Feelings"
- "Fly Me to the Moon"
- "For the Good Times"
- "Forever and Ever"
- "Forget Domani"
- "Give Me Your Hand"
- "Glendora"
- "The Gypsy in My Soul"
- "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
- "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"
- "Hello, Young Lovers"
- "Here, There and Everywhere"
- "Home for the Holidays"
- "Hoop-Dee-Doo"
- "Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)"
- "A House Is Not a Home"
- "I Don't See Me in Your Eyes Anymore"
- "I Dream of You (More Than You Dream I Do)"
- "I May Never Pass This Way Again"
- "I Think I Love You"
- "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now"
- "I'll Be Home for Christmas"
- "If (They Made Me a King)"
- "It's a Good Day"
- "It's Been a Long, Long Time"
- "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"
- "Juke Box Baby"
- "Kewpie Doll"
- "Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So)"
- "Long Ago (and Far Away)"
- "The Lord's Prayer"
- "Magic Moments"
- "Mandolins in the Moonlight"
- "Maria"
- "Moon River"
- "More"
- "No Other Love"
- "Papa Loves Mambo"
- "Please Mr. Sun"
- "Prisoner of Love"
- "Round and Round"
- "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"
- "Say You're Mine Again"
- "Seattle"
- "The Shadow of Your Smile"
- "Some Enchanted Evening"
- "Somos Novios (It's Impossible)"
- "The Songs I Love"
- "Stop! And Think It Over"
- "Surrender"
- "Till the End of Time"
- "They Say It's Wonderful"
- "Unchained Melody"
- "Wanted"
- "The Way You Look Tonight"
- "What'll I Do"
- "When You and I Were Young, Maggie"
- "When You Were Sweet Sixteen"
- "Young at Heart"
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