The Complete Columbia Christmas Recordings

It didn t take long for Columbia Records to snap up the young star playing Sir Lancelot in the smash Broadway musical Camelot; Robert Goulet was still treading the floorboards eight times a week for the show when the label released his first album, Always You, in October 1961. Goulet went on to record over 20 albums for Columbia over the next decade, notching three Pop hits and 15 Easy Listening smashes, but among his most beloved recordings are the two Christmas albums he recorded for the label, which this 29-track, 79-minute collection presents along with five rare bonus tracks. The first, 1963 s This Christmas I Spend with You, was a blend of old and new Yuletide favorites that went Top 5 on the Christmas charts; produced by Jim Foglesong and arranged by Frank Hunter, it s a true Christmas classic. The second, Robert Goulet s Wonderful World of Christmas, came out five years later and was produced by the great Jimmy Wisner ( Asia Minor ); in keeping with the late- 60s spirit, it had some more socially conscious seasonal fare like He s Gonna Take Away Our Christmas alongside such swinging, lighthearted songs as Sleigh Ride and Hurry Home for Christmas. Both albums have been out of print for years and command big bucks on the used market they appear here in their entirety, with a fresh remastering from Sean Brennan at Battery Studios in New York. But that s not all of the Christmas music that Goulet recorded for Columbia when we say The Complete Columbia Christmas Recordings we mean it! Also here are three rare duets he recorded with his wife Carol Lawrence for a series of albums released by Columbia Special Products for such clients as Goodyear Tire and Beneficial Financial, plus both sides of a promotional-only single he recorded for the Christmas Seals charity. With liner notes by compiler Joe Marchese, and added photos, this jampacked collection is a long-overdue reminder of the magnitude of Robert Goulet s talent, and an essential addition to any Christmas music collection.