William Wright

I have had this album in my collection for a good long time. It really shows Belafonte at his best from songs dealing with the Black man to an all-out workout on many Belafonte hits. Most of the hits are here and so is Belafonte’s comedic timing. The crew from RCA was truly a great recording unit and they captured it all live within Carnegie Hall’s walls. You really feel as if you’re there in the center section. For 1958, this album shows just how amazing this recording actually is. I mean you hear everything from every instrument and vocal plus an enthusiastic audience that can’t get enough of the Belafonte troupe. From Darling Cora clear through to Matilda, there were no gaps. It basically makes mincemeat out of live albums that have to microphone everything; If there is one live recording of pop material that I can recommend highly, this double LP is it. Recorded perfectly with the premiere performer of folk music, Belafonte At Carnegie Hall deserves to be on a top live albums list in the top five. I suggest that you grab a copy and give it a listen. Harry did go on to record two more live albums-a Return To Carnegie Hall recorded in 1959 and Belafonte At The Greek Theatre in 1964, but this first Carnegie Hall concert is the best live album to own. Search out an RCA LIVING STEREO, but if you can’t find one, get an Acoustic Sounds repressing and light up your turntable and stereo system. One more thing: play it LOUD! You’ll be glad you did!

While I like Wonderful World Of Christmas, I really like Elvis’ Christmas Album better. He simply rocks out on Santa Claus Is Back In Town and then he applies the proper mood for the others. It’s no wonder Irving Berlin tried to ban the album because of “White Christmas” but Irving was a little late since The Drifters had souled up the song some two years prior. This album is as old as I am and I have enjoyed it every season since (roughly) 1966. I have a 50th anniversary Green vinyl copy, a remastered CD, and the album’s tracks are scattered among the Every Day Was Like Christmas CD and The King Of Rock And Roll box CD set. To say I’m crazy about Elvis At Christmas would be putting it mildly. I would give “The Wonderful World Of Christmas” a higher rating, but if you listen carefully (or on headphones) you’ll hear Elvis doing a less than first rate job on this Lp. I personally think that it came off not as good because it was forced upon Elvis to record the album. Elvis did not like to be forced to do anything and his music was very much in this vein. If RCA hadn’t been so greedy to get product out to market, things might have been better. Also, if Tom Parker had left well enough alone instead of having the engineers remix almost every take, Elvis just might have had a second Christmas album that really rocked. Yes, it is good, but it coulda been o so much better.