Christmas with Chet Atkins

Christmas with Chet Atkins
Studio album by Chet Atkins
Released	November 1961
Recorded	Nashville, TN
Genre	Christmas music
Length	31:11
Label	RCA Victor LSP-2423 (Stereo)
Producer	Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins chronology
The Most Popular Guitar (1961) Christmas with Chet Atkins (1961) Chet Atkins Plays Back Home Hymns (1962)
Alternative Cover

Christmas with Chet Atkins is a recording by Chet Atkins. It is a Christmas album.

"White Christmas" contains Atkins' first recorded use of chordal harmonics.^[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
Country Standard Time	(no rating) [3]

Writing for Allmusic, critic Matthew Greenwald wrote "His version of "Silver Bells" is, quite simply, one of the best versions of the standard ever, and possibly one of Atkins' most arresting performances of all-time." The album is "Overall, criminally underrated... Gorgeous."^[2] Brian Wahlert or Country Standard Time wrote "This is the perfect background music for sipping hot chocolate in front of the fireplace and falling asleep in the warm glow of the Christmas tree lights while the snow falls outside."^[3]

Reissues

• In 1997, Christmas with Chet Atkins was reissued on CD by Razor & Tie. It differs from the original vinyl pressing as it substitutes alternate-takes for several tracks and has an alternate cover.
• In 2004, RCA reissued Christmas with Chet Atkins on CD.

Track listing

Side one

1. "Jingle Bell Rock" (Joe Beal, Jim Boothe) – 1:51
2. "Winter Wonderland" (Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith) – 2:49
3. "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" (Traditional) – 2:13
4. "White Christmas" (Irving Berlin) – 2:20
5. "Blue Christmas" (Billy Hayes, Jay Johnson) – 2:53
6. "Jingle Bells" (James Lord Pierpont) – 1:50
7. "Silver Bells" (Madden, Wenrich) – 2:09

Side two

1. "The Little Drummer Boy" (Davis, Onorati, Simeone) – 2:29
2. "Medley: The Coventry Carol/God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen" (Traditional) – 3:25
3. "The First Noel" (William B. Sandys) – 1:46
4. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (Felix Mendelssohn, Charles Wesley) – 1:55
5. "O Come All Ye Faithful" (Oakeley, John Francis Wade) – 2:19
6. "Deck the Halls" (Traditional) – 1:11
7. "Silent Night" (Josef Mohr, Franz Xaver Gruber) – 2:01

Personnel

• Chet Atkins – guitar
• The Anita Kerr Singers - background chorus

References

1. ^ Forbes-Robert, Ron. (2006). "One Long Tune: the life and music of Lenny Breau". Denton, TX. University of North Texas Press. ISBN 1-5744-1210-8.
2. ^ ^{a b} Greenwald, Matthew. "Christmas with Chet Atkins > Review". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r105391. Retrieved July 2, 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Wahlert, Brian. "Christmas with Chet Atkins > Review". Country Standard Time. http://www.countrystandardtime.com/d/cdreview.asp?xid=495&t=Christmas_with_Chet_Atkins. Retrieved July 8, 2011.