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| Firestone Presents “Your Favorite Christmas Carols” Volume 2. MLP-7006 Produced by Forrell, Thomas, and Pollack Associates, Inc. 1963 Song Listing: Opening (Boychoir and Chorus) Song Lyrics: Track One: Opening (performed by Boychoir and Chorus)
O holy night! the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
“O Come all Ye Faithful”
O come, all ye faithful,
O come, all ye faithful,
O come, all ye faithful, come.
O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels:
O Come, let us adore Him,
O Come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
Sing Choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all ye citizens of heaven above:
Glory to God
In the highest, glory!
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
Track Two: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Rise Stevens and Chorus)
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee,
O Israel!
O Come, thou Day-spring,
Come and cheer our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadow put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee,
O Israel!
O come, thou rod of Jesse,
Free thine own from Satan’s tyranny’;
From depths of Hell thy people save,
And give them victory o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee,
O Israel!
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel!
Track Three: Medley (Boychoir)
“Hark! the Herald Angels Sing”
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new-born King!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.”
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies,
With angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”
“The First Noel”
The first Noel the angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
Track Four: Medley (Brian Sullivan and Chorus)
“We Three Kings of Orient Are”
We three kings of Orient are,
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder Star.
Oh, star of wonder, star of might,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to Thy perfect Light.
Glorious, now, behold Him rise,
King and God and Sacrifice;
Heav’n sings “Hallelujah!”
“Hallelujah!” earth replies.
(Repeat Chorus)
“God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen”
God rest ye merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
Remember Christ, our Savior,
Was born on Christmas Day;
To save us all from Satan”s power,
When we were gone astray.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.
From God our heav’nly Father,
A blessed angel came;
And unto certain shepherds,
Brought tidings of the same:
How that in Bethlehem was born,
The Son of God by Name.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy,
O tidings of comfort and joy.
Track Five: “Angels We Have Heard on High” (Rise Stevens, Brian Sullivan, Chorus)
Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Angels we have heard on high,
Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply,
Echoing their joyful strains:
Gloria in excelsis Deo! Gloria in excelsis Deo!
Shepherds why this Jubilee?
Why your joyful strains prolong?
What the gladsome tidings be,
Which inspire your heavenly song?
Gloria in excelsis deo! Gloria in excelsis deo!
Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing;
Come adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the new-born King:
Gloria in excelsis deo! Gloria in excelsis deo!
See him in a manger laid
Whom the choirs of angels praise.
Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,
While our hearts in love we raise.
Gloria in excelsis deo! Gloria in excelsis deo!
Track Six: “Carol of the Bells” (Boychoir)
Hark! how the bells, sweet silver bells,
All seem to say, “Throw cares away.”
Christmas is here, bringing good cheer,
To young and old, meek and the bold,
Ding, dong, ding, dong,
That is their song,
With joyful ring, all caroling.
One seems to hear, words of good cheer,
From ev’rywhere, filling the air
O, how they pound, raising the sound,
O’er hill and dale, telling their tale,
Gaily they ring, while people sing songs of good cheer,
Christmas is here!
Merry, merry, merry, Merry Christmas!
Merry, merry, merry, Merry Christmas!
On, on they send, on without end,
Their joyful tone to ev’ry home.
Track Seven: “Hallelujah” (Chorus)
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
For the Lord God Omnipotent reigheth.
The kingdom of this world
Is become the Kingdom of Our lord
And of His Christ, and of His Christ’
And He shall reign forever and ever.
King og Kings, and Lord of Lords.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Track Eight: “Deck the Hall” (Brian Sullivan and Chorus)
Deck the halls with boughs of holly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
‘Tis the season to be jolly.
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Don we now our gay apparel,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Troll the ancient Yule-tide carol,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
See the blazing Yule before us,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Strike the harp and join the chorus,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Follow me in merry measure,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
While I tell of Yule-tide treasure,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Fast away the old year passes,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Hail the new, ye lads and lassies,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Sing we joyous all together,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Heedless of the wind and weather,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Track Nine: Medley (Rise Stevens and Chorus)
“Away In The Manger”
Away in the manger, no crib for His bed,
The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head.
The stars in the sky looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay.
The cattle are lowing, the poor baby wakes
But little Lord Jesus, no crying He makes.
I love thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle ’til morning is nigh.
“It Came Upon A Midnight Clear”
It came upon a midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth
To touch their harps of gold:
“Peace on the earth, good will to men
From heav’n’s all gracious King.”
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.
