christmas pleasures, side two
Feeling nostalgic this holiday season, I'm diving into Christmas records that my family owned when I was a kid, starting with a late 1970s dive into Columbia Records' vaults, Christmas Pleasures. Click here for side one.
Ah, Mitch Miller. On the one hand, the man had an ear for hits, turning Columbia Records into a pop powerhouse during the 1950s. He helped shape the role of a record producer, transforming it from a passive to active role in the studio. On the other hand, he had a fondness for schlock, and resisted signing rock acts, leaving Columbia behind in that genre until the mid-1960s.
And then there was Sing Along With Mitch. Growing out of a series of albums that started in the late 1950s, Miller welded large vocal ensembles with old-fashioned tunes that listeners could sing along with. They sold well with older audiences, leading to an NBC television series which ran from 1961 to 1964.
How square Sing Along With Mitch came to be perceived was discussed in his New York Times obituary in 2010:
Even at the singalongs’ height, many Americans considered them hopelessly corny. That sense only intensified as a younger generation came of age in the 1960s and musical tastes changed. There were news reports that shopping malls had begun piping Mitch Miller music on their sound systems as a way to discourage teenagers from congregating. Years later, in 1993, when David Koresh and members of his Branch Davidian cult were holed up in their compound in Waco, Tex., F.B.I. agents tried to flush them out by blasting “Sing Along With Mitch” Christmas carols.
Ouch.
There are a few episodes of Sing Along With Mitch floating around YouTube, including this 1961 Christmas edition. Sadly, "Winter Wonderland" is not among the featured tunes. Like "Sleigh Ride," it gets the side off to a good start, and, as corny a recording as it is, always warms my heart a little when I hear it.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir - The First Noel
When I began preparing these posts, I prodded my sister's memory for her thoughts about Christmas Pleasures. She remembered this rendition of "The First Noel" as the organ-heavy track.
I don't have much to say about it. The choir still exists though, "to more closely align with its sponsoring organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" (translation: stop using the term "Mormon!"), it changed its name to The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square in 2018.
Peter Nero - O Holy Night
A spritely, energetic version of the mid-19th century carol. Not much else to say, other than my other association with "O Holy Night" is Paul Shaffer's long-running imitation of a mid-1970s Cher rendition.
Andy Williams - Do You Hear What I Hear?
Andy Williams and holiday songs are generally a good pairing and this track, from 1965's Merry Christmas, is no exception. One of my favourite renditions of this tune.
In a November 13, 1965 review, Billboard praised Merry Christmas:
The individual Williams' warmth and style bring freshness to a group of holiday chestnuts that makes for a programming and sales giant. "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" is given a fine, easy go ballad reading, while the new "Christmas Holiday" is a bright jazz waltz winner.
John Davidson - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
It's not as heartwarming as the version that closes A Charlie Brown Christmas, but this 1969 rendition by future That's Incredible!/Hollywood Squares host John Davidson isn't bad.
Dinah Shore - The Twelve Days of Christmas
Not the strongest version of this song - there's a better one coming in a future post from another holiday album I grew up with.
Patti Page - Christmas Bells
When I reviewed the track listening, my mind drew a blank on this song.
Then I listened to it.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the worst track on the album, combining a mediocre song with an annoying kids chorus.
I played it for Louisa and she rolled her eyes.
No wonder my memory blocked this one out.
Robert Goulet - Home for the Holidays
The record recovers with this track, and its cheesy, lounge-y goodness.
During a quick trip back to my home town at the beginning of December, I made an Instagram story out of pictures I took of the annual River Lights display along the waterfront. Among the appropriate musical options to add to the story was this song. It felt so right.
Goulet's other holiday contributions include a rendition of a schoolyard Christmas classic.
Jim Nabors - Christmas Eve in My Home Town
A slower, more sentimental view of going home for the holidays. As a kid I considered this track a snoozer, but it holds up better now as a inoffensive middle-of-the-road tune.
Jerry Vale - Silent Night, Holy Night
Like side one, perhaps the album should have ended on the previous track. Like Vikki Carr's "What Child Is This," Vale's rendition of "Silent Night" is just...there. A more forceful rendition would have made this a stronger capper.
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Given the easygoing vibe the compiler was going for, I can see, if rights issues weren't involved, how some of Columbia's major artists who recorded holiday material were not included here. I probably would have swapped out one of the Carr, Page, or Vale tracks for Johnny Cash, who had two Christmas albums (1963's The Christmas Spirit and 1972's The Johnny Cash Family Christmas) in the label's catalogue. Simon and Garfunkel's 1966 track "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night" would have been too steeped in contemporary events or too grim to include. An excerpt of The Nutcracker could have appeared, whether in an orchestral version or via Duke Ellington's interpretation.
Coming soon: what Christmas tunes from the Capitol Records vaults does a budget label decide to compile into an album?
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