The Ventures Christmas Album CD!

The mono mix was released on CD in Japan a few years back.

 

I'm resurrecting an old thread because it's that time of year. I also play in a band in Atlanta that does the album in full every year so I got really curious on all the samples - here's what I've come up with - mostly the same as what's listed here with some additions.

Sleigh Ride - Walk, Don't Run
Snow Flakes - She's Not There
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town - Wooly Bully
Jingle Bells - What'd I Say
Jingle Bells - Memphis (Johnny Rivers version)
Silver Bells - Only the Young (Ventures)
Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer - I Feel Fine
Frosty the Snowman - Tequila
Scrooge - okay, I see the Joker's Wild beginning but I think the opening lick with carnival toy whistle is Ghost of the St. Louis Blues by Emmett Miller
Blue Christmas - When You Walk in the Room
We Wish You a Merry Christmas - The "In" Crowd (Much closer to the Ventures version, obviously)
White Christmas - Stranger on the Shore (Ventures)

 

I now own the three major reissues of this album on CD: (1) the 1990 stereo remix done by the great Larry Walsh and Ron Furmanek, (2) the 1995 Razor & Tie remaster by the honorable Steve Hoffman, and (3) the 2016 mono and stereo Real Gone set. I intend to do an in depth comparison of these down the road but can for now state these all sound great, exhibiting abundant dynamic range and deft mastering technique. I have no idea how we Ventures fans came to be so lucky.

Anyhow, in my opinion, this has got to be the greatest rock Christmas album of all time, with all due respect to Phil Spector and The Beach Boys.

And to be sure, as evidenced below, there are still some solid fans out there.

 

I don't know how many folks care this time of year, but as a follow up to my prior post, I have extracted dynamic range data from the three principal CD releases of The Ventures' Christmas Album. There's a bit of apples and oranges going on since new stereo remixes comprise the earliest release. But I think this data is useful before proceeding with any comparisons of sound.

The Ventures, The Ventures' Christmas Album, 1990 EMI, CDP 7 949942 (remixed and remastered by Larry Walsh and Ron Furmanek)​

DR Peak RMS Filename
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR12 -4.95 dB -19.68 dB 01 Sleigh Ride
DR12 -3.36 dB -18.66 dB 02 Snow Flakes
DR12 -2.17 dB -15.67 dB 03 Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
DR11 -3.19 dB -16.48 dB 04 Jingle Bells
DR11 -2.64 dB -15.13 dB 05 Jingle Bell Rock
DR12 -2.11 dB -16.35 dB 06 Silver Bells
DR11 -1.15 dB -13.84 dB 07 Rudolph, The Red-Nose Reindeer
DR12 -7.98 dB -22.72 dB 08 Frosty The Snowman
DR11 -5.91 dB -19.62 dB 09 Scrooge
DR11 -3.29 dB -16.07 dB 10 Blue Christmas
DR13 -3.87 dB -20.52 dB 11 We Wish You A Merry Christmas
DR12 -2.38 dB -16.80 dB 12 White Christmas
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Official DR value: DR12​

The Ventures, The Ventures' Christmas Album, 1995 Razor & Tie, RE 2085 (remastered by Steve Hoffman)​

DR Peak RMS Filename
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR12 over -13.53 dB 01 Sleigh Ride
DR13 -0.21 dB -15.08 dB 02 Snow Flakes
DR13 -0.00 dB -14.00 dB 03 Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
DR12 -0.00 dB -14.89 dB 04 Jingle Bells
DR13 -0.00 dB -14.63 dB 05 Jingle Bell Rock
DR13 -1.13 dB -15.85 dB 06 Silver Bells
DR12 over -13.69 dB 07 Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
DR12 over -14.07 dB 08 Frosty The Snowman
DR12 -0.24 dB -15.24 dB 09 Scrooge
DR12 -0.28 dB -14.76 dB 10 Blue Christmas
DR12 over -14.77 dB 11 We Wish You A Merry Christmas
DR13 -0.00 dB -15.81 dB 12 White Christmas
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Official DR value: DR12​

The Ventures, The Ventures' Christmas Album, 2016 Real Gone Music, RGM-0527 (remastered in mono and stereo by Mike Milchner)​

For brevity's sake, I show data only for stereo tracks on this release; the mono tracks are similarly dynamic though.

