To Wish You a Merry Christmas (CD - 1962)

Producers: Henri Rene, Dennis Farnon, E.O. Welker.

Includes liner notes by Watson Wylie.

Digitally remastered by Dick Baxter (1990, BMG Recording Studios, New York, New York).

Adapters: Corman; Robert de Cormier; Johnny Marks.

Personnel: Harry Belafonte (vocals); Millard Thomas, Frantz Casseus, Laurindo Almeida (guitar).

Liner Note Author: Watson Wylie.

Recording information: 07/20/1956-06/08/1958.

Unknown Contributor Role: The Orchestra.

A reissue of LPM-1887 from 1958 with different liner art, but identical otherwise. The original was only issued in mono, so it is likely RCA decided that while they were issuing the stereo masters, they'd update the artwork to include Belafonte's photogenic presence. ~ Cary Ginell

Considering Belafonte's previous talent for breathing life into well-worn folk standards, this album is a disappointment. As a rule, Christmas albums during this period were little more than assembly line productions of the same old holiday tunes with few, if any, original songs and this one is no exception (how many versions of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" can you listen to?). The album sold poorly, even at a time when every Belafonte album hit the top 10. It was repackaged in 1962 with a more attractive cover (the photogenic Belafonte wasn't even on the front of the 1958 album!) and that release did better. ~ Cary Ginell minimize