5 CD Set
Released December 2003
Cat No.: RDCD4061-5 (B99123KK)
RD Code: UCC 540
Compiled by J K Hall, R Dinnadge
Produced by P Marchant
Booklet Notes by S Leigh
This was the the last of my 'Ultimate' series of releases, and what problems it had!
Throughout my entire period in the Music Department at RD, the only Christmas Collection that was played during the period was 'Merry Christmas Everybody', a set that irritated me enormously. It wasn't that it was a 'bad' collection, it's just that I found the running order irksome. I'd just be getting used to the standard Xmas pop songs when a 'jarring' Connie Francis, or Jake Thackrey song would interrupt procedings to bring any party atmosphere to an absolute standstill. So from day one, I pushed for new 'pop' Christmas collection to be created.
At first, it was considered too close to MCE to release another Christmas set. Then It was too close to other 'easy listening' christmas sets to be considered. Then a test was done in a summer round of research, which obviously failed to gain much interest. Eventually, I managed to get a Christmas concept into research that proved popular with the 'youth market' that was being targeted at the time (under 45s???). It was titled 'Christmas Presents...' and was intended to be a bargain priced, 4CD set.
Then it was suggested that I should include a CD of 'traditional hymns' so that it would appeal to the traditional RD customer (we could add lyrics to make it a 'sing-a-long' set???). Then a request to add another CD to 'make it more profitable' with the additional request that it included classical pieces to balance out the choral recordings that sat awkwardly among the pop tunes.
This was not what I had in mind originally, but acquiesced anyway. Finally, just as recordings for the set were being cleared, I left RD and the design and running order was left to someone who had only just started in the department.
So I never got to produce my ideal Christmas Collection for RD. The boring design, and strange running order only added to the poor sales of the collection, and along with the mess that was made of the printed track listing on disc 4 (due to no-one being able to work the database correctly) and the wrong recordings being used ('Christmas Wrapping' and others), it made one of my last releases for RD, arguably, the worst. I still think it's better than MCE though!
