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A Charlie Brown Christmas

Vince Guaraldi - A Charlie Brown Christmas Audio CD

A fair review of the Vince Guaraldi "A Charlie Brown Christmas" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Vince Guaraldi reviews here, or go back to the Vince Guaraldi tabs.

Band: Vince Guaraldi
Title: A Charlie Brown Christmas
Rating:

Release Date: 2007-08-21
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: O Tannenbaum - Vince Guaraldi 2: What Child Is This - Vince Guaraldi 3: My Little Drum - Vince Guaraldi 4: Linus and Lucy - Vince Guaraldi 5: Christmas Time Is Here [Instrumental] - Vince Guaraldi 6: Christmas Time Is Here [Vocal Version] - Vince Guaraldi 7: Skating - Vince Guaraldi 8: Hark, the Herald Angels Sing - Vince Guaraldi 9: Christmas Is Coming - Vince Guaraldi 10: F�r Elise - Vince Guaraldi 11: Christmas Song - Vince Guaraldi 12: Greensleeves - Vince Guaraldi 13: Christmas Is Coming [Alternate Take 1][*] - Vince Guaraldi 14: Christmas Song [Alternate Take 3][*] - Vince Guaraldi 15: Greensleeves [Alternate Take 6][*] - Vince Guaraldi 16: Christmas Time Is Here [Alternate Vocal Take][*] - Vince Guaraldi 17: Christmas Is Coming - David Benoit 18: Just Like Me - Hank Williams, Jr. 19: Linus and Lucy - Dave Koz 20: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Toni Braxton 21: My Little Drum - Rick Braun 22: Skating - Norman Brown 23: Christmas Time Is Here - Brian McKnight 24: O Tannenbaum - Gerald Albright 25: Red Baron - The Rippingtons 26: Christmas Song - Chaka Khan 27: F�r Elise - David Benoit 28: Christmas Time Is Here (Reprise) - Eric Marienthal 29: Joe Cool [Mono Version][#] - Vince Guaraldi Trio 30: Surfin' Snoopy [Mono Version][#] - Vince Guaraldi Trio 31: Heartburn Waltz [Mono Version][#] - Vince Guaraldi Trio 32: Track Meet [#] - Vince Guaraldi Trio 33: Camptown Races [#] - Vince Guaraldi Trio 34: Oh, Good Grief [Mono Version][#] - Vince Guaraldi Trio 35: Charlie Brown Theme - Vince Guaraldi Trio 36: Schroeder [Mono Version] - Vince Guaraldi Trio 37: Charlie's Blues [Mono Version][#] - Vince Guaraldi Trio 38: Great Pumpkin Waltz [Mono Version][#] - Vince Guaraldi Trio 39: Thanksgiving Theme [Mono Version][#] - Vince Guaraldi Trio 40: Linus and Lucy - Vince Guaraldi Trio 41: Christmas Time Is Here [Vocal Version] - Vince Guaraldi Trio 42: Christmas Time Is Here [Instrumental] - Vince Guaraldi Trio

A welcome addition to our Christmas Festivities

This collectors set is a tin box with three separate albums:
* A Charlie Brown Christmas - Soundtrack to the CBS Special
* Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits - A myriad collection of Vince Guaraldi Trio from the various TV specials including "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", "A Charlie Brown Christmas", "You're Not Elected Charlie Brown" and "A Boy Named Charlie Brown"
* 40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas - A compilation of remixes performed by the likes of David Benoit, Vanessa Williams, Brian McKnight and Dave Koz

A Charlie Brown Christmas is a staple of Christmas in our house. After reading the other reviews for this box-set I decided to jot down my own opinions of this product and hopefully clear the air. The other CDs are fun and whimsical and hardly negate from the value of the package. All of these albums can be purchased separately, but the box case is attractive and makes an excellent addition to the CD shelf.

I picked mine up on a whim at Bed, Bath and Beyond, and have not been disappointed.

This product page describes Monster Superdiscs that contain digital copies of the music with supposedly superior sound. This collection does NOT contain any Monster Superdiscs, although those can be found elsewhere.

Note: This version of A Charlie Brown Christmas is the Concord 2006 remaster that garnered criticism a few years back due to poor editing. Concord has since cleaned up the reverb and equalization; and it does sound just like you remember.

David Benoit, 40th Year Anniversary Charlie Brown Christmas
Even the MP3's and AAC's are high quality files. This HD CD which really works fine.

