Burl Ives - Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

perfect original 1965 Burl Ives Xmas album in stereo

Burl Ives' 1965 "Have A Holly Jolly Christmas" is a perfect "album" - a truly cohesive audio snapshot which captures the aura of joy and hope which is what Christmas ought to be all about - even for atheists like myself.

My parents bought the LP in the sixties - and by the late seventies the LP was worn out. By the nineties the cassette recording of the LP had also bitten the dust, but the memories remained of my alltime favourite Christmas album.

This "AAD" (analogue source, analogue master) CD is an original stereo recording which has clearly been made with due care from the original master tape. It is a thrill to listen to - especially if you're already a fan of Burl's. I've been blessed with finding great condition LP versions of his earlier albums that I love - including "Wild Side Of Life", "Old Time Varieties" and "Captain Burl Ives Ark" - which I've transferred to CD. But vinyl is not the best quality long term storage medium - there's no substitute for a good condition master tape.

The production is excellent - even though there are a few places where you can hear the limitations of early sixties mixing equipment. A robust and warm tone is evident in each track and I love the instrumental and vocal arrangements.

I also greatly appreciate that this CD includes the LP's original cover notes (and that no "extra tracks" were added). March 25, 2008

My Fav for Christmastime

This is my ALL TIME favorite Christmas CD, I had one for many years & when I opened the box up that held all my Christmas ones, the case was there but "NO" CD, I was "frantic" & searched the entire house, it was no where to be found.
I checked every store that I went into that sold CD's, but to no avail, then I came here and "WAHLA" there it was.
Thanks for making a 65 year old woman so happy. January 26, 2008

Brought back childhood memories

My Mom had this on vinyl when I was still young enough to believe in Santa Claus. Listening to this album brought back all those wonderful childhood memories of Christmas before innocence is lost. Also, I got a real kick out of singing the title song with my daughter. January 21, 2008

Holly & Jolly

You can't help but be in the Christmas mood when listening to this CD. Burl Ives IS Christmas personified! Great CD!!! January 18, 2008

Burl Ives is great

This came as a CD and was in perfect shape. I gave it to a friend, who loves music. He was thrilled with the quality of the sound. January 15, 2008

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