The Christmas Album

Performer: Neil Diamond
Artist: Ambrosian Singers; Brian Mann; Herb Pedersen; Jimmy Johnson
Engineer: Frank Wolf
Producer: Peter Asher
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel includes: Neil Diamond (vocals); Andrew Gold (acoustic guitar); Bob Mann (acoustic & electric guitars); Dean Parks (electric guitar, mandolin); Waddy Wachtel (electric guitars); Dan Dugmore (pedal steel guitar); Plas Johnson (tenor saxophone); Warren Ham (harmonica); Robbie Buchanan (piano, keyboards); Alan Lindgrin (piano); Ladd Thomas (organ); Bob Magnusson (acoustic bass); Leland Sklar, Bob Glaub, Jimmy Johnson (bass); Russ Kunkel, Nathaniel Kunkel (drums); Mike Fisher, M.B. Gordy (percussion); Peter Asher (programming). Recorded from January to August 1992. Personnel includes: Neil Diamond, The 139th Street Quartet (vocals); Waddy Wachtel, Bob Mann, Michael Thompson (guitar); Kenny Blackwell (mandolin); Carl Smith (lute); Jon Clarke (flute, recorder, woodwinds); Tommy Morgan (harmonica); Robbie Buchanan (harmonium, piano, keyboards, percussion); Tom Hensley, Alan Lindgren (piano); Billy Payne (B-3 organ); Alan Estes (vibraphone, marimba); M.B. Gordy (vibraphone, timpani, percussion); Bob Magnusson (bass); Carlos Vega (drums, percussion); Vince Charles (steel drums); Peter Asher (percussion). Recorded at Angel Recording Studios Ltd., London England; Arch Angel Recording Studio and Conway Studios, Los Angeles, California. Featuring many classic Christmas carols and hymns, as well as John Lennon's "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)," "Jingle Bell Rock," and an original Neil Diamond composition in "You Make It Feel Like Christmas," THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM is a treasure trove of Christmas cheer hosted by one of the most abiding names in the American pop canon. Produced by 1960s icon Peter Asher, who was one half of the duo Peter and Gordon and has also collaborated with Brian Wilson, this second volume of Neil Diamond's collection of Christmas songs features a mix of traditional material like "Away in a Manger," heard here in an updated arrangement, the pop classic "I'll Be Home For Christmas," and "Joy to the World." Timeless and enduring, these songs, and Diamond's warm delivery, radiate Christmas cheer. While Neil Diamond's The Christmas Album is designed almost exclusively for his adult contemporary constituency, the vocalist still manages to light up most of the obviousness of these standards with his trademark gritty soul and flair for inflection. Opening with the grandeur of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel/We Three Kings of Orient Are" and "Silent Night," the album is awash in rich reds and golds almost immediately. But Diamond has fun with "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," loosening up with a harmonica solo and a busy, up-tempo arrangement, and "Jingle Bell Rock" does just that with a 1950s doo wop vibe. These moves count as big risks on an album that otherwise tries on every possible Christmas album clich�: children's choirs and histrionic adult ones, crashing cymbals, and tasteful piano that's as warm as a fireplace in December. Thankfully, even when the choirs threaten to outdo him, Diamond keeps the focus on his famous singing voice. A stirring a capella version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is a good example of this, and one of The Christmas Album's standouts. ~ Johnny Loftus Neil Diamond's first Christmas album, released in 1992, was a million-seller, but even so, it seemed a little bit soon to be releasing another one only two years later. Not that it much matters which Christmas season you release a Christmas album in. Working again with producer Peter Asher, Diamond addressed 15 seasonal songs that hadn't made it onto the first album, sometimes coming up with unusual arrangements, such as a barbershop quartet version of a medley of "Deck The Halls" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and a reggae version of "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" complete with exhortations to children everywhere. But, especially toward the end of the album, Diamond took a more traditional approach, singing some of the more religious Christmas songs with an orchestra and chorus. ~ William Ruhlmann

With a career as a hitmaker stretching across the decades, Neil Diamond has purveyed catchy, three-chord pop/rock, progressive singer/songwriter material, middle-of-the-road balladry, and even traditional country. He started out as a Brill Building hitmaker; a songwriter for hire, he worked alongside the likes of Carole King and Gerry Goffin, and penned hits for the Monkees and Jay & the Americans. His solo career took off in the mid 1960s and made him one of America's most successful recording artists and concert attractions for a long time to come. Even decades down the road, younger groups such as UB40 in the '80s, Urge Overkill in the '90s, and Smash Mouth in the 2000's were still scoring hits with Diamond's evergreen compositions.

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