Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album

Last updated
Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album
Snowfall, The Tony Bennett Christmas Album.jpg
Original LP cover art
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 1968 [1]
RecordedJune 1967 (#2–3, 6–7)
CTS Bayswater, London
October 1, 1968 (#1, 4–5, 8–10)
30th Street Studios, New York City
Genre Christmas
Length29:07original LP
Label Columbia
CS 9739
Producer Jack Gold
Tony Bennett chronology
Yesterday I Heard the Rain
(1968)
Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album
(1968)
I've Gotta Be Me
(1969)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album is a 1968 studio album by Tony Bennett, his first Christmas album. [4] It was arranged and conducted by Robert Farnon.

Contents

Even though they had been friends since the early 1950s, Bennett and Farnon had not recorded together before, Bennett having such reverence for Farnon's work that he felt he "wasn't ready...(and) not developed enough as an artist to record with him". [5] Farnon, who normally recorded in London, came to New York City for one of the two sessions that produced this album. Six tracks were recorded at Columbia's recording studios in New York City, and four in London.

In Bennett's autobiography, he recalls that the New York session was attended by such notable American arrangers as Don Costa, Marion Evans and Torrie Zito, all curious to see how Farnon worked. Quincy Jones subsequently threw a party for Farnon in New York City, and at the party there were so many famous musicians that Jones joked, "If a bomb goes off in this apartment, there won't be any more records made!" [6]

The album was reissued on CD in 1994, with new cover art and a bonus track, "I'll Be Home for Christmas", recorded during a live appearance by Bennett on The Jon Stewart Show . It was reissued once more in 2007, again with different cover art and including a bonus DVD containing excerpts from Bennett's 1992 television special Tony Bennett: A Family Christmas.

Bennett later recorded two additional Christmas albums, Hallmark presents Christmas with Tony Bennett and the London Symphony Orchestra (2002) and A Swingin' Christmas (Featuring The Count Basie Big Band) (2008).

Sony Music Distribution included this CD in a box set entitled The Complete Collection, which contains fifty-eight of his studio albums, 4 compilation, three DVDs, six volumes of Bennett’s non-album singles, a previously unreleased CD of his Las Vegas debut from 1964, and two discs of rarities, including Bennett’s first recording, an Army V-Disc of “St. James Infirmary Blues, and was released on November 8, 2011. [7]

Reception

William Ruhlmann of Allmusic described the album as "a swinging affair" and noted from the version of "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music (how did this song become associated with Christmas?) to seasonal standards like "White Christmas" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." [2]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Snowfall" Claude Thornhill, Ruth Thornhill2:52
2."My Favorite Things" Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers 3:17
3."The Christmas Song" Mel Tormé, Bob Wells 2:36
4."Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie 2:38
5."Medley: We Wish You a Merry Christmas/Silent Night/O Come All You Faithful/Jingle Bells/Where Is Love?"Traditional/Josef Mohr, Franz Xaver Gruber/John Francis Wade/James Pierpont/Lionel Bart 5:47
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Christmasland" Dennis Farnon, Brian Farnon2:23
7."I Love the Winter Weather/I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"Ticker Freeman, Earl Brown/Irving Berlin 2:11
8."White Christmas"Berlin2:05
9."Winter Wonderland" Felix Bernard, Dick Smith 2:15
10."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin 3:03
Total length:29:08
1992 CD Reissue
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."My Favorite Things" Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers 3:17
2."The Christmas Song" Mel Tormé, Bob Wells 2:36
3."Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie 2:38
4."Medley: We Wish You a Merry Christmas/Silent Night/O Come All You Faithful/Jingle Bells/Where Is Love?"Traditional/Josef Mohr, Franz Xaver Gruber/John Francis Wade/James Pierpont/Lionel Bart 5:47
5."Christmasland" Dennis Farnon, Brian Farnon2:23
6."I Love the Winter Weather/I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"Ticker Freeman, Earl Brown/Irving Berlin 2:11
7."White Christmas"Berlin2:05
8."Winter Wonderland" Felix Bernard, Dick Smith 2:15
9."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin 3:03
10."Snowfall" Claude Thornhill, Ruth Thornhill2:52
11."I'll Be Home for Christmas" Buck Ram, Kim Gannon, Walter Kent 2:02
Total length:31:10

