Jubilee Offer: Patriot Classics for £2.50 |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Track Listings
| 1. Winter Wonderland |
| 2. The Christmas Song |
| 3. Sleigh Ride |
| 4. Blue Christmas |
| 5. I'll Be Home For Christmas |
| 6. White Christmas |
| 7. O Holy Night |
| 8. What Child Is This? |
| 9. The First Noel |
| 10. Silver Bells |
| 11. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear |
| 12. Silent Night, Holy Night |
Product Description
CD Description
Merry Christmas was Johnny Mathis' seventh studio album for the Columbia label and his first of Christmas material. Featuring the orchestra of Percy Faith, the album would peak at #3 on Billboard's Christmas album chart and make a return appearance for the next eleven years. Total sales in the US alone are over two million copies.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
If ever there was an album to convey perfectly the sentiments of the Christmas season this must be it.This has been a favourite album of my family for more years than I care to remember.Johnny Mathis with the fabulous Percy Faith and his Orchestra has got to be one of the best combinations for any Christmas album.There have been a number of compilations of these tracks available over the years but at last the album has been restored to it's complete version and it sounds wonderful.
The album was recorded in Columbia's 30th Street Studios in New York City in the summer of 1958 but you would never have guessed it!
The atmosphere of Christmas is portrayed beautifully in each song and the orchestral arrangements by Percy Faith are stunning.Johnny was only in his early twenties when this album was recorded but his interpretations of the songs are mature, sincere and at times quite moving. The huge recording studio where this album was made was a former disused church in the city which had a wonderful ambience which lended itself perfectly to these recordings.The sound engineer was Harold Chapman,one of the best in the business and the resulting sound is superb.
The crystal clear vocals and brilliantly sparkling orchestral backing must be heard to be appreciated - you would never believe that these recordings are almost 50 years old!
Johnny Mathis went on to make other Christmas albums,some of them in a more secular style using other arrangers such as the great Don Costa but for me, this is the definitive one.There are also 2 bonus tracks "Christmas Eve" and "My Kind Of Christmas" taken from another album arranged and conducted by Don Costa and recorded in 1961.
The songs are a good mix of timeless favourites "White Christmas" " Winter Wonderland" "Sleigh Ride" as well as the hauntingly beautiful "O Holy Night" "What Child Is This" and "It Came Upon The Midnight Clear" to name just a few. I doubt you will find a more fitting holiday album anywhere so just sit back by the fireside,easy chair, slippers, lights on the tree and glow to the warmth and beauty of this very special album.Thank you for reading my review which I hope you found helpful.
Happy holidays and happy listening!
The album was recorded in Columbia's 30th Street Studios in New York City in the summer of 1958 but you would never have guessed it!
The atmosphere of Christmas is portrayed beautifully in each song and the orchestral arrangements by Percy Faith are stunning.Johnny was only in his early twenties when this album was recorded but his interpretations of the songs are mature, sincere and at times quite moving. The huge recording studio where this album was made was a former disused church in the city which had a wonderful ambience which lended itself perfectly to these recordings.The sound engineer was Harold Chapman,one of the best in the business and the resulting sound is superb.
The crystal clear vocals and brilliantly sparkling orchestral backing must be heard to be appreciated - you would never believe that these recordings are almost 50 years old!
Johnny Mathis went on to make other Christmas albums,some of them in a more secular style using other arrangers such as the great Don Costa but for me, this is the definitive one.There are also 2 bonus tracks "Christmas Eve" and "My Kind Of Christmas" taken from another album arranged and conducted by Don Costa and recorded in 1961.
The songs are a good mix of timeless favourites "White Christmas" " Winter Wonderland" "Sleigh Ride" as well as the hauntingly beautiful "O Holy Night" "What Child Is This" and "It Came Upon The Midnight Clear" to name just a few. I doubt you will find a more fitting holiday album anywhere so just sit back by the fireside,easy chair, slippers, lights on the tree and glow to the warmth and beauty of this very special album.Thank you for reading my review which I hope you found helpful.
Happy holidays and happy listening!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Beautiful ! This is my first Johnny Mathis album I've ever bought, & I can't understand how at my age, 46, I've overlooked him all these years. Actually on the strength of this album I bought several other "Mathis" albums through Amazon. This is a fantastic piece of listening & I think that most of the tracks were put down in about 1958/59 & Johnny's voice comes through so pure & true its lovely. Out of all my Christmas CD's this one got played the most this year.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Johnny Mathis has one the sweetest, smoothest voices I have ever heard, and it is perfectly matched for these lovely Christmas tunes; he even makes the two up-tempo numbers included, "Winter Wonderland" and "Sleigh Ride", sound soft and mellow.
My all-time favorite song is "O Holy Night", and his interpretation of it is superb, with a lush string arrangement, and a final gorgeous pianissimo note from Johnny. Hearing it never fails to inspire and move me.
My all-time favorite song is "O Holy Night", and his interpretation of it is superb, with a lush string arrangement, and a final gorgeous pianissimo note from Johnny. Hearing it never fails to inspire and move me.
This is a calming and peaceful collection, with songs like "Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" and "Silent Night" taken at a slow and easy pace, with wonderful backing from Percy Faith and his orchestra. Mathis was 23 years old when he recorded this in 1958, but was already a big star, and shows enormous musical maturity.
The bonus tracks, "Christmas Eve" and "My Kind of Christmas", I feel are slightly out of place. Though they were recorded a mere three years after the original songs for this album, they sound too "modern", as if they are from another era, and perhaps this is because the songs are not familiar classics like the rest; that slight quibble aside, this is an excellent collection of Christmas music, of such quality that it can be enjoyed any time of the year. The re-mastered sound is very good, and total time is 50'29.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Johnny carols
Johnny Mathis is an old favourite of ours and we were very pleased to find this Cd to replace an audio cassette, we have had for years and be able to enjoy his rendition of these... Read more
Published 4 months ago by John H. Whiffen
The definitive Christmas album
I have fond memories of listening to this when I was a child. I'm not sure about the bonus tracks, but the rest are just about perfect.
Published on 3 Jan 2010 by S. Coombes
It Is Not Christmas Without This CD
I grew up with my parents playing this CD every year. To this day, the opening measures make me think of the fun of Christmas past. Read more
Published on 17 Jan 2003 by Mark Baker
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
