Do NOT buy this disc, BEWARE!
Rnzn | 12/10/2005
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Now that the 1958 stereo re-recording of Mantovani's Christmas Carols has been officially released on a beautifully remastered CD from Collector's Choice Music there is absolutely no reason to buy this CD. The version described here is the 1953 mono recording. It has HORRIBLE sound quality and even fails to use the original album art.
I was initially glad to see that this classic Christmas album was finally on CD. Now for the downside. They not only failed to use the master tapes, but it was obviously copied from old LP records and done with no care at all. The original 1953 album recording was High Fidelity Mono. This version is Mono but no longer Hi-Fi because they have removed all the upper frequencies to hide the record surface noise. You won't hear a lot of pops or noise, but the lack of full frequency sound is a HUGE disappointment.
This disc sounds worse than other CD's I have heard that are copied from old records. Not only are the high frequencies missing, but there are also some parts with significant distortion in the mid-range. Any copy of the original LP would have far better sound quality than this CD! This is one case where you should definitely NOT try to replace your original record.
Since this is such an old recording it would not be surprising if the original mono master tapes are either lost or damaged beyond repair. That might also explain why the original label, London/Decca now owned by Universal Music Group, has never reissued the the 1953 mono recording on CD.
This CD was probably been made without permission from the original record company or the Mantovani estate. In other words this quality of this disc is as low as it can possibly get!"
The Original 1953 Release and Song Order
E. Becker | Los Angeles, CA USA | 01/21/2009
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Well, I've been searching and trying to amass all the songs from the original 1953 FFRR London Mono release for quite a few years and found digital copies of all these songs except "Midnight Waltz". This CD does appear to be the 1953 release from what I remember. Mantovani re-did the whole album again in Stereo in 1957, and those versions are mostly what are on other CD reissues.
I had previously gathered the original song list from the following CDs (except for the elusive Midnight Waltz): "Mantovani's Christmas Favorites", "A Mantovani Christmas", "The Christmas Album", "Christmas with the Mantovani Orchestra".
All have superior sound to what's on here, but in its own right, and if you're not in search of the "Holy Grail" of sound quality this CD will suffice."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1
