The Complete Christmas Collection 1958–2010


The Complete Christmas Collection 1958–2010 is a three-disc box set by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released in 2015 by Real Gone Music under license from Columbia Records. The set includes Mathis's five holiday albums from the period in their entirety: Merry Christmas, Sounds of Christmas, Give Me Your Love for Christmas, Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis, and The Christmas Album. It also compiles all of Mathis's holiday songs that were only released as singles, as well as thematically appropriate tracks from his non-holiday albums: "When a Child Is Born" from I Only Have Eyes for You, the holiday version of "What a Wonderful World" from Let It Be Me, and his two recordings of "Ave Maria" from Good Night, Dear Lord, which bookend the set.

Critical reception

Marc Myers of The Wall Street Journal offered high praise. "It's hard to imagine any pop singer who has recorded more definitive versions of holiday songs than Johnny Mathis," He also described the collection as "71 tracks of ecstatic vocals".
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic wrote, "Throughout it all, Mathis adheres to his effortless elegance," and that "Mathis's holiday albums are warm and inviting, the ideal soundtrack to snowy evenings or an afternoon of wrapping presents and trimming the tree, so it's nice to have all of them in one handy place."

Track listing

Source:

Disc one

  1. "Ave Maria" – 2:59
  2. * from his 1958 album Good Night, Dear Lord
  3. "Winter Wonderland" – 3:14
  4. "The Christmas Song" – 4:18
  5. "Sleigh Ride" – 2:57
  6. "Blue Christmas" – 3:02
  7. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" – 4:04
  8. "White Christmas" – 3:28
  9. "O Holy Night" – 4:35
  10. "What Child Is This? " – 3:58
  11. "The First Noel" – 3:49
  12. "Silver Bells" – 3:32
  13. "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" – 3:08
  14. "Silent Night" – 3:49
  15. * tracks 2–13 from his 1958 album Merry Christmas
  16. "Ol' Kris Kringle" – 2:24
  17. "Give Me Your Love for Christmas" – 2:55
  18. * above two 1961 recordings first released on his 2014 compilation The Classic Christmas Album
  19. "Christmas Eve" – 2:56
  20. "My Kind of Christmas" – 3:02
  21. * above two released as a single on 11/17/61
  22. "The Sounds of Christmas" – 2:35
  23. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" from Meet Me in St. Louis – 3:34
  24. "A Marshmallow World" – 2:37
  25. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" – 3:19
  26. "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" – 4:12
  27. * tracks 18–22 from his 1963 album Sounds of Christmas
;Personnel
; Recording dates
  • January 3, 1958 – track 1
  • June 16, 1958 – tracks 3, 6, 7, 11
  • June 18, 1958 – tracks 2, 4, 5, 8
  • June 20, 1958 – tracks 9, 10, 12, 13
  • September 11, 1961 – tracks 14–17
  • July 12, 1963 – track 18
  • July 17, 1963 – tracks 19, 20, 22
  • July 25, 1963 – track 21

Disc two

  1. "The Little Drummer Boy" – 3:32
  2. "Have Reindeer, Will Travel" – 3:31
  3. "The Secret of Christmas" – 4:12
  4. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" – 2:20
  5. "Carol of the Bells" – 1:22
  6. "Christmas Is a Feeling in Your Heart" – 3:03
  7. "Hallelujah Chorus" – 4:02
  8. * tracks 1–7 from his 1963 album Sounds of Christmas
  9. "Jingle Bell Rock" – 2:11
  10. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" from Meet Me in St. Louis – 3:29
  11. "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music – 2:37
  12. "Give Me Your Love for Christmas" – 2:37
  13. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" – 2:19
  14. "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" – 2:52
  15. "Do You Hear What I Hear?" – 3:21
  16. "Calypso Noel" – 2:13
  17. "The Little Drummer Boy" – 2:28
  18. "Christmas Day" from Promises, Promises – 3:24
  19. "The Lord's Prayer" – 2:40
  20. * tracks 8–18 from his 1969 album Give Me Your Love for Christmas
  21. "Sign of the Dove" – 2:49
  22. "Christmas Is..." – 3:06
  23. * above two released as a single on 11/23/70
  24. "When a Child Is Born" – 3:41
  25. * from his 1976 album I Only Have Eyes for You
  26. "The Very First Christmas Day" – 3:07
  27. "Christmas in the City of the Angels" – 2:50
  28. * above two released as a single on 11/8/79
  29. "The Lord's Prayer" – 3:26
  30. "When a Child Is Born" – 3:52
  31. * above two released as a single on 11/18/80
;Personnel
  • tracks 24–25 performed with Gladys Knight & the Pips
  • Don Costa – producer
  • Jack Gold – producer
  • Glenn Osser – arranger
  • Ernie Freeman – arranger, conductor
  • Gene Page – arranger, conductor
  • Jack Feierman – conductor
  • no arranger is indicated for track 20
; Recording dates
  • July 12, 1963 – track 3
  • July 16, 1963 – tracks 2, 6
  • July 17, 1963 – tracks 4, 5, 7
  • July 25, 1963 – track 1
  • July 15, 1969 – tracks 10, 11, 14, 17
  • September 23, 1969 – tracks 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18
  • October 30, 1970 – tracks 19, 20
  • February 23, 1976 – March 5, 1976 – track 21
  • June 5, 1979 – tracks 22, 23
  • April 23, 1979 – track 25
  • May 21, 1979 – track 24

