Patti Page - Christmas With



You'll have to bear with me today. My election day duties yesterday have totally wiped me out and I'm trying to get my footing. If the prose doesn't flow like in entries past, you'll know why.

I was extremely lucky back in September to find this CD on eBay. In past auctions, this CD frequently sold for $75 and up but thanks to the iPod revolution, compact discs have lost the collectibility factor and aren't selling - CDs now outweigh vinyl in many Goodwills and Salvation Army stores.

Let's get the confusing part out of the way first. There is another CD readily available with the same title from Columbia Records which is from her 1965 album. This has eleven songs and is a good Christmas album with lush sounds all around.

The 1995 Mercury release you are looking at was originally released in 1951 as a 10" LP (eight songs). It later became a full length 12" LP in 1955 (for some nifty artwork and some samples of the music, check out this Patti Page entry at Rock Over Graceland) and includes the bonus cut of "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus" that was released as the B-side to "The Tennessee Waltz" in 1950.

By far, this is the better of the two albums you could hope for. It's bouncy one moment (track one - "Jingle Bells"), solemn the next (track two - "Silent Night"), and Patti's voice is just a marvel handling both tasks.


Gonna have a lie down... sorry for the abbreviated entry.


Capt

Comments

Ernie said…
I recorded both of those Patti Page albums the other day from vinyl, and you are right, the first one is the best. Now if I could just find that original Boogie Woogie Santa Claus record, I could rest easy. Well, not really, but easier...
11/05/2008 10:37:00 AM
Anonymous said…
I have the first one, too; the track I find most interesting is "Christmas Choir" - an obvious experiment with multi-track vocals that never fails to fascinate.
11/05/2008 11:13:00 AM
Anonymous said…
Captain,

"Boogie Woogie Santa Clause" surprisingly was the "A" side of the single release because "Tennessee Waltz" became one of the biggest hits of all time (#1(13)-Dec. 1950 and March 1951) on The Juke Box chart. Probably the reason for "A-side status" was because Mabel Scott previously had a R&B hit (12-December 1948).

Thank you for creating your Christmas Music blog and for all your enthusiasm. Starting last year, I discovered the joy of playing & collecting mostly Christmas Music from October through January.

Hitparade
11/05/2008 04:08:00 PM
CaptainOT said…
Ernie - Who you kiddin'? You never sleep!

Tim - Patti was one of the first to record with multi-track - "Christmas Choir" is an experience!

Hitparade - Another urban legend debunked. I always thought it was the other way around but I'll take you at your word - who would have thunk it?

Just from October to January? Hmmm... you are new :-)


Capt
11/08/2008 08:50:00 AM
PDMan said…
Patti Page also did a more recent Chistmas CD where she re-recorded a bunch of those cuts from her previous LP. She is still in remarkably good voice! http://www.misspattipage.com/music.html
11/09/2008 10:31:00 AM
CaptainOT said…
PDMan - Thanks for the info - another CD to add to the ever expanding wish list!


Capt
11/10/2008 06:13:00 PM
Anonymous said…
Patti is divine and so are all of her albums.
11/18/2008 03:01:00 PM
Anonymous said…
Patti has a new CD of new recordings of some older tunes and it is great especially considering that she is 80+ and can still sing a great song.
The CD is on Curb.
1/04/2009 11:52:00 AM
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