DR Peak RMS Filename
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR11 -0.40 dB -13.35 dB 13 Sleigh Ride
DR12 -0.46 dB -14.46 dB 14 Snow Flakes
DR12 -0.58 dB -13.92 dB 15 Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
DR12 -0.41 dB -14.62 dB 16 Jingle Bells
DR12 -0.59 dB -14.26 dB 17 Jingle Bell Rock
DR13 -1.01 dB -15.26 dB 18 Silver Bells
DR12 -0.32 dB -13.60 dB 19 Rudolph, The Red-Nose Reindeer
DR11 -0.30 dB -13.85 dB 20 Frosty The Snowman
DR12 -0.39 dB -14.56 dB 21 Scrooge
DR11 -0.37 dB -13.83 dB 22 Blue Christmas
DR12 -0.32 dB -14.58 dB 23 We Wish You A Merry Christmas
DR12 -0.41 dB -15.03 dB 24 White Christmas
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Official DR value: DR12​

With overall DRs of 12, all releases appears nicely dynamic, but closer inspection reveals Steve's set to be slightly more so. The early EMI disc is the quietest, with all tracks avoiding the 0 dB peak like the plague, whereas Steve's set does exceed this on some tracks. Also, peaks on the earliest set vary widely, but have been more extensively normalized among tracks on the Razor & Tie and Real Gone sets. I would conclude by saying the potentially concerning elements at this point would be the "saminess" of sound that normalization can bring and clipping on the Razor & Tie set. I am not saying these present actual problems; it's simply an observation.

In a later post, I will discuss what I actually hear.

 

Having only gotten the Real Gone reissue this past Christmas, I was immensely pleased by its sound. Sorry to say I've never heard the Razor & Tie CD, which I am sure is fantastic.

 

I had been slightly disappointed in some of the recent Christmas releases by Real Gone, but their CD version of The Ventures' Christmas Album from 2016 is, indeed, quite good. Individual musical elements are nicely detailed in their stereo incarnations, and given how good things sound, it's hard to believe the album was recorded 55 years ago. The Ventures knew what they were doing in the studio, and it shows on this disc. The Real Gone release also includes the entire album in mono, and these tracks, though less potent in my opinion, are great to have just the same. If there is any critique of this release, it might paradoxically be the presence of too much high-end detail, which might become fatiguing to some. In any event, the mastering engineer, Mike Milchner, deserves a shout out for this one .

The stereo version of the album, issued by Razor & Tie in 1995, has heretofore been deemed the best on CD. Interestingly, it lacks the detail of the Real Gone release, which means the lead guitar is sometimes less evident or forceful. Musical elements tend to blend together, but seamlessly, providing tunes with the very full sound of a band playing together in the studio. There is no possibility of listener fatigue under any circumstances with this release. Smooth, smooth, smooth. The mastering engineer, some dude named Steve Hoffman , had a clear goal and knew what he was doing.

The last version I own, the 1990 EMI release done by Larry Walsh and Ron Furmanek, is an entirely different beast in that it consists of stereo remixes , but fear not, these have been done tastefully, and with a purpose It is obvious the Walsh/Furmanek team wished to emphasize the lead guitar, and have successfully and pleasantly done so. Though not strictly adherent to the original release, this version permits the option of hearing more clearly what The Ventures were truly known for. The soundstage does, in the end, seem a bit pinched with respect to the other releases, but nonetheless, this is an enjoyable set.

