Frank Sinatra - The Classic Christmas Album (New Legacy Compilation)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Simon A, Sep 25, 2014.

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  1. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Re: Capitol's A Jolly Christmas
    Samples from 15 different editions: http://www.11fifty.com/Site_108/1957_-_A_Jolly_Christmas_from_Frank_Sinatra.html
    Related discussion thread: http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/sinatra-capitol-sound-quality-a-jolly-christmas-1957.200082/

    @I333I - the 1987 CD is quite good, and definitely the best-sounding digital version of the album, plus you get two nice bonus singles at the end. Several good vinyl choices, with the $$$ MFSL being (IMO) the best out there, with several other good choices. (See the links above.) That SL-9240 LP, as you may know, is Duophonic, and contains only 8 of the original 12 tracks, plus one 1954 singles track that really doesn't belong on the album. Not exactly a shining example of what that album was meant to be!
     
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  2. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    This 10-track Columbia LP was released in 1957, long after Sinatra had departed the label. (Probably to compete with Capitol's A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra the same year.) It was essentially a reissue of the 1948 10″ LP and 78-rpm album set, Christmas Songs by Sinatra, with two bonus tracks.

    (Note that the extra track "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" was not recorded until 1950.) Half of the eight songs on the original '48 album were reissues of 78 singles from 1944–46, and the rest were recorded in 1947, so there is a wide range of sonic sources involved here.

    Not to be confused with the same-named 11-track LP and CD issues of Christmas Dreaming in 1987. Those contained two versions of "White Christmas"—the original 1944 single and the then-unreleased-in-US 1947 remake. (It's the remake which appears on the new 2014 CD.)

    1948 albums (78 and LP), 8 tracks:

    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    1957 album (LP), 10 tracks:

    [​IMG]

    1987 album (LP and CD), 11 tracks:

    [​IMG]
     
  3. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    Another thing which sets the subject CD apart from previous issues (besides sound quality and the two previously unreleased radio tracks) is the inclusion of the two gospel spirituals with The Charioteers. I wouldm't exactly classify those as "Christmas" songs, though.

    For the record, here is the complete list of [what I consider to be] the holiday record studio tracks Sinatra made, chronological by recording year (without regard for alternate takes or mixes):

    Columbia​
    1. 1944 "White Christmas" (choral version)
    2. 1945 "Silent Night"
    3. 1946 "Adeste Fidelis"
    4. 1946 "Jingle Bells"
    5. 1947 "Christmas Dreaming"
    6. 1947 "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
    7. 1947 "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear"
    8. 1947 "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
    9. 1947 "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"
    10. 1947 "White Christmas" (solo version)
    11. 1948 "While the Angelus Was Ringing"
    12. 1950 "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"

      Capitol

    13. 1954 "The Christmas Waltz" (Riddle version)
    14. 1954 "White Christmas"
    15. 1957 "Adeste Fidelis"
    16. 1957 "Hark the Herald Angels Sing"
    17. 1957 "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear"
    18. 1957 "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
    19. 1957 "The Christmas Waltz" (Jenkins version)
    20. 1957 "The First Noël"
    21. 1957 "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
    22. 1957 "Jingle Bells"
    23. 1957 "The Christmas Song"
    24. 1957 "I'll Be Home for Christmas"
    25. 1957 "Mistletoe and Holly"
    26. 1957 "Silent Night"

      Reprise

    27. 1963 "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
    28. 1964 "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"
    29. 1964 "The Little Drummer Boy"
    30. 1964 "An Old Fashioned Christmas"
    31. 1964 "Go Tell It on the Mountain"
    32. 1964 "We Wish You the Merriest"
    33. 1968 "Whatever Happened to Christmas?"
    34. 1968 "The Bells of Christmas (Greensleeves)"
    35. 1968 "The Christmas Waltz"
    36. 1968 "I Wouldn't Trade Christmas"
    37. 1968 "The Twelve Days of Christmas"
    38. 1975 "A Baby Just Like You"
    39. 1975 "Christmas Mem'ries"

      Other

    40. 1991 "Silent Night"
     
  4. Ronald Sarbo

    Ronald Sarbo Forum Resident

    Location:
    NY, NY, USA
    I wouldn't classify "While The Angelus Was Ringing" as a Christmas song either.
     
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  5. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    You're probably right, Ron, but it does have a "Christmas bells" kind of feel to it. I've included it on that list for a number of years, since it appears in many Sinatra holiday collections one can find in some places. (However, it doesn't seem to have been included on any official Columbia albums.) The original single was backed with "Comme Ci Comme Ça" in the US (and other non-holiday songs in other countries), which supports your thoughts.

    BTW, I just noticed I had posted that list previously at SHF in another thread:

    —> Frank Sinatra - The Making of "Silent Night" (2004)
     
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  6. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    I spent time today listening carefully and comparing waveforms. Here's my analysis of the sources used for the new CD...

    Three studio tracks are "new" to Sony/Legacy issues of the last 20 years: "White Christmas" (1947 recording), and the two gospel numbers with The Charioteers—"I've Got a Home in That Rock" and "Jesus Is a Rock in the Weary Land" (1945). Except for the sound levels [see below*], these are the same tracks which (last) appeared in The Columbia Years: The Complete Recordings box set from 1993. I.e., they are NOT new transfers.

    The other nine studio tracks are identical to those in the remastered 2004 CD of Christmas Songs by Sinatra (with the gold border on the cover). I.e., these are newer, better-sounding transfers than the ones in the 1993 big blue box and/or the 1994 Christmas Songs by Sinatra CD (which has been duplicated by Sony budget issues the past several years).

