5 of the Best Christmas Albums That Capture the Festive Spirit
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Merry Christmas Folks! To get you into that festive mood, we’ve selected some of the best Christmas albums recorded in the last century.
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The Best Christmas Albums
So what makes a Christmas album truly special? From being featured in your favourite movies to getting played in every retail store from your last Christmas shopping expedition, these records were made to bring the Christmas cheer to your home.
We’ve picked some of the ultimate classics, but of course, there are many more. So, please let us know which ones are your favourites in the comments!
The Best Christmas Albums: A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra (1957)
Arguably the most recognizable Christmas-themed song of all time, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas was written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane in 1943, and much like the infamous NWA song about law enforcement, the song was rescued from the wastepaper basket.
The song was conceived while Broadway composers Martin and Blane were working on material for the Christmas film Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) in which it was performed by Judy Garland. As we now know, The Godfather (1972) cemented the song’s place in popular culture with a version by Al Martino who played Johnny Fontane in the film. However, the initial version was not well-received by the cast of Meet Me in St. Louis and was subsequently revised by Martin before the scene in the film was shot.
After that, legendary recording artist Frank Sinatra actually did two different versions of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. The first was arranged by Axel Stordahl and recorded in 1947 with the original lyrics, while the second followed a decade later, and featured lyrics specially edited by Hugh Martin for Sinatra’s A Jolly Christmas album.
The Best Christmas Albums: Elvis’ Christmas Album (1957)
1957 proved to be historic, as that same year, the King of Rock and Roll released the biggest-selling Christmas record of all time. Elvis’ Christmas Album offered something for the whole family, featuring classics like Santa Claus Is Back in Town and Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me), as well as a collection of traditional carols and gospel songs.
The album was not without controversy, as Elvis chose to perform Bing Crosby’s festive season hallmark White Christmas. The song’s original composer, Irving Berlin, was so disgusted by Elvis’ cover that he tried to have the song and album banned from airplay. Nevertheless, the Crosby version preserved its household status, routinely charting each year between the early 1940s and early 1960s.
Elvis’ rendition was, in fact, very much influenced by the recording of White Christmas from the legendary vocal soul group, The Drifters, led by Clyde McPhatter. This version was featured in the iconic 1990 film Home Alone.
The Best Christmas Albums: Wham! – Last Christmas (1984)
The same year that Bob Geldof and Midge Ure created their famously star-studded charity Christmas anthem, Do They Know It’s Christmas?, the Pop darlings Wham! released Last Christmas, which is still a firm favourite today. Naturally, the song began as innocently as ever, in George Michael’s childhood bedroom, while the duo was visiting his family.
The legendary artist and songwriter then recorded and produced the track at Advision Studios, London in August of 1984, performing every single instrument. Having adorned the studio with Christmas decorations, Michael began with a LinnDrum, a Juno-60, and sleigh bells, and set about creating one of the most popular Christmas singles of all time.
Over the years, the song inspired a corny Rom-Com of the same name and has been covered by a variety of artists including Billie Piper, Whigfield, Ariana Grande, and Taylor Swift.
The Best Christmas Albums: Mariah Carey – Merry Christmas (1994)
Not every artist can pull off a Christmas record, but for Mariah Carey, it fitted as well as her iconic Santa-inspired outfit from the album cover of Merry Christmas (1994). The album featured RnB and Gospel-inspired renditions of the Christmas classics, hitting notes only the diva could, as well as original works like the timeless All I Want for Christmas Is You.
The latter, a single co-written and produced by Walter Afanasieff, became one of the biggest-selling singles of all time. Also, in the month of November, it has continued to take the number-one spot on the charts in North America for the last six years running. With over 18 million copies sold worldwide, Merry Christmas remains one of the biggest albums ever released.
Although its initial reception from critics was less than favourable, the album is widely regarded as a Christmas masterpiece, and it’s sure to find its way into Christmas stockings all over the world this morning.
The Best Christmas Albums: Michael Bublé Christmas (2011)
If you’ve been to a shopping mall during the festive season, you’ve probably heard the Michael Bublé Christmas album whether you like it or not. The Canadian singer’s unmistakable sound has become synonymous with Christmas retail, and the album sold over 16 million copies worldwide to date.
Bublé’s Christmas album is not in fact his first festive foray, the classic record is a follow-up to his 2003 EP, Let It Snow. The album featured none other than the producer of Metallica’s iconic eponymous “Black Album“, Bob Rock, as well as a White Christmas duet with Shania Twain, and some re-recorded versions of songs from the previous Bublé release.
To promote the album, Bublé followed up with a series of television specials that became one of the highlights of the festive season. In the US, his NBC special reached over 7 million viewers. Meanwhile, the subsequent ITV1 broadcast of Home for Christmas was watched by over 5.7 million UK viewers.
More about the Best Christmas Albums:
- Read about Phil Spector
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