Track Listing

1. Winter Wonderland
2. Happy Holiday/White Christmas
3. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
4. (There's No Place Like) Home For The Holidays
5. I'll Be Home For Christmas
6. My Favorite Things
7. The Christmas Waltz
8. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
9. River
10. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?
11. A Gift Of Love

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #76868 in Music
• Released on: 2002-11-12
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
It's refreshing to hear a version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" that doesn't reference the arrangement Phil Spector came up with on A Christmas Gift for You four decades ago. Barry Manilow's rendition was inspired by Bing Crosby's 1945 collaboration with the Andrews Sisters. And that pretty much explains where the artist is coming from on the majority of this holiday offering. This is a big orchestrated (and voiced) Christmas album, most of it well suited for delivery on a Broadway stage. Accordingly, the singer picks holiday-themed tunes from the likes of Rodgers & Hammerstein, Sammy Cahn & Jule Styne, Irving Berlin, and Frank Loesser. Then, just to confuse things a bit (this is, after all, someone who had a huge hit with Ian Hunter's "Ships"), Manilow throws in a superb cover of "River," Joni Mitchell's ode to Christmas depression. Everything else is warm and festive, though, including the Manilow-penned title track. The singer's longtime fans will adore this collection. --Bill Holdship

Customer Reviews

A must have if you're a BARRYHOLIC!
Barry...what can you say...GREAT GREAT GREAT! Gave this cd as a gift and it is so very much loved! Makes a great addition to your Christmas music collection. This is a MUST HAVE if you're a BARRYHOLIC!

Very Veeegaas!
We enjoyed this CD and Mr. Manilow's voice, but were a tiny bit put off by the smattering of smarmy glitz present. Though we've never been to Las Vegas, nor do we want to visit, the influence of that cursory destination is highly evident in Barry's arrangements.

Love that Christmas Love!
Well, it was 103 degrees last night in Baltimore, but I had the car windows open, air off, singing Dixieland-style "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" with Barry. OK, I'm nuts, but whaddoicare! There are only 11 songs here, but they are super, high-power big band arrangements. I love Christmas songs anyway, so much peace and love. Why only at Christmas?

These are lively arrangements of the old favorites, that make you think of the family around the tree. But, oh my, "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" really rocks! I LOVE that arrangement! I blast that bad boy on the car radio at 60 mph and sing, LOUD! Revs me up for work for hours. There are also 2 absolutely beautiful songs I never heard before, "River" and "A Gift of Love," the latter written by Barry.

Other pretty tracks are: Winter Wonderland, Happy Holiday/White Christmas,Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, (There's No Place Like) Home For The Holidays, I'll Be Home For Christmas, My Favorite Things, The Christmas Waltz, and What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

A beautiful collection of songs from 2002 and a treat for any Manilownian. So hey, get outside the box and listen to it all year long. By the way, it's great to hear somebody still say, and sing, the word "Christmas".