Christmas Sing-Along with Mitch

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
A family tree-trimming classic if ever there was one, this collection by chorale leader Mitch Miller is timeless--and (relatively) schmaltz-free! On Christmas Sing-Along, Mitch & the Gang stick primarily to the religious aspects of the holiday, with traditional favorites like "Joy to the World," "What Child Is This," and "We Three Kings." There is, however, a rousing version of "Deck the Halls," but if you're looking for more commercially oriented tunes like "Must Be Santa," you'll have to check out Mitch's other holiday collections (including Holiday Sing-Along). As with most of Miller's work, the songs are led by a particularly loud baritone. Blame it on the mix, but rarely a tenor is heard. (Or a soprano or alto, for that matter.) While the tone for most of the selections is rather reverent, this is a festive collection nonetheless. --Steve Gdula

Tracks:

Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
Frosty The Snowman
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Sleigh Ride
Must Be Santa
The Christmas Song
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
The Twelve Days Of Christmas
Winter Wonderland
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Silver Bells
Jingle Bells
White Christmas
Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly
Silent Night, Holy Night
Auld Lang Syne

Customer Reviews:

Fond Childhood Memories.......2007-01-25

I looked for years for this CD in music stores everywhere. I was so excited to find it at Amazon.com. If you love those fond childhood memories this is the Christmas CD for you. My whole family loves it! Now I'm creating memories with my kids! They love to "sing-a-long!

Great memories from my childhood!.......2007-01-13

This is such a FANTASTIC Christmas album - PERFECT for parties and anytime!!!

classically wonderful.......2007-01-10

I grew up listening to Mitch Miller on Christmas Day. Now, my kids will grow up listening to him also and they love the album just as much as me.

AMAZON HAD IT!!!!.......2007-01-10

When my 3 sons small, it was tradition to play this (on an LP at that time) during tree decoration and get togethers with other kids during the Christmas holidays. Their favorite was "Must Be Santa" and they knew it by heart. Over the years, the LP record was damaged and not replaced. Then they grew up and had kids of their own. I thought they would like to share these very fond memories--and create their own--with their families, BUT...even searching for years, I couldn't find this Mitch Miller collection anywhere. By chance, I clicked on an Amazon email I got early in December 2006, and checked for "Must Be Santa" and there it was!!! I ordered four CDs. When I gave one to my youngest, his eyes lit up like he'd just seen Santa himself!! He said he'd been unsuccessful in finding it and was absolutely thrilled. Same reaction from my other sons. And Christmas day, we ALL sang along with Mitch, especially "Must Be Santa". Thanks, Amazon!!

Childhood Favorite.......2006-12-22

I have fond memories of listening to this album growing up with all the scratches and skips on the old vinyl album. I was so happy to find this on CD that I ordered copies for me and my two older brothers. They both got a big kick out of listening to this CD again after many years. I used to sing "Must Be Santa" to my kids when they were little (my wife thought I was nuts).

The songs themselves are pretty straight forward but I find them very easy to listen to.

Average customer rating:

A clasic slice of the season
Christmas Sing-Along WIth Mitch
A family tradition
Could've been so much better
Good, for what it is

Christmas Sing-Along with Mitch
Mitch Miller and the Gang
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Opera & Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Pop Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

$7 - $10 | Today's Deals | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

Pop Vocal | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Holiday Sing-Along with Mitch Miller
Sing Along with Mitch
Here We Come A-Caroling
More Sing-Along with Mitch/Still More! Sing-Along
Christmas Caroling

ASIN: B0000025SL
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Joy To The World
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
What Child Is This
We Three Kings Of Orient Are
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Silent Night, Holy Night
Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly
Ged Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)
The First Noel

Amazon.com

A family tree-trimming classic if ever there was one, this collection by chorale leader Mitch Miller is timeless--and (relatively) schmaltz-free! On Christmas Sing-Along, Mitch & the Gang stick primarily to the religious aspects of the holiday, with traditional favorites like "Joy to the World," "What Child Is This," and "We Three Kings." There is, however, a rousing version of "Deck the Halls," but if you're looking for more commercially oriented tunes like "Must Be Santa," you'll have to check out Mitch's other holiday collections (including Holiday Sing-Along). As with most of Miller's work, the songs are led by a particularly loud baritone. Blame it on the mix, but rarely a tenor is heard. (Or a soprano or alto, for that matter.) While the tone for most of the selections is rather reverent, this is a festive collection nonetheless. --Steve Gdula

Customer Reviews:

A clasic slice of the season.......2007-03-31

This is what you would hope YOUR family would sound like singing these songs.

I don't know what tracks Steve Gdula listened to but the mix was fine and there is plenty of other voices to be heard through out.

I admit I am biased, I grew up listening to this album (yes the round plastic thing) every Xmass for years. The comments on the orchestration are misleading, you have to realize the album is about the singers and the songs, not orchestrations. It is a very different genre than most people are used to. People who have sung in a choir will appreciate how tight this group is and the delicate touch they give these classics. They are dated compared to what else is on the market, but they are timeless in their simple beauty and charm, and are a classic slice of the season.
.

Christmas Sing-Along WIth Mitch.......2007-01-04

I loved this and was happy to finally find it in a CD, however I was upset that it didn't include the "sheet music" so you could sing-along like the albums did.

A family tradition.......2006-11-16

I grew up with this album as a staple during the Christmas season and it still holds many pleasures. It's hard to find an album of traditional carols sung by a chorus that also retains a bit of passion. Most are stuffy, technically-minded presentations that are about as spirited as a jigsaw puzzle. This one is full of celebration, reverence, and a bit of fun. Sure, the baritones are practically in your face sometimes (one guy in particular!) but they seem to actually be into the material rather than constantly monitoring their breathing and posture.

