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The Wonderful World of Christmas: Elvis, Johnny, Luther Headline Legacy's Vinyl Christmas Slate

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Looking for some vinyl to place under the tree this season?  Legacy is coming to the rescue with five new Christmas releases from the label's top tier artists including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Luther Vandross and more!

Merry Christmas Baby arrives from Elvis Presley this Friday, October 7.  This new 120-gram vinyl compilation features seventeen of the King's bona fide Christmas Classics, all newly remastered from original sources.  Naturally, "Blue Christmas" is here, as well as "Santa Claus Is Back in Town," "Silent Night, "O Come, All Ye Faithful," "I'll Be Home for Christmas," "Santa Bring My Baby (Back to Me)," "The Wonderful World of Christmas" and more.  For an added Christmas surprise, Merry Christmas Baby is being pressed on randomly-inserted red or green vinyl.

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The following quartet of releases arrives from Legacy on November 4.  First up is another newly-curated collection: Johnny Cash's Christmas: There'll Be Peace in the Valley.  Featuring Johnny, June Carter Cash, The Carter and Cash families, and The Statler Brothers, it boasts fourteen selections drawn from The Man in Black's Christmas and gospel recordings, all remastered from original sources.  Expect to hear "The Little Drummer Boy," "Silent Night," "Jingle Bells," "Blue Christmas," "The Christmas Spirit" and more.

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Next up is a straight vinyl reissue of the Luther Vandross classic This is Christmas.  The 1995 platinum seller features Vandross' inimitably velvet vocals on original songs such as "With a Christmas Heart," "Every Year, Every Christmas" and "I Listen to the Bells" (featuring Darlene Love) as well as the familiar chestnuts "My Favorite Things," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "O Come All Ye Faithful."

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Two various-artists sets are also slated to arrive on November 4.  Legacy is bringing last year's CD release of The Classic Christmas '80s Album to vinyl, featuring fifteen cuts from superstars like Whitney Houston ("Do You Hear What I Hear"), Wham! ("Last Christmas" - what else?), The Bangles ("Hazy Shade of Winter"), Daryl Hall and John Oates ("Jingle Bell Rock") and RUN-DMC ("Christmas in Hollis").  And no eighties Christmas compilation would be complete without "Christmas Wrapping" from The Waitresses!

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Finally, Legacy turns the clock back even further with The Classic Big Band Christmas Album.  All of the legends of the big band era are here including Benny Goodman ("(I Love The) Winter Weather," with Miss Peggy Lee), Sammy Kaye ("Winter Wonderland," "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town"), Kay Kyser ("Hello, Mr. Kringle"), Harry James ("White Christmas," with Marion Morgan), Les Brown ("The Christmas Song") and Glenn Miller ("Jingle Bells").  Spike Jones even adds a dash of irreverence with "All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)."  (And for more of Sammy Kaye, check out Real Gone Music's reissue of the bandleader's 1957 Columbia album I Want to Wish You a Merry Christmas, also due on November 4!)

You can pre-order all of Legacy Recordings' new vinyl releases at the links below!

Elvis Presley, Merry Christmas Baby (RCA/Legacy, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

  1. Santa Claus is Back in Town
  2. Blue Christmas
  3. Winter Wonderland
  4. White Christmas
  5. I'll Be Home for Christmas
  6. Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees
  7. Here Comes Santa Claus
  8. It Won't Seem Like Christmas (Without You)
  9. O Come All Ye Faithful
  10. Silent Night
  11. Merry Christmas Baby
  12. If Every Day Was Like Christmas
  13. Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me)
  14. O Little Town of Bethlehem
  15. The Wonderful World of Christmas
  16. On a Snowy Christmas Night
  17. I'll Be Home for Christmas

Johnny Cash, Christmas: There'll Be Peace in the Valley (Columbia/Legacy, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. TBD)

  1. Opening Dialogue
  2. Christmas Time's A-Comin'
  3. The Little Drummer Boy
  4. Ringing the Bells for Jim
  5. Merry Christmas Mary
  6. Matthew 24 (Is Knocking at the Door)
  7. Silent Night
  8. Jingle Bells - The Johnny Cash Family
  9. Blue Christmas
  10. The Christmas Spirit
  11. Here Was a Man
  12. King of Love
  13. The Ballad of the Harp Weaver
  14. (There'll Be) Peace in the Valley (For Me) - Johnny Cash with The Carter Family

Luther Vandross, This is Christmas (Columbia EK 57795, 1995 - reissued Columbia/Legacy, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. TBD)

  1. With a Christmas Heart
  2. This is Christmas
  3. The Mistletoe Jam (Everybody Kiss Somebody)
  4. Every Year, Every Christmas
  5. My Favorite Things
  6. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
  7. I Listen to the Bells - with Darlene Love
  8. Please Come Home for Christmas
  9. A Kiss for Christmas
  10. O Come All Ye Faithful

