Track Listing

1. Happy Holiday - Bing Crosby, Music Maids, John Scott Trotter
2. Jing-A-Ling, Jing-A-Ling - The Andrews Sisters, Vic Schoen
3. Twelve Days of Christmas - The Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby, Vic Schoen
4. First Snowfall - Buddy Cole & His Orchestra, , Bing Crosby,
5. I'd Like to Hitch a Ride With Santa Claus - The Andrews Sisters, Vic Schoen
6. Poppa Santa Claus - The Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby, Vic Schoen
7. You're All I Want for Christmas - Bing Crosby, , Victor Young & His Orchestra
8. Christmas Tree Angel - The Andrews Sisters, Vic Schoen
9. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - The Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby, Vic Schoen
10. O Fir Tree Dark - Bing Crosby, Ken Darby Singers, Victor Young & His Orchestra
11. Christmas Candles - The Andrews Sisters, Guy Lombardo
12. Jingle Bells - The Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby, Vic Schoen
13. Christmas in Killarney - Bing Crosby, Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires, John Scott Trotter
14. Winter Wonderland - The Andrews Sisters, Vic Schoen
15. Here Comes Santa Claus - The Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby, Vic Schoen
16. Looks Like a Cold, Cold Winter - Sonny Burke & Orchestra, Bing Crosby, ,
17. Merry Christmas Polka - The Andrews Sisters, Guy Lombardo
18. Mele Kalikimaka - The Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby, Vic Schoen
19. Is Christmas Only a Tree - Buddy Cole & His Orchestra, , Bing Crosby
20. Christmas Island - The Andrews Sisters, Guy Lombardo

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1050 in Music
• Brand: MCA
• Released on: 2000-10-24
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.com
Bing Crosby recorded six Christmas songs during the '40s and '50s with the popular Andrew Sisters and all are compiled here for the first time. Twenty tracks overall, A Merry Christmas with Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters showcases classic and timeless performances between the three sisters and the king crooner on staples such as "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," "Winter Wonderland" (with Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians), "Mele Kalikimaka," and others. In between, there's plenty of Bing ("Happy Holiday" from his smash film, Holiday Inn, "The First Snowfall," "Christmas in Killarney") and a bounty of Andrew Sisters' songs that run from the "Merry Christmas Polka" to the peppy vocal burst of "Jing-a-Ling, Jing-a-Ling." --Martin Keller

Customer Reviews

The original King and Queens of Christmas music
Although Christmas music has been around for humdreds of years, it's popularity now owas a lot to Bing Crosby and (to a lesser extent) the Andrews sisters, with the outstanding and extremely popular Chrismas songs they recorded in the 1940's.

This is a sample of their Christmas music. They only recorded six Christmas songs together, all included here, the rest of the tracks featuring one or the other.

The duets are Jingle Bells (their most famous Christmas duet), Twelve days of Christmas (a song which has inspired many parodies, some of which are extremely funny, but this is still the best straight version of the song I've come across), Mele Kalikimaka (a Hawaiian song), Santa Claus is coming to town, Here comes Santa Claus and Poppa Santa Claus.

Bing sings seven solo tracks - these are identified in the Amazon[.com] track listing and are generally slower than the other songs, although Christmas in Kallarney is a very upbeat song. The slow songs provide a nice contrast to the songs featuring the Andrews sisters (with or without Bing), which are mostly bright, uptempo songs.

Most of the Andrews sisters tracks without Bing feature Guy Lombardo, including Christmas Island, a million selling single for them. Christmas candles is a really beautiful song which is much slower than usual for the sisters and it's great to hear.

Some reviewers suggest some of the songs are dated, but how many modern songs will still sound modern in sixty years time? Many of the greatest Christmas songs were written in the thirties and forties. The versions here are still as enjoyable as any more modern versions - and I also enjoy those. As to the obscure songs, they merely add to the enjoyment. Not every song can become a standard.

This collection is not a comprehensive collection of their music, and you can find most (maybe all) of these tracks on their other albums, but this is a very convenient and highly entertaing collection with a great mix of songs and styles.

I loved this collection!
As a collector of Christmas music - I LOVE the fact that this album is loaded with "non-traditional" songs. It's not the same old stuff that every artist puts on a Christmas album, yet the songs sound distinctly "Christmassy". Bing's voice is like a big velvety cloak that wraps you in Christmas spirit, and the energetic vocals of the Andrews Sister's will have you tapping your toes. This collection is classic and timeless, and evokes images of a simpler time. It will be a much-played selection in my Christmas collection. In fact - I think I'd better go order more as gifts or my sister might try to swipe it from me!

Nice Recording
The fun thing about this CD is that most of the songs are not traditional Christmas songs, which get so over-played during the holidays. So these cuts add a fresh dimention to your holiday mix if you drop this CD into your random CD carosel.