Legacy Recordings is getting into the Christmas spirit this year by continuing its Classic Christmas Album series. On October 2, four new entries will be released featuring artists who had their biggest successes in the '70s (Earth, Wind & Fire), '80s (a various artists compilation), '90s (Sarah McLachlan) and 2000s (Celtic Thunder).
The majority of the material on these compilations is of a relatively recent vintage. The exception is The Classic Christmas '80s Album which obviously covers material from that decade and runs the gamut in genres, featuring some of the bigger holiday hits released during that period. The other three entries are reissues of Christmas albums produced within the last ten years. The Sarah McLachlan Classic Christmas Album reprises her 2006 Wintersong and adds in some bonus tracks from several singles and guest appearances. Earth, Wind and Fire's entry is composed mainly of their festive effort from last year, Holiday. However, it too adds in bonus tracks of other Christmas tunes from over the years. One track, "Get Your Hump on This Christmas" from Fox's The Cleveland Show in 2009, was previously only available digitally. So if you are fans of these artists but never picked up these albums, you can now have them in expanded versions. The Celtic Thunder Classic Christmas Album is a repackaging of their 2013 Christmas Voices with no additional bonus material.
You will find Legacy's press release below with some additional information together with the full tracklisting for each album. We've also got Amazon links to order if you'd like to get into the Christmas spirit with these Classic Christmas entries.
NEW YORK - Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, is ringing in the 2015 holiday season with the release of four indispensable Yuletide album titles--The Classic Christmas Album by Celtic Thunder, The Classic Christmas Album by Earth, Wind & Fire, The Classic Christmas Album by Sarah McLachlan and The Classic Christmas '80s Album--available Friday, October 2, 2015.
The Classic Christmas '80s Album, one of this year's additions to Legacy Recordings' Classic Christmas Album series, is a 15-track all-star anthology of timeless seasonal songs from the worlds of pop, rock, rap and soul proving that the spirit of Christmas moves through a variety of musical genres. Seminal '80s artists on The Classic Christmas '80s Album include: The Waitresses ("Christmas Wrapping"), Wham! ("Last Christmas"), The Bangles ("Hazy Shade of Winter"), Run-D.M.C. ("Christmas in Hollis"), Daryl Hall & John Oates ("Jingle Bell Rock"), Whitney Houston ("Do You Hear What I Hear?"), Billy Squier ("Christmas Is The Time To Say 'I Love You'" [Single Version]), Dave Edmunds ("Run Rudolph Run"), Buster Poindexter and His Banshees Of Blue ("Zat You Santa Claus"), The Pointer Sisters ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), Ray Parker Jr. ("Christmas Time Is Here"), Bob & Doug McKenzie ("Twelve Days Of Christmas" [Single Version]), New Kids On The Block ("This One's for the Children"), Fishbone ("Slick Nick, You Devil You") and The Hooters ("Silent Night").
Singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan and pop/soul legends Earth, Wind & Fire also have new holiday collections being offered in the Legacy Recordings' Classic Christmas Album series. Each of the new collections brings together remastered holiday tracks spanning the careers of the individual artists.
The Classic Christmas Album by Earth, Wind & Fire includes 13 tracks from Holiday (the EW&F seasonal album released in 2014) with five additional cuts culled from the group's multi-decade career.
The Classic Christmas Album by Earth, Wind & Fire is a soul and spirit filled celebration of the Christmas season, bringing together beloved carols ("Joy to the World," "Oh Come All Ye Faithful," "What Child Is This?," "Away in a Manger," "The First Noël"), holiday perennials ("Winter Wonderland," "The Little Drummer Boy," "Sleigh Ride," "Jingle Bell Rock"), a traditional Japanese winter song ("Snow") and future Earth, Wind & Fire classics: "Happy Seasons" (based on "Happy Feelin'), "Every Day Is Like Christmas" and "December" (based on EWF's iconic "September").
Additional tracks on The Classic Christmas Album by Earth, Wind & Fire include "Gather Round" (from 2005); "Get Your Hump On This Christmas" (featuring Cleveland Brown, from Twentieth Century Fox Television's "A Cleveland Brown Christmas," airdate: December 13, 2009); "I Asked For A Miracle (God Gave Me You)" (Philip Bailey with Full Force, produced by Full Force, recorded May 26, 1991); "Open Your Heard to Love" and "One World" (1990).
The Classic Christmas Album by Sarah McLachlan, an Arista/Legacy release, compiles the tracks "Wintersong" (2006); "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (2006); "What Child Is This? (Greensleeves)" (2006); "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (2006); "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings" (performed by Barenaked Ladies with Sarah McLachlan); "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" (the John Lennon/Yoko Ono classic performed by Sarah McLachlan featuring The Sarah McLachlan Music Outreach Children's Choir and Youth Choir, 2006); "Prayer of St. Francis" (Sarah McLachlan featuring The Sarah McLachlan School of Music Choir, charity single, November 2013); "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" (2006); "Space On the Couch for Two" (Sarah McLachlan featuring students from The Sarah McLachlan School of Music Choir, charity single, November 2011); "Find Your Voice" (Sarah McLachlan with The Sarah McLachlan School of Music Choir, charity single, November 2012); "River" (a Joni Mitchell cover, 2006); "Silent Night" (2006); "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (2006); "The First Noel"/"Mary Mary" (medley, 2006); "Song for a Winter's Night" (a Gordon Lightfoot cover, arranged by Sarah McLachlan, 1994); "In a Bleak Mid Winter" (traditional, arranged by Sarah McLachlan, 2006) and "Christmas Time is Here" (performed by Sarah McLachlan featuring Diana Krall, written by Vince Guaraldi/Lee Mendelson, 2006).
