Sunday, December 9, 2012

On the turntable this Sunday...A Charlie Brown Christmas




A Charlie Brown Christmas is an album by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, released in 1965 as the soundtrack to the CBS Christmas television special of the same name. It is among the most popular Christmas music albums of all time. There was also a book-and-record set featuring music, dialogue and stills from the Christmas special released in 1977 on a 33 RPM vinyl record by CBS Records.

Fantasy Records first reissued the album on CD in 1986, with a track listing and cover art identical to the original 1965 LP release. In 1988, a new CD version was issued, with updated cover art and "Greensleeves" added as a bonus track. This track features Guaraldi performing as part of a different trio than the one heard on the original eleven songs. This CD version can still be purchased in stores and online with the cover art shown on the right and to the bottom.

In 1997 Fantasy issued a Starbucks Exclusive edition of the album, sold only through Starbucks retail. This version omitted "Greensleeves" and had very different cover art and new liner notes. A somewhat controversial remastered version (see below) of the original album was released by Concord Records in conjunction with Fantasy on October 10, 2006. The 2006 edition includes four previously unreleased bonus tracks—all are alternate versions of songs in the original track listing—and features Digipak packaging, new liner notes by music critic and historian Joel Selvin, and the original cover art.

In 2012, Fantasy again reissued the album; this time entitled, "A Charlie Brown Christmas [2012 Remastered & Expanded Edition]", with 14 tracks, including two songs from A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. This reissue features the original 1965 recording newly remastered with 24-bit technology from the original analog stereo master tapes and a booklet containing images from the show and new liner notes by Derrick Bang. Concurrent with the digital release, Fantasy will issue a 2012 LP pressing (on green vinyl) of the album.

A Charlie Brown Christmas was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007.

In 2012 the album was added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry list of "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" American sound recordings.

-Wikipedia 

No comments:

Post a Comment