The Williams Brothers Christmas Album

For those lucky enough to have discovered it, The Williams Brothers Christmas Album, originally and briefly released in 1970 on Barnaby Records, is a long-lost seasonal gem that ranks up there with other treasured Christmas albums by artists such as the Ray Conniff Singers and the Carpenters. For decades, beloved crooner Andy Williams hosted his annual Christmas television specials that would feature musical appearances with his singing brothers Bob, Dick and Don. And they put that practice to use on this record the first side of the LP showcases the Beach Boys-style harmonies of the Brothers on such Christmas classics such as "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" and "White Christmas." The second side, meanwhile, contains an incredible 17-minute Christmas medley that begins and ends with "Caroling, Caroling" and includes such tunes as "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Sleep Well, Little Children" and "It's Christmas Time." Produced by Andy and conducted by Al Capps, this rare album has never come out on in its entirety on CD other than an extremely limited Branson theatre edition and this is also the first time the album has been reissued with original artwork. Notes by Joe Marchese place this release in the context of Andy s incredible career and that of his brothers, with whom he started singing way back in 1938! If you enjoy Andy's classic Christmas albums from the 60s and 70s (which are available on Real Gone Music s Andy Williams: The Complete Christmas Recordings collection), you should definitely check out this hard-to-find treasure.