Charles Brown – Charles Brown Sings Chritmas Songs (Remastered Edition) (1961/2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 29:20 minutes | 332 MB | Genre: Christmas, Soul
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Little Starlight Records
Charles Brown, whose ambling, relaxed, sophisticated blues are now but a footnote to musical history, is the unofficial but undisputed king of hip Christmas music. He earned his crown primarily on the basis of two songs, both of them languid, romantic ballads. First, there was “Merry Christmas, Baby,” written by Johnny Moore and Lou Baxter (though Brown would later claim authorship), and recorded for Exclusive Records in 1947. Next came “Please Come Home For Christmas,” written by Brown and Gene Redd, and recorded for King Records in 1960. Subsequently, Charles Brown recorded these two songs many times, including roughly a dozen versions of “Merry Christmas, Baby” for almost as many labels.Over the years, the two songs became holiday standards, transcending genre and generating countless cover versions. Most famously, Otis Redding covered “Merry Christmas, Baby” on the classic Soul Christmas LP in 1968, with a radically different, uptempo arrangement that was later deployed by Bruce Springsteen, among others. Then, the Eagles took “Please Come Home For Christmas” to #18 on the pop charts in 1978 – an era when very few major acts recorded Christmas music at all.
Tracklist:
1-1. Charles Brown – Please Come Home For Christmas (02:48)
1-2. Charles Brown – Christmas with No One to Love (03:13)
1-3. Charles Brown – Christmas in Heaven (02:35)
1-4. Charles Brown – Christmas Blues (02:57)
1-5. Charles Brown – It’s Christmas All Year ‘Round (03:02)
1-6. Charles Brown – Wrap Yourself in a Christmas Package (02:15)
1-7. Charles Brown – It’s Christmas Time (02:50)
1-8. Charles Brown – Christmas Comes but Once a Year (02:22)
1-9. Charles Brown – Christmas Questions (02:35)
1-10. Charles Brown – Let’s Make Every Day a Christmas Day (02:27)
1-11. Charles Brown – Bringing in a Brand New Year (02:10)