Perry Como's Christmas Concert | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | November 7, 1994 [1] | |||
Recorded | January 21, 1994 | |||
Genre | Vocal | |||
Length | 56.30 | |||
Label | Teal Entertainment | |||
Producer | Bob Wynn | |||
Perry Como chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [2] |
Perry Como's Christmas Concert is a 1994 live recording by Perry Como, The last before his death in 2001. Taped at the Point Theatre in Dublin before a live audience of 4,500 which included Irish President Mary Robinson, the concert was also issued on videotape and broadcast in the USA on PBS. [3] Como, looking frail and unwell was suffering from the flu and struggled to perform; he reportedly lost his voice at one point during the concert. [4] The entire performance is less than 90 minutes long, though the recording took over four hours to complete. [5] Despite it all, Como managed to complete his last recorded performance with dignity and professionalism, earning him the warm applause of his audience. Como later apologized to his audience for a performance he felt was not up to his usual standards. [6]
Going My Way is a 1944 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. Written by Frank Butler and Frank Cavett based on a story by McCarey, the film is about a new young priest taking over a parish from an established old veteran. Crosby sings five songs with other songs performed onscreen by Metropolitan Opera's star mezzo-soprano Risë Stevens and Robert Mitchell Boys Choir. Going My Way was followed the next year by a sequel, The Bells of St. Mary's.
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of carols or songs may employ lyrics whose subject matter ranges from the nativity of Jesus Christ, to gift-giving and merrymaking, to cultural figures such as Santa Claus, among other topics. Many songs simply have a winter or seasonal theme, or have been adopted into the canon for other reasons.
"Carol of the Bells" is a popular Christmas carol, with music by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych in 1914 and lyrics by Peter J. Wilhousky. The song is based on the Ukrainian folk chant "Shchedryk". Wilhousky's lyrics are under copyright protection ; the music is in the public domain.
Dream a Dream is the third music recording/album featuring the voice of 14-year-old soprano Charlotte Church, released in 2000. The album is principally a collection of Christmas carols, but also includes the non – Christmas title track "Dream a Dream", Charlotte's first foray into a more pop-influenced genre, composed by James Shearman and Simon Greenaway based on the melody from Fauré's Pavane with lyrics by Sam Babenia.
The Perry Como Christmas Album is Perry Como's 15th RCA Victor 12" long-play album.
Perry Como Live On Tour was Perry Como's 27th 12" long-play album for RCA Records and his second live album. It was rereleased on CD in 2015 by Real Gone Music.
"Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral " is a classic Irish-American song that was written in 1913 by composer James Royce Shannon (1881–1946) for the Tin Pan Alley musical Shameen Dhu. The original recording of the song, by Chauncey Olcott, peaked at #1 on the music charts. The song was brought back to prominence by Bing Crosby's performance in 1944's Going My Way. Crosby's single sold over a million copies and peaked at #4 on the Billboard music charts
"Happy Holiday" is a popular song composed by Irving Berlin during 1942 and published the following year.
"The Best Thing for You " is a popular song written by Irving Berlin and published in 1950. It was featured in the 1950 Broadway musical play, Call Me Madam, in which it was introduced by Ethel Merman in a scene with Paul Lukas. The 1953 film version also featured the song when it was sung by Ethel Merman and George Sanders.
Nowell Sing We Clear is a four-member musical group that performs an annual yuletide concert series. They have also released a series of related albums.
Season's Greetings from Perry Como, originally released in 1959, was Perry Como's sixth RCA Victor 12-inch long-play album and the fourth recorded in stereophonic sound, as well as his first major full-length Christmas album.
The Bells of Dublin is a 1991 album of Christmas songs and traditional carols by the Irish band The Chieftains. The album features guest performances by various artists, including Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Marianne Faithfull, Nanci Griffith, Rickie Lee Jones and the actor Burgess Meredith.
Candles, Snow & Mistletoe is the 13th album by popular children's entertainers Sharon, Lois & Bram, originally released in 1993. This holiday album is one of Sharon, Lois & Bram's biggest productions and recordings they worked on during their career. The album is produced by Glen Roven, an Emmy-Award winning producer who has worked with Liza Minnelli. Lyrics were written by Mark Saltzman who also worked with Sesame Street. This album, unlike previous Sharon, Lois & Bram albums, has a Broadway sound to the album. It featured a complete orchestra and was recorded using the same microphones as The Manhattan Transfer.
Perry Como was a prolific recording artist for the RCA Victor label between 1943 and 1987, and is credited with numerous gold records. Como had so many recordings achieve gold-record status that he refused to have many of them certified. Over the decades, Como is reported to have sold millions of records, including at least fifteen of his singles selling over a million copies, but he commonly suppressed these figures.
Holly & Ivy is a 1994 Christmas album and 16th overall studio album by American singer Natalie Cole. Released on October 4, 1994 by Elektra, it is Cole's first album featuring Christmas music and serves as a follow-up to Take a Look (1993). Cole co-produced the album with American music producer Tommy LiPuma, with whom she had worked on Unforgettable... with Love (1991). Holly & Ivy consists of 12 tracks, including 11 covers of Christmas standards and carols and one original song written by Gerry Goffin and Michael Masser. Cole promoted the album as non-traditional in interviews and live performances.
All I Want for Christmas Is You, a Night of Joy and Festivity is the second concert residency by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. Originally performed annually at the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan, New York, the residency began on December 15, 2014, and ended on December 15, 2019, after completing eight legs and fifty-six shows in various countries around the world. The main set list for the show encompassed songs from Merry Christmas and Merry Christmas II You, alongside additional non-holiday tracks from Carey's discography.
A Merry Mancini Christmas is a 1966 album by Henry Mancini of orchestral and choral arrangements of Christmas music. In addition to traditional Christmas songs, it also contains the original Mancini composition "Carol for Another Christmas", the theme of the 1964 television film of the same name.
Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music was Perry Como's first Christmas album, originally issued by RCA Victor as a 78 RPM album set in 1946. The original release included "O Little Town of Bethlehem" which was replaced in 1947 by Irving Berlin's famous song "White Christmas". This album, along with Como's later stereophonic Christmas albums, Season's Greetings from Perry Como and The Perry Como Christmas Album, from 1959 and 1968 respectively, are among the best-selling Christmas albums of all time. RCA has reissued Merry Christmas Music on LP, tape and compact disc several times.
Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas is a posthumous 1977 Christmas television special starring Bing Crosby and his family with special guests Twiggy, David Bowie, Ron Moody, Stanley Baxter and Trinity Boys Choir. It includes a duet by the unusual pairing of Crosby and Bowie on "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy".