Search - Salsoul Orchestra :: Christmas Jollies

BRILLIANT HOWEVER - This is not the original version of the

Ramon Gayo | Ft. Lauderdale, Fl | 06/06/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'll never forget the late 70s when my father used to play this Lp over and over again. Is indeed brilliant and miraculous at the same time. I had the chance to speak to Vincent Montana Jr.(the conductor and genious arranger of THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA) 8 years(2001) ago and thanked him personally for the deep impact and great memories that this recording made in my life.



This cd reissue is not the original version that was released on LP as maestro Vincent Montana Jr. intended to be. I don't know why but some idiot called TOM MOULTON played around with the mix of this recording and you are not getting the original version.



Not to confuse anyone in 1989 when CDs started to come out, I had the chance of buying this on CD the way it was original released on Lp, when it was first pressed on CD.



The songs on the original version of the Lp and first CD pressing are as follows:

1- The Little Drummer Boy

2- Sleigh Ride

3- Silent Night

4- Merry Christmas All

5- There's Someone Who's Knocking

6- Christmas Medley

7- New Years Medley



If you really want this on its original version which is miraculous, I will ask the seller who you are buying it from if the songs are arranged this way.



TOM MOULTON, get out of maestro MONTANA'S way. Stop tampering with his genious music.



RAY GAYO 007



P.S. check the pic gallery of this CD. Someone posted the original cover where the green background is actually darker!!!"

Highly Disappointing. Don't waste your money unless you real

Anthony Morelli | Montreal, Canada | 12/14/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Trust me, it's with no joy, that I will write what I will, it's just that I'm very disappointed in this item, and with the reasons you will see below.



I was fortunate enough to purchase the original 1976 Cassette and the first CD, I believe in 1993 at The Bay, here in Montreal. The CD we have is from the original LP recording and not the awful 2006 re-issue, which is said to be re-mastered. It's not remastered, but new arrangements have been added to the original recordings, and it's just a really badly botched "cut & paste" job.



I'd like to know why the original CD went out of print in the first place? How could Vince Montana Jr. let those guys re-work such a nostalgic Christmas masterpiece? What is this crap? I downloaded the entire 2006 re-issue last night on the net (not on itunes, but somewhere else), cos it's not even available on i-tunes.

The remastering is downright AWFUL!



I don't like the updated drums parts, and I definitely do NOT like the 2:09 version "Silent Night" with guitar and piano arrangements. It's awful!

I won't even burn it to a CD or put it on my ipod, cos it does absolutely nothing for me like the original 1:08 orchestral version does, from the original CD, LP and cassette. All the voices are the same on the remastered version, but all the noisy, poorly-layered additional arrangements totally spoil the CD.

They didn't have to add the "New Year/Americana Suite" on there either.



Why I rated the album 2 stars is because I do enjoy the new version of "The Little Drummer Boy" because it's got an instrumental intro, and then the voices come in a minute later and the song goes on almost as normal, except for the really evident xylophone arrangement.



Don't bother running around on the internet for the downloads of the original version, cos there aren't any. Everyone sells the new version of the CD and only has the new versions on mp3, if you want to download them from limewire or wherever else.



I guess I'm one of the lucky few with the original 1993 version on CD. If you look around, perhaps you'll find the orignial version on CD in a toy shop or a convenience store, or perhaps even Zellers or Wal-Mart.

Since the original is out of print, the new one is the only version you'll find in most retail stores or online.

The new version totally spoils the feeling of the album for me, because this is the ONLY album I listened to during the holidays as a kid. I'm 34 now, and started listening to the cassette way back in 1980. I won't even bother putting the new version on my ipod, cos it's just not the same feeling anymore, til I go across town and get the original CD from my parents, which I will do this afternoon.

"