1 Christmas With The Stars
01 Perry Como - Have
Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
02 Brenda Lee -
Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
03 Bing Crosby -
White Christmas
04 Dean Martin - Let
It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
05 Jim Reeves - Blue
Christmas
06 Doris
Day - I'll Be Home For Christmas
07 Nat 'King' Cole -
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
08 Max Bygraves -
Jingle Bell
Rock
09 Dolly Parton -
Winter Wonderland
10 Johnny Mathis -
When A Child Is Born
11 Kenny Rogers -
What A Wonderful Beginning
12 Andy Williams - Do
You Hear What I Hear_
13 Petula Clark - The Little Drummer Boy
14 Roger Whittaker -
The Twelve Days Of Christmas
15 Dickie Valentine -
Christmas Alphabet
16 Connie Francis -
Baby's First Christmas
17 Louis Armstrong -
Christmas In New Orleans
18 Lynn Anderson -
Silver Bells
19 Tony Bennett -
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
2 Carols At Christmas
01 Beecham Choral
Society - Hark The Herald Angels Sing
02 Ambrosian Singers -
Once In Royal David's City
03 Canterbury Cathedral Choir - Ding Dong!
Merrily On High
04 Choir Of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
- Away In A Manger
05 Norwich Cathedral Choir - Deck The Halls
06 Norwich Cathedral Choir - O Come All Ye
Faithful
07 Choir Of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
- God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen
08 John Mccarthy
Chorus - I Saw Three Ships
09 John Mccarthy
Chorus - The Holly And The Ivy
10 Choir Of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
- In Dulci Jubilo
11 Choir Of York Minster - Good King
Wenceslas
12 Norwich
Cathedral Choir - O Little Town Of Bethlehem
13 Norwich Cathedral Choir - The First Noel
14 Tewkesbury
Abbey Choir - While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night
15 Huddersfield
Choral Society - We Three Kings Of Orient Are
16 Ambrosian Singers -
O Christmas Tree
17 Choir Of Canterbury Cathedral - The
Seven Joys Of Mary
18 Ursula Connors
With The John Mccarthy Chorus - Silent Night
19 St Paul's Cathedral Choir - De Virgin Had A
Baby Boy
20 Choir Of Westminster Abbey - The Coventry Carol
21 Ambrosian Singers -
We Wish You A Merry Christmas
22 Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra & Chorus - It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
3 Party Time
01 Slade - Merry Xmas Everybody
02 Showaddywaddy -
Hey, Mr Christmas
03 T Rex - Christmas
Bop
04 Elton John - Step
Into Christmas
05 Band Aid - Do They
Know It's Christmas
06 Waitresses -
Christmas Wrapping
07 Jona Lewis - Stop
The Cavalry
08 Darlene Love - All
Alone On Christmas
09 Mud - Lonely This
Christmas
10 Dana - It's Gonna
Be A Cold, Cold Christmas
11 Shakin' Stevens -
Merry Chtistmas Everyone
12 Nsync - Merry
Christmas, Happy Holidays
13 Wizzard - I Wish
It Could Be Christmas Everyday
14 Beach Boys -
Little Saint Nick
15 S Club 7 - Perfect
Christmas
16 David Essex - A
Winter's Tale
17 Saint Etienne - I
Was Born On Christmas Day
18 Kate Bush -
December Will Be Magic Again
4 A Classical Christmas
01 National Philharmonic Orchestra Cond. Charles Gerhardt -
Joy To The World (Handel)
02 Orchestre De La
Societe Des Concerts Symphoniques De Paris
- March Of The Little Lead Soldiers (Pierne)
03 Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra Cond. Wally Stott - Pas De Deux From 'The Nutcracker' (Tchaikovsky)
04 Boston Pops Orchestra Cond. Arthur Fiedler -
Sleigh Ride (Mozart)
05 Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra Cond, Sir Malcolm Sargent - Pastoral Symphony From _Messiah_ (Handel)
06 Metropolitan
Symphony Orchestra Cond. James Walker - March Of The Toys (Herbert)
07 New Symphony
Orchestra Of London
Cond. Rene Leibowitz - The Skaters Waltz (Waldteufel)
08 London Promenade Orchestra Cond. Eric
Hammerstein - Troika (Prokofiev)
09 Mayfair
Chamber Orchestra - Pastoral From Christmas Concerto (Corelli)
10 Philharmonic Pops
Orchestra Cond. Robert Bentley - Greeting The Winter (Glazunov)
11 National
Philharmonic Orchestra Cond. Charles Gerhardt - Christmas Tree Scene From The
Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky)
12 Bach - Sinfonia
From Christmas Oratorio (Bach)
13 London Symphony Orchestra Cond. Charles
Gerhardt - Miniature Overture From The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky)
14 London Symphony Orchestra Cond. Charles
Gerhardt - March From The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky)
15 London
Symphony Orchestra Cond. Charles Gerhardt - Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy From The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky)
16 London Symphony Orchestra Cond. Charles
Gerhardt - Russian Dance From The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky)
17 London Symphony Orchestra Cond. Charles
Gerhardt - Arabian Dance From The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky)
18 London Symphony Orchestra Cond. Charles
Gerhardt - Chinese Dance From The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky)
19 London Symphony Orchestra Cond. Charles
Gerhardt - Dance Of The Flutes From The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky)
20 London Symphony Orchestra Cond. Charles
Gerhardt - Waltz Of The Flowers From The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky)
5 Christmas For The Young At Heart
01 Aled Jones -
Walking In The Air
02 Mr Blobby -
Christmas In Blobbyland
03 Jackson Five - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa
Claus
04 Greg Lake - I Believe In Father Christmas
05 The Goons - I'm
Walking Backwards For Christmas
06 The Beach Boys -
Frosty The Snowman
07 David Seville - The Chipmunk
Song
08 Spike Jones And
His City Slickers - All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)
09 Petula Clark - Where Did My Snowman Go_
10 Billy Cotton -
When Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney
11 Nat 'king' Cole -
Mrs Santa Claus
12 Willie Nelson -
Here Comes Santa Claus
13 Burl Ives -
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
14 Supremes -
Children's Christmas Song
15 Adam Faith -
Lonely Pup (In A Christmas Shop)
16 The Bouncing
Czecks - I'm A Little Christmas Cracker
17 The Goodies - Make
A Daft Noise For Christmas
18 The Wombles -
Wombling Merry Christmas
19 Bobby 'boris'
Pickett And The Crypt Kickers-Monster's Holiday
20 The Snowmen -
Hokey Cokey
21 Stan Freberg -
Green Chri$tma$
Original intended track list....