In the end, we are presented with an embarrassment of riches for the album. The aforementioned releases are all meritorious, and I am going to end up keeping and listening to them all. The Ventures' Christmas Album is so short that it is nice to have the mono and stereo versions on a great sounding single disc (the Real Gone release) so that I may extend my listening time. If I want to hear the lead guitar, I will pop in the 1990 EMI set. And full for the real deal, I will reach for the Razor & Tie. I feel fortunate to have options for such a great album, seasonal or otherwise. I recommend all the releases, though Steve's does still come out on top as far as sound is concerned.

The Ventures, The Ventures' Christmas Album, 1990 EMI, CDP 7 949942

The Ventures, The Ventures' Christmas Album, 1995 Razor & Tie, RE 2085

The Ventures, The Ventures' Christmas Album, 2016 Real Gone Music, RGM-0527​

 

And now I own a fourth release of The Ventures' Christmas Album , this one issued in Japan in 2003 and containing both mono and stereo versions of the album as on the 2016 Real Gone Music set. It'll take me some time to thoroughly compare their sound, but before doing so I needed to ascertain whether the Japanese and Real Gone releases possessed different mastering given their identical track listing.

The Ventures, Christmas Album, 2003, Capitol, TOCP-67276 (Japanese Copy Control CD)

DR Peak RMS Filename
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR9 -0.01 dB -10.62 dB 01 Sleigh Ride
DR9 -0.01 dB -10.28 dB 02 Snow Flakes
DR9 -0.01 dB -9.68 dB 03 Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
DR9 -0.01 dB -10.28 dB 04 Jingle Bells
DR9 -0.01 dB -10.08 dB 05 Jingle Bell Rock
DR9 -0.01 dB -9.86 dB 06 Silver Bells
DR9 -0.01 dB -9.96 dB 07 Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
DR9 -0.01 dB -10.04 dB 08 Frosty The Snowman
DR9 -0.01 dB -10.72 dB 09 Scrooge
DR9 -0.01 dB -10.31 dB 10 Blue Christmas
DR9 -0.01 dB -10.61 dB 11 We Wish You A Merry Christmas
DR10 -0.01 dB -10.88 dB 12 White Christmas
DR10 -0.01 dB -10.85 dB 13 Sleigh Ride
DR10 -0.01 dB -11.65 dB 14 Snow Flakes
DR10 -0.01 dB -10.81 dB 15 Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
DR10 -0.01 dB -11.08 dB 16 Jingle Bells
DR10 -0.01 dB -11.44 dB 17 Jingle Bell Rock
DR11 -0.01 dB -11.73 dB 18 Silver Bells
DR10 -0.01 dB -11.12 dB 19 Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
DR10 -0.01 dB -10.90 dB 20 Frosty The Snowman
DR10 -0.01 dB -11.44 dB 21 Scrooge
DR10 -0.01 dB -11.32 dB 22 Blue Christmas
DR10 -0.01 dB -11.93 dB 23 We Wish You A Merry Christmas
DR10 -0.01 dB -11.98 dB 24 White Christmas
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Official DR value: DR10

​

The Ventures, The Ventures' Christmas Album, 2016, Real Gone Music, RGM-0527

DR Peak RMS Filename
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR12 -0.68 dB -14.05 dB 01 Sleigh Ride
DR12 -1.45 dB -14.68 dB 02 Snow Flakes
DR12 -1.15 dB -14.30 dB 03 Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
DR12 -1.80 dB -15.25 dB 04 Jingle Bells
DR11 -0.97 dB -13.63 dB 05 Jingle Bell Rock
DR12 -1.20 dB -14.39 dB 06 Silver Bells
DR11 -1.18 dB -13.69 dB 07 Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
DR12 -0.89 dB -14.32 dB 08 Frosty the Snowman
DR12 -0.71 dB -14.29 dB 09 Scrooge
DR12 -0.86 dB -14.05 dB 10 Blue Christmas
DR12 -0.90 dB -15.55 dB 11 We Wish You A Merry Christmas
DR12 -1.23 dB -15.17 dB 12 White Christmas
DR11 -0.40 dB -13.35 dB 13 Sleigh Ride
DR12 -0.46 dB -14.46 dB 14 Snow Flakes
DR12 -0.58 dB -13.92 dB 15 Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
DR12 -0.41 dB -14.62 dB 16 Jingle Bells
DR12 -0.59 dB -14.26 dB 17 Jingle Bell Rock
DR13 -1.01 dB -15.26 dB 18 Silver Bells
DR12 -0.32 dB -13.60 dB 19 Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
DR11 -0.30 dB -13.85 dB 20 Frosty The Snowman
DR12 -0.39 dB -14.56 dB 21 Scrooge
DR11 -0.37 dB -13.83 dB 22 Blue Christmas
DR12 -0.32 dB -14.58 dB 23 We Wish You A Merry Christmas
DR12 -0.41 dB -15.03 dB 24 White Christmas
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of files: 24
​

