Mary’s.” Its flow is interrupted only by an otherwise-fine “Silver Bells.” The lone unfamiliar tune here is “Christmas Holiday” (“This year we shall know a wonderful Christmas.”) which is irresistible and melodically adventurous as heard in a big Bob Florence arrangement. Williams’ voice is at its resonant best on Side Two, again reserved for religious songs like “Do You Hear What I Hear?,” “Some Children See Him” and a majestic “The Bells of St.
ANDY WILLIAMS 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS FULL
“Winter Wonderland,” “Let It Snow!” and “Sleigh Ride” (with its staggering key changes!) are all heard in renditions making the most of returning producer Robert Mersey’s full orchestra and chorus. Williams’ arrangement is moody and even ominous, but miraculously effective in conveying the song’s rich imagery without irony. Best of all is his version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “My Favorite Things,” which helped establish the Sound of Music song as a seasonal favorite. With a green cover to complement the original LP’s red one, Merry Christmas lacks an original as iconic as “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” but makes up for it with another array of imaginatively-arranged, impeccably-sung Christmas standards from both the religious and secular songbooks. It would have been a near-impossible feat to top The Andy Williams Christmas Album, but Williams at least matched it with 1965’s Merry Christmas. Nearly 50 years later, The Andy Williams Christmas Album remains in print from Legacy in a remastered release with no bonus material. Side Two finds Williams in gentle, reflective mode, allowing listeners to experience the warmth of his voice at its richest when he performs “O Holy Night,” “Away in a Manger” and “Silent Night,” among others. Williams’ definitive reading remains a radio staple today (despite other popular versions by artists such as Johnny Mathis, Garth Brooks and Harry Connick, Jr.) and experienced a resurgence in popularity in the UK when a re-orchestrated version was used for a Marks and Spencer holiday advertisement (you can hear it on Sony BMG single 88697 20745 2) in 2007. Williams’ fruitful association with the legendary MGM arranger and nightclub vocalist Kay Thompson yielded two tracks, a medley of Thompson’s “The Holiday Season” with Berlin’s “Happy Holiday,” and a swinging, original take on a familiar song in the form of “Kay Thompson’s Jingle Bells.” Another unique treat was “The Twelve Days of Christmas” with new lyrics entitled “A Song and a Christmas Tree.” Yet, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” was destined to be the song for which this album is most remembered. The album was divided into a secular side and a religious side, with the former leading off with Williams’ rendition of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.” This was the track chosen by Columbia to be the LP’s promo single, but any of the songs on Side One would have sufficed. It’s not hard to see why, as Williams and his producer/arranger Robert Mersey expertly selected its twelve tracks. Yet this LP, with its bold red cover, stately typeface and tuxedo-clad image of the singer, became a perennial favorite upon its 1963 release. A previous Christmas-themed single recorded in 1955 (see The Williams Brothers Christmas Album, below, for more information) didn’t sell.
It’s highly unlikely that Andy Williams knew the release of The Andy Williams Christmas Album would forever change his image. The Andy Williams Christmas Album (Columbia, 1963)
ANDY WILLIAMS 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS SERIES
We kick off a special holiday series of Back Tracks with the Christmas music of Wall Lake, Iowa’s favorite son and a true voice of the American songbook, Andy Williams. While it remains the most successful song penned by Pola and was arguably eclipsed for Wyle only by the theme to “Gilligan’s Island” (!), “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” became a theme for Andy Williams, perhaps second only to “Moon River.” (As a team, Pola and Wyle delivered other tailor-made songs to Williams, such as the tribute to his daughter, "Noelle.") The Andy Williams Christmas Album also established the popular singer as one of the holiday genre’s foremost interpreters, and millions of television viewers welcomed the sweater-clad vocalist and his family into their homes every year when his Christmas specials became an annual tradition in the 1960s. This cherished song from the team of Edward Pola and George Wyle made its debut in 1963 on The Andy Williams Christmas Album. When it comes time each year to create my annual Christmas mix for family and friends, it’s always an uphill battle to not open with Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” From the brassy fanfare to the upbeat chorus, it may be one of the ultimate Christmas anthems.
Welcome to the first installment in a special series of holiday-themed Back Tracks in which we’ll explore an artist’s entire seasonal catalogue!
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