"The Christmas Collection"

Frank Sinatra
Audio CD: FDO 2004-10-26
Label: Reprise
"Talk about your gifts of Christmas past, "The Christmas Collection" is a must-have for any Sinatra-phile, right down to its family photos and one priceless shot of Sinatra swinging a golf club next to the tree wearing a Santa suit! Complete with four previously unreleased tracks (some from live TV specials) -- including two with Bing Crosby ("The Christmas Song" and "White Christmas"), the 18-song collection surveys Sinatra's holiday output and its effects are often chilling. Listening to him glide soulfully through Jimmy Webb's melancholy but romantic "What Ever Happened to Christmas?" or hearing him do his immaculate phrasing on "Silent Night" when he was visibly frail and aging in 1991 are close encounters of a Sinatra kind that are rarely captured on one album. There's also a delightful "The Twelve Days of Christmas" sung with his kids Nancy and Frank, Jr., from their 1969 record The Sinatra Family Wish You A Merry Christmas and insightful and intimate liner notes by James Ritz, not to mention those magical orchestral arrangements. Enjoy!......at 320.0 kb/sec!"

Track Listings

01. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm

02. The Christmas Waltz

03. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

04. The Little Drummer Boy

05. We Wish You The Merriest - (with Bing Crosby)

06. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

07. Go Tell It On The Mountain - (with Bing Crosby)

08. The Christmas Song - (Previously Unreleased, with Bing Crosby)

09. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day

10. I Wouldn't Trade Christmas - (with Tina Sinatra & Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra Jr.)

11. Christmas Memories

12. The Twelve Days Of Christmas - (with Tina Sinatra & Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra Jr.)

13. Bells Of Christmas (Greensleeves) - (with Tina Sinatra & Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra Jr.)

14. An Old Fashioned Christmas

15. A Baby Just Like You

16. Whatever Happened To Christmas

17. White Christmas - (Previously Unreleased, with Bing Crosby)

18. Silent Night - (Previously Unreleased, Bonus Track)

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95,78 + 28,76 MB *** IF YOU LIKE IT, DO NOT FORGET TO BUY IT ***

"Christmas With Dino"

Dean Martin
Audio CD: FDO 2004-09-21
Label: Capitol / EMI Records
"Although high-living Rat Packer Dean Martin may not be the first figure one associates with the holidays, the entertainer's place in American iconography is fixed, making a Christmas record as natural as spiked eggnog and lingering under the mistletoe. "Christmas With Dino" is compiled from two earlier Martin Christmas albums (a 1953 single entitled "The Christmas Blues", the set's earliest recording, is also here). Though there are alternate versions of some songs--"White Christmas" and "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" are included in their 1959 and 1966 renditions--the record moves along with the panache and swing one expects from Dino. The arrangements are nicely balanced between big-band swing ("I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm") and string-sweetened mainstream fare ("Silver Bells"), keeping the vibe hip and traditional at once. (The choir on Martin's version of "Silent Night" adds just the right touch of reverence to the swinging fireside antics elsewhere.) Naturally, Martin's mellow, off-the-cuff singing style is paramount throughout, and his suave, dinner-jacket approach blends comfortably with the warm atmosphere of Christmas. With its swing and nostalgia factors (Martin's performances evoke a bygone American era), "Christmas With Dino" makes a great soundtrack for finger-snapping holiday fun. Enjoy!......at 320.0 kb/sec!"

Track Listings:

01. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

02. White Christmas

03. Silver Bells

04. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm

05. Winter Wonderland

06. Baby, It'S Cold Outside - (with Martina McBride)

07. Blue Christmas

08. Jingle Bells

09. A Winter Romance

10. A Marshmallow World

11. The Christmas Blue

12. Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer

13. Silent Night

14. I'Ll Be Home For Christmas

15. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Bonus Alternate Version)

16. Winter Wonderland (Bonus Alternate Version)

17. White Christmas (Bonus Alternate Version)

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99,36 MB *** IF YOU LIKE IT, DO NOT FORGET TO BUY IT ***

"A Christmas Gift Of Love"

Barry Manilow
Audio CD: FDO 2002-11-12
Label: Columbia
"It's refreshing to hear a version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" that doesn't reference the arrangement Phil Spector came up with on A Christmas Gift for You four decades ago. Barry Manilow's rendition was inspired by Bing Crosby's 1945 collaboration with the Andrews Sisters. And that pretty much explains where the artist is coming from on the majority of this holiday offering. This is a big orchestrated (and voiced) Christmas album, most of it well suited for delivery on a Broadway stage. Accordingly, the singer picks holiday-themed tunes from the likes of Rodgers & Hammerstein, Sammy Cahn & Jule Styne, Irving Berlin, and Frank Loesser. Then, just to confuse things a bit (this is, after all, someone who had a huge hit with Ian Hunter's "Ships"), Manilow throws in a superb cover of "River," Joni Mitchell's ode to Christmas depression. Everything else is warm and festive, though, including the Manilow-penned title track. The singer's longtime fans will adore this collection. Enjoy!......at 320.0 kb/sec!"

Track Listings:

01. Winter Wonderland

02. Happy Holiday & White Christmas

03. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

04. (There's No Place Like) Home For The Holidays

05. I'll Be Home For Christmas

06. My Favorite Things

07. The Christmas Waltz

08. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm

09. River

10. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

11. A Gift Of Love

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71,15 MB *** IF YOU LIKE IT, DO NOT FORGET TO BUY IT ***