Christmas records

[Song4uman]

when I was young my parents had one or two of the Firestone Christmas albums. I now have a complete set.

I went to an estate sale the other day and found some of the Goodyear Christmas albums. I wanted to see what other albums were made for this series. I just looked up in line.

In 1974 the album included the Carpenters singing Santa Clause is coming to town, although it says that it is also available on Christmas Portrait.
I would guess it is actually the 1974 version that ended up on AOFC.

Would love to find this one and and hear them on a compilation as that didn’t happen often.

1974

Jonathan

 

[Song4uman]

And it looks like Merry Christmas Darling is on the 1972 edition

 

[GaryAlan]

This 1975 Great Songs LP is one of my favorites.
Secure a copy....the ballad version you hear of Santa Claus....
is NOT the version you hear on An Old-Fashioned Christmas...

 

[Song4uman]

This 1975 Great Songs LP is one of my favorites.
Secure a copy....the ballad version you hear of Santa Claus....
is NOT the version you hear on An Old-Fashioned Christmas...

Is it the 45 version??

 

[Harry]

This contains the 1974 stereo single version (A&M 1648-S). While it's nice to have this on "album vinyl", the RCA pressing leaves a bit to be desired. If you're looking for one of these, try to find one in great condition.

 

[Song4uman]

A few on eBay, but not sounding like they are in great shape. Estate sale didn’t have the two with Carpenters on them. I wish it had. The albums I got there sound almost perfect.

 

[Song4uman]

Carpenters also showing up on True Value and Avon compilations. I didn’t know this

 

[Harry]

The one I have that's pictured above has a fairly clean "Santa Claus" but it also has a rather "thin" sound to it. My 45 actually sounds better, even with the crappy CSG processing.

 

[NowhereMan]

Here are links to the complete Goodyear albums featuring Carpenters:

1972:
1975:

 

[GaryAlan]

I fail to see why Karen wanted to re-record those Merry Christmas Darling
lead vocals....that 1972 LP recording sounds awesome,
by the way, it does not quite sound identical to the 1970 recording. Could that be ?
And, to my ears,
that 1975 LP has the best Santa Claus amongst all of the recordings of that song.
Both of these recordings, incredible pieces of artistry.

 

[newvillefan]

I fail to see why Karen wanted to re-record those Merry Christmas Darling lead vocals....

In this instance, I do get where she was coming from. The 1970 vocal sounds a bit “harder” than the more refined 1978 lead and her voice is a bit more “shouty” on the line “I’ve just one wish on this Christmas Eve”. It’s almost like a throwback to the Offering days.

 

[CraigGA]

I like the original best. I think I would like the newer one if everything had been re-recorded, not just Karen.

 

[tomswift2002]

I’ve got an album from a hardware store (ACE or Tru Valu) with one of the Carpenters early Christmas songs (I’ll have to find it).

Plus in 1987 Time-Life had on their “Time -Life Treasury Of Christmas” set the clean open single version of “The Christmas Song”. As far as I know this was the first time that the single appeared on CD. It was on the set till 1998, at which point Mel Torme was put on.

 

[GaryAlan]

I do understand that Karen preferred her later vocals to her earlier vocals.
And, I do understand that the 1970 Merry Christmas Darling would have
stood out--as being a different vocal-- on the 1978 Christmas Portrait album.
Be that as it may, her 1970 vocals--harder-edged, if you will--
resonate very strongly with me.
I Love either version, simply preferring the earlier lead vocals.
Actually, I always considered Merry Christmas Darling to be an incredible
Carpenters' song (lead vocals, arrangement, background vocals).

 

[Song4uman]

I also found an A & M compilation called Merry Christmas Darling. Had not seen that before.

 

[Harry]

 

[Song4uman]

@Harry Very cool! You have everything.

 

[Harry]

@Harry Very cool! You have everything.

Not quite everything, but a good bit.

 

[tomswift2002]

I also have another one from 1993, called “A&M Records Christmas Sampler” that was for in store play. It has the Carpenters “Merry Christmas Darling” as track 13/14. Herb Alpert and the Brass has “Let It Snow”. Other artists on the CD are Eurythmics, Frank Sinatra-Cyndi Lauper, Aaron Neville, Amy Grant, Tom Petty, The Sounds of Blackness and John Mellancamp.

 

[Harry]

 

[tomswift2002]

That’s the one.

And I found my other LP. It’s for True Value Hardware’s Happy Holidays series. It’s Volume 19 from 1984. It features the 78 MCD. It’s to bad that it didn’t feature a track from AOFC like “Do You Hear” (which Bing Crosby sings right after the Carpenters)

 

[GaryAlan]

Let us take stock:
1970 & 1978 Merry Christmas Darling, Carpenters/Carpenters
1974 & 1978 Santa Claus, slow/ fast
1974 Sleep Well Little Children, Como/Carpenters
1978 Silent Night/Still Nachte, Carpenters/Karen and Ingels

This has the makings of a fascinating disc.
Can we think of any other "dualities" ?

 

[Mark-T]

1984 Santa Claus redone sax solo

 

[Harry]

1992 Merry Christmas Darling remix (Time/Life)

 

[GaryAlan]

Do we know if Richard Carpenter is on keyboards for the song
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas ?
It is either Richard or Pete Jolly...