Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry, Marks, Johnny
If It Doesn't Snow on Christmas Day - Gene Autry, Marks, G.
When Santa Claus Gets Your Letter - Gene Autry, Marks, J.
The Night Before Christmas Song - Gene Autry, Marks, J.
Frosty the Snowman - Gene Autry, Nelson, Steve [1]
'Round 'Round the Christmas Tree - Gene Autry, Stryker, Fred
Santa, Santa, Santa - Gene Autry, Autry, Gene
Where Did My Snowman Go? - Gene Autry, Mann, S.
Look Out the Window - Gene Autry, Mitchell, S.
You Can See Old Santa Claus (When You Find Him in Your Heart) - Gene Autry, Adams, Bob [Doo Wop
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - Gene Autry, Coots, J. Fred
Sleigh Bells - Gene Autry, Autry, Gene
Everyone's a Child at Christmas - Gene Autry, Marks, J.
Merry Christmas Waltz - Gene Autry, Batson, B.
Jingle Bells - Gene Autry, Pierpont, James
Gene Autry was perhaps less a singing cowboy than the prototype for all singing cowboys. He made his mark by representing an Americana that was all old-style Western romance and clear blue skies. His yodeling hasn't held u... more »p well, but his emphasis on both types of music--"country and and western," as the joke goes--has made him among the first that people think of when they dream of how the West was won. Here, he sings solo and in duets with Rosemary Clooney, the Mitchell Choirboys, the Cass County Boys and the King Sisters, and the Pinafores. The recordings cover the post-World War II era, between 1947 through 1956, and include many Christmas faves, including "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Frosty the Snowman," and "Jingle Bells," among them. --Rob O'Connor« less
Gene Autry was perhaps less a singing cowboy than the prototype for all singing cowboys. He made his mark by representing an Americana that was all old-style Western romance and clear blue skies. His yodeling hasn't held up well, but his emphasis on both types of music--"country and and western," as the joke goes--has made him among the first that people think of when they dream of how the West was won. Here, he sings solo and in duets with Rosemary Clooney, the Mitchell Choirboys, the Cass County Boys and the King Sisters, and the Pinafores. The recordings cover the post-World War II era, between 1947 through 1956, and include many Christmas faves, including "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Frosty the Snowman," and "Jingle Bells," among them. --Rob O'Connor
HELEN T. (A-PLUS-SWAP-99) from SHARON, MA Reviewed on 11/25/2006...
16 TRACKS
HAPPY HOLIDAY
CD Reviews
I loved listening to this record every Christmas.
randysrodeo.com | 11/06/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"All of the best Christmas memories come back when I hear these songs again."
Hit-and-Miss Collection from the Christmas Cowboy
Timothy Hulsey | Charlottesville, VA United States | 02/15/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This collection of Christmas songs contains some genuine classics: "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (which Autry introduced), as well as "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Santa, Santa, Santa" (both co-written by Autry). (Conspicuously missing is "Santa's Comin' in a Whirlybird," a bouncy children's favorite guaranteed to drill a hole in your head. It's on other Autry Christmas compilations, so its absence from this one is a bit of a mystery.)
Autry's greatest strength as a singer is that he never succumbs to easy cynicism; regardless of his vocal shortcomings (or perhaps because of them), he always sounds sincere. His paeans to Santa Claus are informed by a casual, unforced belief in the spirit of Christmas. The best tracks feature gentle, casually sophisticated Western-swing arrangements that should delight children and parents.
Unfortunately, this particular album has more than its share of duds. By and large, the worst songs on this compliation also have overproduced arrangements. The duets with Rosemary Clooney (except for "The Night Before Christmas Song," which is a little gem) are mostly busts, as are the songs with cutesy, childish lyrics ("Where Did My Snowman Go," "If It Doesn't Snow on Christmas"). To be fair, Autry delivers these songs as well as anyone could, but the question remains: Why did they have to be included here?
Three stars."
Good, but now there's a better one!
randysrodeo.com | Austin, Texas | 11/09/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This CD was eclipsed in 2004 by Varese Sarabande's "Complete Columbia Christmas Recordings." 27 tracks, well mastered, fully annotated."