Track Ten: “Joy to the World” (Rise Stevens, Brian Sullivan, Chorus)
Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the world! the Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove,
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, and wonders of His love.
Track Eleven: Medley (Boychoir and Chorus)
“Silent Night”
Silent night! Holy night!
All is calm, all is bright.
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child!
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Sleep in heavenly peace!
“O Little Town of Bethlehem”
O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie’
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by”
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everladting Light:
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.
O, morning stars, together
Proclaim the Holy birth!
And praises sing to God the King,
And peace to men on earth.
“Jingle Bells”
Oh what fun it is to ride and sing
In a one-horse open sleigh!
Jingle bells! Jingle bells! Jingle all the way!
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh!
Track Twelve: “The Twelve Days of Christmas” (Entire Company)
On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me,
A partridge in a pear tree.
On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.
On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Three french hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Four calling birds, etc.
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Five golden rings, etc.
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Six gesse a-laying, etc.
On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming, etc.
On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking, etc.
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing, etc.
On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Ten lords a-leaping, etc.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Eleven pipers piping, etc.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me
Twelve drummers drumming, etc.
This blog is written and published by DLF Music Transfer, LLC dba Christmas LPs to CD. For more information on Christmas music or to purchase CDs of classic Christmas records on CD, please visit our website www.christmaslpstocd.com , call us 888-384-6970, or e-mail us david@dlfmusic.com.
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Month: June 2011
Firestone Presents "Your Favorite Christmas Music" Volume 1
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| Firestone Presents “Your Favorite Christmas Music” Volume 1. 1962
Song Listing: Song Lyrics: Track One: Medley (Performed by the Firestone Chorus)
1. “Joy to the World”
Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room;
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, and wonders of His love.
2. “Away in a Manger”
Away in a manger, no crib for His bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head.
The stars in the sky, looked down where He lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay.
3. “We Three Kings of Orient Are”
We three kings of of Orient are
Bearing gifts we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following younder Star.
Oh, star of wonder, star of might,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to the perfect Light.
4. “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing”
Hark! the herald angels sing;
“Glory to the new-born King!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.”
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With the angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem.”
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new-born King!”
Track Two: “What Child Is This?” (Performed by Rise Stevens)
What Child is this,
Who laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ, the King;
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:
Haste, haste to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
The King of kings salvation brings;
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise the song on high,
The Virgin sings her lullaby;
Joy, joy for Christ is Born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!
Track Three: “O Come, All Ye Faithful” (Performed by Brian Sullivan)
O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels;
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
Adeste fideles, Laeti triumphantes;
Venite, venite in Bethlehem;
Natum videte,
Regem angelorum,
Venite, adoremus,
Venite, adoremus,
Venite, adoremus
Dominum.
Sing choirs of angels,
Sing in Exultation.
Sing all ye citizens of heaven above:
Glory to God
In the highest, glory!
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
Track 4: Medley
1. “A Virgin Unspotted”
A Virgin unspotted, the prophet foretold,
Should bring forth a Savior, which now we behold,
To be our Redeemer from death, hell and sin,
Which Adam’s transgression had wrapped us in.
Aye and therefore be merry, set sorrow aside,
Christ Jesus, our Savior, was born on this tide.
2. “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen”
God rest you merry, gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay,
Remember Christ, our Savior
Was born on Christmas Day;
To save us all from Satan’s power,
When we were gone astray.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy.
From God our heavenly Father,
A blessed angel came;
And unto certain shepherds,
Brought tidings of the same;
How that in Bethlehem was born,
The Son of God by Name.
O tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy.
3. “Deck the Hall”
Deck the hall with boughs of holly
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
“Tis the season to be jolly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Don we now our gay apparel,
Fa la la la la, la, la, la, la, la.
Troll the ancient yuletide carol,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Fast away the old year passes,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Follow me in merry measure,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la
Heedless of the wind and weather.
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Track Five: “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (Performed by Brian Sullivan)
O Little Town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie;
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by:
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.
O holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in,
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord, Emmanuel.
Track Six: “O Holy Night” (Performed by Rise Stevens)
O holy night! the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth;
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;
Fall on your knees,
Oh, hear the angels’ voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
Christ is the Lord
Oh, praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
Track Seven: “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” (Performed by Brian Sullivan)
It came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold;
“Peace on the earth, good will to men
From heaven’s all gracious King;”
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.
Still through the cloven skies they come,
With peaceful wings unfurled;
And still their heavenly music floats
O’er all the weary world.
“Peace on the earth, good will to men
From heaven’s all gracious King;”
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.
