3WS Ultimate Christmas Album Vol. 1 Here's the album tracklist. http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Christmas-Album-Vol/dp/B00000DDE4
How about Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music? Pretty sure there was a complete collection of his holiday music. Winner in my book.
Finally getting my Rubbermaid tub of Christmas LPs out and the CDs(in sleeves and three boxes holding 100 or so each),and yet I play the A&M Something Festive! album the most each year.Pete Jolly's Most Wonderful Time of the Year just begs for more Pete doing secular material,Brasil '66 do a fine Christmas Song,and the rest domfortably shows off the early MOR days of A&M Records.A tire store special,this one from B.F. Goodrich,it came out in 1968,at the same time that A&M put out their first holiday retail album,this from the label's flagship and co-owner,Herb Alpert.Herb even put two tracks(with slight differences) from his LP on the tire store album,which was generous since that's 20% of the album. While not as widespread as the Goodyear series,it shows up with great frequency and I've scored more than a few sealed copies for under a dollar.Also found a record club variation and an import version with one of those shiny metal trees on the cover.
Favorite? To be honest, although there are over a dozen or two that I actually play with great pleasure even though I've heard many of them dozens of times over many decades, I have to say my two faves are 1. the Huey Piano Smith one (the only ALBUM he ever released. .this was strictly an album guy.) TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS. There was some free time in the studio, perhaps at the end of a "single" session, so he and the boys figured they might as well have some fun. They started drinking and ...... you can hear them getting more plastered with each cut. I just keep wishing I was there with them. 2. The other is an album (a cd actually, about 70 minutes!) of seasonal eastern european traditional material. The oldest song dates from 1200 a.d. the group is a female choir of about a half dozen, Kitka, a national treasure, based in Oakland Californa. It's called. Wintersongs. Are these a bit obscure/esoteric? Yeah, but I recommend them without reservation to ANYBODY. even if you HATE christmas albums, you may just love at least one of these to death like I do. Obviously they're very different so at least one of them might strike a chord with you. Just thinking about these two makes me smile. I regularly buy them to give out as christmas presents. I bought the Huey Piano smith on vinyl in the 60's for about 2 bucks. I am totally jazzed that it is available to anybody on cd. good times!
