Maps of Music

12 Songs of Christmas (1964)

Where the lyrics of 12 Songs of Christmas take you, and where it was really made.

The album was never released on a standalone CD, and its 1973 budget reissue by Midi renamed it White Christmas.

Key places

Where the album was recorded (1964)

Recording site Hollywood (Los Angeles) — The recording location for this album is listed as Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. The point marks the city area, not a specific studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• 12 Songs of Christmas: 1964 album of Christmas music
• Performers: Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians
• Collection of seasonal standards, with Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians providing the backing
• Released in 1964, with Reprise Records as the label
• Reissued as White Christmas in 1973 on the WEA budget label Midi
• No standalone CD reissue has been issued
• Included in a 2008 two-CD Christmas edition of Reprise's Frank Sinatra compilation Nothing but the Best

Background

• Sinatra and Crosby had previously worked together on the album America, I Hear You Singing
• America, I Hear You Singing was released earlier in the same year as this album
• The album presents the singers in solo and joint performances, with the Pennsylvanians alongside
• Pairing a band leader with two major singers defines the album's format

Recording

• Recording location is listed as Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
• Tracks 1, 5, 8 and 10 credit Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians
• Tracks 2, 9 and 11 credit Bing Crosby and Fred Waring
• Tracks 3 and 12 credit Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Fred Waring
• Tracks 4, 6 and 7 credit Frank Sinatra and Fred Waring

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born December 12, 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey, to Italian immigrants.
• Began singing professionally as a teenager with the Hoboken Four, winning Major Bowes Amateur Hour.
• Joined Harry James's band in 1939, then Tommy Dorsey's band, before going solo in 1942.

Career

• Signed with Columbia Records in 1943 and became a major star of the bobby-soxer era.
• Signed with Capitol Records in 1953; collaborated with arranger Nelson Riddle on albums such as In the Wee Small Hours and Songs for Swingin' Lovers!.
• Founded Reprise Records in 1960, releasing albums including September of My Years and the hit single "My Way".
• Won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for From Here to Eternity (1953).
• Estimated to have sold around 150 million records worldwide.
• Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997.
• Died May 14, 1998 in Los Angeles.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Variety (US): called it an attractive compilation of seasonal standards, delivered in standout style by Crosby and Sinatra, singly and in tandem
• Variety picked 'Go Tell It on the Mountain', 'The Little Drummer Boy', 'I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day' and 'The 12 Days of Christmas' among the top sides
• Gramophone (UK): was not so keen, calling the album obvious and pallid
• Gramophone wrote that the two headline singers appear together on only two tracks
• Gramophone wrote that neither singer was in particularly good voice
• Gramophone singled out the track 'We Wish You the Merriest' as the item that collectors of sheer corn might enjoy

Records

• 1973: reissued as White Christmas on the WEA budget label Midi
• No standalone CD reissue has been made
• 2008: included in a 2-CD Christmas edition of Reprise's Nothing but the Best compilation
• Gramophone review cites the catalogue number Reprise FS 2022

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album's singers had collaborated earlier in 1964 on America, I Hear You Singing, which came out the same year.
• The 1973 Midi reissue gave the album the title White Christmas.
• The album has never been reissued on its own as a standalone CD.
• Gramophone's review noted that the two headline singers appear together on only two tracks, which matches the personnel listing for tracks 3 and 12.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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