Search - Various Artists :: American Songbook 11: A Vintage Christmas

Heartwarming Xmas Cheer (but one small flaw)

MusicFilm Fan | Wash., DC | 10/24/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album of great Christmas songs, on the Liberty subsidiary of the Capitol label, is a fine collection with one very small flaw.



This isn't just another collection of the same old classic Christmas recordings, as beloved as those recordings may deservedly be. Liberty has done an admirable job of pulling together some very good (and sometimes little-known) versions of Christmas songs on the Capitol label, all by great performers, and has leavened them with numerous non-Capitol cuts licensed from other labels.



These cross-label compilations are much appreciated (by me anyway) for the effort taken to put together a truly interesting selection, instead of just relying on the in-house properties. Liberty has stayed away from many classic recordings that are often heard on other Christmas compilations, in favor of less well known versions -- for example, substituting Jo Stafford's excellent version of "White Christmas" for Bing's masterful recording, which is featured on most compilations. The result is a Christmas collection unlike the others you've heard, but one that's no less deserving of attention than the ones that feature the best-known recordings.



Other little-known recordings of well-known Christmas songs include "Jingle Bells" by Les Paul (yes, the great jazz guitarist and guitar/multitrack inventor); "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "Winter Wonderland," and "Baby It's Cold Outside" by songwriter and Capitol founder Johnny Mercer (with the Pied Pipers on the first two and Margaret Whiting on the third); and "Sleigh Ride" by Louis Castellucci and the Capitol Symphonic Band. The album even starts with a very early (1946) and very good version of "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" by the Nat King Cole Trio, rather than the more recent NKC recording from the early 60s that most of us know.



Some of the more familiar and beloved recordings included here are Bing's great "I'll Be Home For Christmas," Judy Garland's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "The Little Drummer Boy" by the Harry Simeone Chorale, and Perry Como's "There's No Place Like Home For the Holidays" (a song that, for no real reason, I grew to really love during last year's holidays, although I'd heard it since childhood -- I guess I finally realized that I can relate to the story of travelling home for the holidays). Ella Fitzgerald contributes probably the best rendition ever of "The First Noel," and Louis Armstrong jazzes it up with "Zat You, Santa Claus?" Peggy Lee does a similarly lively job with her jazzy version of "Jingle Bells" called "I Like a Sleigh Ride."



I should also mention the very informative liner notes by the ever-knowledgeable Will Friedwald, the author of several excellent books about pre-rock music (including "Jazz Singing" and "Sinatra: The Song Is You" - both highly recommended).



The one small flaw is a mislabeling of Bob Hope's classic "Silver Bells," a song he originally introduced as the title character in "The Lemon Drop Kid," a wonderful movie taken from a Christmas story by Damon Runyon. The liner notes say that this CD includes a 1960 recording from the Coral label, with Bob's singer-wife Dolores joining him for this duet number. Bob's performance on here, however, is obviously from his later years, not from 1960 -- his voice, while on-key and very affecting, is that of a very old man, not the 57-year-old he was in 1960. I would guess that this is actually a track from the 1996 "Hopes for the Holidays" album that Bob and Dolores recorded when he was 93. It's a very nice rendition of a great Christmas song, but it doesn't completely fit with the 40s/50s/60s recordings on the remainder of the album. (But hey, it's a classic song sung by the man who introduced it, with a wife who can really sing!)



(I could have done without "The Chipmunk Song," a novelty that I've grown tired of, but I can't deny that it's a classic for baby boomers. And I really don't care for "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" -- cute song, but Jimmy Boyd's voice is a bit grating to me. Still, I know it's a recording that many people enjoy.)



So, despite the small flaw of mislabeling Bob Hope's "Silver Bells," I'd highly recommend this collection. You'll find a lot of great Christmas songs that you love performed by some masterful singers."