How to review this year’s Christmas escape … one can only review the same material so often...
Design
Guess the most “new” on this release is the cover. You can’t go wrong with a good late fifties picture in my book. Take close look at the original image and this version, the designer photoshopped our man. BMG seems to run out of original input too, the liner notes are short and even mention the words “definitive collection” … this gives me hope I bought my latest Christmas reissue.
Content
This reissue contains Elvis’ two Christmas albums from 1957 and 1971, 23 tracks in total in the original order and remastered quality (DSD). Should I review the content once more? Don’t think so, this material is known by many fans by heart, and probably so by Joe Public as from his entire musical catalogue this is Elvis’ best selling material. Too bad that I only play it in the last two weeks of December, with “Merry Christmas Baby” as the exception, that song even sounds good on a hot sunny day.
Conclusion
A compilation of two original classics, in a 2006 jacket … let’s see what BMG comes up with for 2007. Until then I'll give this one a spin while sitting by the Christmas three.
Elvis Christmas
By ElvisNews.com / Kees, December 24, 2006 | Music
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JerryNodak wrote on
December 24, 2006
Now if Sony/BMG would just fix the few seconds of sonic distortion that happen in the right channel with the background singers at about the 1:58 mark of "On A Snowy Christmas Night".
dannyboy1 wrote on
December 25, 2006
Yes Jerry, that needs fixing and an original version of "Silent Night" complete with intro needs to be remastered for DSD. If these changes were made I might actually buy another of these Christmas compilations. By the way, the cover photo is from 1960.
Bill (BW) wrote on
December 27, 2006
The missing intro to "Silent Night" spoils this release for me. Your best bet for a definitive Elvis' Christmas Album is "If Everyday Could Be Like Christmas." And, the distortion on "A Snowy Christmas Night" further flaws this release. Best bet is to avoid this release. It's exploitation at its worst!
JerryNodak wrote on
December 28, 2006
William: I don't know if I'd call "If Everday Was Like Christmas" definitive, but I will go so far as to say it's the best collection available. However, it was originally released in the early to mid '90s?? (can't remember the exact year) and could really use a sound upgrade.
Pachakuti! wrote on
December 28, 2006
Elvis' Christmas songs are among my favourites - just like his gospels and some of his ballads. It's too bad a lot of songs (especially from the 60's) are usually 'boy meets girl' kinda songs, in order to make them fit the movies. I don't like the 70's song 'Burning Love' for the same reason.. One thing I don't like is his music being overproduced. There is usually this high-pitched lady going 'WAHAHAHA', which makes Elvis' beautiful voice disappear in the background.. In a lot of cases, the drums are too loud or the beat is too fast. I wish a Christmas compilation would surface with the undubbed masters, or at least without all the orchestration and exaggerated vocals..
Steve V wrote on
December 29, 2006
If Everyday Was Like Christmas is the only Christmas compilation I bought & own. It was the best overall. The others that followed were not as definitive and were simply money making releases. Yes ,it could probably use a sound upgrade , but what do we do, buy every CD that came out in the the early to mid-90's all over again? Thats a lot of money. It would have to be a tremendous improvement for me to do that.