The Christmas Angel: A Family Story

Last updated
Christmas Angel: A Family Story
Christmas Angel-A Family Story album cover.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 6, 1998
Recorded1981, 1984, 1988, 1995, 1997, 1998
Genre Christmas, symphonic pop
Length45:41
Label American Gramaphone
Producer Chip Davis
Mannheim Steamroller chronology
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Live
(1997)
Christmas Angel: A Family Story
(1998)
Renaissance Holiday
(1998)
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums chronology
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Live
(1997)
The Christmas Angel: A Family Story
(1998)
Renaissance Holiday
(1998)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1] Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg link

The Christmas Angel: A Family Story is a 1998 Christmas album by the band Mannheim Steamroller, their fifth Christmas album. The soundtrack, accompanied by the narration of Chip Davis and Olivia Newton-John, tells the story of a decorative angel that is stolen from the top of a Christmas tree by a villain called the Gargon. The toys under the tree will not become presents until the angel is found. With the toys' help, a young mother defeats the Gargon and Christmas is saved. The script was written by Mark Valenti.

Contents

The story was then turned into a figure skating production titled The Christmas Angel: A Story on Ice, starring Dorothy Hamill as the mother, Daniel Cloonan as the son, Elvis Stojko as the Gargon, and Tonia Kwiatkowski in the title role of the Angel.

Track listing

No.TitleNarrated ByLength
1."Introduction" Olivia Newton-John 0:58
2."Joy to the World" 3:38
3."Stille Nacht (Silent Night)" Chip Davis 5:26
4."The Dream"Olivia Newton-John3:22
5."Crystal"Chip Davis4:21
6."Carol of the Bells"Olivia Newton-John3:49
7."Messengers of Christmas"Chip Davis and Olivia Newton-John3:33
8."Greensleeves"Chip Davis3:27
9."Above the Northern Lights"Olivia Newton-John5:04
10."Good King Wenceslas"Chip Davis3:24
11."Deck The Halls"Olivia Newton-John3:56
12."Angels We Have Heard on High"Olivia Newton-John4:30
Total length:45:41

Personnel [2]

Related Research Articles

Louis F. "Chip" Davis Jr. is the founder and leader of the music group Mannheim Steamroller. Davis composed the music for several C. W. McCall albums, including the hit 1975 song "Convoy". He has also written and made other albums, such as Day Parts, and has written several books.

Mannheim Steamroller is an American neoclassical new-age music ensemble founded and directed by percussionist/composer Chip Davis in 1974. The group is known primarily for its Fresh Aire series of albums, which blend classical music with elements of new age and rock, and for its modern recordings of Christmas music. The group has sold 28 million albums in the U.S. alone.

<i>Christmas Celebration</i> 2004 compilation album by Mannheim Steamroller

Christmas Celebration is a compilation album by Mannheim Steamroller. It is the group's seventh Christmas album overall. The album was released in 2004 on CD and DVD-Audio by American Gramaphone to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the group's first Christmas album.

American Gramaphone is an American record company based in Omaha, Nebraska. It is best known for releasing Chip Davis' new age solo and Mannheim Steamroller albums.

Chloe Rose Lattanzi is an American singer and actress.

<i>Christmas</i> (Mannheim Steamroller album) 1984 studio album by Mannheim Steamroller

Christmas is the first Christmas album and sixth studio album released by American musical group Mannheim Steamroller. It was the band's first album to chart on the Billboard 200 album chart, peaking at No. 50.

<i>Christmas in the Aire</i> 1995 studio album by Mannheim Steamroller

Christmas in the Aire is the third Christmas album and twenty-first studio album released by American musical group Mannheim Steamroller. The album was originally released in 1995, and was the biggest-selling holiday album in the United States that year with sales of 1,844,000 according to Nielsen/SoundScan.

<i>A Fresh Aire Christmas</i> 1988 studio album by Mannheim Steamroller

A Fresh Aire Christmas is the tenth studio album and second Christmas album by American musical group Mannheim Steamroller, released in 1988.

<i>American Spirit</i> (album) 2003 studio album by C. W. McCall and Mannheim Steamroller

American Spirit is an album released on American Gramaphone in 2003 as a collaboration between Mannheim Steamroller and country musician C. W. McCall. The album focuses on American patriotic songs, hence the title. McCall contributed to a number of spoken word songs on the album and rerecorded his 1976 hit song "Convoy" for it; this was also the case with another song of his, "Wolf Creek Pass," which can be found on the album. McCall is a persona created by Bill Fries and Manheim Steamroller leader Chip Davis; Fries provides the vocals as McCall. This was the last album to feature C. W. McCall.

