Search - Chipmunks :: Merry Christmas From

Cute and fun Christmas tunes to round out your cd carousel

A. Ryan | Westminster, CA USA | 12/18/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This started as a lark to please my two little boys with the funny "chipmunk" voices singing Christmas tunes. I just hoped to get through a run without a headache. I was surprised and delighted to discover that not only could I tolerate the entire album from start to finish , but:
1. The production quality is not bad. We have a five-channel speaker system and although it's no surround sound masterpiece, it was much better than I expected for tracks that were recorded decades ago.
2. Some of the songs had a slightly jazzy, big band sound (like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer), others had a little beatnicky rhythm (like The Night Before Christmas) and still others had a more classic Christmasy feel. The selections were mostly upbeat Santa type tunes, with only one traditional carol (Greensleeves). But overall, it was kinda hip.
3. Even though I'd assumed the "chipmunk" singing would be irritating after awhile, it was actually cute. Color me shocked.The lesson here: don't give up on fun stuff just because you're all grown up. After all, Christmas is for the child in everybody.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle"

Strictly for fans of Alvin and really high-pitched singing

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 12/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, there are people who cannot stand the sound of the Chipmunks singing anything, let along cherished Christmas songs, but most of us feel sorry for those people. But I happened to own a copy of "The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles" before I had an actual Beatles album ("The Beatles Second Album," for the record) and at some point each holiday season you have to hear "The Chipmunk Song" sung at least once so that you can be reminded that Alvin still wants a hula hoop.



"Christmas With the Chipmunks," the first of two volumes, originally came out in 1962 with the second volume coming out the following year (volume one made it to #84 on the Billboard charts, but volume two hit #9, so there you nay sayers). What is surprising is that it took so long for these holiday albums to be released. Eric Bagdarsian (a.k.a. David Seville) first began experimenting with the technique of speeding up voices on tape in 1958, the year that he had his #1 hit "Witch Doctor" (admit it, you find yourself singing the chorus right now). That same year "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" hit the top of the charts and charted ever Christmas season for the next four years. But it was not 1961 that "The Alvin Show" debuted, which created a instant market for this first collection of Chipmunk sung Christmas songs.



As you would expect, what you are going to find here are high-spirited songs that best suit Alvin, Theodore and Simon, such as "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" and "Over the River and Through the Snow." David Seville tries to reign in the boys but that proves impossible, and one of the charming things about the album is that the Chipmunks keep acting up while singing (okay, it is mostly Alvin's fault, but you knew that going in). There is also a guest appearance by a particular flying reindeer on "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and Seville sings lead on "White Christmas," which adds a nice little touch of honest emotion to the album. If you like the first album, then you will like the second volume. Nobody picks up a Chipmunks' album to see if they might like hearing high-pitched voices singing Christmas songs."

Christmas isn't Christmas without the Chipmunks

Daniel Jolley | Shelby, North Carolina USA | 12/20/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Back when I was a kid, I looked forward to listening to my Alvin and the Chipmunks' Christmas album almost as much as I looked forward to Christmas itself. I have always been a real stickler for tradition, and I always believed that Christmas music should not be listened to before December 1; most years, though, I couldn't take the pressure and had to give in and start listening to the Chipmunks as soon as Thanksgiving got here - and I listened to them religiously every day until Christmas was over. There really isn't a better Christmas album for children out there. The Chipmunks were just like me - hardly able to wait for Christmas to arrive and finding it almost impossible to be good given such trying emotional yearnings. "We've been good but we can't last, Hurry Christmas, hurry fast" - those lines from The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) make this the de facto Christmas song for children everywhere.



Not only do the Chipmunks sing perennial Christmas favorites such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Jingle Bell Rock, Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bells, and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, they inject all sorts of humor into the songs, usually in the form of Alvin's antics and the shouts they invoke from the beleaguered Dave Seville. Besides The Chipmunk Song, the song that remains most firmly in my mind is All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) with its many examples of the things you can't say properly without the help of front teeth. Really, though, all of these songs are great and lots of fun to sing along to.



Since I've grown up, Christmas just doesn't get me excited the way it did when I was a kid - maybe this is due in part to the fact that I haven't listened to my old Chipmunks Christmas album in many, many years. I know that the Chipmunks make up an important part of my childhood Christmas memories, and I have no doubt that Merry Christmas From the Chipmunks is still more than capable of making the season brighter - for kids and adults both."