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album
Chart (2016–2023)Peak
position
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [8] 26
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [9] 72
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA) [10] 62
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [11] 24

Certifications

Certifications for Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [12] Platinum1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>Waterloo</i> (album) 1974 studio album by ABBA

Waterloo is the second studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA, and the first released internationally. It was originally released on 4 March 1974 in Sweden through Polar Music. The album's title track won ABBA the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest and became a global hit, launching the group's career.

<i>Super Trouper</i> (album) 1980 studio album by ABBA

Super Trouper is the seventh studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA, released on 3 November 1980. It features the No.1 singles "The Winner Takes It All" and "Super Trouper". The album became the UK's biggest-selling album of 1980.

<i>ABBA</i> (album) 1975 studio album by ABBA

ABBA is the third studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally released on 21 April 1975 through Polar Music and featured the hits "SOS", "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" and "Mamma Mia".

<i>Wind & Wuthering</i> 1976 studio album by Genesis

Wind & Wuthering is the eighth studio album by English progressive rock band Genesis. It was released on 17 December 1976 on Charisma Records and is their last studio album to feature guitarist Steve Hackett. Following the success of their 1976 tour to support their previous album A Trick of the Tail, the group relocated to Hilvarenbeek in the Netherlands to record a follow-up album, their first recorded outside the UK. Writing and recording caused internal friction, as Hackett felt some of his contributions were dropped in favour of material by keyboardist Tony Banks.

<i>Riptide</i> (album) 1985 studio album by Robert Palmer

Riptide is the eighth studio album by English singer Robert Palmer, released in November 4, 1985 by Island Records. The album was recorded over a period of three months in 1985 at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas. The album peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart and at No. 8 on the US Billboard 200. It was certified double Platinum in the US by the RIAA in March 1996 and certified Gold in the UK by BPI in August 1986. It features the songs "Addicted to Love", "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On", "Hyperactive", "Discipline of Love", and "Riptide" which were all released as singles. The single "Addicted to Love" was accompanied by an iconic and much-imitated music video, directed by Terence Donovan, in which Palmer is surrounded by a bevy of near-identically clad, heavily made-up female "musicians," either mimicking or mocking the painting style of Patrick Nagel. In September 1986, Palmer performed "Addicted to Love" at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, California. In 1987, he won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Addicted to Love". At the 1987 Brit Awards, Palmer received his first nomination for Best British Male.

<i>ABBA: The Album</i> 1977 studio album by ABBA

ABBA: The Album is the fifth studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in Scandinavia on 12 December 1977 through Polar Music, but due to the massive pre-orders the UK pressing plants were not able to press sufficient copies before Christmas 1977 and so it was not released in the UK until January 1978. The album was released in conjunction with ABBA: The Movie, with several of the songs featured in the film. Altogether the album contains nine songs.

<i>The Visitors</i> (ABBA album) 1981 studio album by ABBA

The Visitors is the eighth studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released on 30 November 1981.

<i>Wings at the Speed of Sound</i> 1976 studio album by Wings

Wings at the Speed of Sound is the fifth studio album by the British–American rock band Wings, released on 26 March 1976. Issued at the height of the band's popularity, it reached the top spot on the US album chart—the band's fourth consecutive album to do so—and peaked at number 2 on the UK album chart. Both singles from the album also reached the top 5 of the UK and US singles charts, with "Silly Love Songs" reaching number 1 in the US.

<i>Wings over America</i> 1976 live album by Wings

Wings over America is a triple live album by the British–American rock band Wings, released in December 1976. The album was recorded during the American leg of the band's 1975–76 Wings Over the World tour. It peaked at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart and reached number 1 on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart.

Robert Joseph FarnonCM was a Canadian-born composer, conductor, musical arranger and trumpet player. As well as being a composer of original works, he was commissioned by film and television producers for theme and incidental music. In later life he composed a number of more serious orchestral works, including three symphonies, and was recognised with four Ivor Novello awards and the Order of Canada.

