Track Listing

1. Here We Come A-Caroling
2. Silent Night
3. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
4. Away in a Manger
5. Joy to the World
6. Adoramus Te
7. Real Meaning of Christmas
8. Go Tell It on the Mountain
9. What Child Is This?
10. O Tannenbaum
11. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
12. O Little Town of Bethlehem

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7597 in Music
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2004-08-24
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.com
In the 50's, former big band trombonist-turned-arrange Ray Coniff experimented with replacing solo instrumental parts with often wordless vocal choruses and concocted the wildly successful easy listening ethos that came to symbolize pre-rock pop. This 1965 collection of Christmas favorites is a testament to the staying power of Coniff's milieu, even at the height of Beatlemania (which bizarrely inspired the arranger to set "Joy to the World" to a Liverpool beat). Backed by Coniff's typically bubbly arrangements, the impossibly joyful, pristine voices here seem to be caroling at some timeless, unlikely crossroads of hipster kitsch and nostalgic Americana. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" even evokes the Hollywood Western ethos of former Conniff colleague Frankie Laine so convincingly that one almost expects to hear Santa cracking a whip over Rudolph's head on the fade-out. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

A Must Collection For Every Ray Connif Christmas Songs fan
I bought the other two christmas cds of Ray Connif a few years ago and it never failed to bring back fun and nostalgic memories of my childhood during the Christmas season. I was surfing the internet to look for new Christmas Cds when I accidentally came across this one. I was surprised to know that there is still another christmas album that was released earlier in the 50's by ray connif. After listening to the music samplers at amazon, I immediately ordered a copy of it, for i couldn't wait to have one in order to complete my Ray Connif Christmas Album Collection. Now that my collection is complete,i couldn't ask for more. Ray and his choir were great and the sound of the CD is excellent.

Very wonderful christmas music
Over the years, Ray Conniff has acquired an entirely undeserved reputation for throttling the living daylights out of popular music on the many lps he recorded with his orchestra and singers. While Conniff's arrangements could, at times, sacrifice intent for rhythm, they were never trivial or boorish. Conniff recorded three Christmas themed albums for Columbia between 1959 and 1965, the best of which is, I think, this splendid 1965 recording. Conniff and his singers do a creditable job of maintaining the feel of the classic carols on this record, which include the spiritual Go tell it to the mountain and the lovely Away in a manger. Conniff's unusual arrangements for God rest ye merry gentlemen and Joy to the world are firmly rooted in 60s pop sensibilities, yet sound fresh and appealing over forty years later.I get the sense that Ray Conniff had a special place in his heart for Christmas music; you can hear that affinity on all of his Christmas lps and, especially on this very wonderful album.

5-STAR
My Grandmother gave me the album-on cassette-yrs. ago. I wanted to get the CD and,as usual,Amazon.Com came through for me!
Thanks,
James Proper