The Andy Williams Christmas Album | 
| Artist: Andy Williams
Label: Sony
Category: Music
List Price: $9.98
Buy New: $7.42
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Rating:  36 reviews
Sales Rank: 573
Format: Original Recording Remastered
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 92712
UPC: 827969271223
EAN: 0827969271223
ASIN: B0002S94M0
Release Date: August 24, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!
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| Tracks:
| • | White Christmas - Andy Williams, Berlin, Irving | | • | Medley: Happy Holidays/The Holiday Season - Andy Williams, Berlin, Irving | | • | The Christmas Song - Andy Williams, Torme, Mel | | • | It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams, Wyle, George | | • | A Song and a Christmas Tree (The Twelve Days of Christmas) - Andy Williams, Traditional | | • | Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells - Andy Williams, Mandel, Johnny | | • | The First Noel - Andy Williams, Sandys, William | | • | O Holy Night - Andy Williams, Adam, Adolphe | | • | Away in a Manger - Andy Williams, McFarland, John Tho | | • | Sweet Little Jesus Boy - Andy Williams, MacGimsey, Bob | | • | The Little Drummer Boy - Andy Williams, Davis, Katherine | | • | Silent Night - Andy Williams, Gruber, Franz |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
This was one of the best-selling Christmas records of the 1960s, and with good cause! Somehow, without the fatherly image of Bing Crosby, or the svelte croon of Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett, or even the reverent innocence of Perry Como, Andy Williams managed to make a holiday institution! This collection of Christmas songs is full of standards normally identified with other artists, but armed with an average tenor and lots of exuberance, Andy Williams made them his own. His "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is the most exhilarating version of the song there is, and even his "White Christmas" and "O Holy Night" are more than just passable. This is not only Williams's best Christmas collection, this is one that should be in every holiday music collection. --Steve Gdula
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| Customer Reviews: Read 31 more reviews...
 One of the Best! August 27, 2004
Tom Anderson (Piney Flats, Tennessee United States)
30 out of 32 found this review helpful
Andy Williams, along with Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Johnny Mathis, and Nat King Cole, will always be closely associated with Christmas--and rightfully so. All these crooners made beautiful albums that became part of the soundtrack to the American Christmas celebration. It's a pity that so many contemporary artists have made Christmas albums that don't sound "Christmasy."
Not to worry here--Andy's made one of the best ever recorded. Some of the tracks on this CD are among the very best versions ever recorded: Happy Holidays/The Holiday Season, The Christmas Song, It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (written especially for Andy's variety series from the 1960s), The First Noel, the very tender Away In a Manger and the touching Sweet Little Jesus Boy. The only reason I rate this album 4 stars instead of 5 is that I simply don't care for the arrangements of White Christmas and Silent Night--but that's just personal taste.
The really good news here is that Columbia/Legacy has just remastered this CD, along with Andy's "green" album ("Merry Christmas") and made them a part of their "Essential Holiday Classics" series. The remastered versions can be indentified by their yellow stickers proclaiming the remastering and by the added borders of treble clefs and snowflakes on the CD cover. Both albums sound better, especially "The Andy Williams Christmas Album" which had anemic, hissy sound. The new version is bright, full, and detailed and the hiss is gone! By all means scrap your old copies and buy the new. You deserve the treat!
The Most Incredible Christmas Album of All December 12, 2004
J.R. Samataro (Salem, NH USA)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe help to make the season bright, but the thing that makes my season bright is arguably the greatest compilation of holiday music to ever grace the human ear.
It is "The Andy Williams Christmas Album." It's the most wonderful music for the most wonderful time of the year. Hands-down. What makes this collection of festive melodic delights so special? Where do I start? Perhaps the most logical point would be with the man himself, Andy Williams.
Williams' voice is dripping with holiday spirit on this album, and that spirit is contagious. If Santa Claus was to hire a lounge singer, it would without a doubt be Williams. His rendition of "O Holy Night" is honestly spectacular. After 16 Christmases, I still get the chills hearing it. When Williams hits the highs on the word "divine," I feel as though I have heard the voice of an angel, who is coincidentally singing "O Holy Night" while giving me a back rub.
The album came to life 40 years ago as the love-child of Williams, producer Robert Mersey, and Columbia Records. The music has been a mainstay come Christmas time in my family, and as a young lad I quickly learned to appreciate the man behind what came to be known as the Samataro Soundtrack to Christmas.
