Selections from Irving Berlin's White Christmas

Selections from Irving Berlin's White Christmas was one of two albums featuring some of the cast from the 1954 movie White Christmas. Among the featured artists are Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Trudy Stevens (who dubbed for Vera-Ellen in the movie), with Peggy Lee, who was not in the movie, singing some parts.

This was one of two albums of songs from the movie, neither of which qualifies as an original soundtrack recording, that were released, because Bing Crosby (who had a recording contract with Decca Records) and Rosemary Clooney (with a Columbia contract) could not record together. This album, therefore, was issued by Decca, while Columbia issued an album called Irving Berlin's White Christmas. In this version, Peggy Lee recorded the parts that Clooney did in the movie. This was Bing Crosby's third Decca long play album, recorded and originally released in 1954 advertised as the main soundtrack for White Christmas.

The music and lyrics were written by Irving Berlin.

The album was released on CD by MCA in 1994, but is now out-of-print. In the U.K. it was released in 2002 as part of a 2-on-1 CD with the studio recordings of the songs from Holiday Inn (1942). A special edition, combined with the DVD of the film, was sold in Starbucks stores during the holiday season in 2006.

Oddly, though Clooney and Crosby were unable to make an album together at this time, subsequently both signed with RCA Victor Records, and the two made some albums together for RCA. [See Fancy Meeting You Here (1958), How the West Was Won, (1959), and Rendezvous (1969).] They also both signed with Capitol Records and made albums together for that company. [See, for example, That Travelin' Two-Beat.]

Personnel

• Bing Crosby - Vocals
• Danny Kaye - Vocals
• Peggy Lee - Vocals
• Trudy Stevens - Vocals
• The Skylarks - Vocals
• Joseph Lilley - Arranger, Conductor

Track listing