    So, for the twelve studio tracks, there is nothing new or "better" about the SQ, but this collection has at least as good sonics as anything that has preceded it. And it has the two previously unissued radio tracks as an added bonus. The only thing missing is the 1944 version of "White Christmas" (with choral accompaniment); for that you would need both the big box set and/or the CSBS CDs which contain an alt. take.

    *It was mentioned above that this CD is mastered LOUD. Well, yes and no: Some of these tracks have peak levels higher than their previous releases, but not all. The softest track on the disc is "White Christmas," which had close to 100% peaks in the big blue box. However, the reverse is true of the two gospel songs. Go figure. (To determine the sources as reported above, I compared waveforms after level-matching the new and old tracks.)

    Summary verdict: The new CD is a winner for both sound and content (not to mention price)!
     
  7. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    Supplementing the early album images pictured above, here are the major US Sony/Columbia/Legacy Sinatra Christmas CD covers since 1993.

    1994 and 2009 (budget reissue):

    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    2004 (remastered version with gold border) and 2014:

    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    Those last two are [my] preferred versions for best sound quality to date of the core studio recordings. Each features a different studio version of "White Christmas," and they include different sets of extra radio tracks.
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2014
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  8. Simon A

    Simon A Arrr! Thread Starter

    Bob, your work is not only much appreciated but also makes tracking down good versions of these songs much easier for everyone. I huge Thanks! :)
     
  9. mmars982

    mmars982 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Agreed. Many thanks for your detailed posts.
     
  10. bozburn

    bozburn Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA, US
    Likewise. I've learned more from this Forum, especially Bob's posts, than the 10+ years of being a Sinatra fan before that.

    No Sinatra obscurity gets by Bob!
     
  11. Henley

    Henley Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Netherlands
    Bob, why is the new cd a winner with respect to sound compared to the 2004 cd? Same transfers but new (and bettter?) mastering?
     
  12. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    They're both winners. (As stated, I didn't mean to imply "winner" = "better.") The only mastering difference obvious to me is the relative track volume levels. EQ and dynamics are similar, if not identical. I might guess that Maria Triana pulled up the latest digital versions of the studio tracks and simply adjusted the levels, proportionately, to match the revised running order, with a tendency toward making the overall results somewhat louder than the 2004 disc (for the 9 shared tracks).

    [Edit] Note: If you are a completist, you need BOTH discs, for the different recordings of "White Christmas," the spirituals, and the radio material.
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2014
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  13. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    one of my favorite Sinatra Christmas CDs..I have the one pictured on top in post #27 and it works fine for me...
     
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  14. Henley

    Henley Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Netherlands
    Thx for the info, I already have the 2004 version but might buy this one (as well as Christmas Dreaming) when I see it a nice price.
     
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  15. KipB

    KipB Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bethel, CT, USA
    Bob, thank you for your expert analysis. A great read. I enjoyed listening to this with my father who is visiting for Christmas. I love this version of White Christmas, too.

    Can you tell me your bottom line thinking on the new A Jolly Christmas cd versus the 87 Walsh mastering? I've always enjoyed the Walsh version but thought maybe a little thin ... I haven't compared the two head to head, but I have thoroughly enjoyed two complete listenings of the 2014 cd ... The bonus DVD is a blast, too.
     
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  16. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    Thank you, Kip.
    I prefer the '87 Walsh CD of A Jolly Christmas, and it contains the two Riddle bonus tracks. The new 2014 Target edition is a more modern mastering style (louder, more compressed), but it's not terrible. (And it includes that enjoyable DVD.) It does have some technical issues, covered in the Capitol thread:

    —> Sinatra / Capitol Sound Quality: A Jolly Christmas (1957)
    You can compare for yourself: See —> this post, and —> Matt's album page.
     
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  17. Dave Garrett

    Dave Garrett Senior Member

    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Is the bonus DVD just another reissue of the Christmas special previously released on DVD as "Happy Holidays with Bing & Frank", an abridged version of that, or something entirely different?
     
  18. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    Just another reissue of the 1957 TV show, which has appeared three times before on DVD (from Hart Sharp Video in 2003, Shout Factory Concert Collection box set in 2010, and UMG in the EU in 2010). It's unabridged, but it lacks any of the earlier bonus material (described —> at the SFF).
     
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  19. Richard--W

    Richard--W Forum Resident


    Where does one go to purchase the Walsh CD's?
     
  20. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    Most of them are the (only official) ones sold in the UK, e,g, by Amazon.co.uk. I'm not sure about A Jolly Christmas, though. In the US, you have to look (with care) in the used marketplace.

    Some tips in this thread —> Frank Sinatra - Best Sounding CDs?
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2014
  21. TeacFan

    TeacFan Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    Arcadia, Ca.
    Richard - Are you in Los Angeles area? (nothing in your profile)
     
  22. Richard--W

    Richard--W Forum Resident

    Frequently, but most of the time I'm in Phoenix, Arizona a 5 hour drive from Amoeba Records on Sunset Blvd. Why?
     
  23. Richard--W

    Richard--W Forum Resident


    I buy from amazonU.K. routinely.

    Provide a couple of links to the Walsh-mastered CD's, would you?

    That way I'll know what's what.
     
  24. TeacFan

    TeacFan Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    Arcadia, Ca.
    Yep, Amoeba would be your best bet. They have of Sinatra segmented by label plus there are more items underneath the eye level bins. I recommend their used stuff. Rockaway in Silverlake is also a good spot. You just got to know what you are looking for.
     
  25. Bob F

    Bob F Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    —> Frank Sinatra - Best Sounding CDs?
     
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