 | |
List Price: $18.98 | | Label: Capitol
Salesrank: 699
Released: September 26, 2006 |
| Our Price: $9.41 |
| Used Price: $8.98 |
|
| Media: Audio CD |
|
Bing Crosby's Christmas Classics Track Listing:
1. White Christmas (from The Frank Sinatra Show - 12/20/1957)
2. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
3. Winter Wonderland
4. What Child Is This? / The Holly And The Ivy
5. The Little Drummer Boy
6. O Holy Night
7. The Littlest Angel
8. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
9. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
10. Frosty The Snowman
11. Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
12. I Wish You A Merry Christmas
13. Do You Hear What I Hear?
14. Pat-A-Pan / While Shepherds Watched Their Flock
15. Christmas Dinner Country Style
16. Peace On Earth / The Little Drummer Boy (Bing Crosby & David Bowie) [From 1977 TV Special "Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas"]
Editorial Review:
No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: CROSBY,BING
Title: CHRISTMAS CLASSICS
Street Release Date: 09/26/2006
Domestic
Genre: XMAS VOCAL
Bing Crosby's Christmas Classics Reviews:
Christmas just ain't Christmas without Bing Crosby 
2009-12-25 - With its mix of popular and religious songs, all emanating from the dulcet baritone voice of the forever-uber-cool Bing Crosby, this album is almost the penultimate Christmas album. The number one honors actually go to Bing's White Christmas album, but Bing Crosby's Christmas Classics is quite an acceptable substitute (or, better yet, complement) to that ultimate collection of Bing Christmas classics. Ironically, this album's biggest weakness is its inclusion of an inferior and much too short version (only 1 minute and 34 seconds) of White Christmas, the most commercially successful Christmas song of them all. Helping balance this inferior version of his defining song, though, you have Bing's duet with David Bowie taken from the soundtrack of a 1977 television special.
As far as I know, Bing Crosby's recording of White Christmas remains the best-selling single of all time, having sold over 50 million copies since its initial release in 1942. Penned by in the incomparable Irving Berlin, this ultimate Christmas classic is a perennial favorite that has made a number of runs on the charts over the years. Unfortunately, the version included here is an edited, much-too-short version of the song from 1957. At barely a minute and a half long, it had me doing a double-take as soon as it ended. Who are they trying to kid here? Like we're not going to notice that half of the most successful Christmas song ever recorded seems to be missing. Apparently, this cut was taken from the 1957 Frank Sinatra Christmas Special, and someone decided to simply cut out Sinatra's duet portion of the final chorus with Bing. I'm not a huge fan of Old Blue Eyes, but the hack job done to this song is just wrong on a number of levels. Even the Grinch knows better than to mess with White Christmas.
The real standouts on the album are - well, pretty much every song. I'm especially fond of the Christian hymns, and I don't think anyone really matches Bing on such songs as Do You Hear What I Hear?, Oh Holy Night, What Child Is This?, and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. His version of The Little Drummer Boy is masterful, and the solemnity he brings to The Littlest Angel is palpable. At the same time, Bing brings a sense of buoyant, childlike joy to the likes of Frosty the Snowman, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! and I Wish You a Merry Christmas.
The "that's a little different" portion of the album also comes out "just fine," as Bing might say. The aforementioned duet with David Bowie starts out with a significant amount of dialogue, but that helps preserve the spirit of the song that exists only in the form of this one recording. Christmas Dinner, Country Style is lots of fun (only Bing can make square-dancing music cool), but it's best to prepare yourself in advance for the unexpected solo parts performed by the most famous reindeer of all in Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer (clearly, Rudolph needs to stick with his day - er, night - job).
This is just a fantastic album, one that really deserves a better and more complete version of White Christmas. It's a guaranteed crowd-pleaser at Christmas parties and family get-togethers, but it is perhaps best enjoyed in quiet contemplation. If Bing Crosby can't awaken the Christmas spirit in you, you're going the way of Jacob Marley, my friend.
Terrific old-fashioned Christmas tunes
2009-12-05 - One of the all-time great pop-music voices, robust arrangements, and a surprising little gem at the end: patter and a lovely duet with David Bowie, of all people. Who'da thunk?
This will be one of my favorite Christmas albums for years to come.
Christmas muzak. 
2009-12-03 - They should play this album repeatedly for captured terrorists until they beg us to stop. I'd sooner throw 199 pennies into the street than buy this.
Christmas Cheer - Loaded ... 
2009-12-03 - Song Selection - Fine ...
Sound Quality - Excellent ...
Bing Crosby's Baritone Voice - Priceless ...
but you can download this mp3 album NOW at Amazon's special bargain price of $1.99.
Wishing you ALL A Merry Christmas!
Bing's second-best Christmas album
2009-11-24 - Nobody can quite get you into the holiday spirit like Bing Crosby. His classic renditions of holiday standards never go out of style. This collection features many great Bing Crosby Christmas songs, and is an ideal companion to Bing's truly classic White Christmas album.
"White Christmas" (originally released as "Merry Christmas" in 1945) is one of the all-time best-selling Christmas albums, featuring classic after classic. That album mixes upbeat holiday tunes (with some help from the Andrews Sisters) with traditional Christmas carols. It is the essential Bing Crosby holiday album, and is offered at generally affordable prices.
If "White Christmas" rates 5 stars, this album, "Bing Crosby - Christmas Classics", is more like a 3.5 or 4. It's still full of very nice Bing Crosby holiday music, but it is a step below his earlier album.
As noted elsewhere, this collection is mainly Bing's 1962 "I Wish You A Merry Christmas" album, with a few added tracks. This version of the song "White Christmas" was taken from a 1957 Frank Sinatra special. The popular duet with David Bowie, "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy", from a 1977 TV special is included. (It starts with a lengthy section of dialogue from the show.)
By 1962 Bing Crosby was getting older. This collection is mostly a late-career Christmas album. Some of the songs are of the more deeply religious variety (Nativity-themed), but there's still "Frosty The Snowman" and "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer", as well as more secular tunes like "Winter Wonderland", "Let It Snow!", and the square dance jig "Christmas Dinner, Country Style".
You may prefer this album if you want some solemn Noel music or are sick of commercial X-Mas jingles. Overall the album feels more solemn than "White Christmas", with Bing singing with choirs instead of the Andrews Sisters.
The songs are all pretty good. "Rudolph" features a solo by the titular reindeer that I wasn't really ready for, but it's okay. The highlights for me are the excellent "Do You Hear What I Hear?", the Bing & Bowie duet, and "Pat-A-Pan/While Shepherds Watched Their Flock". But, as I said, you can't really go wrong with Bing Crosby Christmas music.
"Bing Crosby - Christmas Classics" is a nice album that could complement "White Christmas" in a holiday music collection, but I'd advise getting the latter album first. This one could make a nice follow-up, though. Every holiday collection should have some Bing Crosby in it (and some Frank Sinatra, maybe a little Nat King Cole). Compared with everything else, this is a fine holiday playlist. It's a great Christmas album, just not the most essential from Bing.