Track Eight: “The Friendly Beasts” (Performed by Rise Stevens)
Jesus, our brother, kind and good,
Was humble born in a stable rude,
And the friendly beasts around Him stood;
Jesus, our brother, kind and good.
“I”, said the donkey, shaggy and brown,
“Icarried His Mother up hill and down;
I carried His Mother to Bethlehem town.”
“I” said the donkey, shaggy and brown.
“I” said the cow, all white and red,
“I gave Him my manger for His bed,
I gave Him my hay to pillow His head.”
“I” said the cow, all white and red.
“I” said the sheep with curly horn,
“I gave Him my wool for His Blanket warm,
He wore my coat on Christmas morn.”
“I” said the sheep with curly horn.
Thus every beast by some good spell,
In the stable dark was glad to tell
Of the gift he gave Emmanuel,
The gift he gave Emmanuel.
Track Nine: Medley (Performed by the Firestone Chorus)
1. “Here We Come a-Wassailing”
Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green;
Here we come a-wandering,
So fair to be seen.
Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too;
And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year,
And God send you a Happy New Year.
2. “Good King Wenceslas”
Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about,
Deep and crisp and even;
Brightly shone the moon that night,
Though the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight,
Gathering winter fuel.
“Bring me flesh, and bring me wind,
Bring me pine logs hither;
Thou and I will see him dine
When we bear them thither.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure,
Wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor,
Shall yourselves find blessing.
3. “O Christmas Tree”
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
O tree of green unchanging.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
O tree of green unchanging.
Your boughs, so green in summer time,
Do brave the snow of winter time.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree
O tree of green, unchanging.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
You speak of God, unchanging.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
You speak of God, unchanging.
You tell us all to faithful be,
And trust in God eternally.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
You speak of God, unchanging.
Track Ten: The First Noel (Performed by Brian Sullivan)
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel.
The first Noel the angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay:
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel.
They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the east beyond them far,
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.
This star drew nigh to the northwest.
O’er Bethlehem it took its rest,
And there it did both stop and stay
Right over the place where Jesus lay.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel.
Then entered in those Wise Men three,
Full reverently upon their knee,
And offered there in His presence,
Their gold and myrrh and frank-in-cense.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
Track Eleven: “Silent Night” (Performed by Rise Stevens)
Silent night! Holy night!
All is calm, all is bright.
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child!
Holy infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight!
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing, “Allelujah!”
Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Sagvior is born!
Track Twelve: Medley (Performed by the Firestone Chorus)
1. “Jingle Bells”
Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh,
O’er the fields we go,
Laughing all the way:
The bells on bob-tail ring,
They’re making spirits bright
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight!
Jingle bells! Jingle bells! Jingle all the way!
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh!
Jingle bells! Jingle bells! Jingle all the way!
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh!
2. “Up on the House-Top”
Up on the house-top reideer pause,
Out jumps good old Santa Claus;
Down through the chimney with lots of toys
All for the little ones Christmas joys.
Ho, ho, ho! Who wouldn’t go!
Ho, ho, ho! Who wouldn’t go!
Up on the house-top, click, click, click,
Down through the chimney with good Saint Nick.
3. “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas”
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas,
Lean your ear this way!
Don’t you tell a single soul
What I’m going to say;
Christmas Eve is coming soon;
Now you dear old man,
Whisper what you’ll bring to me;
Tell me if you can.
Johnny wants a pair of skates,
Susy wants a sled,
Nellie wants a picture book,
Yellow, blue, and red;
Now I think I’ll leave to you
What to give the rest;
Choose for me, dear Santa Claus,
You will know the best.
4. “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas,
We wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
This blog is written and published by DLF Music Transfer, LLC dba Christmas LPs to CD. For more information on Christmas music or to purchase CDs of classic Christmas records on CD, please visit our website www.christmaslpstocd.com , call us 888-384-6970, or e-mail us david@dlfmusic.com.
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Firestone Your Favorite Christmas. 1962-1968. 7 Volume Set.
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| Firestone Your Favorite Christmas. Volume 5. |
Previously on our blog, we have shared a host of information about Goodyear’s “Great Songs of Christmas” exclusive premium Christmas record series. Another favorite and popular series of the 1960’s was presented by Goodyear’s competitor, tire giant, Firestone.
Firestone released the first of its “Your Favorite Christmas” series in 1962 and the last of its seven album exclusive series in 1968. While Firestone offered many more Christmas releases in subsequent years, none of the albums (other than the original seven “Your Favorite Christmas” LPs) were Firestone exclusives.
