A Charlie Brown Christmas, certified 4X Platinum by the RIAA in 2016, is one of the best-selling jazz albums in history, second only to Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue; and it’s no surprise: Guaraldi’s engaging score to the synonymous holiday television special has introduced generations of children and their parents to the joys of jazz music, with tracks like the instantly recognizable “Linus and Lucy,” and yuletide favorite “Christmas Time Is Here. Truth is, I purged my old vinyl copy of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” many years ago when I got the SACD version.

In fact, the standard version of the album has now been upgraded with a new stereo mix from engineer, Paul Blakemore. I’ll admit, it sure looks super-nifty — but I have to tell you, it is so very, very noisy that I can hardly play it. A single LP vinyl edition maintains the original 1965 mix but for this reissue is offered in gold foil sleeved with embossing details. I thought the album started with "Christmas Time Is Here Again" vocal version and ended with the instrumental version, so I recorded it that way and found out I was wrong when I finally bought my own on vinyl sometime later that had the sides marked on the label.This popular album always seems to have been played a great deal on less-than-perfect turntables over the years, and probably mainly on those poorly aligned automatic record changers that were all the rage in the mid-1960s on into the ’70s. This new edition of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” takes the listener just that extra bit closer to being there in the studio with the musicians who recorded it.

The big benefit of doing the new mix in hi-res digital is there should be no perceivable loss in fidelity from the master multitracks — so, in effect, what we hear is a new mix in first-generation fidelity. A perfect blend of classical, Christmas, and Jazz this is definitely something you need to give an Xmas Day spin. With a new spin adding a receiver and blue tooth speakers for a bit more amplified sound though the house. What Child Is This is based around the sweet but sad melody of Greensleeves, while the version of O Tannenbaum opens with Guaraldi playing the melody alone at the piano, his performance filled with pauses.Mind you, I mean no offense to the good folks at Craft Recordings, who indeed have every right to offer these fun, non-audiophile variants for Peanuts collectors and fans around the world — have at it, I say! We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our site, provide personalised content and advertising, analyse our traffic, and ensure you see more of what you love.

Ever since its debut in 1965, the Vince Guaraldi Trio's album A Charlie Brown Christmas has reigned as a Yuletide classic. SPECIAL FOR THE PEANUTS 70th ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR: A Charlie Brown Christmas will be wrapped with an ‘animated’ collectible lenticular featuring Charles M Schulz’s beloved classic characters. A Charlie Brown Christmas has remained one of the biggest-selling holiday titles since its release in 1965, thanks to annual airings of the TV special. Most importantly, the album sounds like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” should sound, but with a clearer sense of studio presence and gently richer dynamics, especially on the drums and Vince Guaraldi’s piano.When the great jazz critic Nat Hentoff belatedly wrote an essay about him in 2010 – 34 years after Guaraldi’s sudden death, aged 47 – it was in the context of rediscovering a lost figure, noting that Guaraldi had never been on the list of nominees for the Jazz Hall of Fame, and comparing him to the largely forgotten swing-era trombonist Jack Jenney. One of the most beloved and iconic holiday albums of all-time, this best-selling perennial classic continues to introduce generations of children to the joys of jazz, year after year, with songs like 'Christmas Time Is Here' and the instantly recognizable 'Linus and Lucy. However, Vince Guaraldi will always be known as the man who introduced generations of children to the joys of jazz – having scored years’ worth of PEANUTS specials - certainly, the instantly recognizable “ Linus and Lucy” remains his most famous track. Rounding out the package is a special message from the family of Lee Mendelson, the late Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning producer and co-creator of the PEANUTS® animated specials. Perhaps that’s the reason for A Charlie Brown Christmas’s longevity, and indeed the reason there’s a market for yet another deluxe edition – seemingly an annual occurrence at this point – which packs out four CDs with enough alternative takes to satisfy even the most obsessive fan.

In a moment you are confronted with a hip jazz riff and off you go again thinking about Charlie Brown and his pals. I prefer how Guaraldi’s piano sounds on this new edition, especially in comparison to the originals that always sounded a little bit on the boxy side (even on my aforementioned SACD). Certainly, executives at the CBS network were horrified: at its pace, its simple animation, Shulz’s refusal to include the then ubiquitous canned laughter, and at Guaraldi’s soundtrack.The Super Deluxe Edition offers fans an unparalleled deep dive into all aspects of A Charlie Brown Christmas—placing listeners in the studio as the musicians work through their arrangements. One of the most beloved and iconic holiday albums of all-time, this best-selling perennial classic continues to introduce generations of children to the joys of jazz, year after year, with songs like “Christmas Time Is Here” and the instantly recognizable “Linus and Lucy. com/collections/exclusive-vinyl/products/vince_guaraldi_trio-a_charlie_brown_christmas_exclusive_starburst_lp? The super deluxe, 2LP and single CD editions follow on 2 December (was 14 October), via Craft Recordings. Mark Smotroff is an avid vinyl collector who has also worked in marketing communications for decades.