He Is Born, The Divine Child [Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant] - Petula Clark, Traditional
I'll Be Home For Christmas - Petula Clark, Gannon, Kim
The Little Drummer Boy - Petula Clark, Davis, Katherine [2
Simple Gifts - Petula Clark, McKuen, Rod
Thank You For Christmas - Petula Clark, McKuen, Rod
Butterfly In The Snow - Petula Clark, Clark, Petula
Another Christmas Without You - Petula Clark, Clark, Petula
Away In A Manger - Petula Clark, Traditional
Christmas Lullaby - Petula Clark, Coleman, Cy
Mother Of Us All - Petula Clark, Leccia, Jean
When we discovered that Petula Clark has never put out a proper Christmas album, we knew what we were getting for her fans this holiday season! And, this being a Collectors Choice Music release, we ve packed it with rariti... more »es galore! The first four tracks, This Is Christmas ; Silent Night ; The Happiest Christmas , and He Is Born, the Divine Child (Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant) , hail from the extremely rare recordings she made for the Goodyear Tire Company in 1969, two of which have never been issued in the U.S. Then come two tracks, The Little Drummer Boy and Simple Gifts , that she recorded for Reader s Digest in the 90s; neither of them have ever appeared on a Petula Clark album. Two tracks written and produced by Rod McKuen, the poignant Simple Gifts and the romantic Thank You for Christmas , follow, and neither has been on an album before. We ve also included a remix of 1972 s The Mother of Us All , which was arranged by the legendary Don Costa, and a bonus, French-language version of Little Drummer Boy . But perhaps the biggest gift this collection offers are the four brand-new recordings that appear here, including two written by Petula, Butterflies in the Snow and Another Christmas Without You ; a song originally recorded by none other than Cary Grant, Christmas Lullaby , which was written by Peggy Lee and Cy Coleman but never recorded by Peggy; and a new version of Away in a Manger . A holiday greeting from Petula and festive photos of her through the years make this the perfect Petula present!« less
When we discovered that Petula Clark has never put out a proper Christmas album, we knew what we were getting for her fans this holiday season! And, this being a Collectors Choice Music release, we ve packed it with rarities galore! The first four tracks, This Is Christmas ; Silent Night ; The Happiest Christmas , and He Is Born, the Divine Child (Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant) , hail from the extremely rare recordings she made for the Goodyear Tire Company in 1969, two of which have never been issued in the U.S. Then come two tracks, The Little Drummer Boy and Simple Gifts , that she recorded for Reader s Digest in the 90s; neither of them have ever appeared on a Petula Clark album. Two tracks written and produced by Rod McKuen, the poignant Simple Gifts and the romantic Thank You for Christmas , follow, and neither has been on an album before. We ve also included a remix of 1972 s The Mother of Us All , which was arranged by the legendary Don Costa, and a bonus, French-language version of Little Drummer Boy . But perhaps the biggest gift this collection offers are the four brand-new recordings that appear here, including two written by Petula, Butterflies in the Snow and Another Christmas Without You ; a song originally recorded by none other than Cary Grant, Christmas Lullaby , which was written by Peggy Lee and Cy Coleman but never recorded by Peggy; and a new version of Away in a Manger . A holiday greeting from Petula and festive photos of her through the years make this the perfect Petula present!
CD Reviews
Dferr
Daniel Ferrante | 11/26/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The most wonderful Christmas cd! Petula Clark is still an amazing singer and under rated treasure.
Her rendition of Silent Night is the best and the new songs are terrific. This cd will put you in the Christmas spirit."