Unlike the Goodyear “Great Songs of Christmas” series, the original seven Firestone albums were not just exclusive compilations of previously recorded music — each selection on these seven records was produced and recorded exclusively for Firestone by FTP Records, New York.
Much of the music on the Firestone Presents “Your Favorite Christmas Music” series was produced by the team of Gene Forrell and Edward Thomas. Forrel was born Eugene Finkelhor in Pittsburg, PA where he attended Allderdice High School and Duquesne University. He left Duquesne for New York City and a scholarship from the Dalcroze School. As a composer and orchestral conductor, he worked in theater, dance and television. His soundtrack credits include To Be Alive, a 1964 Academy Award winning documentary. He served as a musical director in Europe and America. In England he conducted the Alexandra Choral Society, the Enfiled Grand Opera, the English Sinfonia, and the English National Orchestra. He also wrote commercial jingles conducting and recording the popular Firestone Christmas albums. Forrell was also a longtime board member of the Musicians Foundation. Forrell died September 21, 2005 at his home in New York.
Edward Thomas is a classical and popular composer whose works have enjoyed success in concert halls and theaters. He studied musical composition with the celebrated Hungarian-American composer, Tibor Serly, and began his many faceted musical career as guitarist, songwriter, and composer. He is equally at home in jazz, theater, commercial and concert music genres. He received several gold records as producer and composer for artists such as Julie Andrews, Jack Jones, Vikki Carr, Leontyne Price, Vic Damone, Roberta Peters, and the Vienna Choir Boys — all regular contributors to the Firestone Presents “Your Favorite Christmas Music” record collection.
After 1968, Firestone offered a Christmas record compilation for several subsequent years. These later recordings were all produced by Capitol Records, but not one was a Firestone exclusive release. In fact, Firestone’s name would not appear anywhere on the album label or record jacket. The only thing that identified these Christmas albums as Firestone releases was a small red sticker on the album jacket’s shrink-wrap. If the shrink-wrap has been removed, you will not be able to identify these Firestone LPs.
Each of the Firestone Presents “Your Favorite Christmas Music” includes on the back of the album jacket the lyrics for every song. In future posts, we will include artwork, song and artist listing, and the song lyrics for each of the original seven exclusive releases. Additionally, we will offer posts including the subsequent Firestone releases.
This blog is written and published by DLF Music Transfer, LLC dba Christmas LPs to CD. For more information on Christmas music or to purchase CDs of classic Christmas records on CD, please visit our website www.christmaslpstocd.com , call us 888-384-6970, or e-mail us david@dlfmusic.com.
Merry Christmas. Bing Crosby. 1945
Second in life-time sales only to Elvis Presley’s 1947 “Elvis’s Christmas Album,” Bing Crosby’s “Merry Christmas” released by Decca Records in 1945, has sold over fifteen million copies worldwide. The collection was originally packaged as five 78 rpm records, all with holiday themes except “Danny Boy” which was paired with “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” The immense success of Crosby’s signature song, “White Christmas” released in 1942, prompted Decca Records to release “Merry Christmas.”
The November 5, 1942 edition of “Billboard” magazine featured “White Christmas” at position number seven. Decca Records, the home label for many of the most important black artists of the day including the Inkspots, released Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas,” a single that transended all categories including the difficult-to-breach barriers of race.
On the pop charts, “White Christmas” had already appeared for a full month’ it would spend a total of seventeen weeks there, eleven of them at number one. For the recording industry, Christmas as we know it had begun.
Irving Berlin wrote “White Christmas” for a movie called Holiday Inn (1942), an implausible tale of an inn that opened only on holidays. While the composer grew heated in the writing and Bing Crosby immediately loved it, others were dubious. After the first New York screening, Berlin’s staff returned to the office convinced that the boss’s big number had flopped.
What saved “White Christmas” were requests made by GIs to Armed Forces Radio around the world. Soldiers away from home, many of them in the South Pacific or North Africa, uncertain of whether they’d ever again see family and friends, let alone a snowfall, responded passionately to Berlin’s understated evocation of the mythic romance of Christmas Past. (“Keep it simple! Keep it simple!” he’d continually insisted to the amanuensis who helped him write it down.)
The song’s slow start in America, Berlin eventually decided, was because of the opening verse about Christmas in a warm California climate. He ordered the first verse cut from the sheet music (to resounding initial complaints from music stores, who felt they were being cheated of material), and Bing Crosby’s hit record climbed the charts without it. About the only place you can hear anything but the chors today is on the version Darlene Love sang in 1963 on Phil Spector’s A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector. In the ensuing ten years, “White Christmas” sold three million copies as sheet music, while Crosby’s rendition sold more than nine million records. Other artists sold another five million of the same song. It was for many years — and perhaps remains today — the largest selling single song, Christmas or other, ever waxed.