Various Artists, The Classic '80s Christmas Album (Legacy, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. TBD)

  1. Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses
  2. Last Christmas - Wham!
  3. Hazy Shade of Winter - The Bangles
  4. Christmas in Hollis - Run-DMC
  5. Jingle Bell Rock - Daryl Hall and John Oates
  6. Do You Hear What I Hear? - Whitney Houston
  7. Christmas is the Time to Say "I Love You" (Single Version) - Billy Squier
  8. Run Rudolph Run - Dave Edmunds
  9. Zat You Santa Claus - Buster Poindexter and His Banshees of Blue
  10. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town - The Pointer Sisters
  11. Christmas Time is Here - Ray Parker, Jr.
  12. Twelve Days of Christmas (Single Version) - Bob and Doug McKenzie
  13. This One's for the Children - New Kids on the Block
  14. Slick Nick, You Devil You - Fishbone
  15. Silent Night - The Hooters

Various Artists, The Classic Big Band Christmas Album (Legacy, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. TBD)

  1. Winter Weather - Benny Goodman and Peggy Lee
  2. (Don't Wait Till) The Night Before Christmas - Eddy Duchin and His Orchestra
  3. It's Winter Again - Isham Jones and His Orchestra featuring Frank Sylvano
  4. A Wonderful Winter - Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra
  5. Winter Wonderland - Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra
  6. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Woody Herman and His Orchestra
  7. Snowfall - Claude Thornhill and His Orchestra
  8. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm - Red Norvo and His Orchestra
  9. Jingle Bells - Glenn Miller and His Orchestra
  10. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town - Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra
  11. Hello, Mr. Kringle - Kay Kyser and His Orchestra
  12. White Christmas - Harry James and His Orchestra feat. Marion Morgan
  13. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) - Les Brown and His Orchestra
  14. I Want You for Christmas - Russ Morgan and His Orchestra
  15. All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) - Spike Jones and His City Slickers
  16. Little Jack Frost Get Lost - Frankie Carle with Marjorie Hughes
  17. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve - Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra
  18. Auld Lang Syne - Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra
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Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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Comments

  1. Would have preferred Sony release a vinyl version of Celine Dion -These Are Special Times (her Christmas album) as this has never been released on vinyl. Elvis and Johnny Cash material obviously has been available on vinyl. Like the 80's and Big Band releases.

    Reply

  2. I really love the cover art on the Johnny Cash release. It could sit perfectly alongside other late-50s/early-60s Columbia Records releases.

    Reply

  3. Have they finally run out of new xmas material to release? I have more than I'll ever need. Was thrifting the other day and noticed the abundance of xmas material. Mostly lp in it's own section. Polka & religious don't have that honour.
    The 80s wasn't a particularly good time for xmas music. I have Daryl & John on green/red vinyl and pic disc. It's ok, but the video is where it's at. Same for Run-DMC. That is a busy track. At least Band Aid isn't included.

    I always thought the British did a way better job with xmas singles. The first Now Christmas is a fine example.

    Rhino's New Wave Christmas

    I.R.S. Just in time for Christmas

    These are my favorite comps. I have loads more on lp & cd. And don't forget James Brown Christmas.

    Reply

  4. A couple of those discs look pretty full for vinyl. Back in the day, putting 17-18 tracks on a single disc required reducing the recording volume (thereby increasing the noise-to-signal ratio) in order to get the grooves close enough together.

    Reply

  5. Holiday Nerd that I am, I look forward to Christmas releases every year. Some years feel somewhat redundant, other years have fresh takes on the holiday season. This year feels a little redundant. If we are trolling the archives for Christmas Cheer, I submit that we see a domestic release of Shakin' Stevens' great "Merry Christmas Everyone" CD/LP release. This was one fine Christmas album with a tinge of the revivalist 50s & 60s (my Christmas youth) that Shaky used to go to the top of the UK charts in the 80s. This album, originally released in the UK in 1991, has some original holiday rockers and ballads, some great covers and is highlighted by the Dave Edmunds-produced smash UK Christmas hit, "Merry Christmas Everyone." It was such a smash that it charted #1 upon its initial 1985 release and re-charted upon yearly re-release every year in the UK Top 100 from 2007-2015. With the album enjoying its 25th Anniversary this year, it would be grand to see a domestic tip of the Christmas hat to this solid holiday favorite from a talented performer. If it doesn't appear domestically, I recommend opting for the UK re-release. Then you can play it loud as you dance around your tree!

    Reply

  6. The cover for that new Elvis vinyl compilation is downright hideous. They couldn't have added some Christmas colours or holly leaves or something?

    Reply

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