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live In New York City is a concert film done by HBO, featuring the first ever major televised Bruce Springsteen concert. It was later released on DVD with eleven extra songs not televised, and as a CD of the same name.

<i>Stage</i> (David Bowie album) 1978 live album by David Bowie

Stage is the second live album by the English musician David Bowie, recorded on the Isolar II Tour, and released through RCA Records in 1978. Stage has been reissued numerous times, each with expanded track listings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon & Garfunkel discography</span>

Simon & Garfunkel, an American singer-songwriter duo, has released five studio albums, fifteen compilation albums, four live albums, one extended play, twenty-six singles, one soundtrack, and four box sets since 1964. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel first formed a duo in 1957 as Tom & Jerry, before separating and later reforming as Simon & Garfunkel.

<i>The Essential Barbra Streisand</i> 2002 compilation album by Barbra Streisand

The Essential Barbra Streisand is the fifth greatest hits album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on January 29, 2002, by Columbia Records. The compilation features 38 songs from Streisand's catalog, in addition to two previously unreleased tracks. It includes material from 26 of the singer's albums and was described as a collection of, mainly, her pop songs. A reissued version of the compilation was distributed by Columbia and Legacy Recordings in 2008 and includes a bonus disc featuring nine additional songs from Streisand's discography.

<i>I Wanna Be Around...</i> 1963 studio album by Tony Bennett

I Wanna Be Around... is a 1963 album by singer Tony Bennett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Taylor discography</span>

The discography of James Taylor, an American singer-songwriter, consists of 20 studio albums, six compilation albums, at least five live albums, one tribute album, nine video albums, one extended play, and 42 singles.

<i>Going Back</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Phil Collins

Going Back is the eighth solo studio album by English singer-songwriter and drummer Phil Collins, released on 13 September 2010 by Atlantic Records. His first solo album in eight years, it features covers of 1960s Motown and soul standards.

<i>Dino: The Essential Dean Martin</i> 2004 compilation album by Dean Martin

Dino: The Essential Dean Martin is a 2004 compilation album by Dean Martin, released on September 6, 2004. It contains thirty tracks, twenty from Capitol and ten from Reprise. It has since been reissued in two separate special editions, one in 2005 and one in 2011. In 2013, Capitol revised the collection again, replacing the Reprise tracks in the 2004 release with Capitol songs.

<i>Duets II</i> (Tony Bennett album) 2011 studio album by Tony Bennett

Duets II is an album by Tony Bennett, released on September 20, 2011. It was released in conjunction with Bennett's 85th birthday and is a sequel to his previous duet album, Duets: An American Classic. "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" was released on iTunes as a free download on August 2, 2011.

<i>Love Is Here to Stay</i> (album) 2018 studio album by Tony Bennett and Diana Krall

Love Is Here to Stay is a collaborative studio album by American singer Tony Bennett and Canadian singer and pianist Diana Krall. It was released on September 14, 2018, by Verve Records and Columbia Records. The album features the New York–based jazz group the Bill Charlap Trio. An exclusive CD edition containing two bonus tracks was released at Target, while a red-colored opaque vinyl of the album was made available exclusively through Barnes & Noble.

References

  1. Billboard November 30, 1968
  2. 1 2 Ruhlmann, William. "Tony Bennett - Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album: Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  3. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 148. ISBN   9781846098567 . Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  4. Ibid.
  5. Bennett, The Good Life, p. 198.
  6. Ibid.
  7. "The Complete Collection - Tony Bennett". allmusic.com. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  8. "Danishcharts.dk – Tony Bennett – Snowfall - The Christmas Album". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  9. "Dutchcharts.nl – Tony Bennett – Snowfall - The Christmas Album" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  10. "2023 52-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. December 29, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  11. "Swedishcharts.com – Tony Bennett – Snowfall - The Christmas Album". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  12. "American album certifications – Tony Bennett – Snowfall: The Christmas Album". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved February 17, 2021.