Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton: Once Upon A Christmas CD Track Listing

A list by checkmate

Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton Once Upon A Christmas (1984)
Originally Released 1984\nCD Edition Released 1988 ??\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: N/A\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nDolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, two of country's most loved (or least liked, depending on how you look at them) stars join forces for a Christmas album that is surprisingly fluff free. There are the usual suspects here--a cozy "Winter Wonderland," a somber "Silent Night"--plus some touching curiosities, like "The Greatest Gift of All" and the title track. Of course there are the required romantic numbers since this is a duet album, but they're not as gratuitous as one might fear. Dolly does a fine job of keeping the yee-haw factor to a minimum, and Kenny doesn't try to compete with her on the singer-as-storyteller front. All in all their voices complement each other quite well, and the arrangements are first rate. Here's one holiday collection that might win a few converts. --Steve Gdula \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nMy favorite original Christmas album, February 8, 2004 \nReviewer: P D Harris "Pete the music and horse racing fan" (Leicester England)\nAs originally released, this album had six duets and four solo tracks - two each by Kenny and Dolly. I note that the version currently available in America has just nine tracks (confirmed to me by an American friend who has seen it), the two excellent Kenny Rogers tracks (Silent night and The Christmas song) being replaced by Dolly's Hard candy Christmas (which, despite its title, is not a Christmas song). I checked my local store and the UK version still has the original track listing. Dolly's two solo offerings on the original album - White Christmas and a medley of Winter wonderland and Sleigh ride - are both excellent.\n\nGood as the solo tracks are, it is the six duets that make this album stand out among my many wonderful Christmas albums. Dolly wrote five of the songs especially for the album and the other is also an original song. I believe in Santa Claus and With bells on are rollicking, up-tempo songs. Christmas without you is a reflective song about missing somebody. A Christmas to remember is another upbeat song. Once upon a Christmas is a strring song about the birth of Jesus. The greatest gift of all (the only song among the duets that Dolly didn't write) is a lovely romantic ballad, which was covered a year later by Lee Greenwood for his excellent Christmas to Christmas album.\n\nThis album is best with the two Kenny Rogers solo tracks, but is worth buying anyway because of the outstanding duets. I have bought many brilliant original Christmas albums but this one remains my favorite. \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nA Christmas to Remember, November 3, 2001 \nReviewer: Bruce Aguilar "animation maniac" (Hollywood, CA) \nMy family owned the original vinal LP and it became an integral part of our Christmas celebration. Then, after years of listening and our change to CD's we were left to create newer Christmas traditions. I'm over joyed to finally have this album has re-issied on CD so I can now add it my own Christmas festivities! I am baffled however (as other reviewers are), over the changed track listing. I love the added song "Hard Candy Christmas" sung by Dolly and am glad it was added, but why did it have to displace Kenny Rodgers' beautiful "Silent Night" and "The Christmas Song"? \n\nWho knows if we'll ever get to hear the full album on CD, so don't let this mistep cheat you out of the warmest and cheeriest Christmas CD ever! Dollys and Kennys voices meld together sublimly especially on "Christmas Without You". Dolly's "Winter Wonderland/Sleigh Ride" is near perfection and is so popular that it can be heard on many other compiliations. From the romantisism of "The Greatest Gift of All", to the holy "Once Upon A Christmas" and the hoe-down feel of "I Believe in Santa Claus", this CD covers all the bases and does it with warmth, heart and spirit. A real treasure. \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nKenny's Songs Cut...The Truth, November 11, 2002\nReviewer: Anthony Clesceri (USA)\nFirst of all, I loved this album. \nIt is one of the greatest Christmas albums ever cut featuring some holiday standards, and some great original songs written by Dolly.\n\nBut the album in its last two printings (RCA Records printing from a few years ago, and a new BMG Special Markets printing for 2002) is NOT the original album. As most of you know, the Kenny Rogers solo songs "The Christmas Song" and "Silent Night" have been cut from the album, and Dolly's song "Hard Candy Christmas" (which was never on the original "Once Upon A Christmas" album) is included. This makes for a 9 song CD, despite the original being a 10 song disc.\n\nThis is why I give the album 3 stars. It's still a good disc, but without Kenny's solos, it's really missing the original value. Kenny's voice was at its finest in 1984, and his versions of these songs are exceptional.\n\n"Why did RCA do this?", many of you ask.\n\nWhen Kenny Rogers signed to RCA Records in 1983, he signed for twenty million dollars for six albums. That was the largest amount of money for a record contract in history up to that time. Bob Summer was the head of RCA then. \n\nNot long after Summer signed Kenny, Summer was fired from RCA. The new head of RCA decided that he could not let Kenny be successful. It would make RCA look bad for firing Summer if Kenny was a huge success, especially since Kenny was signed to the label for such a huge amount of money. \n\nFrom that point on, Kenny got little support from RCA. Think about it...to this day "Islands In The Stream" is not in print on RCA Records (maybe on a Dolly record, but not a Kenny record.) Neither are any of the other RCA hits Kenny had. You can get them on compilations from other labels (Reprise, Madacy, etc.), but only because Kenny Rogers owns all his master recordings from his RCA years and on. Kenny can license out his RCA tracks to other labels. \n\nRCA Records itself has nothing in print of Kenny's except the "Once Upon A Christmas" album. By cutting his solo tracks, RCA actually has nothing of Kenny's in print. The only reason RCA allows the duets with Dolly to be in print is because "Once Upon A Christmas" still sells so well. \n\nSo, RCA cheapened the album and cheats the fans of the original album and Kenny solos. Nice job.\n\nKenny almost signed with Columbia in 1983. I bet if he did, Sony Music would have this album out in its full version. \n\nToo bad.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nClassic Christmas from the Eighties...fun and playful, August 31, 2002\nReviewer: Deanne Kelley "deannekelley" (Bridgewater, Nova Scotia) \nI grew up in the Eighties listening to the "Once Upon a Christmas Album". My Mom wore it out and I only had a dubbed cassette version which I lost. I had been searching for this on CD each Christmas and was esctatic when I got it in early December from my parents about two seasons ago! \nThese songs were performed on a CBS special, and it has been a long time since I saw it on TV. Kenny and Dolly are playful and obviously have fun singing together. Dolly's original songs, make this a new taste of Christmas. My favorites are "Once Upon a Christmas" an original composition, and "Christmas Without You". \n\nA country fan will love this CD, but mainstream listeners will like it too, because there is very little country "twang" to it. This is one of my favorite Christmas CDs (only slightly behind Martina McBride's Christmas CD). A great gift idea.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nRE-ISSUE CHEATS FANS OF TV SOUNDTRACK, December 27, 2001\nReviewer: Robert Harold (Amsterdam, NY USA) \nFor those who don't remember, this CD was issued as the "soundtrack" for the Kenny/Dolly TV special "A Christmas To Remember". The one-hour telecast did not feature Dolly's Hard Candy Christmas. That song comes from Dolly's theatrical version of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas". To omit Kenny's "Silent Night" and "Christmas Song" renders this collection overpriced for a 9 song set. How many people know the words to the THIRD verse of "With Bells On" (not included on this CD or its predecessor).\n\nTower Records Product Notes:\nProducers: Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, David Foster.\n

Categories

Latest lists

Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton: Once Upon A Christmas CD Track Listing

Category

Tags

cyList

Legal