Hiding in the Heart
Lee Armstrong | Winterville, NC United States | 12/12/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
""This Is Christmas" is a recording of tracks old and new brought together for the first time on this CD. Petula Clark is a classic singer with her big hits "Downtown," "I Know A Place" & "Don't Sleep in the Subway" replayed wherever the best classic tracks are welcome. The opening three tracks, "This Is Christmas," "Silent Night" & "The Happiest Christmas" were recorded in 1969. I love the fourth track, a previously unreleased French recording "Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant (He Is Born the Divine Child)." It's not a common carol, but one which was played by my mother frequently as I was growing up. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "The Little Drummer Boy" were recorded in 1996 for Readers Digest. Rod McKuen wrote the two-sided single issued in 2006 with lush and lovely "Simple Gifts" & "Thank You for Christmas." "There's a secret part of you, hiding in the heart of you, now it's time to set it free, Petula sings on "Butterfly in the Snow," which shines with a lovely melody and lyric. "Another Christmas Without You" strikes a chord for anyone missing a loved one during the holidays. Both tracks are new songs written and recorded by Petula. "Away in a Manger" blending British and American versions and Peggy Lee's "Christmas Lullaby" are both newly recorded. "Mother of Us All" was recorded in 1972. There is a hidden 14th track that is a French recording of "The Little Drummer Boy." Although these recordings span five decades, there is a remarkable consistency throughout the disc. This is a classy holiday recording that makes bright the holiday season. Enjoy!"
Petula Clark Yuletide goodie
Drac | Jersey City, NJ USA | 12/19/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The songs on this holiday CD run the spectrum of emotions from sacred to joyous and everything in between. The collection will not disappoint and is exactly what one would expect from Petula Clark. The only thing that is odd is that it claims to be Petula's first holiday CD...there was an earlier Christmas CD released in the UK on sequel records several years back that had contained other material (and duplicates of some of the tracks on this one), but half of that collection concerned her yuletide French material. This CD contains mostly English material. It also ends with a nice surprise.... an unlisted bonus track, Little Drummer Boy in French, which is not listd on the label. I really enjoyed the CD."
PET'S WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS TREAT IS BETTER THAN TINSEL AND TU
A. POLLOCK | PLYMOUTH, DEVON United Kingdom | 12/15/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's been some time since a collection of Christmas songs by Petula was available so twelve years later it's a real treat to have this second compilation of seasonal fare. The songs have never been issued in the States but taken from various sources, many have previously surfaced in the UK and Europe. These include the 1969 recorded THIS IS CHRISTMAS, SILENT NIGHT, THE HAPPIEST CHRISTMAS and the French-language HE IS BORN-THE DIVINE CHILD (IL EST NE LE DIVIN ENFANT) which headed the track-listing of that UK released 1997 album as they do here but are welcome as they match the mood and simple ambiance of the other selections. The Rod McKuen composed SIMPLE GIFTS and THANK YOU FOR CHRISTMAS formed a 2006 single whilst brand new recordings of BUTTERFLY IN THE SNOW and ANOTHER CHRISTMAS WITHOUT YOU written by Pet join CHRISTMAS LULLABY (Peggy Lee/Cy Coleman) and a lovely harmonised AWAY IN A MANGER which artfully intertwines the traditional US and European versions and is quite outstanding. Equally stunning are the rare I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS and THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY recorded in 1996 for Reader's Digest, leaving a French version of the latter recorded at the same session as bonus track.
Pet is in excellent voice with her sincerity shining through and it's refreshing to have such a diverse collection which does not include the usual old chestnuts that usually find their way onto Christmas collections. Full marks are therefore awarded Pet, her producers and collaborators for bringing something new to the season's song celebrations.
"
Too many Christmas "themed" songs, not enough Christmas caro
R. P. Spretnak | Las Vegas, Nevada USA | 12/24/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you're a Petula Clark fan, this would be a welcome addition to your Christmas music library. The vocal performances are consistently stellar, from a vocalist who, in the US, has become something of a forgotten 1960s icon.
Whether this rates five stars depends on what you want from a Christmas album. If you want an album filled with traditional songs of the season, carols, old chestnuts about chestnuts on an open fire, this record will be a bit of a disappointment. Pet does a great "I'll Be Home For Christmas." Her take on "Away In A Manager" is very sweet. And her "Silent Night" is quite powerful. (She also performs the over-done "Little Drummer Boy," which I've never understood. Playing a drum for a newborn baby? Makes no sense to me. And what the heck was a little kid with a drum doing wandering the streets of Bethlehem? Busking? I don't get it.)
Most of the tracks, however, are Christmas-themed songs, as opposed to traditional Christmastime songs. For some of us, that is a bit of disappointment. For some, that's a plus. I would rather have heard more traditional songs. And given that she has performed in French and German, a selection of traditional songs in those languages would have been awesome."
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1