Opened one Christmas present a little early this year and boy, am I glad I did. It’s too late to get this in our regular Holiday Music Guide, but I figured this one was special enough for me not to wait ‘til next year. Bing Crosby, The Crosby Christmas Collection was just released by Collector’s Choice Music, and they, as usual, did an outstanding job assembling choice forgotten gems onto a record. Primarily gathered from four decades of Bing’s Christmas radio programs, I was surprised to find how many chestnuts were on this disk that I’d never heard before or, different versions of Bing’s Christmas songs that I had heard. Some stand-outs include Bing & Ella Fitzgerald’s version of Rudolph, complete with a few funny new verses; Here Comes Santa Clause with Peggy Lee; the rare White World of Winter on which Crosby tickles my booze-bone by mentioning a “Hot buttered cup”; and the appropriately lavish It’s Christmas Time Again which I was very impressed with. All in all, this new edition to my old school Christmas music collection stands apart. Bing Crosby may be an acquired taste for many, but if you’re at all on the fence, this one is a nice place to start. Bing Crosby, over the years, has become very associated with the Holiday and, after playing this album a few times, I understand why. Gather ‘round the friends you know who love nostalgia and days gone past, play this wonderful recording and spike up some eggnog. It doesn’t get much better.
Bing Crosby, The Crosby Christmas Collection
By
Posted on