PRE-ORDER DIGITAL DELUXE FROM AMAZON U.S.
Even though the fall season has yet to officially begin, kids are back at school and we are already looking ahead to winter. Of course, that also means Christmas and it is time to start kicking off the announcements of Christmas recordings for this year. RCA and Legacy Recordings have just announced a new Elvis Presley project for this yuletide season: Christmas with Elvis and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, due on October 6.
As you may have guessed from the title, this new project follows on from 2015's If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and 2016's The Wonder of You: Elvis Presley with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, where Elvis' vocal tracks are melded with newly recorded orchestral tracks. The songs for this CD are drawn from two Elvis LPs: 1957's Elvis' Christmas Album and 1971's Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas.
The new CD contains all eight songs that first appeared on Elvis' Christmas Album, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Released in October of 1957, it would top the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart for four weeks and become the best-selling Christmas album of all time as well as the first of Elvis' albums to reach diamond certification status from the RIAA. These sales have been helped by the numerous reissues the album has seen over the years. The remaining five songs are drawn from Elvis' second Christmas album, released 14 years later in 1971. While not as strong as seller as the previous holiday effort, it would gain popularity over the years and also receive several reissues, eventually going 3x platinum.
There is also a deluxe edition Christmas with Elvis being released, adding an additional four tracks. This edition is due on November 24. These four tracks are drawn from the 1957 EP Peace In The Valley. This EP was actually used to round out the original Elvis' Christmas Album, so you if you get the deluxe edition of this new album, you have all of the tracks from that first album, just in a different order. Subsequent reissues of Elvis' Christmas Album would drop the Peace In The Valley songs and reorder the other tracks.
Christmas with Elvis and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra has been produced by Nick Patrick and Don Reedman. The orchestral tracks have been recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Executive producer Priscilla Presley has provided liner notes for this new compilation. The regular edition will be available on CD, LP and via digital download on October 6. The deluxe edition will be available on CD and via digital download on November 24. If you would like to hear these new takes on Elvis' Christmas classics, we have pre-order links below! Currently, only digital links are live, so watch this space for updates!
Elvis Presley, Christmas with Elvis and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RCA/Legacy Recordings, 2017)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Links TBD
Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Deluxe CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Digital Standard: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Digital Deluxe: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
- Santa Claus Is Back In Town
- White Christmas
- Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)
- Merry Christmas Baby
- Blue Christmas
- I'll Be Home For Christmas
- Winter Wonderland
- Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me)
- Silver Bells
- Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem
- O Come, All Ye Faithful
- The First Noel
- Silent Night
- (There'll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me)*
- I Believe*
- Take My Hand, Precious Lord*
- It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)*
*Tracks included on Deluxe Edition only
Original versions of tracks 1-3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 13-17 from Elvis' Christmas Album, RCA Victor LP LOC-1035, 1957
Original versions of tracks 4, 7, 9, 11, 12 from Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas, RCA Victor LP LSP-4579, 1971
Original versions of tracks 14-17 also on Peace in the Valley, RCA Victor EP EPA-4054, 1957
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Elvis must have the deepest barrel ever.....and it's still being scraped!
Nothing wrong with these orchestral releases. The original versions are still available so nothing is lost. These give fans a new perspective on his recordings. Dresses them up a bit. No harm done. I bought the other two. I will buy this as well.
It's not a "new" perspective, it's a "false" one. Playing the music backwards gives it a "new" perspective but doesn't make it worthwhile. These orchestral Presley releases are just turning his music into MOR that will be purchased by people who wouldn't know one end of the Sun studios from their elbow!
Was the 1957 Christmas album recorded in binaural stereo? Peace in the Valley, Lovin' You and Jailhouse Rock were. If not the orchestra will have to be dubbed onto a complete mono track.
The trouble with these orchestral Elvis releases are the arrangements are not different enough. The Wonder of You still sounds like The Wonder of You. Surely Sony could put their hands in their pocket and hire a really good arranger (Trent Reznor or Hans Zimmer, anyone.
I much prefer the Elvis/RPO releases to the SUN ones. They are so outdated sound-wise. Elvis MUST keep up with new trends and better sound in order for his Legacy to survive. I would now like a Country Duets Album.