Barbra Streisand - A Christmas Album (140g)
Includes the Bonus Track "Gounod's Ave Maria"
Vocals – Barbara Streisand
Conductor – Marty Paich (A1-5), Ray Ellis (B1-2, B4-5)
Arranged by Marty Paich (A1-5), Ray Ellis (B1-2, B4-5)
Written by James Pierpont (A1), Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin (A2), Mel Tormé, Robert Wells (A3), Irving Berlin (A4), Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers (A5), Lan O'Kun (A6), Franz Gruber, Joseph Mohr (B1), Gonoud (B2), Phillip Brooks, Lewis Redner (B3), John Jacob Niles, Traditional (B4), Albert Hay Malotte, Traditional (B5)
1 LP, Standard sleeve
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 140g
Record color : black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : unspecified
Label : Legacy
Original Label : Columbia
Recorded on June 26, 1966 at Olympic Sound Studios in London at 9–16 September 1967 in Los Angeles, California
Engineered by Jack Lattig, Rafael O. Valentin
Mixed by Don Meehan
Produced by Ettore Stratta (B1-2, B4-5), Jack Gold (A1-5, B3)
Photography by Steve Horn, Griner
Originally released in October 1967
Reissued in 2024
Tracks:
Side A:
1. Jingle Bells?
2. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
3. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
4. White Christmas
5. My Favorite Things
6. The Best Gift
Side B:
1. Sleep in Heavenly Peace (Silent Night)
2. Gounod's Ave Maria
3. O Little Town of Bethlehem
4. I Wonder as I Wander
5. The Lord's Prayer
6. Gounod's Ave Maria (English) [Bonus Track]
Reviews:
"If Simply Streisand, which appeared earlier the same month as A Christmas Album, indicated that Streisand was overly reverent when it came to standards, reverence was no problem with seasonal fare. You don't necessarily look for unusual interpretations of your Christmas music; you just want those old favorites sung well, and for the most part, that's what you got from Streisand. She did lead off with "Jingle Bells?" into which she injected some of her trademark humor while performing at a breakneck pace. Marty Paich arranged and conducted the secular songs like "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "White Christmas," which occupied side one, while Ray Ellis handled the religious material on side two. But both were traditional in their charts, and Streisand gave her singing just enough personality without getting in the way of the familiar songs. They were trying to make a timeless classic, and that's what they achieved." Allmusic Review by William Ruhlmann
Ratings :
AllMusic : 4.5 / 5 ; Discogs : 3.73 / 5