Track Listing

1. Please Come Home for Christmas
2. Christmas in Heaven
3. Christmas Blues
4. I'll Be Home for Christmas - Bill Doggett
5. It's Christmas Time
6. Wrap Yourself in a Christmas Package
7. Blue Christmas - Bill Doggett
8. Christmas Questions
9. Merry Christmas, Baby
10. Bringing in a Brand New Year
11. Christmas Song - Bill Doggett
12. Christmas Comes But Once a Year
13. It's Christmas All Year Round
14. Christmas With No One to Love
15. Winter Wonderland - Bill Doggett
16. Let's Make Every Day a Christmas Day

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8354 in Music
• Released on: 1995-04-16
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.com
Charles Brown's Please Come Home for Christmas is by far the lesser known of his two holiday recordings (the better known is Cool Christmas Blues). Please Come Home predates Cool Christmas and offers a sweet, blues-drenched step back in time to when R&B had not yet crossed over to the mainstream. Brown and his capable band turn on the holiday lights with a bevy of songs showcasing his smoky, lonely-avenue vocals, smart jazzlike phrasing, and minimal-but-tasty blues keyboard work. The effects are intoxicating, if only slightly interrupted by Bill Doggett's big organ interpretations of various classics. Still, it's hard to resist an album that features the original title track, plus such gems as "Christmas in Heaven, "Christmas Blues," and "Merry Christmas Baby." A rich set no music fan should be without. Highly recommended. --Martin Keller

Customer Reviews

The Classic Album, But Not Original Line-up and Art
It's nice to see 10 other 5-star reviews, as this is a classic and under-appreciated Christmas album from a blues giant. Charles was in a slump and largely forgotten by the record-buying public when he recorded this in 1960-61. The original hit version of PLEASE COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS is here (Charles wrote it with Gene Redd), and you can't really find it anywhere but on this King release and other King releases "Charles Brown Sings Christmas Songs" and "The Very Best Of - Original King Recordings". (There are re-makes on several CD's including Rhino's Christmas Classics - shame on them).

I recommend the King CD "Charles Brown Sings Christmas Songs", because it features the original 12 song album (see note below), without the Bill Doggett instrumentals, and it also features the original album art. However, it is much harder to find.

Collectors note: the original 1961 LP featured a song called "My Most Miserable Christmas". The LP was available in mono and stereo. It was later reissued with a 1968 re-recording of "Merry Christmas Baby" replacing the "Miserable" track. The CD versions feature "Merry Christmas Baby" - "My Most Miserable Christmas" has never been on CD.

Charles Brown was the best blues singer that has ever lived.
I was very saddened by the death of Charles Brown. His voice was like music from heaven. Every christmas I play his record (Please come home for christmas), and think of all the memories associated with this song. His singing was wonderful. I will truly miss his compeling voice. Christmas and eggnog will not be the same, but at least I do have some of his records, and these records will be more cherished.

Please Come Home for Christmas
The title song is a classic and becoming extremely requested. The word smoothe can best describe a legend pouring out his "soul" at Christmas time. Teaming up with the legendary Bill Doggett (Honky Tonk) was a historical effort captured forever on this sessiion with King Records. Get it while it's available.