Track Listing

1. Santa Claus Is Back In Town
2. White Christmas
3. Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)
4. I'll Be Home For Christmas
5. Blue Christmas
6. Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me
7. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
8. Silent Night Holy Night
9. Peace In The Valley (For Me)
10. I Believe
11. Take My Hand Precious Lord
12. It's No Secret (What God Can Do)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44606 in Music
• Released on: 2003-03-22
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
It may seem weird to call a seasonal album "essential", but along with Phil Spector's Christmas Gift for You, this is arguably the finest rock & roll Christmas album of all time. Recorded in 1957 at the height of his artistry--when he truly could be called the King of Rock & Roll--this album demonstrates Presley having a lot of vocal fun with a variety of styles, whether it's a carol ("Silent Night") or pop standard (Gene Autry's "Here Comes Santa Claus"). He does one of the greatest versions of "White Christmas" ever recorded, basically using the Drifters' version as a blueprint--and then singing all the parts himself. His "I'll Be Home for Christmas" is definitive--but the best moments are the "new" tracks written specifically for this release, including the classic "Blue Christmas", Lieber & Stoller's "Santa Claus Is Back in Town" (one of the most sexually suggestive holiday tunes ever), and the wonderful, pop-based "Santa, Bring My Baby Back to Me". All these tracks are available on the King of Rock 'n' Roll box set--but if you don't own that, this belongs under any Christmas tree--though Elvis fans have been known to listen to tracks from this in the middle of July! --Bill Holdship

CD Description
Now considered among the greatest Christmas albums of all-time, ELVIS' CHRISTMAS ALBUM was originally mired in controversy. When the album was first released in 1957, many Americans considered Presley a menace to society, an amoral hip-shaking freak. The idea of this "punk" profaning Christmas and Christianity (the album, after all, includes four gospel songs) set off the type of uproar most publicists only dream about. Upon hearing Elvis' version of "White Christmas" (actually a close copy of The Drifters' earlier recording), songwriter Irving Berlin mounted a campaign to prevent radio play of the song. Deejays were actually fired for playing the track!
Nonetheless, ELVIS' CHRISTMAS ALBUM quickly ascendedthe pop charts and established itself among the handful of holiday perennials. Whether crooning a solemn classic like "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" or rocking through "Santa BringMy Baby Back to Me", Elvis is clearly in command of the material, often sounding like he's having the time of his life.RCA reissued the album many times, adding and/or omitting numbers and resequencing the album. The original twelve-song version, starting with the raucous "Santa Claus is Back in Town" and ending with "It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)", isthe best.

Customer Reviews

The 1957 Elvis Christmas album still holds up great today
"Elvis' Christmas Album" was originally released in 1957 as his fourth album and the first one that followed an obvious thematic concept. You need to keep in mind that this was originally a record album, because there were clearly two sides to Elvis this time around. On the "A" side of the album you Elvis doing rockers and blues numbers like "Santa Claus Is Back in Town," "Here Comes Santa Claus," and the most famous Elvis Christmas track, "Blue Christmas" for the first-half dozen songs. On the "B" side Elvis does gospel songs including "Silent Night," "I Believe," "Peace in the Valley" and "Take My Hand, Precious Lord." Keep in mind that Elvis had only exploded on the music scene the year before and listening to him sing "church" music suddenly made it really difficult to dismiss all the hip shaking. Yes, it is strange that the original Elvis backup group, the Jordanaires, pops up on track only on the "second" side of the album, but there is no doubting Elvis' sincerity in singing these songs. This first Elvis Christmas album is still the best and even those fans who voted for the Vegas Elvis stamp instead of the Young Elvis stamp would have to agree.

Classic (with reservations)
Elvis' only album of the '50s with no fast tempo rock and roll, and for good reason: it was his first Christmas, so the decibel level had to be lower. He does wail on the incredible blues-rock opener, "Santa Claus Is Back In Town". It's Elvis doin' his thing, driving home the double-entendres. It's been written that this album was banned, and the banners didn't have to go too far into the album to find something...too strong.
"Blue Christmas" is medium-tempo blues-rock, a gem of a tune, featuring a typically great vocal and some genuine Presley low-down blues licks. If there was room back in the day, this could gone into the Top 20.
"Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me" is a nicely syncopated rocker, a soft vocal over a hard beat. It works. The vocal approach is reminiscent of Conway Twitty's later work on "It's Only Make Believe".
And for the remainder - the reason I decline from giving the album/CD *five* stars. Although the material is excellent and well-arranged, we have a near-copy of the Drifters' "White Christmas" and Gene Autry's "Here Comes Santa Claus". They're fun to hear, but you wonder if Elvis and the boys could have come up with a more *original* sound. "I Believe" finds Elvis givin' it his all, but strangely, he seems to be struggling to stay on top of this inspirational power ballad.
The gospel sides are done with conviction, beautifully phrased by Presley, but the listener is a bit uncomfortable with the "oil and water" mix: his vocal mannerisms are "pop" and the lyrics are pure gospel.
On later gospel releases, Elvis seems to take a step back stylistically and showcase the quartets and instrumental back-up; the song itself. On several tracks from "His Hand In Mine" (1960) and "How Great Thou Art" (1967) maybe he should used more *voice*; on "He Touched Me" (1972) he found the balance.

great cover bad sound
I must say that as Elvis Christmas Albums go,the sound is very bad. Some of the tracks sound like they have been played around with. There are better Elvis CDs out there. Don't buy this one,keep clear.