Peanuts (Related Recordings), Vince Guaraldi - Charlie Brown Christmas (Dig)
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Free Music Notes for Charlie Brown Christmas (Dig)
Free Music Review: Clearing the air on this gem of a reissue...
Hit: 5 Stars
No, this is not your father's A Charlie Brown Christmas album. As has been pointed out here already, there's a different mix and alternate takes. But some points should be brought to a prospective buyer's attention so as to truly appreciate what's been done here.
The remix by Stephen Hart serves 1 purpose - to clean up a poorly recorded (even by mid-sixties standards)soundtrack. Noise reduction was used to remove excessive hiss, and the new mix was re-eq'd to accomodate listening by today's standards. It had been suggested that some left hand work by Vince is lost in this mix, but that is highly unlikely since, although probably recorded on a 4-track machine, the trio appeared to have had each of their instruments recorded in mono. Stephen merely places each instrument slightly to the left,center, or right in order to give a "live club" spaciousness to the sound, rather than the typical studio panned mixes we hear today.
In my opinion, people who are disgruntled with the actual sound of this disc have just been used to the original mix for so long that this appears foreign to them. They're just not used to it. If they long for a 60's sounding disc - they should simply convert their vinyl album to cd-r!
As for the replaced takes...that's another story altogether. Regarding the "wrong take" of "Linus & Lucy": the one presented on this reissue is actually the one that was used in the film (and this marks the first time this take was made commercially available). All previous issues of this soundtrack album used the version from the A Boy Named Charlie Brown documentary soundtrack.
We've NEVER had a commercially available version of the take of "Christmas Time is Here" (either the vocal or instrumental version) from the film, and this reissue is no exception, it is as the initial Fantasy release had it. The excerpt from "Christmas is Coming" in the film is to short to determine what take was finally used in it. The version on the new disc is NOT the one on the original issue, nor is the alternate bonus track.
Also, the take of "O Tannenbaum" is not an alternate version, but rather offers an arpeggiated chord introduction that apparently was overdubbed as an afterthought and was later cut out from the initial release. The version of "The Christmas Song" is the same as the original, not another take which was previously reported.
On a last note, there's a pleasant surprise at the end of "Skating," which is the same take as the original issue, but dosen't fade out and we're able to hear Vince's trio finish the song outright. Ditto for the instrumental track of "Christmas Time is Here" (though the effect is less dramatic). Jazz tunes were not meant to fade out!!
Should more care have been taken in letting the consumer know about these changes? Absolutely! But in spite of their...um... carelessness, this new reissue is a must have for all Vince & Charlie Brown Christmas fans.
Free Music Review: A Christmas Classic -- and yes, it's been remixed.
Hit: 5 Stars
As you may have noticed by the mixed reviews, this is a newly remastered version of A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Original Sound Track Recording Of The CBS Television Special released in 2006. I'm a fan of the new version, although the old one is certainly not bad and has its own charm. A lot of effort went into this remaster, because I've heard plenty of things that have been 'remastered' and either not improved or actively made worse. There is a significant difference, though. The 'old' version sounds exactly like what you hear when you watch the TV special, so if you want pure nostalgia, buy that one instead.
I actually bought both recordings so I could compare them back-to-back. I didn't do blind A-B testing, but I did listen to both CDs, both as a whole and in pieces. To me, the 'new' versions of the songs sound cleaner and more spacious, but not compressed. The effect produces something that sounds more like a recording of a live performance. I do not understand the comments related to the piano part being muddled or lost -- because to me, if anything, I can hear more of Guaraldi's subtleties in the new mix. The 'old' version does sound a bit brighter at the high end, but it's hard to say if that was intentional or an artifact of the noise (since there is just a lot of high-end hiss in general in the 1988 version). The average volume level *is* noticeably higher on the new recording (which another reviewer pointed out as a negative), but I feel that better use has actually been made of the available dynamic range on the new remaster. The volume levels of the different parts have been brought more into balance on several tracks.
As noted by other reviewers, several of the tracks have slightly different/longer versions from the 1988 CD release. This is not really stated anywhere -- the lengths of the first 12 tracks on the back of the two CDs are listed as exactly the same, but some of them are not actually the same length on the CD! Apparently, however, just to confuse things more, the alternate takes of "Linus and Lucy" and "Christmas is Coming" have been restored to the 'old' version in the later pressings of the 'new' CD. (The explanation given was that the 'old' version of "Linus and Lucy" was actually a composite of two takes, and they originally used the full version of one take on the 'new' recording -- and they just flat-out used the wrong take of "Christmas is Coming" on the first batch of CDs.)
Ultimately, you may have to listen to it yourself to make up your mind. To me, this version is probably truer to what Guaraldi was hearing in the studio when he laid down the tracks. But is it what you heard on your television in 1965? No, not quite.
