A Charlie Brown Christmas (album)

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A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas cover
Studio album by Vince Guaraldi Trio
Released 1965
Recorded 1965
Genre Jazz
Length 34:09
Label Fantasy Records
Professional reviews

A Charlie Brown Christmas is an album by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, released in 1965 as the soundtrack to the CBS Christmas television special of the same name. It is among the most popular holiday music albums of all time. There was also a book-and-record set featuring music, dialogue, and stills from the Christmas special released in 1977 on a 45 RPM vinyl record by CBS Records.

Fantasy Records reissued the album on CD in 1988; this edition is identical to the original 1965 LP release and can still be purchased in stores and online. A somewhat controversial remastered version (see below) of the original album was released by Concord Records in conjunction with Fantasy on October 10, 2006. The new edition includes four previously unreleased bonus tracks — all are alternate versions of songs in the original track listing — and features Digipak packaging, new liner notes by “famed music critic/historian Joel Selvin”, and the original cover art.[1]

Contents

[edit] Track listing

  1. "O Tannenbaum" – 5:08
  2. "What Child Is This?" – 2:25
  3. "My Little Drum" – 3:12
  4. "Linus and Lucy" – 3:06
  5. "Christmas Time Is Here [Instrumental]" – 6:05
  6. "Christmas Time Is Here [Vocal Version]" – 2:47
  7. "Skating" – 2:27
  8. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" – 1:55
  9. "Christmas Is Coming" – 3:25
  10. "Für Elise" – 1:06
  11. "The Christmas Song" – 3:17
  12. "Greensleeves" – 5:26

[edit] 2006 remastered version bonus tracks

  1. "Christmas Is Coming" (Alternate Take 1)
  2. "The Christmas Song" (Alternate Take 3)
  3. "Greensleeves" (Alternate Take 6)
  4. "Christmas Time Is Here" (Alternate Vocal Take)

[edit] Controversy over 2006 remaster

Cover art for the remastered edition
Cover art for the remastered edition

The aforementioned remastered version was met with criticism upon its release on October 10, 2006, by numerous fans who had become intimately familiar with the original 1965 album during the forty-one holiday seasons since its release. This was due to a number of aural differences — some that were considered major, and some minor — between the “classic” version and the remastered edition. Users of such online stores as Amazon.com noted the discrepancies in their remastered version reviews,[2] which included such differences as:

  • alternate takes in place of some of the original tracks
  • the use of noise reduction and digital sound manipulation to “clean up” the music — some reviewers believed that this led to the loss of definition in the bass
  • equalization that “compressed” and “limited” the mix, leading to a perceived loss of dynamic range in the music — many reviewers agreed with this point
  • an altogether too ‘modern’ sound to the album, apparently a result of the equalization and digital reverb effects

Concord Music Group, the parent company of both Concord Records and Fantasy Records, acknowledged the fan backlash in a post on its website entitled “Oh, Good Grief! A Charlie Brown Christmas Conundrum”. The article explains what listeners were hearing, and notes that mistakes had indeed been made in the remastered version. It offers a free replacement disc for those who desire one, although the offer expires on March 1, 2007. Dated 12:50:35 PM, December 20, 2006, the post is reproduced below [emphasis added]:[3]

Some of you may have noticed that the new remixed, remastered version of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" had two mishaps — these are as follows:
Track 4: Linus And Lucy — the original LP version was an edit of two different takes, in the remix for the new CD we ran one of the takes in its entirety. New pressings of the CD will revert back to the original stereo mix — if you want to replace your copy, please see the instructions at the end of this explanation.
Track 9: Christmas Is Coming — the original LP version and the version on the new CD are entirely different takes. This is an unintentional mistake (those keeping close score will note that both versions are identical in length, thus confusion ensued during the final master assembly). Our sincere apologies, if you want to replace your copy, please see below.
The master has already been updated and versions hitting the stores from this point forward will be corrected.
For those of you who have noticed that some of the songs have things you've never heard before — you're right! And these things are NOT mistakes:
Track 1: O Tannenbaum — the original LP version had the introduction to the song cut off, on the new CD we reinstated the intro.
Track 5: Christmas Time Is Here (instrumental) — the original LP version fades out at the end of the song almost losing the last chord, on the new CD we intentionally left the last chord in.
Track 7: Skating — the original LP version fades during the bass solo at the very end, on the new CD we intentionally let the song run to its conclusion adding about ten seconds to the track.
Finally, there has been great speculation and conjecture over whether or not any noise reduction was employed to generate the new CD. The new CD is remixed from the original three-track so the fact that you're not hearing that old familiar hiss is NOT due to the use of noise reduction, it is rather that the new mix is much quieter than the two-track stereo master. The only place a touch of noise reduction was utilized was on Track 10, "Für Elise," as there is no three-track for that master — it was originally recorded direct to two-track.
So, should you like to trade in your CD with the the two alternate takes (Linus And Lucy & Christmas Is Coming) for one with corrected masters, please send your disc (not the digipack, just the disc please) or a receipt for your original purchase (if you wish to keep the disc with the alternates) to:

Good Grief!
Concord Music Group, Inc.
100 N. Crescent Drive;
Suite 100
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

We will send you a replacement CD gladly in keeping with the spirit of the holiday. Please note that this replacement offer is only valid through March 1st, 2007. Thank you.
posted by: David Henson

[edit] Credits

  • Vince Guaraldi – piano, arrangement
  • Colin Bailey – drums
  • Monty Budwig – double bass
  • Fred Marshall – double bass
  • Jerry Granelli – drums
  • Ralph J. Gleason – liner notes (1988 Fantasy reissue)
  • Joel Selvin – liner notes (2006 remaster)
  • George Horn – mastering (1988 Fantasy reissue, 2006 Concord remaster)
  • Stephen Hart – mixing (2006 remaster)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Vince Guaraldi Trio - A Charle Brown Christmas (Remastered w/Bonus Tracks). Concord Music Group. Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
  2. ^ Reviews for 'A Charlie Brown Christmas': Music. Amazon.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
  3. ^ Oh, Good Grief! A Charlie Brown Christmas Conundrum. Concord Music Group. Retrieved on 2006-12-26.
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Films
Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!!) | A Boy Named Charlie Brown (feature film) | Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown | Snoopy, Come Home
Other Media
A Charlie Brown Christmas (album) | The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show | Linus and Lucy | Snoopy!!! The Musical | Snoopy's Silly Sports Spectacular | This is America, Charlie Brown | You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown | Peanuts in popular culture |Snoopy (computer game)
People
Vince Guaraldi | Donna Johnson | Bill Melendez | Charles M. Schulz
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