Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
2. I Saw Three Ships
3. First Nowell
4. God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen
5. While Shepherds Watched
6. Virgin Unspotted
7. Once in Royal David's City
8. In the Bleak Midwinter
9. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
10. In Dulci Jubilo
11. O Little Town of Bethlehem
12. Past Three O'Clock
13. Coventry Carol
14. Away in a Manger
15. Nativity Carol
16. Unto Us Is Born a Son
17. Silent Night
18. Ding Dong Merrily on High
19. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
20. Lord at First Did Adam Make
21. Up! Good Christian Folk and Listen/Up! Good Christian Folk and Listen
22. Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
23. O Little One Sweet
24. O Come, O Come Emmanuel
25. Twelve Days of Christmas

Disc 2:

1. Good King Wenceslas
2. Cherry Tree Carol
3. Joy to the World!
4. Here We Come A-Wassailing
5. See Amid the Winter's Snow
6. Gaudete
7. Holly and the Ivy
8. We've Been a While A-Wandering
9. We Three Kings of Orient Are
10. Shepherd's Pipe Carol
11. Masters in This Hall
12. Babe of Bethlehem
13. Spotless Rose
14. Angel Tidings
15. When an Angel Host Entuned
16. As with Gladness Men of Old
17. Adam Lay Ibounden
18. Coming of Our King
19. Christ Was Born on Christmas Day
20. Christmas Carol
21. Sans Day Carol
22. Gabriel's Message
23. Chester Carol
24. Rocking
25. Methinks I See an Heav'nly Host
26. Angels from the Realms of Glory
27. O Come, All Ye Faithful

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #109999 in Music
• Released on: 2005-10-04
• Number of discs: 2

Customer Reviews

Title makes a big claim, but it absolutely delivers...
This album provides 2.5 hours of excellent carols, from excellent choirs and soloists, and with great sound. I was worried that a compilation this large, and with such an extravagent title, would be B-side offerings, but that's not the case at all.

This isn't an album if you are looking for something "fresh and new." The arrangements are traditional, and even newer carols are done in a fairly conservative style. But that said, some of the pieces provide the best orchestration and voice arrangement I have ever heard. This is like the pinnacle of the classic English Christmas carol; clean, precise, glorious and celebratory.

Its time to be seasonal
This album contains traditional carols performed in a traditional way at the best quality. It is an excellent album to ensure the spirit of christmas is present and to bring the true meaning of christmas back. The double CD selection has all the golden favourites as well as not so wellknown carols to complete a very good christmas album. Merry Christmas to you all!

52 carols sung by 7 English choirs - brilliant
If you love Christmas carols, you will find this to be a real treasure trove. This double-CD is compiled from various Christmas albums recorded by English choirs. Between them, they seem to have included every famous carol and a lot of obscure ones.

The seven choirs are the choir of King's college (Cambridge), the Bach Choir (London), the Clare College singers (Cambridge), the Temple Church choir (London), the Taverners choir, the Midiaevel Baebes and the Huddersfield choral society. A brief history of each is included in the liner notes.

Some of these carols are world famous including Hark the herald angels sing, The first noel, O little town of Bethlehem, Away in a manger, Silent night, Joy to the world, We three kings and O come all ye faithful.

Some others are famous in Britain but (judged on what I've seen of American Christmas albums) are not especially well known in America. These include While shepherds watched, Once in Royal David's city, In the bleak midwinter and The holly and the ivy. I have come across American covers of these songs - but not often.

There are yet other songs which are obscure even to me, but it's great to have them all in one collection. At the import price, it might look expensive, but what would you have to spend to get all these Christmas carols any other way?

If you enjoy Christmas carols, I doubt if you'll find a better collection anywhere, although a modified version of this compilation (Best Christmas Carols...Ever is also available with a different sequence and some different tracks. Really, there's not much to choose between them in quality, so compare the prices and availability and select accordingly.