The first 12 tracks on both sets are in mono and the last in stereo, and as can be readily seen, those on the Japanese set exhibit diminished dynamic range. In any case, I had earlier found the Real Gone disc to possess quite pleasing and detailed sound. We shall see how the Japanese release compares.

 

I haven't done any comparisons but I found the Real Gone's mastering very good to my ears.

 

In a prior post, I provided dynamic range data for two releases of The Ventures' Christmas Album containing both the mono and stereo mixes of its tracks, a Japanese set from 2003 and one from Real Gone Music in 2016 (The Ventures Christmas Album CD! ). I have since examined these CDs for sound and come to some firm conclusions.

Foremost, the Real Gone release as mastered by Mike Milchner sounds really good. This guy doesn't have many entries in Discogs, but I sure hope he keeps at it because he does commendable work. In any case, if you are a fan of this album, I thoroughly recommend you purchase this set even if you already own the release mastered by Steve in the mid 90s. They both have their merits, but it is really nice to have both the mono and stereo mixes of the album

And to the meat of the matter, the Japanese version issued in 2003 doesn't hold a candle to Real Gone's release, either in the album's mono or stereo incarnations. Compression has certainly damaged the mono tracks, and the stereo ones simply lack the detail and separation one would expect. Japanese CD masterings were once highly coveted but in recent years their consistency has greatly fallen off. So, thumbs down on this set, and if anything I might consider bumping the Real Gone set to the two thumbs up category. It truly sounds great, especially when matched up against something inferior.

The Ventures, Christmas Album, 2003, Capitol, TOCP-67276 (Japanese Copy Control CD)

The Ventures, The Ventures' Christmas Album, 2016 Real Gone Music, RGM-0527​

 

I must admit I play my CD throughout the year! it's that good...damn, Steve did a fabulous job on this...IT ROCK'S! my wife is crazy about it too...

 

do you have a favorite?

 

it's powerful, incredible and awe inspiring. : )

 

Have been a fan of this album for decades - not sure how I missed this thread. I’ve got the original vinyl of it.

 

it happens to me as well...how did I miss this? ; ) well at least you are not missing it anymore!

 

A little video that I put together a few years ago...

 

I agree with you about the fine remastering on The Ventures' Christmas Album by Mike Milchner. He did a splendid job with that holiday release as he did for a project that I was involved with last year for Real Gone Music; Felix Slatkin's Seasons Greetings from 1961. Mike did an equally spectacular job on the remastering of this album for our special Christmas In July release this past summer. I was all set to write the liner notes for this project myself, but Maestro Leonard Slatkin, Felix's multi-Grammy awarding winning son, offered to write the liner notes himself, so I acquiesced to him for the duty and honor. He did a truly fantastic job as he knew personal stories about the project that I would have never been able to find through my own research.

Felix Slatkin was a Grammy Awarding winning violinist and conductor/arranger, but in the late 1950's was better known as Frank Sinatra's first chair violinist and in studio conductor of choice. It was Felix who actually did the conducting for Frank Sinatra when he recorded Frank Sinatra Sings Only For The Lonely, which also includes Frank's iconic version of One For My Baby.

