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 Peaceful and Rejuvinating Jan 31, 2010
Great piano music. Wonderful, fulfilling, quiet music to enjoy the Holidays. The children and grandchildren will love it also. I played it well into January.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 What you get with the 2006 remaster... Dec 15, 2009
This is the first copy of the "Charlie Brown Christmas" soundtrack that I've ever owned, so I can't offer any insights as to possible alternate song versions used in this 2006 remaster. The music all sounds pretty good to me, so casual fans shouldn't be bothered too much. Vince Guaraldi's light jazz score for Charlie Brown is cool as a cucumber, and this album of holiday-themed tunes is a welcome addition to a Christmas music collection. Guaraldi's "Charlie Brown Christmas" music gets 4 stars from me.
What I can tell you about is what comes in the CD's packaging, to help you decide whether to purchase this product.
The new remastered album comes in a double-fold cardboard digipak. The cover design of the cartoon characters is printed on a clear window, with the yellow background provided by the panel underneath. The back of the packaging has the track listing and a photograph of Vince Guaraldi posing.
When you open the digipak, the CD is mounted in the center of the three panels. The panel to the right features what looks like a reproduction of the back of the original 1965 album sleeve. It features head shots and short bios on "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz, composer Vince Guaraldi, television producer Lee Mendelson, and animator Bill Melendez.
Inside that panel is the CD booklet. The booklet includes color photographs of Guaraldi (with his crazy moustache) and a four-page story of the making of the beloved holiday TV special "A Charlie Brown Christmas".
In terms of the music, this remaster includes four bonus tracks: alternate takes of songs featured earlier on the album. The bonus tracks sound as great as the normal tracks and fit right in with the rest of the album. The whole thing has a running time of about an hour. The music is good for setting an atmosphere and it can complement other Christmas music when mixed into a holiday playlist.
I was pretty sure that I wanted to buy the soundtrack of "A Charlie Brown Christmas", particularly for familiar tracks like "Christmas Time Is Here", "Linus and Lucy", "O Tannenbaum", and "Christmas Is Coming". This 2006 release comes in a very attractive package, with a nice digipak and a neat little booklet. For this reason I opted for the physical CD, rather than the less-expensive digital albums offered by iTunes or Amazon MP3.
Obviously it's good music. A jazzy holiday collection. So I can give the album my recommendation. Which version you choose to pursue is up to you.
Merry Christmas Charlie Brown Nov 26, 2009
Think "Charlie Brown Christmas" from TV, the sound done so well by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, and you've got it right here! Great holiday songs, so familiar and already a Christmas tradition.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Simply a Holiday Must, Perfect for Christmas Shopping or Christmas Dinner! Nov 16, 2009
"Linus and Lucy", that instantly recognizable tune from the Peanuts television specials, and that beloved classic, "Christmas Time is Here," from "A Charlie Brown Christmas", may be the main reasons to buy this CD if you're a Peanuts fan, but it's also chock full of other great holiday tunes as played by late Jazz musician and composer Vince Guaraldi. Perfect background music for holiday shopping or Christmas dinner, or for pure listening pleasure, this newly remastered CD is a must for the holidays. There are 16 delightful and relaxing tracks here, all with that unique Guaraldi sound, playing as follows: 1. O Tannenbaum, 2. What Child Is This 3. My Little Drum, 4. Linus and Lucy, 5. Christmas Time Is Here (instrumental) 6. Christmas Time Is Here (vocal), 7. Skating, 8. Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, 9. Christmas Is Coming, 10. Fur Elise, 11. The Christmas Song, 12. Greensleeves, Bonus Alternate Tracks: 13. Christmas Is Coming, 14. The Christmas Song, 15. Greensleeves, 16. Christmas Time Is Here. There has been a lot of controversy over this release's remastering and take selection, but from what I have read, it sounds very much to be the edition to get, so buy without fear unless you are not a fan of remastering. In that case, you may be happier with vinyl. Personally, I am thrilled to own this release. There is nothing like the feeling you get from hearing "Christmas Time is Here" around the holidays.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Another review, 3 years on. Oct 24, 2009
As an audiophile and recording engineer, I was excited by the prospect of this remaster. I was especially amused by people's VERY strong reactions to it here on Amazon. Pretty strong stuff!
Maybe deservedly so. It does sound different than the original release. The piano for instance, contrary to a few baffling reviews here, is MUCH fuller sounding now than in the original release. I think people calling it "tinny" aren't actually comparing it to the original, slightly thinner sound of the piano on the '88 release.
RE: Linus and Lucy... the choice to include this version is a little difficult to understand, as the bass is noticeably out of tune with the piano! It's cool as a novelty/different take, but why leave off the one we're all used to? Like many other reviewers, I would have preferred this as a bonus cut.
RE: "clams" and other "mistakes"... I have a feeling that most of these can be attributed to poor documentations as to what was used for the original master. Most of the piano takes here are the ones used on the original release, but there are moments of "what's this?" I suspect that this is due to the current engineers not having notes about which 2 bars of this or that were used as edits/minor piece replacements. They don't sound like entirely different takes to my ears.
It would also seem that the intention was to leave the endings of songs whole instead of fading them out. As a novelty, this almost works, but there is obviously a reason that, say, "Skating" has a fade out on the original release: it gets sloppy!
So yes, strange editing choices were made. As a fan of the original, I would have liked liner notes that explained the choices, which takes were used and why. The inexplicable use of obviously different material seems to have jarred all of us who knew the old disc inside and out.
As a Christmas album, though, it holds up. The sound is full and lovely, the songs are fantastic, the playing wonderful. I don't object to the remix, I think it retains and maybe enhances the sense of presence and space. And I LOVE the fuller piano.
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