“White Christmas” changed Christmas music forever, both by revealing the huge potential market for Christmas songs and by establishing the themes of home and nostalgia that would run through Christmas music evermore.
After the huge success of the original release, Decca re-issued a second edition of four 78s in 1947 omitting “Danny Boy” and “Let’s Start the New Year Right” from the original edition and including new recordings of “White Christmas” and “Silent Night” recorded in March that year. “White Christmas” had to be re-recorded because, in an unprecedented occurence, the original master had worn out and was unuseable. It was this recording of the Christmas standard that would be used for every subsequent pressing. In an effort to replicate as closely as possible the original 1942 version of the song, Bing Crosby and Decca undertook the re-recording with the same orchestra and chorus.
In 1955, Decca released the vinyl LP version of the collection which is most familiar to most of us. The LP contained the eight songs from the 1947 edition as well as four new selections, some of which highlight the Andrews Sisters. Together with the arworkt featuring Bing Crosby on the cover wearing a Santa hat, Bing Crosby’s “Merry Christmas” is THE Christmas record album for millions and millions of people.
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| Merry Christmas. Bing Crosby. 1955 “Merry Christmas” Bing Crosby Decca Records. Original release 1945 as 78rpm set. Re-release 1947 as 78rpm set. Re-issue 1955 as LP. Re-issue 1963 as stereo LP. Re-issue 1973 by MCA Records. Song Listing:
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This blog is written and published by DLF Music Transfer, LLC dba Christmas LPs to CD. For more information on Christmas music or to purchase CDs of classic Christmas records on CD, please visit our website www.christmaslpstocd.com , call us 888-384-6970, or e-mail us david@dlfmusic.com.
Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians
Dubbed by some as “America’s Singing Master” and by others as “The Man Who Taught America to Sing”, Fred Waring was a popular musician, bandleader, and radio/television personality. Together with his group, Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians created much memorable and much-loved music including several albums of Christmas music.
Frederick Malcolm Waring was born June 9, 1900 in Tyrone Pennsylvania. With his brother Tom and their friend, Poley McClintock, Waring formed the Waring-McClintock Snap Orchestra. Growing in local popularity, the group later became Fred Waring’s Banjo Orchestra.
Upon entering Penn State University to study architectural engineering, Waring auditioned for the university’s glee club only to be rejected due to, among other things, conflicts with the glee club’s director, Dr. Clarence Robinson. Despite this, Fred Waring’s Banjo Orchestra often performed at fraternity parties as well as dances and proms. The group eventually garnered so much success, that Waring opted to abandon his architectural engineering studies to pursue music and tour with the band. This band would later undergo another name change to be known as Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians in 1922.
In 1925, Waring’s Pennsylvanians enjoyed their first major commercial success with the hit tune “Collegiate.” The song has been described as a “wonderful little time capsule of college life in the 1920s” and remains one of their best-known songs. By the end of the 1920s, Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians were on of the most popular musical acts in the country, and, in 1929, starred in an early “talkie” film called “Syncopation.”
Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians were one of radio’s hottest acts during the 1930’s and hosted several radio shows. It was in a sponsorship agreement for one of the radio shows that Waring marketed for General Electric the Waring Blender, a kitchen appliance.
In 1932, the group decided to stop making records because they believed the records competed against their radio shows. They would not begin recording again until 1942. In 1949, the Pennsylvanians transitioned from radio to television starring in their own weekly television show sponsored by General Electric.
As with most successful music acts, the music of Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians evolved and changed thru the years. They are perhaps best known today as a choral group that remained active and popular until Waring’s death in 1984.
It is the choral group who created several much loved Christmas albums. We focus here on three of them; “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” “Christmas Time with Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians,” and “Sounds of Christmas.”
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“Twas the Night Before Christmas”
First released by Decca Records in 1955. Release #DL8171. Monoaural Format.
Re-released by Decca in the 1960’s. Release #DL78171. Stereo Format Song Listing: |
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| Christmas Time with Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians
“Christmas Time with Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians” Song Listing:  Sounds of Christmas. Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians “Sounds of Christmas” Song Listing: |
This blog is written and published by DLF Music Transfer, LLC dba Christmas LPs to CD. For more information on Christmas music or to purchase CDs of classic Christmas records on CD, please visit our website www.christmaslpstocd.com , call us 888-384-6970, or e-mail us david@dlfmusic.com.
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