`Ultimate Christmas' Celebrates Three Generations of Pop Music With Definitive Collection of Yule Hits.NEW YORK--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Oct. 27, 1998-- Classics by Garland, Crosby, Presley, Mathis, and Aretha share the spotlight with new `90s standards by Whitney Houston, Kenny G, Dionne Warwick, Luther Vandross, Sarah McLachlan, others The holiday season gets off to a rousing start with the rush-release of ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS, a once-in-a-lifetime anthology that spans more than a half-century of the essential Christmas recordings by the greatest artists in pop, rock, R&B, jazz and film. From the legendary names of the 1940s (Bing Crosby, Judy Garland), `50s (Elvis Presley, Nat King Cole a legendary king of Britain, who is said to have reigned in the third century. See also: King , Johnny Mathis), and `60s (Aretha Franklin, Herb Alpert Herbert "Herb" Alpert (born March 31, 1935 in Los Angeles, California) is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass or as Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass or just TJB ), all the way up through the `90s (Whitney Houston, Boyz II Men Boyz II Men is an American R&B/soul singing group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1988 as a quintet which originally included Marc Nelson, Boyz II Men found fame as a quartet, with members Nathan Morris, Michael McCary, Shawn Stockman, and Wanya Morris, on Motown , Kenny G), ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS more than lives up to its title as the definitive collection of Christmas standards available today. ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS, set for October 27th in-store date, has been scheduled for release alongside ULTIMATE DANCE PARTY 1999. Both 17-track volumes are the eagerly anticipated sequels to Arista arista (ä·riˑ·st Records' multi-platinum Ultimate Dance Party 1997 and its successful follow-up of one year ago this month, Ultimate Dance Party 1998. ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS represents a fascinating perspective on the evolution of Christmas music. The earliest tracks from the 1940s are both from movies that starred their respective singers, Bing Crosby's "White Christmas A white Christmas, to most people in the Northern Hemisphere, refers to snowy weather on Christmas Day. This phenomenon is far more common in some countries than in others. " from Holiday Inn (1942) and Judy Garland's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Little Christmas, or Nollaig Bheag in the Irish language, is one of the traditional names in Ireland for January 6, more commonly known in the rest of the world as the Epiphany. " from Meet Me In St. Louis (1944). By the 1950s, with the growth of television, the expansion of radio formats, and the development of stereophonic sound stereophonic sound, sound recorded simultaneously through two or more electronic channels. For live recordings, microphones are placed in different positions relative to the sound source. , Christmas tunes could become perennial standards in an artist's repertoire. The selections by Nat "King" Cole ("The Christmas Song"), Eartha Kitt ("Santa Baby"), Elvis Presley ("Blue Christmas"), and Johnny Mathis ("Sleigh Ride "Sleigh Ride" is a light orchestral piece written by Leroy Anderson on, ironically, a hot summer day in 1948; lyrics were written later by Mitchell Parish. It was first recorded in 1949 by Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops Orchestra. "), all enjoy popularity decades after their initial recordings. Classic single-artist Christmas albums provide several of the outstanding tracks on ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS: From Ella Fitzgerald's Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas (1960) comes "Frosty the Snow Man"; from the Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Christmas Album (1968) comes "Jingle Bells Jingle Bells yuletide song composed by J. S. Pierpont. [Pop. Music: Van Doren, 200] See : Christmas "; This Is Christmas (1995) by Luther Vandross yields "Jingle Bells." A uniquely different kind of holiday album was conceived by Arista recording artist Kenny G in 1994, Miracles, with its version of "Silver Bells" here. ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS is emblematic em·blem·at·ic or em·blem·at·i·cal adj. Of, relating to, or serving as an emblem; symbolic. [French emblématique, from Medieval Latin embl of Arista Records' rich tradition of recording holiday music with its artists. Whitney Houston's version of "Joy To the World" (sung with the Georgia Mass Choir) comes from The Preacher's Wife original motion picture soundtrack album (1996). Two songs are drawn from the 20th Century Fox original motion picture soundtrack album of Miracle On 34th Street Miracle on 34th Street film featuring benevolent old gentleman named Kris Kringle. [Am. Cinema: Halliwell, 493] See : Christmas Miracle on 34th Street Santa Claus comes to New York. [Am. (1994): Dionne Warwick's version of "It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas" and Sarah McLachlan's cover of the Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr., CC, O.Ont, LL.D (hon.)[1] (born November 17, 1938) is a Canadian folk singer, composer, lyricist and poet. Life Lightfoot was born November 17 1938, to Jessica Lightfoot and Gordon Meredith Lightfoot in Orillia, Ontario, Canada. composition, "Song For a Winter's Night." Carly Simon's rendition of "The Night Before Christmas n. 1. The popular name for a poem by Clement Clarke Moore erson> titled A Visit from St. Nicholas ltname>, a popular poem with the theme of St. Nicholas erson> (Santa Claus) coming to bring gifts to children on Christmans eve. " comes from the original motion picture soundtrack of This Is My Life (1992). ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS and ULTIMATE DANCE PARTY 1999 join the series which now includes the aforementioned Ultimate Dance Party 1997 and Ultimate Dance Party 1998; the companion volumes Ultimate Hip-Hop Party 1998 and Ultimate New Wave Party ; and the two most recent entries, Ultimate Country and the double-CD Ultimate Broadway. -0-
ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS
(Arista 07822-19019-2)
Artist Title Orig. year
------ ----- ------
1. Boyz II Men Silent Night (intro) 1993
2. Nat King Cole The Christmas Song 1953
3. Aretha Franklin Winter Wonderland 1964
4. Bing Crosby White Christmas 1942
5. Elvis Presley Blue Christmas 1957
6. Johnny Mathis Sleigh Ride 1958
7. Ella Fitzgerald Frosty the Snow Man 1960
8. Luciano Pavarotti Cantique De Noel (O Holy Night) 1976
9. Luther Vandross O Come All Ye Faithful 1995
10. Whitney Houston
with the Joy To the World 1996
Georgia Mass Choir
11. Dionne Warwick It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas 1994
12. Kenny G Silver Bells 1994
13. Eartha Kitt Santa Baby 1953
14. Carly Simon The Night Before Christmas 1992
15. Herb Alpert & the
Tijuana Brass Jingle Bells 1968
16. Sarah McLachlan Song For a Winter's Night 1994
17. Judy Garland Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 1944
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