<i>Fresh Aire IV</i> 1981 studio album by Mannheim Steamroller

Fresh Aire 4 is the fourth album in new age musical group Mannheim Steamroller's Fresh Aire series. The album was originally released in 1981. Each of the first four Fresh Aire albums is based on a season; Fresh Aire 4's theme is Winter. The entire album was mixed and recorded digitally and was also one of the first CDs released.

<i>Fresh Aire 7</i> 1990 studio album by Mannheim Steamroller

Fresh Aire 7 was the seventh album in new age musical group Mannheim Steamroller's Fresh Aire series. The album was originally released in 1990 and peaked at #77 on the Billboard album chart in December of that year. Its theme is based on the number seven. The album won a Grammy Award for best New Age album in 1991.

<i>Christmas Live</i> 1997 live album by Mannheim Steamroller

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Live is Mannheim Steamroller's fourth Christmas album overall and was first released in time for the 1997 holiday season. It is a recorded live performance which includes variations on the arranged tracks featured in previous Steamroller albums.

<i>Renaissance Holiday</i> 1998 studio album by Mannheim Steamroller

Renaissance Holiday is a studio album by the symphonic pop band Mannheim Steamroller featuring the London Symphony Orchestra. It was released on October 13, 1998, one week after The Christmas Angel: A Family Story. They were later released as a two CD set.

<i>Christmas Song</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Mannheim Steamroller

Christmas Song is Mannheim Steamroller's eighth Christmas album overall and the group's fifth Christmas studio album. It was released in 2007 on CD by American Gramaphone, and features twelve Christmas songs. Steamroller co-founder Jackson Berkey does not appear on the album.

<i>Christmasville</i> (album) 2008 studio album by Mannheim Steamroller

Christmasville is Mannheim Steamroller's tenth Christmas album. It was released in 2008 on CD by American Gramaphone and features 13 Christmas songs. It contains a series of songs made for Universal Studios Florida for their "Grinchmas" event.

<i>Christmas 25th Anniversary Collection</i> 2009 studio album by Mannheim Steamroller

Christmas 25th Anniversary Collection is a compilation album by Mannheim Steamroller. It is the group's eleventh Christmas album overall. It was released in 2009 as a double CD by American Gramaphone, and features 25 Christmas songs. It contains songs from their Mannheim Steamroller Christmas (1984), A Fresh Aire Christmas (1988), Christmas in the Aire (1995), My Little Christmas Tree (1997), The Christmas Angel: A Family Story (1998), Christmas Extraordinaire (2001), Christmas Song (2007) and Christmasville (2008).

Christmas Angel may refer to:

<i>This Christmas</i> (John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John album) 2012 studio album by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John

This Christmas is a Christmas album by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, released on November 9, 2012, by Universal Music Enterprises. The first time that Travolta and Newton-John worked together was on the musical film Grease (1978), in which they performed the songs "You're the One That I Want" and "Summer Nights". Both the film and the songs were a commercial phenomenon. This album is the first new artistic work they have done together since the 1983 film Two of a Kind. This Christmas is also the 25th studio album, following the 2008 release A Celebration in Song, and the third all-new Christmas album by Newton-John.

<i>Classical Gas</i> (Mason Williams and Mannheim Steamroller album) Album by Mannheim Steamroller, Mason Williams

Classical Gas is a 1987 album by new age group Mannheim Steamroller and guitarist/composer Mason Williams. The album's title piece, "Classical Gas", was originally featured on Williams's 1968 solo album The Mason Williams Phonograph Record.

Visual Musik was a record label based in Omaha, Nebraska. It specialized in new age music. It was founded in 1987 by Carol Davis, ex-wife of Chip Davis of Mannheim Steamroller fame. Carol Davis had previously contributed photography and visuals to several early Mannheim Steamroller albums in the Fresh Aire series, as well as other albums released under Chip Davis' American Gramaphone label.

References

  1. Batdorf, Rodney (1998). "Christmas Angel: A Family Story Review". AllMusic.
  2. "Mannheim Steamroller As Told By Olivia Newton-John And Chip Davis – The Christmas Angel - A Family Story". Discogs . 1998.