The release itself is a perfect balance of fun and upbeat ditties like "Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season," sacred Christmas hymns such as "Away in a Manger," tender treasures including "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)," and even a few tunes with a Williams spin on them. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" have transformed into "A Song and a Christmas Tree," an updated (well, circa 1963, anyway) version of the holiday gem, highlighting, for instance, "two candy canes" in place of "two turtle doves".
Nary a December has the voice of Williams been absent from the house I call home. It is worth noting that the year I lost the Andy Williams cassette tape, December became one of the worst months of my entire life. It's just not the same without Andy. While every December, heartwarming television specials try to remind me of their true meanings of Christmas, it's just haberdashery that includes such quotables as "it is better to give than to receive" and "make this holiday picture-perfect, digital camera only $59.99 (only at Macy's)!" No, friends, none of these adages have taught me anything. Only one man has done that.
Andy Williams has made me realize the true meaning of Christmas. The evidence is incontrovertible. The meaning of Christmas lies in festivity, tradition, and 12 glorious selections of music that seem to have been written by God Himself. No, the bestowment of "The Andy Williams Christmas Album" is no act of God -- but it is a miracle. Miraculous, because in essence, it is the perhaps greatest compilation of music ever to grace the human ear. And that's just not the egg nog talking.
Christmas Classic for the Ages November 8, 2005
Duane S. Montague (WA United States)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
I grew up listening to this album, and the familiar grin of Andy from the lower left corner of the cover brings back many memories. But, unlike many Christmas albums that make one nostalgic, this album has withstood the test of time and emerged a classic.
Like many holiday LPs of the era, Andy's eponymous ablum was divided by sides. Side One conjures the secular fun of the holiday while Side Two dedicates itself to the carols of the season. What this ends up as for the contemporary listener is a wonderful musical journey that is full of delights.
The first track is Andy's soothing rendition of "White Christmas," which is mellower than Bing's--and a perfect way to kick off the album. From there, "Happy Holiday-The Holiday Season" shows what Andy will be leaning toward as the album progresses--some fun, swinging numbers. This track was so good that the Manhattan Transfer virtually duplicated it on their own Christmas album 30 years later. The classic "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" debuted here, which helps explain why Andy's version is still the definitive one. (On a side note, one of the co-writers of the tune is more famous as the composer behind the "Gilligan's Island" theme.)
"The Christmas Song" is beautiful--especially when Andy soars into the final chorus. I prefer it to Nat King Cole's original recording for sheer beauty. Andy's version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" (A Song and a Christmas Tree) takes the song to wonderful heights of 60's-era stereo tricks, while "Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells" (arranged by the lady more famous as the author of the "Eloise" books) kicks the end of Side One into the stratosphere. Absolutely amazing arrangement that swings with the best of the psychedelic 60's. (On another side note, the song fits perfectly over the opening titles of the original "Austin Powers" film and takes the song to a completely different level.)
Andy's versions of some best-loved carols are also quite lovely, with his versions of "The First Noel" and "Silent Night" being among the loveliest recordings. His "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" makes excellent use of his vocal ability and showcases the beauty of his under-appreciated talent. The only drawback to Side Two is the warbly-voiced child who practically wrests control of "Away in a Manger" away from the star.
All in all, though, this is a stand out for any season. Often copied (Michael W. Smith most recently did a version of "Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells" that is virtually identical to Andy's), but never duplicated, it is a triumphant holiday album that will be listened to by my great-great grandchildren. And somehow that red cover with Andy's grin will bring back holiday memories for them, too.
A must have Christmas CD November 30, 2004
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I admit, I'm a bit of a prude when it comes to Christmas music. I don't care for any of the modern day artists rocking and popping up traditional songs, most of the time they are just cheesy and awful. Having grown up listening to this album it pleases any audience, the first half are the fun songs and the second half are the more traditional songs. Andy Williams voice is so easy to listen to and it will warm your heart. For years I only had this on tape but was very happy to see it finally on CD! Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
 Lazy Mastering January 22, 2007
D. Allen (McKinney Texas)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
C'mon Sony! Put at least a little effort into your Christmas reissues! I own this and Andy's other Christmas album, as well as Tony Bennett's Sony Christmas album, and they did the same thing to all three - They sapped the life out of the recordings by filtering out the highest frequencies to reduce the tape hiss. They could have reduced the hiss by utilizing other methods, but that would have required effort. I guess Sony doesn't take their Christmas offerings very seriously.
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