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BREAKING! Second Disc Records, Real Gone Music Unwrap The Supremes’ “Ultimate Merry Christmas”!

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Longtime readers know that Christmas is our favorite time of the year here at Second Disc HQ, and this year, we’re celebrating with our most lavish release yet: The Supremes’ The Ultimate Merry Christmas!  Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music are counting down the days until November 3, when we proudly present one of the greatest Christmas albums of all time – from the world’s number-one girl group – in an edition that’s years in the making!

Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard ushered in 1965 with the electrifying, era-defining “Stop! In the Name of Love,” their fourth of five consecutive, record-breaking, chart-topping singles.  In that year alone, the undisputed queens of Motown released five sizzling LPs, including their only holiday album: the instant classic Merry Christmas.  Produced by Detroit legend Harvey Fuqua with arrangements by the great Gene Page, H.B. Barnum, and Ernie Freeman, Merry Christmas was filled with joyful delights.

In addition to The Supremes’ inimitable versions of yuletide favorites, it introduced Jimmy Webb’s first-ever recorded song (“My Christmas Tree”) and yielded a pair of charting singles (the Motown originals “Children’s Christmas Song” and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Me”) plus a yearly Christmas radio staple (“My Favorite Things”).  This salute to the season quickly became a chart mainstay and all-time perennial.

In 2015, to celebrate its 50th anniversary, Merry Christmas was expanded as a digital-only release with nine previously unreleased bonus tracks.  Now, in conjunction with Motown/Universal Music Group, Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music are releasing a Christmas feast that is so bountiful, it could only be called The Ultimate Merry Christmas.  This landmark collection boasts all of the tracks from the 2015 digital edition and more, for an astounding total of 50 tracks on 2 CDs, of which 16 are previously unreleased and 21 are new to CD!

The Ultimate Merry Christmas features the album in three distinctive versions: the original 1965 mono and stereo mixes, as well as a brand new, never-before-heard 2017 mix premiering previously unheard vocals and instrumentation.   And that’s not all!  The additional, previously unreleased bonus tracks include a Diana Ross/Florence Ballard duet on “Silent Night,” and a Diana/Mary Wilson duet on “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire).”

The Ultimate Merry Christmas has been curated and co-produced by Andrew Skurow and George Solomon, the team responsible for Motown’s long-running series of Supremes and Diana Ross expanded editions, including the recent Supremes A’ Go-Go. It’s been newly remastered by Kevin Reeves, who has also mixed all of the bonus tracks.  It’s been beautifully designed by John Sellards, following his work on Second Disc Records’ newest releases from Laura Nyro and Melissa Manchester.  The 24-page, full-color booklet features the original album cover and artwork, and numerous photos and memorabilia, as well as my own liner notes, track-by-track annotations and more.  Additionally, the deluxe digipak has been designed in the style of all of The Supremes’ past expanded editions so that The Ultimate Merry Christmas can sit right next to them on your shelf!

The Ultimate Merry Christmas is loaded with timeless Motown magic, making for the ultimate stocking stuffer for collectors and fans alike! Look for it on November 3 from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music, and place your pre-orders below!  We hope this tribute to the timeless Christmas magic of Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard will become one of your favorite things!  And don’t forget to watch this space for the imminent announcement of the rest of Real Gone’s amazing Christmas slate!

The Supremes, The Ultimate Merry Christmas (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

The Original Mono Album

  1. White Christmas (Mono Version)
  2. Silver Bells (Mono Version)
  3. Born of Mary (Mono Version)
  4. Children’s Christmas Song (Mono Version)
  5. The Little Drummer Boy (Mono Version)
  6. My Christmas Tree (Mono Version)
  7. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Mono Version)
  8. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Mono Version)
  9. My Favorite Things (Mono Version)
  10. Twinkle Twinkle Little Me (Mono Version)
  11. Little Bright Star (Mono Version)
  12. Joy to the World (Mono Version)

