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Jackson 5 Christmas Album
Motown Records
1970 – MS713
Reissued 1982 – 5250ML |
This week we will conclude our look back at Billboard’s Top-Charting Christmas Album with the decade of the 1970s. 1970’s chart topper was “The Jackson Five Christmas Album.” While this recording was re-issued and re-packaged in several forms by Motown, it is the only Christmas album recorded by the Jackson 5 quintet.
Song Listing:
“Christmas Won’t Be the Same This Year”
1971 – The Partridge Family “A Partridge Family Christmas Card”. The album was released with a Christmas Card attached to the front, and re-issued with the Christmas Card integrated into the album cover for a later pressing. You will often see this album jacket sans the Christmas Card.
Song Listing:
My Christmas Card to You
White Christmas
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
Blue Christmas
Jingle Bells
The Christmas Song>
Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
Winter Wonderland
Frosty the Snowman
Sleigh Ride
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
1972 saw the return of “The Jackson 5 Christmas Album” to the top of the chart.
1973 “Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas” by Elvis Presley.
Song Listing:
O Come All Ye Faithful
The First Noel
On a Snowy Christmas Night
Winter Wonderland
The Wonderful World of Christmas
It Won’t Seem Like Christmas
I’ll Be Home on Christmas Day
If I Get Home on Christmas Day
Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees
Merry Christmas Baby
Silver Bells
1974 – “The Waltons Christmas Album” topped the chart. Only one of the actors who appeared on the show (Will Geer who played Grandpa) appears on the album. This is a Various Artists compilation album.
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The Waltons’ Christmas Album
Columbia KC33193
1974
Song Listing:
Waltons Theme (Roger Kellaway)
The First Noel (The Holiday Singers)
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (The Holiday Singers)
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (The Holiday Singers)
Hark The Herald Angels Sing (The Holiday Singers)
Silent Night (The Holiday Singers)
Joy to the Wrold (The Holiday Singers)
Grandpa’s Christmas Wish (Will Geer with The Holiday Singers)
O Come All Ye Faithful (The Holiday Singers)
O Little Town of Bethlehem (The Holiday Singers)
Spirit of Christmas (Roger Kellaway) |
1975 “Rocky Mountain Christmas” by John Denver.
Song Listing:
Aspenglow
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Silver Bells
Please Daddy (Don’t Get Drunk This Christmas)
Christmas For Cowboys
Away In A Manger
What Child Is This
Coventry Carol
Oh Holy Night
Silent Night, Holy Night
A Baby Just Like You
1976 and 1977 were lead by the Salsoul Orchestra’s Christmas Jollies.
Song Listing:
The Little Drummer Boy
Sleigh Ride
Silent Night
Merry Christmas All
There’s Someone Who’s Knocking
Christmas Time
Christmas Medley:
Joy to the World
Deck The Halls
O Come All Ye Faithful
JIngle Bells
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
The Christmas Song
White Christmas
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
I’ll Be Home For Christmas
Winter Wonderland
The First Noel
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
New Year’s Medley:
Auld Lang Salsoul
I’m Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover
Alabama Jubilee
Oh, Dem Golden Slippers
God Bless America
1978 “Christmas Portrait” by The Carpenters took the top spot.
Song Listing:
O Come, O Come Immanuel
Overture: Deck the Hall, I Saw Three Ships, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Away In A Manger, What Child Is This, Carol of the Bells, O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)
Christmas Waltz
Sleigh Ride
It’s Christmas Time/Sleep Well Little Children
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town
Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
Silent Night
Jingle Bells
First Snowfall, Let It Snow
Carol of the Bells
Merry Christmas Darling
I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Christ Is Born
Winter Wonderland, Silver Bells, White Christmas, Ave Maria
1979 John Denver returned to the top of the chart with the Muppets in “A Christmas Together.”
Song Listing:
Twelve Days of Christmas
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
The Peace Carol
Christmas Is Coming (Round)
A Baby Just Like You
Deck the Halls
When the River Meets the Sea
Little Saint Nick
Noel: Christmas Eve, 1913
The Christmas Wish
Medley: Alfie the Christmas Tree, Carol For A Christmas Tree, It’s In Everyone of Us
Silent Night, Holy Night
We Wish You A Merry Christmas
This concludes our look at Billboard’s Top Charting Christmas albums. Check back next week for a new topic.
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.
christmaslpstocd 
Hi – great Christmas memories! But I wonder, how do you get some albums top of a Billboard Xmas chart that didn’t exist after 1973? And did the Walton’s Christmas Album even chart at all?! Hope you can explain. Regards, Paul
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Hello Paul. We used as our source a publication called “Christmas in the Charts 1920-2004” by Joel Whitburn. In 1963, Billboard magazine began publishing a special weekly sales charts for Christmas album sales named “Christmas Albums” for three to four weeks during each holiday season. Titles that appeared on these charts were excluded from the regular Billboard 200 album sales charts. These special, year-end “Christmas Albums” charts were published from 1963 to 1973. The chart was discontinued from 1974 to 1982, when holiday titles were once again included in the regular Billboard 200 chart. “Christmas Albums” started up again in 1983 and appeared each year until 1985 (during these three years, holiday titles were eligible for inclusion on the weekly Billboard 200 chart). It was discontinued in 1986, but resumed in 1987 and continued each year under the “Christmas Albums” name until 1993. In 1994, the chart was renamed to “Holiday Albums” and has been published by Billboard each year since. Billboard’s special Christmas albums sales charts have varied in size over the years, from a low of 5 chart positions to a high of 117 chart positions
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Hi – ok, found the Waltons did chart in 1974 at No. 125 peak. So can you tell me if Whitburn made that his arbitrary decision to be the bestselling Xmas-themed album for 1974, given the Xmas catalogue albums were no longer tracked in any way? Did he explain at all please? Thanks.
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I would suggest you obtain a copy of Joel Whitburn’s “Christmas In The Charts” from your local library. It is my understanding that he used Billboard’s special Christmas Albums Charts, but it would be best to get the information directly from the horse’s mouth so-to-speak by reading the words in his book.
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