Frank Sinatra Christmas Collection CD

Adapters: James Van Heusen; Sammy Cahn; Jack Halloran.
Personnel: Al Viola, Ron Anthony (guitar); Julie Berghofer (harp); Bill Miller (celesta); Larry Bunker (percussion); Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians, Nancy Sinatra, Jimmy Joyce Singers & Orchestra, Tina Sinatra, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Bing Crosby.
Audio Mixer: Al Schmitt.
Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot.
Liner Note Author: James Ritz.
Recording information: ??/??/1957-03/23/2004.
Photographers: Ed Thrasher; Hugh Brown; Ted Allan.
Arrangers: Don Costa; Gil Grau; Dick Reynolds; Harry Betts; Gil Grau; Nelson Riddle; Jack Halloran.
The third quarter of each year brings a bounty of Christmas collections on pop artists ranging from Sinatra to Elvis Presley to Bing Crosby to the Beach Boys. Unfortunately, most of them reissue the same ancient material in the same shockingly awful sound (at least they don't charge much for such offensive product). Reprise's issue of The Christmas Collection rectifies the situation, at least for Sinatra, compiling 18 of his holiday recordings from the '60s and '70s (plus one each from the '50s and '90s). Christmas recordings for Sinatra, as for many vocal artists, were informal occasions for friends and family. His two holiday records for Reprise followed that formula, with 1964's The Twelve Songs of Christmas including several duets with Bing Crosby and 1969's The Sinatra Family Wish You a Merry Christmas featuring Nancy Sinatra, Tina, and Frank Jr. in special roles. Although this compilation doesn't include the complete contents of both, it provides the proper survey of each record and, in an inspired move, adds several inclusions from far-reaching LPs. "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" comes from 1961's Ring-a-Ding Ding!, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" was grabbed from a 1963 various-artists Christmas album, and best of all, two additional Crosby/Sinatra duets -- from a 1957 television special -- make their release debut. The two are standards like none other, "The Christmas Song" and "White Christmas," and while the performances on the latter are scattered, Crosby and Sinatra come together on the former for a holiday classic. One final unissued track is a new arrangement around a 1991 version of "Silent Night" that Sinatra only agreed to record because Nancy had a good cause to benefit; it is one of the shakiest Sinatra performances on record. ~ John Bush
The Chairman of the Board breezes his way through THE CHRISTMAS COLLECTION, a well-chosen set of Yuletide classics. This nicely remastered set should summon up memories of Christmas past for many, and is still capable of conjuring a certain kind of comforting holiday magic for younger generations. Sinatra swings through traditional fireside sing-alongs ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" and "The Twelve Days of Christmas"), often accompanied by his kids, Tina, Nancy, and Frank, Jr., in the days before the latter two became stars in their own right. Sinatra is also joined by his one-time rival in the crooner stakes, Bing Crosby, most notably on the classic "White Christmas," which still has the power to call up pleasing sentiments of the season. The combination of Sinatra's warm, yet world-weary, voice and the material's lushly appointed arrangements is timeless and irresistible.