THE SOUND IS WONDEROUS -- THE SOUNDS ARE SPURIOUS
ALSO, THE VOCALS BY MS. I FIND AGREEMENT WITH SOME OF THE COMMENTS OF THE EARLIER REVIEWERS IN THAT A RE-DO OF THE CLASSIC PEANUTS SCORE (WHICH WAS FANTASTIC AND ALSO AVAILABLE AS A MONSTER DISC) WAS NOT ONE OF RECORDED MUSICS GREATEST NEEDS. WILLIAMS AND MS. KHAN ARE SADLY PATHETIC AND COULD BE READILY SHAMED BY ANY OF THE KIDS IN THE HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR. MS. BRAXTON'S EFFORT COULD EASILY BE THE MOST HIDEOUS NOISE I HAVE EVER HEARD. AS I WAS PLAYING THE DISC SOMEWHAT LOUDLY TO APPRECIATE THE SPECTACULAR SURROUND IMAGERY, HER VOCAL TORTURES DROVE MY CAT TO SEEK SOLACE AND REFUGE UNDER THE SOFA. SHE MAY STILL BE THERE. BUT THE SOUND,THE FANTASTIC SOUND. THIS IS WHAT 5. 1 SURROUND IS ALL ABOUT. ASIDE FROM SOME IMPRESSIVE FILM AUDIO TRACKS, I HAVE NEVER HEARD A DISC SO SKILLFULLY UTILIZING THE SURROUND TECHNOLOGY. THE MONSTER ENGINEERS HAVE CREATED A SONIC MASTERPIECE EQUAL TO TWO OF MY FAVORITE 5. 1 RECORDINGS: MIKE OLDFIELD'S TUBULAR BELLS UPDATE AND A JEAN MICHEL JARRE IMPORT TITLED AERO. I EAGERLY AWAIT WHATEVER THE MONSTERS PUT THEIR HANDS TO NEXT. I ORDERED THE RAY CHARLES MONSTER DISC TODAY. AT LEAST THERE THEY HAVE GREAT SOUNDS TO EVOLVE INTO GREAT SONICS. WITH THIS CHARLIE BROWN DISC, THE WRAPPING SOUND SURROUNDS SOME MUNDANE SOUNDS.

I'll second the motion...
. . and I haven't even bought this CD. I got the email today from Amazon advertising it, and my first reaction (because the original CD soundtrack from Guaraldi is the GREATEST CHRISTMAS ALBUM OF ALL TIME) was that I'd give it a try. I mean, come on, surround sound? How cool is that? Little did I know, before reading the previous review, that it was a whole new album/arrangement of all the songs. Horendous indeed!!!! Now, if they had simply taken the original tracks and put them in surround, maybe improved the mix. . . . who knows. . . . ? But I can tell you this: for me, part of the beauty of the original recording is the flat out INNONCENCE and glorious LO-FI of the mixes. It immediately takes me back to that one night of the year when CBS would air the special. I lived for that evening, as did many of you.

Why am I taking the time to write a review for something I haven't even heard? Because I don't want to know that anyone else had their Christmas almost ruined over another modern-day artist trying to cash in on a true genius' talents, just like the previous reviewer so correctly stated. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Benoit, but really. . . . . . compose your own Christmas songs and leave the classics alone, David. Some things in life should simply be off limits.

In other words. . . . . I SECOND THE MOTION!!!!! LONG LIVE THE ORIGINAL RECORDING!!!!!!!

(oh, and God bless us. . . . every one. . . . . ).

leave well enough alone
This CD is so bad that it ruined my entire mood - I'll be lucky if I recover by Christmas!

The first track, "Christmas is Coming" butchers a great song with clumsy unwelcome horn arrangements. This CD is horrendous! Today, Nov 30, I got out my Christmas CD's to start getting in the holiday mood. The second, "Just Like Me" is a breathy, flat, overwrought waste of 4 minutes. The third, "Linus and Lucy" is a depressingly boring arrangement with repetitive saxophone riffs, an annoying percussion track and a lobotomized version of Vince Guaraldi's original harmonies. I could go on and on but there isn't a bright spot in this entire disaster of a CD . . . oh, except "Fur Elise" which is a note for note rendition of the original.

This CD is an affront to the musical genius of Vince Guaraldi and I'm sick and tired of lesser artists cashing in by rehashing his great music - no one has done it better, in fact they aren't even close. Buy the original Charlie Brown Christmas CD and save yourself the aggravation. Have a happy holiday, I just hope I recover in time to salvage some of mine. .

You can see a complete list of all Vince Guaraldi discography, or go back to the Vince Guaraldi tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.