Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits

      Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits is a set of two Christmas-themed compilation albums released by Rhino Records in 1989, each featuring ten popular Christmas recordings from 1935 to 1983, many of which charted on the Billboard record charts. Both volumes were certified Gold by the RIAA in the U.S., with the second volume being certified Platinum.[1]

      1935–1954

      Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits (1935–1954)
      Compilation album by Various artists
      Released 1989
      Genre Christmas music
      Label Rhino
      Professional ratings
      Review scores
      Source Rating
      Allmusic 5/5 stars[2]
      1. "White Christmas" — Bing Crosby
      2. "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" — Vaughn Monroe
      3. "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" — Gene Autry
      4. "The Christmas Song" — Nat "King" Cole
      5. "All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)" — Spike Jones & His City Slickers
      6. "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" — Jimmy Boyd
      7. "Christmas Island" — Andrews Sisters & Guy Lombardo
      8. "Silent Night" — Bing Crosby
      9. "Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane)" — Gene Autry
      10. "Santa Baby" — Eartha Kitt

      Reception

      Shawn Haney of Allmusic says the album a "charming collection of golden classic Christmas favorites" that "should appeal to all ages." Featuring "everybody and everything from the Bing himself to Gene Autry's "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" to "All I Want for Christmas," a comedic, hilarious family favorite".[2]

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      1955–Present

      Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits (1955–Present)
      Compilation album by Various artists
      Released 1989
      Genre Christmas music
      Label Rhino
      Professional ratings
      Review scores
      Source Rating
      Allmusic 4/5 stars[3]
      1. "Jingle Bell Rock" — Bobby Helms
      2. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" — Brenda Lee
      3. "The Chipmunk Song" — The Chipmunks with David Seville
      4. "The Little Drummer Boy" — The Harry Simeone Chorale
      5. "Mary's Boy Child" — Harry Belafonte
      6. "Blue Christmas" — Elvis Presley
      7. "Nuttin' for Christmas" — Barry Gordon
      8. "Please Come Home for Christmas" — Charles Brown
      9. "White Christmas" — The Drifters
      10. "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" — Elmo 'n Patsy

      Reception

      Allmusic critic Stewart Mason calls the album "a rather skimpy but nonetheless useful compilation of Christmas songs" and says it "wisely steers mostly clear of the annoying novelty Christmas songs of the rock era." While it does include the "horrifyingly bad 'Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer'," it also includes "Charles Brown's 'Please Come Home for Christmas', maybe the best R&B Christmas song ever".[3]

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      Other albums

      Rhino Records subsequently released four other albums as Billboard Christmas hits:

      • Billboard Greatest R&B Christmas Hits (1990)[4]
      • Billboard Rock 'n' Roll Christmas (1994)[5]
      • Billboard Top Christmas Hymns (1995)[6]
      • Billboard Greatest Country Christmas Hits (1999)[7]
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      References

      1. ^ RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - Billboard Christmas albums. RIAA.com. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
      2. ^ a b Haney, Shawn M.. Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits: 1935–1954 > Review at Allmusic. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
      3. ^ a b Mason, Stewart. Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits: 1955–Present > Review at Allmusic. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
      4. ^ Billboard Greatest R&B Christmas Hits > Overview. Allmusic.com.
      5. ^ Billboard Rock & Roll Christmas > Overview. Allmusic.com.
      6. ^ Billboard Top Christmas Hymns > Overview. Allmusic.com.
      7. ^ Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits:Country > Overview. Allmusic.com.
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      Last modified on 1 March 2012, at 01:44