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From Collectors’ Choice, 2 highly sought-after holiday themed albums released by The New Christy Minstrels in the 60′s put together on 1 CD with 3 bonus tracks.
Review by Peter Durward Harris for Christmas With the New Christy Minstrels: Complete
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The New Christy Minstrels were a great sixties band who had a lot of fun making folk-pop music, but underwent a lot of line-up changes even during their best years. They recorded two Christmas albums, three years apart, with completely different line-ups. All the 1963 members had left by the time the 1966 album was recorded. The staff turnover was so high in 1966 that most of those who recorded the album (in May) had left by the time the album was released in the fall. Among those who joined in 1966 (after the album was recorded) were Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes, but even they could not halt the steady decline of the group.An earlier reviewer suggested that those who like one of the albums making up this twofer might not like the other. Certainly, they are different from each other in some respects, but I love them both.The 1963 album (titled Merry Christmas) was recorded when the band was at it’s peak, with Green Green (their biggest hit) having it’s chart run that year. The line-up was Nick Woods, Art Podell, Barry McGuire (who sang lead on Green Green and became famous for Eve of Destruction after he left the band), Barry Kane, Larry Ramos (who later founded The Association, famous for Cherish and Never my love), Clarence Trent, Doug Brookins and two female singers, Gayle Caldwell (soprano) and Jackie Miller Davidson (alto).Most of the songs on the 1963 album were written by various members of the band, so even those (like me) who have large collections of Christmas music will find plenty of interest here. The songs are of a remarkably high quality and it is perhaps surprising that none of them have become standards.The 1966 album (titled Christmas with the Christies) was recorded when the group was already in decline generally, but this is still a fine album – it was probably the last great album recorded by the band, although I haven’t heard any of their later music, very little of which is available now and probably for a good reason. The line-up was Bob Buchanan, Bill Teague, Bill Skiles, Pete Henderson, Michael McGinnis, Peter-John Morse and two female singers, Ann White (soprano) and Ede Mae Kellogg (alto). Another fine alto, Karen Gunderson, had joined the group, stayed for two years and left between the two albums so was one of the few Minstrels from the era to miss out on both albums.The 1966 album is slicker than it’s predecessor – more pop, less folk, and consists almost entirely of standards which appear on many other Christmas albums. However, these versions are distinctive, with all the different voices and a variety of lead singers, so I still rate it highly.The New Christy Minstrels were different from all their contemporaries and there has never been anything like them (regardless of line-up) before or since.
Review by David B. Eck for Christmas With the New Christy Minstrels: Complete
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Growing up, The New Christy Minstrel’s “Merry Christmas” album was the most played LP during the holidays. I was delighted to find that it had been released on CD. Even though I hadn’t heard these tunes in 25 years, I could still remember the songs and lyrics. Great, folk-style group singing. Some of the arangements remind me of songs in the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” style. Roots folk, I guess you’d call it. The original 1963 album is terrific and comprises the first 14 tracks.
The follow-up 1966 LP “Christmas with the Christies,” which is the 2nd half of this CD is a different story. We didn’t own this LP. The group’s style moved from folk to “contemporary” group vocals. It is very stuck in the mid-60′s.
So, five stars for the “Merry Christmas” portion. I won’t allow the “Christmas with the Christies” portion to lower the score and will stick with the first 14 tracks.
Review by Tina Bear for Christmas With the New Christy Minstrels: Complete
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This was my grandma’s and my mom’s favorite christmas album, and I have searched high and low for years for it on CD!!! Christmas was never the same after we ditched the record player! I can smell the cookies just hearing it!
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(out of 29 reviews)
List Price: $ 17.98
Our Price: $ 13.58
Review by F. Kelly for Christmas With the New Christy Minstrels: Complete
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While I’m exceedingly grateful to the folks who made it possible for me to hear the bongo-driven “Do You Hear What I Hear?” once again, I do find it paradoxical that these two albums have been put on a single CD. The only thing they have in common is the “New Christy” name. It’s like the old parable about the farmer’s axe: if, over the years, he has replaced the head and the handle many times, is it the same axe? Well, the 1966 Christies who recorded “Christmas With the Christies” were a whole new axe.One look at the two album sleeves (reproduced microscopically on the CD insert) is sufficient to illustrate my point. See the earlier picture, a group of wholesome youths in honest, hand-knit garments. See the second: a bodacious chick with an ornament and electric-light-laced beehive ‘do. The music inside is every bit as disparate.The bottom line is that there are those of us who love the ’66 album for its slick glee-club arrangements (more Mitch Miller or Fred Waring than Kingston Trio), while there will be those who prefer the crunchy folksters of the earlier release. To each his own; just buy it!