Early Rock And Roll Christmas, Philly Style
Anthony G Pizza | FL | 06/20/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Christmas songs are among music's most beloved, recalling an idealized Christmas past few really enjoyed. Similar good tidings are repeated the other 11 months on oldies stations like Philadelphia's WOGL-FM. There, disc jockeys like Hy Lit and Don Cannon play early rock and roll the way it might have been, if not quite the way it was.No surprise then, that "Ultimate Christmas Album" (followed closely by Ultimate Christmas II, III, etc.) lives up to its name. You receive seminal holiday classics (Bobby Helms, Jimmy Boyd, Brenda Lee, etc.) and relatively new recordings by oldies acts. Margo Sylvia and the Tune Weavers turn their "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" (with its unforgettable intro) into a Christmas song, while Johnny Maestro wraps his still-strong voice around "Christmas Serenade." You also receive lesser-known Christmas finds from Frankie Lymon, the O'Jays, Connie Francis (the oh-so-cute "Baby's First Christmas") along with gorgeously song Christmas carols by the Temptations, Drifters, and Supremes. This is a wonderful, recommended sampler of music guaranteed to recall a warm memory - or create one."