The fact that this album is virtually all a cappella is also a bonus to me. Any Millerian orchestrations would have been of the extremely dated Ray Conniff variety that has a cheese rating of 10.5. I'll take this more timeless straightforward approach any day.

One drawback is that Miller's haunting, passionate version of 'The Coventry Carol' and the gentle 'O Little Town of Bethlehem' have been removed from this edition. That's a shame.

One thing: I'm disheartened by the 1-star reviews being left here by people who mistakenly ordered this CD instead of Miller's "Holiday Sing-Along." It's not the album's fault that they didn't read the tracklisting - or the Amazon review, which clearly stated that this is the traditional carol album. The other is the pop standard one.

Could've been so much better.......2005-07-22

I've never cared for Mitch Miller's sing-along albums because the high cheese content makes them practically unlistenable for me. However, I much prefer older Christmas albums to more recent efforts, so I listened to the song samples here. The singing style was much better then usual and the wildly excessive echo that Miller was fond of was absent, so I ordered it.

The vocals, which have that classic Christmas choral sound, are not the problem. What undermines this album is the lack of orchestrations. No attempt was made to create arrangements for these songs. Interludes between verses are almost non-existent and instrumental accompaniment is sparse and barely heard when it is there. It gives the effect of someone playing a celeste or harp in the very brief, stripped-down introductions to help get the singers on key, but playing so quietly as to try to prevent the microphones from picking them up. I know this wasn't the case, but it sure sounds like it, and it's a weird effect. Muffled chimes are played at the very beginning of "Joy to the World," but in a different rhythm from the rest of the song so that when the vocals start, it's quite jarring. The whole album, except for the beautiful vocals, just comes off as very amateurish. The closest thing I can compare this oddly accompanied choral album to is a generic, quickie Christmas CD that is offered in a bargain bin at Wal-Mart for $3.95--only it would probably sound better!

Good, for what it is.......2004-12-02

Miller's records were some of the more lightweight of his era, and this one is no exception. But those who grew up on these may well find them a welcome time capsule to childhood memories. (Keep in mind that this album is devoted entirely to traditional carols. Those looking for Miller's renditions of more secular fare--"Frosty", "Rudolph", "The Twelve Days of Christmas"--are directed to the HOLIDAY SING-ALONG album, also available from Amazon.)

Average customer rating:

Holiday Sing Along with Mitch
Mitch Miller and the Gang
Manufacturer: Columbia Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Product Description

1988 13-track 11-digit UPC (0 7464-38297-2) Columbia Records Collector's Choice release of classic 1959 Christmas LP without bonus tracks included on subsequent re-releases.

Average customer rating:

A Very Good, Classic Christmas Album
The Christmas album I grew up on
Back to the 60's with Mitch
My childhood Christmas icon!
Sweetly Nostalgic

Holiday Sing-Along with Mitch Miller
Mitch Miller and the Gang
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Pop Vocal | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General Christmas | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

$7 - $10 | Today's Deals | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

Pop Vocal | Holiday Music | Special Features | Music

Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000025SJ
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
Frosty The Snowman
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Sleigh Ride
Must Be Santa
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
The Twelve Days Of Christmas
Winter Wonderland
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Silver Bells
Jingle Bells
White Christmas

Customer Reviews:

A Very Good, Classic Christmas Album.......2003-11-04

No fair! My version of this CD is, apparently, an old one (I've had it for years) and doesn't include the three bonus songs (tracks 14, 15, and 16) listed in the description, above. Considering, that I absolutely love these songs, I sure wish I had those bonus tracks. These songs are true Christmas classics. They're not modified to illustrate the "creativity" or "talent" of some pop singer. They're pure classics. As such, they're beautiful. Of the 13 tracks my CD contains, I've rated two tracks as Excellent, 10 tracks as Very Good, and just one track as "only" Good. Here are my specific track ratings:

1. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town -- 4 Stars
2. Frosty the Snowman -- 4 Stars
3. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus -- 5 Stars
4. Sleigh Ride -- 4 Stars
5. Must Be Santa -- 4 Stars
6. Christmas Song -- 3 Stars
7. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer -- 4 Stars
8. Twelve Days of Christmas -- 4 Stars
9. Winter Wonderland -- 4 Stars
10. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! -- 4 Stars
11. Silver Bells -- 4 Stars
12. Jingle Bells -- 4 Stars
13. White Christmas -- 5 Stars

The Christmas album I grew up on.......2001-06-16

My mother had this album when I was little, and it was always one of my favorites. I was happy to find it on CD! It has all of the traditional Christmas songs without the gimmick of having here-today/gone-tomorrow pop stars singing the tracks.

Back to the 60's with Mitch.......2000-11-08

Baby boomers should thank the record label for finally releasing this on CD. Each song has that unique Mitch Miller sound that made our chilhoods in the 50's and 60's special, a quick trip back to a simpler time. The album (and now the CD) is one of our most cherished holiday music collections.

My childhood Christmas icon!.......1998-12-03

I have known this album for 40 yrs. (Columbia-CL1701 33 rpm HiFi LP recording) I'm 42 yrs old and want my children to enjoy the same tradition. I still insist my parents pull it out each year! Bottom line, without this album and the true Christmas child - it isn't worth the effort...

Sweetly Nostalgic.......1998-11-25

A simple, yet sweet rendition of Christmas Classics. Transports you back to a simpler place and time.

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