Disc three

  1. "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" – 2:14
  2. "Toyland" – 3:41
  3. "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" – 2:45
  4. "Jingle Bells" – 2:54
  5. Medley – 5:09
a. "Christmas Is for Everyone"
b. "Where Can I Find Christmas?" from The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas
  1. Medley from Santa Claus: The Movie – 4:03
a. "Every Christmas Eve"
b. "Giving "
  1. "The Christmas Waltz" – 2:36
  2. "We Need a Little Christmas" from Mame – 1:54
  3. Medley – 3:44
a. "Caroling, Caroling"
b. "Happy Holiday" from Holiday Inn
  1. "It's Christmas Time Again" – 4:28
  2. * tracks 1–10 from his 1986 album Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis
  3. "O Tannenbaum" – 2:57
  4. * from Mannheim Steamroller's 2001 album Christmas Extraordinaire
  5. "Joy To The World" – 2:01
  6. "Heavenly Peace" – 3:30
  7. "Away in a Manger" – 2:30
  8. "A Christmas Love Song" – 3:35
  9. "Frosty the Snowman" – 2:31
  10. "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" – 2:00
  11. "O Little Town of Bethlehem" – 2:44
  12. "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" – 3:34
  13. Medley – 5:00
a. "Snowfall"
b. "Christmas Time Is Here" from A Charlie Brown Christmas
  1. "Merry Christmas" – 3:12
  2. * tracks 12–21 from his 2002 album The Christmas Album
  3. Medley – 2:47
a. "Winter Wonderland"
b. "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"
  1. * from Bette Midler's 2006 album Cool Yule
  2. "What a Wonderful World" – 4:31
  3. * from his 2010 album Let It Be Me
  4. "Ave Maria" – 4:34
  5. * from his 1958 album Good Night, Dear Lord
;Personnel
  • track 5 performed with the Henry Mancini Orchestra & Chorus
  • track 11 performed with Mannheim Steamroller
  • track 22 performed with Bette Midler
  • track 23 performed with Lane Brody
  • Denny Diante – producer
  • Chip Davis – producer, arranger, conductor
  • Robbie Buchanan – producer, arranger
  • Fred Mollin – producer
  • Mitch Miller – producer
  • Scott Erickson – associate producer
  • Al Ham – associate producer
  • Bette Sussman – co-producer, track arranger, vocal arranger
  • Jeremy Lubbock – arranger, conductor
  • Ray Ellis – arranger, conductor ; arranger
  • Henry Mancini – arranger, conductor
  • Bob Krogstad – arranger
  • Alan Broadbent – arranger
  • Jonathan Tunick – arranger
  • Patrick Williams – orchestral arranger, track arranger, vocal arranger
  • Matthew McCauley – strings arranger and conductor
  • International Children's Choir – backing vocals
  • The kids from St. Michael's School, North Hollywood – backing vocals
; Recording dates
  • January 3, 1958 – track 24
  • July 1986 – tracks 1–10
  • 2001 – track 11
  • 2002 – tracks 12–21
  • 2006 – track 22
  • 2009–2010 – track 23

Additional personnel

Original recordings

  • Johnny Mathis – vocals

Box set

Source:
  • Gordon Anderson – producer
  • Didier C. Deutsch – Sony producer
  • Jeff James – Sony producer
  • Mike Piacentini – remastering
  • CEA/Cache Agency – front cover photo
  • Wayne Knight/Starline Productions – wallet photo & page 11 booklet photo
  • Tom D. Kline – design
  • Joe Marchese – liner notes
  • Remastered at Battery Studios, New York City