Christmas (Mannheim Steamroller album)

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas

Studio album by Mannheim Steamroller

Released

September 15, 1984

Recorded

1984

Genre

Christmas music, Synthpop

Length

33:01

Mannheim Steamroller chronology

Fresh Aire V
(1983)

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas
(1984)

Fresh Aire VI
(1986)

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums chronology

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas
(1984)

A Fresh Aire Christmas
(1988)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[1]

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas (also known as Christmas 1984) is the first Christmas album and sixth studio album released by American musical group Mannheim Steamroller. It was the band's first album to chart on the Billboard 200 album chart, peaking at #50.

On June 21, 2004, Mannheim Steamroller Christmas was certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipment of six million copies in the United States since its 1984 release, making it one of the best-selling Christmas/holiday albums in the U.S.^[2]

Seven of the album's 11 tracks were included in the group's 2004 compilation Christmas Celebration.

As of November 2014, Mannheim Steamroller Christmas was the seventh best-selling Christmas/holiday album in the U.S. during the Nielsen SoundScan era of music sales tracking (March 1991 – present), having sold a total of 3,500,000 copies during that period according to SoundScan.^[3]

Track listing

Songs are traditional except where noted

"Deck the Halls" – 3:43
"We Three Kings" (Hopkins) – 3:45
"Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella" – 2:32
"Coventry Carol" – 2:38
"Good King Wenceslas" – 3:29
"Christmas Sweet: Wassail, Wassail" – 2:20
"Christmas Sweet: Carol of the Birds" (Bas-Quercy) – 2:03
"Christmas Sweet: I Saw Three Ships" – 1:28
"Christmas Sweet: God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen" – 1:37
"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" – 4:19
"Stille Nacht" (Silent Night) (Gruber) – 5:26

Personnel

Louis F. "Chip" Davis, Jr. - drums, percussion (including camel bells), recorder
Eric Hansen - bass
Jackson Berkey - piano, harpsichord, synthesizer, camel bells
Ron Cooley - 6 and 12-string guitars
Willis Ann Ross - flute
David "High D" Kappy - French horn
Mary Walter - harp
String section includes Steve Shipps (concertmaster), Richard Lohmann, Richard Altenbach, Grace Granata, Deborah Fuller, Scott Shoemaker (violins), Michelle Brill, Michael Strauss, Roxanne Adams (violas), David Low, Kim Rockshaw, Greg Clinton (celli), Wayne Anderson, and Bill Ritchie (bass violins)
Ron Dabbs - camel bells, sound effects engineer
Louis Davis, Sr. - keyboard technician

References

↑ Allmusic review
↑ "RIAA Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
↑ "The Gifts That Keep on Giving: Biggest Radio and Album Hits of the Holidays". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2014-12-01. Retrieved 2014-12-02.

Mannheim Steamroller

Chip Davis (percussion) Bobby Jenkins (oboe) Jackson Berkey (keyboards) Almeda Berkey (keyboards) Roxanne Layton (percussion, woodwinds) Ron Cooley (guitar, bass) Arnie Roth (strings) Chuck Penington (orchestra conductor)

Mannheim Steamroller Fresh Aire series	Fresh Aire (1975) Fresh Aire II (1977) Fresh Aire III (1979) Fresh Aire IV (1981) Fresh Aire V (1983) Fresh Aire VI (1986) Fresh Aire 7 (1991) Fresh Aire 8 (2000)

Mannheim Steamroller albums	Saving the Wildlife (1986) Classical Gas (1987) Yellowstone: The Music of Nature (1989) To Russia with Love (1994) Huskers Musik (1996) In the Deed the Glory (1998) Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse (1998) Bird Song (2000) Summer Song (2001) Romantic Melodies (2003) Autumn Song (2003) Halloween (2003) American Spirit (2003) Monster Mix (2004) Romantic Themes (2005) Halloween 2 Creatures Collection (2006) The Music of the Spheres (2007/2013) True Wilderness (2010)

Chip Davis albums	Sunday Morning Coffee (1991) Dinner (1992) Party Music That Cooks (1992) Romance (1993) Impressions (1993) Sunday Morning Coffee II (1994) Party Music That Cooks 2 (1995) Romance II (1998)

Mannheim Steamroller compilations	Fresh Aire Interludes (1981) American Gramaphone Sampler III (1984) American Gramaphone Sampler (1987) American Gramaphone Sampler 2 (1990) Fresh Aire Music Motivator (1993) A Mannheim Massage (1997) 25 Year Celebration of Mannheim Steamroller (1999) Exclusive Collection (2004) Sweet Tooth (2006) The Fresh Aire Music of Mannheim Steamroller (2007) Safari (2012 re-release Saving the Wildlife) Snapshot (2013)

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums	Christmas (1984) A Fresh Aire Christmas (1988) Latin Christmas, Vol. 1 & 2 (1993) Christmas in the Aire (1995) Christmas Live (1997) My Little Christmas Tree (1997) The Christmas Angel: A Family Story (1998) Christmas Extraordinaire (2001) Christmas Celebration (2004) Christmas Song (2007) Christmasville (2008) Christmas Symphony (2011) Christmas Symphony II (2013)

Chip Davis Christmas albums	Holiday Musik (1996) Holiday Musik II (1997) Renaissance Holiday (1998)

Christmas compilations	Sweet Memories (2005) Winter Wonderland (2006) Trimming the Tree (2007) Morning Frost (2007) A Candle Light Christmas (2008) Christmas 25th Anniversary Collection (2009) Heading Home (2010) Hometown (2011) Tis the Season (2012)

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