CHRISTMAS PRESENTS…
DISC1
1 - Thank God It's Christmas
- Queen
2 - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Wizzard
3 - Step Into Christmas - Elton John
4 - Christmas Bop - T Rex
5 - All Together Now - Farm
6 - Hokey Cokey - Black Lace
7 - Make A Daft Noise For Christmas - Goodies
8 - I'm A Little Christmas Cracker - Bouncing
Czecks
9 - Christmas Wrapping - Waitresses
10 - Christmas Fantasy - Bad Boys Inc.
11 - Christmas Song - Gilbert O'Sullivan
12 - Grandma's Party - Paul Nicholas
13 - Happy Christmas (War Is Over) - Neil
Diamond
14 - Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord - Boney
M
15 - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Pointer
Sisters
16 - Brand New Christmas - Hot Chocolate
17 - Dear Santa, Bring Me A Man This Christmas - Weather Girls
18 - Perfect Year - Dina Carroll
19 - Merry Christmas Everybody
- Slade
DISC2
1 - Lonely This Christmas
- Mud
2 - A Winter's Tale - David Essex
3 - Last Christmas - Wham!
4 - Mistletoe And Wine - Cliff Richard
5 - December Will Be Magic
- Kate Bush
6 - I'll Be Home This Christmas - Shakin'Stevens
7 - So Near To Christmas -
Alvin Stardust
8 - Christmas Without You
- Kenny Rogers
and Dolly Parton
9 - Silent Night - Sinead O'Connor
10 - It's Christmas All Over The World - Sheena Easton
11 - Do You Hear What I Hear?
- Gladys Knight
And The Pips
12 - Miracle Of Love - Eurythmics
13 - Christmas Song - Natalie Cole
14 - A Kiss For Christmas -
Luther Vandross
15 - Merry Christmas Baby -
Lou Rawls
16 - Christmas Lullaby - Smokey Robinson And The
Miracles
17 - Have Yourself A Very Merry Christmas - Vanessa Williams
18 - Christmas Through Your Eyes - Gloria
Estefan
DISC3
1 - Do they Know It's Christmas - Band
Aid
2 - Gift Of Christmas - Childliners
3 - Everyone's A Kid At Christmas Time - Stevie Wonder
4 - Father Christmas Do Not Touch Me - Goodies
5 - Christmas With Dicken
- Mr. Big
6 - Stop The Cavalry - Jona Lewie
7 - Christmas Day - Squeeze
8 - Gabriel's Message - Sting
9 - San Damiano - Sal Solo
10 - Put A Little Love In Your Heart - Annie Lennox and Al Green
11 - Christmas Time Is Here
- Ray Parker
Jr.
12 - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Kenny G
13 - Christmas In Rio - Shakatak
14 - Blues for Christmas - John Lee Hooker
15 - Feels Like Christmas -
Cyndi Lauper
16 - O Holy Night - Sounds Of Blackness
17 - Christmas Won't Be The Same Without You - Jackson 5
18 - Christmas In The City
- Marvin Gaye
19 - Winter Wonderland - Eurythmics
20 - Stay Another Day - East 17
DISC4
1 - Another Rock 'n' Roll Christmas - Gary Glitter
2 - Best Christmas Of Them All - Shakin'Stevens
3 - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Mel Smith and Kim Wilde
4 - Blue Christmas - Bobby Vee
5 - Merry Christmas (Baby)
- Chuck Berry
6 - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - John Cougar Mellencamp
7 - A Merry Jingle - Greedies
8 - Rock And Roll Christmas
- George Thorogood
And The Destroyers
9 - All Join Hands - Slade
10 - Sing Out The Old... Bring In The New - Roy Wood
11 - Rockin' This Christmas
- Tractors
12 - Christmas With The Devil
- Spinal
Tap
13 - Father Christmas - Kinks
14 - Christmas Mourning - Julian Cope
15 - Please Come Home For Christmas - Pat
Benatar
16 - Merry Christmas Everyone
- Shakin'Stevens
17 - I Believe In Father Christmas - Greg Lake
18 - White Christmas - Michael Bolton