Free Music Review: fine album with Vince Guaraldi, the children, and A Charlie Brown Christmas
Hit: 5 Stars
This CD edition of A Charlie Brown Christmas is really rather good. We get an awesome 16 tracks with four bonus tracks to boot. Excellent!
The CD starts with "O Tannenbaum;" and already you should be experiencing fond flashbacks to your own childhood at Christmastime. The piano, percussion and drums shine--wow, how Vince Guaraldi played that piano! The melody eventually merges into a jazzy rendition of this classic holiday time ballad; and it sounds great all the way! "What Child Is This" also features the elegant piano style of Vince Guaraldi. I predict that you will enjoy "What Child Is This" which features the typical "Greensleeves" theme merging into a slightly jazzier number. Moreover, "Linus And Lucy" gives us a popular tune associated with The Charlie Brown Christmastime TV special--what a solid jazzy number! I predict that you will enjoy "Linus And Lucy" very much.
After an instrumental version of "Christmas Time Is Here," we get the same number with the vocals of the children singing. The children sound sweet and they harmonize flawlessly. The musical arrangement benefits from the piano, percussion, and drums. Just one listen of this track brings back fond childhood memories for me when I watched the TV special with my family at home. "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing" again features the children--but this time they perform first as a choir humming and then as a chorus singing words while the organ carries the bulk of the musical arrangement. Great!
"The Christmas Song" gets the royal treatment from Vince Guaraldi as he plays this without a superfluous note; and the extended track of "Greensleeves" lacks nothing.
We then get four bonus tracks of alternate takes. The alternate take of "Christmas Time Is Coming" features a somewhat more pronounced Latin flavor to it with great percussion, drums and piano. In addition, the alternate vocal take of "Christmas Time Is Here" is also very pretty.
The CD artwork is some of the best I've ever seen; and Joel Selvin contributes a great essay about Vince Guaraldi and the music on this album.
I highly recommend this Christmastime album for any family with children; the kids are bound to enjoy this ageless, timeless music. Moreover, people my age will fondly remember watching A Charlie Brown Christmas on TV with their families as they listen to the great music on this CD.
Enjoy!
Free Music Review: Simply a Holiday Must, Perfect for Christmas Shopping or Christmas Dinner!
Hit: 5 Stars
"Linus and Lucy", that instantly recognizable tune from the Peanuts television specials, and that beloved classic, "Christmas Time is Here," from "A Charlie Brown Christmas", may be the main reasons to buy this CD if you're a Peanuts fan, but it's also chock full of other great holiday tunes as played by late Jazz musician and composer Vince Guaraldi. Perfect background music for holiday shopping or Christmas dinner, or for pure listening pleasure, this newly remastered CD is a must for the holidays. There are 16 delightful and relaxing tracks here, all with that unique Guaraldi sound, playing as follows: 1. O Tannenbaum, 2. What Child Is This 3. My Little Drum, 4. Linus and Lucy, 5. Christmas Time Is Here (instrumental) 6. Christmas Time Is Here (vocal), 7. Skating, 8. Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, 9. Christmas Is Coming, 10. Fur Elise, 11. The Christmas Song, 12. Greensleeves, Bonus Alternate Tracks: 13. Christmas Is Coming, 14. The Christmas Song, 15. Greensleeves, 16. Christmas Time Is Here. There has been a lot of controversy over this release's remastering and take selection, but from what I have read, it sounds very much to be the edition to get, so buy without fear unless you are not a fan of remastering. In that case, you may be happier with vinyl. Personally, I am thrilled to own this release. There is nothing like the feeling you get from hearing "Christmas Time is Here" around the holidays.Free Music Review: "A Charlie Brown Christmas" : IS Christmas
Hit: 5 Stars
This is my favorite Christmas album; for me its the music of Christmas. Vince Guaraldi (piano), Fred Marshall (bass), Jerry Granelli (drums); (Monty Budwig (bass) and Colin Bailey (drums)on #12 and #15 only). Mr. Guaraldi is quoted as saying "I would like to have people like me, to play pretty tunes, and reach the audience. And I hope some of those tunes will become standards. I want to write standards, not just hits." He worked on fifteen charlie Brown specials, and had just finished recording his last soundtrack the day before he dropped dead of a heart attack between sets at a Jazz club near San Francisco at the age of 47, without ever living to see his music become a holiday music institution. God sent us an angel for a moment to create musically & forever, the essence of the spirit that is Christmas. The music on the c.d. is Jazz. The man who gave it to us is Vince Guaraldi. The angel, the man, the music - are one and the same: LOVE. If that's not Christmas, what is? Reissue produced by Cheryl Pawlewski, remixed by Stephen Hart from the original analog multi-track masters; remastered by George Horn (Fantasy Studios, 2006). I purchased the cd on amazon for a bargain price. Its beautifully packaged. And, hey - its A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS: what's not to like? Most highly recommended (and not only for/at Christmas).