The Doris Day Christmas Album

For me, the highlights are the obscure songs - Snowfall, Toyland, Be a child at Christmas time, Christmas present and Christmas waltz - but Doris sings the classics superbly, as you would expect.

This is not a party album but is ideal for the quieter moments during the festive season.


Stunning Doris Day...............   December 5, 2003
 24 out of 24 found this review helpful

Doris recorded this album in just three days, June 16, 17,and 18 of 1964. Four songs each day and with stunning perfection. The ads for the album in Billboard magazine from that year, said.."Doris Day has NEVER been in better voice" and the ads were a full page. (Send Me No Flowers was in release that year, her final picture with Rock Hudson and is reflected in her hair style in the cover photo for this Christmas album)
This is a release of the album in it's entirety with one very noteable bonus track. A project for a Doris Day Christmas Album in 1959 was under way with one of Doris' favorite arrangers, Mr. Frank DeVol. During this time, They were recording the studio tracks for "Pillow Talk". At the end of the Pillow Talk session, they had some time left over and so decided to record "Deck the Hall..." For some reason, perhaps the huge success of "Pillow Talk" and other commitments, the Christmas project was dropped. No one seems to know including Doris. But because she was soooo busy, DeVol went ahead and layed down the music tracks for at least nine Xmas songs. She never went in to record them.
Now, in 1994, Columbia Legacy (Mr. Jerry Shulman) released "Doris Day Personal Christmas Collection". Upon hearing it I was shocked to discover that he substituted "Silver Bells" for one she recorded in 1950 and "The Christmas Song...Chestnuts Roasting..) for one recorded in 1946! Not including these two songs recorded in 1964 for the Christmas Album was a mistake! They are two of the most stunning songs recorded in 1964 and should have been included with the older ones at the end of the CD for continuity of sound purposes in my opinion. It appears that the "Collection" was put together to simply give an example of each title Doris recorded for Christmas. I believe that they wanted to bring to light the old forgotten Xmas songs that Doris recorded. Also, it appears that Mr. Shulman was aware of the nine DeVol Christmas traks sans Doris' vocal, but unaware at the time (1994) of the finished "Deck the Hall" song or surely he would have included it.
Did you know that Doris Day owned her own record label? It was called Arwin. The only songs she released on the label herself were "David's Psalm" b/w "Let No Walls Divide". Other artists on the label were Jan and Arnie(Dean), Chordetts, and others.

For these reasons I suggest this release over the "Personal Christmas Collection". One should have both tho, if you really want to own all of the christmas music Doris Day recorded.

I've been after Doris to go in and finish the unfinished 9 Christmas songs from 1959....after all, the music is there. I think Doris is finished recording and that will not happen. Perhaps if we knew of these tracks in 1985 when she was recording again for her Cable TV show we would have had success in getting her to finish these. What a gem of a recording that would be!!

Who knows? Maybe somewhere someone will uncover some more vocals Doris did...........we can only hope.

If I could be aforded one request........It would be that Doris Day finish her 1959 Christmas Album.

This is a TOP KNOTCH CD!!


Festive Fun with Doris Day...   November 8, 2003
 15 out of 16 found this review helpful

Another quality studio album from Doris! This one recorded late in her signing to Columbia, saw Dudley C. 'Pete' King drafted in to conduct - a man whose previous credits had included collaborations with Fred Astaire, Vic Damone, Jack Jones, Julie London and Dean Martin. Under his safe and watchful eye sessions were completed on June 18th, after a mere two days of recording at the legendary Columbia Records studio in Hollywood. Once released on September 14th 1964, the LP went on to peak at #92 on America's Billboard chart.

The CD issue of this delightful album, featuring the original sleeve artwork, is now enhanced with some bonus tracks. These are the wintry I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm taken from Doris's "Hooray For Hollywood" LP, as well as two rarities previously unreleased in the UK: Deck The Hall With Boughs Of Holly, the only surviving track from her unfinished 1959 Christmas album and Let No Walls Divide, a biblical ballad specially commissioned in 1961 for an American compilation.

The sound, the feeling and the warm atmosphere conveyed throughout "The Doris Day Christmas Album" still to this day truly capture the heart and spirit of the season!!