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Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music

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Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music was Perry Como's first Christmas album, originally released as an RCA Victor 78 RPM album set in 1946. The original release included "O Little Town of Bethlehem" which was dropped one year later and replaced by the famous "White Christmas". This album has been somewhat overshadowed by Como's later stereo Christmas albums, Season's Greetings from Perry Como and The Perry Como Christmas Album, but is nonetheless one of the all-time best-selling Christmas albums and has been reissued several times.

Original Track Listing[1]

The original release was an RCA Victor "Musical Smart Set" consisting of four 78 RPM records.

Disc 1:

  1. "That Christmas Feelin'" (3:23), Recorded August 6, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra
  2. "I'll Be Home For Christmas" (2:53), Recorded August 6, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra

Disc 2:

  1. "Silent Night" (3:50), Recorded August 20, 1946 with Organ and Choir conducted by Russ Case
  2. "O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)" (2:45), Recorded August 20, 1946 with Organ and Choir conducted by Russ Case

Disc 3:

  1. "Jingle Bells" (2:58), Recorded August 22, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra and Chorus
  2. "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" (2:15), Recorded August 1, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra and The Satisfiers

Disc 4:

  1. "Winter Wonderland" (2:37), Recorded August 1, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra and The Satisfiers
  2. "O Little Town Of Bethlehem" (2:54), Recorded August 20, 1946 with Organ and Choir conducted by Russ Case

The 1947 Reissue: This reissue dropped the song "O Little Town Of Bethlehem" from the album and replaced it with "White Christmas". With these changes made, White Christmas was now on the second side of disc three moving "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" to the first side of disc four and "Winter Wonderland" to the second.

The 1951 Reissue: This reissue was the same as the 1947 reissue, only that it was also available on a 10" LP record as well as a 45 RPM record set, which contained 4 records.

1956 Reissue Track Listing[2]

The 1956 reissue was the first major change. The album included the same songs as before as well as eight "new" ones which had been released in 1953 on the Perry Como LP, "Around The Christmas Tree", which was actually a combination of two Extended-play 45s that were also released that year; one with the same name, "Around The Christmas Tree", and the other, "Christmas Joy".[3] The album had the newer songs on Side One and the original eight songs on Side Two. The album was also released on three extended-play 45s. The first two came as a set (EPB-1243) and the third one was sold separately (EPA-920).

Side One:

  1. "'Twas The Night Before Christmas" (3:45), Recorded June 22, 1953 with String Ensemble Directed by Mitchell Ayres
  2. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" (3:59), Recorded May 26, 1953 with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra and Chorus
  3. "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" (3:32), Recorded May 26, 1953 with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra and Chorus
  4. "C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S" (2:51), Recorded May 5, 1953 with Mitchell Ayres and His Orchestra
  5. "Joy To The World!" (2:37), Recorded May 26, 1953 with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra and Chorus
  6. "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" (2:44), Recorded May 21, 1953 with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra and Chorus
  7. "Frosty The Snow Man" (2:18), Recorded May 21, 1953 with Mitchell Ayres' Orchestra and Chorus
  8. "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" (3:33), Recorded May 5, 1953 with Mitchell Ayres and His Orchestra

Side Two:

  1. "That Christmas Feelin'" (3:23), Recorded August 6, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra
  2. "I'll Be Home For Christmas" (2:53), Recorded August 6, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra
  3. "Silent Night" (3:50), Recorded August 20, 1946 with Organ and Choir conducted by Russ Case
  4. "O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)" (2:45), Recorded August 20, 1946 with Organ and Choir conducted by Russ Case
  5. "Jingle Bells" (2:58), Recorded August 22, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra and Chorus
  6. "White Christmas" (3:27), Recorded July 10, 1947 with Mixed Chorus and Lloyd Shaffer's Orchestra
  7. "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" (2:15), Recorded August 1, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra and The Satisfiers
  8. "Winter Wonderland" (2:37), Recorded August 1, 1946 with Russ Case and His Orchestra and The Satisfiers

RCA Camden release

In 1961, RCA Victor reissued the album on its budget label, RCA Camden,[4] minus the track "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town". It was again reissued on RCA Camden in 1964. During the 1970s, Pickwick Records leased the rights to reissue several recordings from the RCA catalog and reissued the album on the Pickwick label. RCA reclaimed the rights to most of the Camden/Pickwick recordings in the 1980s and reissued Merry Christmas Music on compact disc and on LP again in 1987. The album has been reissued on the RCA Camden label at least twice on CD in Canada with new artwork.

Resources

  1. ^ "Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music ~ LPM-3023 circa 1951". kokomo.ca. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
  2. ^ "Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music ~ LPM-1243 Released 1956". kokomo.ca. Retrieved 2015-12-27. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |title= at position 59 (help)
  3. ^ "Perry Como ~ Around the Christmas Tree LPM-3133 circa 1953". kokomo.ca. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
  4. ^ "Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music ~ CAL-660 Released 1961". kokomo.ca. Retrieved 2015-12-28.
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