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Elvis Presley - Elvis' Christmas Album Audio CD

A fair review of the Elvis Presley "Elvis' Christmas Album" 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 Elvis Presley reviews here, or go back to the Elvis Presley tabs.

Elvis Presley Band: Elvis Presley
Title: Elvis' Christmas Album
Rating:
Release Date: 1990-10-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Santa Claus Is Back in Town - Elvis Presley 2: White Christmas - Elvis Presley 3: Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) - Elvis Presley 4: I'll Be Home for Christmas - Elvis Presley 5: Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley 6: Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me) - Elvis Presley 7: O Little Town of Bethlehem - Elvis Presley 8: Silent Night - Elvis Presley 9: Peace in the Valley - The Jordanaires, Elvis Presley 10: I Believe - The Jordanaires, Elvis Presley 11: Take My Hand, Precious Lord - The Jordanaires, Elvis Presley 12: It Is No Secret (What God Can Do) - The Jordanaires, Elvis Presley

Buy the album "Elvis Christmas" instead
However, if you buy the similar "Elvis Christmas" album, you will get every song on this one (except for "Medley") plus about ten more, and at the exact same price. I'm not saying anything bad about this album in particular - the songs are a solid selection and so forth. It's just a better value.


Elvis' christmas album
Elvis is right up there with Mozart, Bach, and so on. What can I say that hasn't been said before about The King? His voice, the arrangement of the songs, his musical directors, song selections are all outstanding. The CD is the CD issue of Elvis' first LP. Nice to hear clean recordings and what an easy way to play the recording. There is a bonus on the CD that many have missed and that should be noted. The bonus is not available on Elvis' original LP. The Christmas song, White Christmas, includes studio chatter. The studio chatter White Christmas is available only on this CD.


There Were Two LPs Titled Elvis' Christmas Album
This CD release contains the exact songs that appeared on the first Elvis' Christmas Album, released in 1957 on RCA Victor LOC-1035. To reviewer Bon Jovi Fan a bit of history. The one you recall with the same title was released in 1970 on RCA Camden CAL-2428, containing a mix of some of the earlier tracks with new ones, including If Every Day Was Like Christmas. Written by Red West, it was recorded on June 11, 1966 in Nashville and first released that year as a single b/w How Would You Like To Be?

As another reviewer points out, this one, when first released, became the target of that element of society self-righteously "scandalized" by the "vulgar hip-swinging degenerate" who was "corrupting our children" led by the son of C&W legend Hank Snow, one Jimmie Rodgers Snow, the most pious of them all. In other words, those yabos who were doing all they could to kill R&R at birth. Of course, the R&R DJs, when playing anything from the album, had zeroed in on tunes like Blue Christmas (which actually dates back to 1949 by Ernest Tubb, Russ Morgan, and Hugo Winterhalter) and Lieber & Stoller's driving Santa Claus Is Back In Town.

Only when they eventually heard his mellow tones on White Christmas and I'll Be Home For Christmas, the carols Silent Night and Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem, and the four gospel tunes included (especially Take My Hand, Precious Lord), did some of them - not all, mind you, but a few - admit that they had perhaps over-reacted. Snow, thankfully, just faded into obscurity.

The sound reproduction is excellent, and although there are no liner notes with the insert, you do get nine pages of vintage colour photographs of Elvis. No collection of Christmas music is complete without this one.

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A Christmas classic
It was considered very controversial when it was released (as were most Elvis releases during that time), but it was still a huge hit commercially, hitting number 1 on the Billboard album charts (before they created a separate category for Christmas albums). This is the original Elvis Christmas Album as released in 1957.

Eight Christmas songs were included in his original 1957 Christmas album along with the 4 Gospel songs from the "Peace In The Valley" EP. His original Christmas album was repackaged and re-released in 1970 with the 4 Gospel songs being replaced by "If Every Day was Like Christmas" (which was originally released as a single in 1966) and the non-Christmas song "Mama Liked The Roses". The 1970 edition was then re-packaged and released on CD as "It's Christmas Time" a few years ago.

Elvis' performance on the songs here are excellent! Several of these recordings have become Christmas classics, still receiving significant radio airplay nearly 50 years after they were recorded!

While this was a great album in its day, it has since been superceeded. All the songs on this album are currently available on the Elvis "White Christmas" CD along with "If Every Day was Like Christmas" and "Mama Liked The Roses" and every song from his "The Wonderful World of Christmas" album which was released in 1971. Unless you just want to buy this CD for its historical significance, I would recommend that you spend a few extra bucks and buy the Elvis "White Christmas" album instead. You will get a lot more Christmas cheer!
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Misleading Album Titles
While I totally love this CD, it is not the same one I listened to that my mom had on LP when I was little. When Elvis' christmas recordings were reissued on CD, there was apparently some mixing and matching going on. It has several additions and omissions from that one, most notably the lack of "If Everyday Was Like Christmas". That song can be found on a CD of the same title, but the track listing of another one called "It's Christmas Time" by Elvis looks more familiar as the one I liked as a kid. Elvis' stuff is always great, though, so I still recommend this one, too.


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

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