Felix had the idea to record a holiday album of traditional standards with two string sections of 45 members each in two separate stereo sections for optimum wide stereo effect. It is one of the silkiest and most velvety instrumental albums I have ever heard. Universal Music lost the original album artwork, but I was able to supply Real Gone Music with a virgin vinyl album that had never been opened so they could get the artwork replicated perfectly for the front and back covers. I was very proud to be a part of this legacy project and it sounds just terrific on CD for the very first time.

 

I agree with many that this album is a year-round listen. The Ventures were amazing professionals and it shows. In the end, I consider Steve's mastering of the album to still be the best in that it presents a very mellow, natural listening experience. However, the 1990 Capitol version is also quite awesome and the 2016 Real Gone set is indispensable for its mono mixes, though its stereo mixes are fantastic as well.

Are there any other CD releases of this album out there? If so, I would love to hear them for comparative purposes. No sense stopping now.

 

IMO, mono would kill this album..the Stereo makes it ROCK!

 

I agree with you on this, that the stereo mixes are superior to mono. As a completist I do like having both, but I have also found that the album is so short that I like playing the combo mono/stereo disc to fill up more time with variably sounding Ventures.

 

I can see your point and can relate! sadly.: (

 

I knew that I had a Ventures CD so I just dug it out. it has 18 tracks in stereo. C & P 2003 on the Castle Pulse label which is part of Sanctuary Records Group. So I've no idea which version of the tracks I have, but it sounds great. It's called The Ventures Guitar Christmas & it has a Fender Strat neck photo.

 

Hello, I am a Dutch Ventures fan. I own 3 CD releases of The Ventures Christmas album: EMI (1990), EMI Japan (2003) and Real Gone (2016). I am wondering if the mono and stereo versions differ from each other, in other words: are these different takes/studio versions or only different mixes? I must say I do hear differences in some mono and stereo versions. Looking forward to your reply!

 

BTW, the iTunes/YouTube streaming version of the Ventures Christmas album is the Ron Furmanek CD mix from 1990 as I listened to Sleigh Ride on YouTube and the Ron Furmanek CD, and that track, they left the count-in on the disc.

 

Being a rabid Ventures fan, I've managed to land another CD version of their heralded Christmas Album--my fifth . If only my wife knew--or cared to know--she'd realize what kind of person I truly am . Hey, what can I say. This is one darn fine album, period.

Anyhow, I believe I now own the album's first release on CD, a 1989 set from Japan. And at least from what I know, being a Ventures fanatic over there is entirely acceptable, so maybe I'm simply in the wrong place. Anyhow, this release is interesting in that its first six tracks do not follow the original sequence on vinyl, but instead match that of a Japanese platter from 1970 (thanks Discogs). Nicely, the songs are lent the broadest dynamics I have seen to date and are in stereo. At some point, I'll round back on how this thing sounds, but for now I'm enjoying giving it a spin. Actually, I'm on my second run, owing to the album's brevity. Here are its numbers and an image of its rear art work.

The Ventures' Christmas Album, 1989, EMI, CP28-5700 (made in Japan)​

DR Peak RMS Filename
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR13 -0.27 dB -16.34 dB 01 Jingle Bells
DR13 -0.36 dB -15.98 dB 02 Jingle Bell Rock
DR14 -2.47 dB -17.39 dB 03 Silver Bells
DR13 -0.47 dB -15.76 dB 04 Sleigh Ride
DR13 -1.28 dB -16.37 dB 05 Snowflakes
DR13 -1.19 dB -16.25 dB 06 Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
DR13 -0.07 dB -16.25 dB 07 Rudulph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
DR13 -0.09 dB -15.96 dB 08 Frosty The Snowman
DR12 -2.17 dB -17.20 dB 09 Scrooge
DR12 -1.71 dB -16.48 dB 10 Blue Christmas
DR13 -0.95 dB -17.51 dB 11 We Wish You A Merry Christmas
DR13 -0.11 dB -17.45 dB 12 White Christmas
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Official DR value: DR13​

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