Legacy Recordings celebrates the 2015 Yuletide with The Classic Christmas Album by Celtic Thunder, an uplifting collection of traditional carols and Christmas songs performed by the international singing sensation Celtic Thunder.
The Classic Christmas Album by Celtic Thunder showcases an eclectic selection of Christmas standards from around the world, wrapped in Celtic Thunder's signature big production sound. Six Celtic Thunder male soloists perform solo and ensemble numbers on the album, backed by a 90-piece Orchestra. Tracks on The Classic Christmas Album by Celtic Thunder range from traditional carols to contemporary pop classics. The album moves from slow and pensive numbers to larger ensemble pieces and includes an exquisitely paced Christmas Medley. Recorded in Ireland, The Classic Christmas Album by Celtic Thunder is a brilliant collection of seasonal music from Celtic Thunder creator Sharon Browne and Musical Director David Munro.
The Classic Christmas Album by Celtic Thunder comes from the renowned Irish theatrical singing ensemble who first appeared on Public Television in 2008. Since its first airing, Celtic Thunder's PBS performance has consistently remained one of the most popular musical shows for stations throughout the country. Hailed three times as BILLBOARD's Top World Music Artist and Top World Imprint (2008, 2009 and 2011), Celtic Thunder has achieved sales of over 2 million copies to date.
The Classic Christmas Album by Celtic Thunder features the group performing "Carol of the Bells," "Gaudete," "Mary Did You Know?," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "In the Bleak Mid-Winter," "Gabriel's Message," "Christmas Medley: Sleigh Ride/Here Comes Santa Claus/The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers/Santa Claus is Coming to Town/I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," "Away in a Manger," "Comfort Ye," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)," "Oh Holy Night," "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Fairytale Of New York."
Please note: Track order is preliminary and has not been confirmed.
Various Artists, The Classic Christmas 80s Album (Legacy Recordings, 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
- Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses
- Last Christmas - Wham!
- Hazy Shade of Winter - The Bangles
- Christmas in Hollis - Run - D.M.C.
- Jingle Bell Rock - Darryl Hall and John Oates
- Do You Hear What I Hear? - Whitney Houston
- Christmas is the Time to Say "I Love You" (Single Version) - Billy Squier
- Run Rudolph Run - Dave Edmunds
- Zat You Santa Claus - Buster Poindexter and His Banshees of Blue
- Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - The Pointer Sisters
- Christmas Time is Here - Ray Parker Jr.
- Twelve Days of Christmas (Single Version) - Bob and Doug McKenzie
- This One's for the Children - New Kids on the Block
- Slick Nick, You Devil You - Fishbone
- Silent Night - The Hooters
Earth, Wind and Fire, The Classic Christmas Album (Columbia/Legacy, 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
- Joy to the World
- Oh Come All Ye Faithful
- What Child is This?
- Away in a Manger
- The First Noel
- Winter Wonderland
- The Little Drummer Boy
- Sleigh Ride
- Jingle Bell Rock
- Snow
- Happy Seasons
- Every Day is Like Christmas
- December
- Gather Round
- Get Your Hump On This Christmas
- I Asked for a Miracle (God Gave Me You) (Philip Bailey with Full Force)
- Open Your Head to Love
- One World
Sarah McLachlan, The Classic Christmas Album (Arista/Legacy, 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
- Wintersong
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
- What Child is This? (Greensleeves)
- I'll Be Home for Christmas
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings (The Barenaked Ladies with Sarah McLachlan)
- Happy Xmas (War is Over)
- Prayer of St. Francis
- I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
- Space on the Couch for Two
- Find Your Voice
- River
- Silent Night
- O Little Town of Bethlehem
- The First Noel/Mary Mary
- Song for a Winter's Night
- In a Bleak Mid Winter
- Christmas Time is Here (featuring Diana Krall)
Celtic Thunder, Classic Christmas Album (Legacy Recordings, 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)
- Carol of the Bells
- Mary, Did You Know?
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
- In the Bleak Mid-Winter
- Gabriel's Message
- Christmas Medley
- Away in a Manger
- Comfort Ye
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
- The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
- Oh Holy Night
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- Fairytale of New York
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First time I've heard "Hazy Shade Of Winter" called a Christmas song. Thanks Legacy!
"Look around, leaves are brown, there's a patch of snow on the ground." Must be Christmas!! LOL!!
I see Hazy Shade of Winter and think of Robert Downey Jr strung out in ''Less Thank Zero."
ZIp for Christmas associations.
Sarah Mclachlan's Xmas collection is a nice gesture, as many of those charity singles were from one-off event samplers earlier in her career ("I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" was part of a Startbucks collection, but even before that another charity album, and long before 2006 I think….). With each 80's collection we get closer and closer to having a definitive one, this one is close, but no cigar.
Man, that cover for the '80s Christmas comp looks really cheezy and sort of clashes with what'd you'd expect for the cover of a comp with Christmas '80s songs. Galaga and Space Invaders would be the last thing that comes to my mind when trying to make a cover for this comp. Maybe they were trying to go for an embroidery/cross-stitch thing... I dunno.
I got no problems here with anything else, though. Hopefully these are all mastered by Vic Anesini just like the last batch!
Seems pretty obvious to me that they were going for the 80's arcade video game theme with the cover art. I kind of like it. I wish the collection were better however. At least they did not, or perhaps could not include Springsteen's much over played Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.
Right, I never denied that (obvious) aspect in my original post. I was just saying that I personally wouldn't have gone with an "arcade/video-game" aesthetic with the cover, and even opened the possibility of the "cross-stitch/embroidery" angle.
But, ultimately, the cover isn't the most important thing here, and it's what's inside that matters most. Unlike you, I think the selection of the list is just fine, spanning from pop to hip-hop. The omission of Springsteen's song seems strange, but I'm willing to overlook it.