Best track on "...The Wonderful World Of Christmas" LP 1971

[Gregory Nolan Jr.]

I mean, a few tracks are awful and I always skip 'em..
Jules

I disagree. What exactly are the "bad tracks"? I agree I have to be in the mood for some of them (they get a bit downbeat for family settings such as trimming the tree or opening presents on Side B as I recall) but then over the whole season, I'm bound to enjoy some of the more ambiguous or less "Christmasy" tunes as well. As a whole, the album really comes together.

Rob wrote:

Somebody shoot me....I like this album very much!

Always have -- always will.

Well, I won't be the one pulling the trigger. t's hard to deny he's vocally off on some tracks (but some of that adds to his appealing vulnerability and sense of imperfection in comparison to the sometimes overwheming glow and good cheer of Christmas.

I've listened to this album annually at Christmas time for most of my lifetime, so I'll have to join Rob (and the millions who have made the album a success) in praising it as a whole. How many have artists have anything of this caliber in their arsenel as far as Christmas albums, let alone the famed '57 LP...?

[ColinB]

Actually, this is a rather gutsy Christmas album.

Well, the choice of material might have been 'gutsy' but Elvis' performance isn't !

On a lot of tracks, he seems completely indifferent.

It's like his mind was elsewhere..........................

[JerryNodak]

Each year I play the "If Everyday Was Like Christmas" comp once, and then move on to the remainder of my vast Christmas cd collection.

[Gregory Nolan Jr.]

Actually, this is a rather gutsy Christmas album.

Well, the choice of material might have been 'gutsy' but Elvis' performance isn't !

On a lot of tracks, he seems completely indifferent.

It's like his mind was elsewhere..........................

I agree but for years I enjoyed this without over-analyzing it, albeit my youth played a part in this.

I find I can still enjoy it . He's "on" (or at least the arrangment is) on "Oh Come O Ye Faithful" and some of his sort of "hurt" / "distracted" / "blue" mood and vocal timbre actually aids some songs such as "If I Get Home On Christmas Day" and others.

And of course, on "Merry Christmas Baby" (actually, a perennial hit by R&B singer / pianist Charles Brown in the black community for decades) Elvis really kicks out the jams, undoing any damage done by his slightly-off vocals elsewhere.

[ColinB]

Elvis really kicks out the jams, undoing any damage done by his slightly-off vocals elsewhere.

Don't get me wrong, Greg, I have always quite enjoyed the album.

It was you using the word 'gutsy' that I found odd, considering the 'contractual obligation' feel of some of his performances on it.

[iamhekev]

I'll Be Home On Xmas Day, ( the remake version better ).

A1.

[dreambear]

No surprise here! "Merry Christmas, baby" is the winner. Thank´s for voting! "On stage feb. 1970" will be up soon!

//Björn

[JerryNodak]

I'll agree it's the best track, but it's not my favorite track. I always vote for my favorite track regardless of album.

Sometimes, my favorite and the "best" match up.

[Gregory Nolan Jr.]

Elvis really kicks out the jams, undoing any damage done by his slightly-off vocals elsewhere.

Don't get me wrong, Greg, I have always quite enjoyed the album.

It was you using the word 'gutsy' that I found odd, considering the 'contractual obligation' feel of some of his performances on it.

I hear you, Colin, but perhaps it's the radioactively "guts-galore" performance of Merry Christmas, Baby" as well as the unexpectedly bluesy ending to "Winter Wonderland" that explain the use of the term.

Likewise, some of the vocal hurt (or perhaps the "disinterest" to some ears) in songs like "If I Get Home On Christmas Day" and a few others adds some grit to the proceedings.

He does sound pretty exhausted on "Silver Bells" and probably a few others but that magical voice still wins the day for me.

[eric c]

merry christmas baby.
arguably the best blues performance he ever gave.
it's too bad he didn't do a blues album...elvis is back is as close as we'd get.
what i love about this track...is how free and loose it is.
some of the best moments were the jams.
just great players...and a great session leader...makin' music for the fun of it.

i love o come all ye faithful,on a snowy christmas night,holly leaves and christmas trees and the title track.
just a great album.