The Original Stereo Album

  1. White Christmas (Stereo Version)
  2. Silver Bells (Stereo Version)
  3. Born of Mary (Stereo Version)
  4. Children’s Christmas Song (Stereo Version)
  5. The Little Drummer Boy (Stereo Version)
  6. My Christmas Tree (Stereo Version)
  7. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Stereo Version)
  8. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Stereo Version)
  9. My Favorite Things (Stereo Version)
  10. Twinkle Twinkle Little Me (Stereo Version)
  11. Little Bright Star (Stereo Version)
  12. Joy to the World (Stereo Version)

Bonus Track

  1. Christmas Greetings

CD 2

The New 2017 Mix

  1. White Christmas (Alternate Vocal)
  2. Silver Bells (Alternate Mix, with additional verse)
  3. Born of Mary (Alternate Mix)
  4. Children’s Christmas Song (Alternate Vocal)
  5. The Little Drummer Boy (Alternate Vocal)
  6. My Christmas Tree (Alternate Vocal)
  7. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Alternate Mix)
  8. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Alternate Mix)
  9. My Favorite Things (Alternate Mix)
  10. Twinkle Twinkle Little Me (Stereo Mix of Mono Vocal)
  11. Little Bright Star (Alternate Mix)
  12. Joy to the World (Alternate Vocal)

Bonus Tracks

  1. The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You) (2015 Mix Version)
  2. Just a Lonely Christmas (2015 Mix Version)
  3. The First Noel (2015 Mix Version)
  4. O Little Town of Bethlehem (2015 Mix Version)
  5. Silent Night (2015 Mix Version)
  6. O Holy Night (2015 Mix Version)
  7. Just a Lonely Christmas (Alternate Vocal)
  8. The First Noel (Alternate Vocal)
  9. O Little Town of Bethlehem (Alternate Vocal)
  10. The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You) (Duet Version)
  11. Silent Night (Duet Version)
  12. It Won’t Be Long ‘Til Christmas (2015 Mix Version)
  13. My Favorite Things (Live)

CD 1, Tracks 1-12 from Merry Christmas, Motown LP M638, 1965
CD 1, Tracks 13-24 from Merry Christmas, Motown LP MS638, 1965
CD 1, Track 25 from Seasons Greetings From Motown, Motown promotional single 2482, 1966
CD 2, Tracks 1, 3-12, 19-23 previously unreleased
CD 2, Tracks 2, 13-18, 24, 25 from digital Merry Christmas – Expanded Edition, 2015

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.

Connect With Joe: FacebookTwitter

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Comments

  2. Beyond excited about this wonderful release! So glad that we are getting more beautiful Diana Ross / The Supremes CD releases. Christmas can’t come early enough this year…

    Reply

  3. This should be good but based on the track list, it looks like I’ll also be holding on to my copy of this album as released in 2003, as part of “20th Century Masters” series… Motown/Chronicles B0000675-02. Not sure how the 2015 tracks match up to the four bonus tracks from 2003.

    Reply

    • The 2003 release is a reissue of the 1999 single-disc expanded edition. All of the bonus tracks found there are on ULTIMATE MERRY CHRISTMAS, though they’ve been sonically spruced up in sparkling new mixes. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  5. Thank You so very much, for continuing to post releases for the 1960’s Girl Group Sound, and including so many of the talented young ladies who individually helped enhance it. Without you, I wouldn’t have been aware of this, or the Peggy March compilation, the UK, Marleybone Girls disc and so much more. Keep the banner flying high.
    I’ll be buying this, in time for Christmas!

    Reply

  7. Great that after all this time we get an ‘Ultimate collection’ of their Christmas recordings. Though I’m not always so keen on collections that years after the original release include takes the authentic producers discarded (some for obvious reasons when you hear them) but nonetheless, this will make a very nice stocking filler. Motown – the gift that keeps on giving. Supremes forever!

    Reply

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