A
Double Helping with Tennessee Ernie Ford’s Christmas Special
By
Kristin Battestella
I
love the confusion of Christmas records, I really do. ‘Pon my soul, it turns
out A Tennessee Ernie Ford Christmas
Special is a reissue of not one, but two previous Ernie Yule albums: Sing We Now of Christmas and O Come All Ye Faithful. This double
delight provides a family friendly Christmas listen, and puts an Amen to it.
First
released in 1965, Sing We Now of
Christmas stands as Record 1 for A
Tennessee Ernie Ford Christmas Special, and the titular Sing We Now of Christmas opens with a
satisfying Old World sound to set the album’s tone. It’s traditional, but not so out of touch and
with a special Middle Eastern rhythm. I like it- somber, but not so
old-fashioned baritone deep that it can’t be enjoy today. This church casual
preparation and fun continues with O
Christmas Tree. This one’s very easy to sing along to indeed. So often any
more we get just a rushed refrain, but Ernie gives us time to enjoy all the
verses here. His bass tone is simply perfect for The Little Drummer Boy, too. It’s a sweet, but somber male ode for
young and old and just excellent in simplicity and style. There isn’t a lot of
orchestration, nor is it needed for this quiet reverence and humility.
Angels We Have Heard on High isn’t over the top, either, like so many booming renditions today. Tennessee keeps the big “Gloria” (you know you want to sing it all out right now) so easy. Who knew this chorale carol could be for the family to sing along during a night of crafts, baking, or wrapping presents? We’re not in a grand and lofty church; Ernie brings the Christmas message home effortlessly and with a universal tenderness. Likewise, Caroling, Caroling isn’t too fast but just right in seasonal sway, mood, and melody. You want to join in! Despite his hymnal associations, A Tennessee Ernie Ford Christmas Special begins this Record 1 Side A with a somewhat neutral but festive sound. The classic carols and subtle spiritual are excellent for the traditional and faithful family or the secular office. Sing We Now of Christmas breaks down the holiday flak and presents Christmas at its most basic hearth and home symbols. Unfortunately, that innocence and simplicity makes for a dang short record!
Sing We Now of Christmas’ Side B, i.e. Record 1 Side 2 of A Tennessee Ernie Ford Christmas Special remember, begins with a
wonderfully paced Good King Wenceslas.
Rather than quick beats and lots of fast bells or vocals, the accenting choir
and arrangement here is so pleasant. I feel like I’ve been using the word
“pleasant” to describe a lot of these old-fashioned Christmas records, but the
timeless tunes are indeed easy on the ear in comparison to the generic holiday
noise of today. Thanks to Ernie’s soft
storytelling style, I feel as though I might have actually heard and understood
these lyrics! So often, this one becomes one of those “songs you kind of know
the words to” but not here. The Virgin’s
Slumber Song’s lyrics, however, may really be unfamiliar as this charming
little lullaby never quite caught on. I don’t know why; the tone is quite
peaceable and touching, and this is actually a very beautiful little tune.
Ernie takes the time to appreciate every note and so should we.
Although
light hearted and filled with family friendly holiday faire, Twelve Days of Christmas is actually one
of the few secular seasonals on Sing We
Now of Christmas. Fortunately, the pleasant arrangements and easy rendition
style carry over to this increasingly wacky, commercial carol. Ernie’s low
sound alternates with the casual choir, and nobody gets out of breath as the
cumulative chorus mounts in unexpected ways. No Japanese Transistor Radios
here! What Child is This returns to
the somber with just a bit more formality, but there is still a zesty medieval
choir and courtly sway at work. Instead
of being old and stuffy, there’s a youthful pace and kingly style that
shouldn’t be so surprising considering this is the Birth of Christ, after all.
Ernie also shakes up the arrangement of Away
in the Manger to close Sing We Now of
Christmas. It’s a good place to
conclude. We had the festive and fun, and now the family can tuck in with the
spoken, prayer-like lyrics here. Amen indeed.
Now
that A Tennessee Ernie Ford Christmas
Special is finished with the 1965 Sing
We Now of Christmas sharing, Record 2 serves up the 1968 O Come All Ye Faithful album from
Ernie’s holiday repertoire. Once again, the eponymous starter O Come All Ye Faithful sets the country
church mood with big choir notes and full verses. Where Sing We Now of Christmas had some Meaning of the Season and a
traditional holiday friendly working together for an overall enjoyable listen
across the spectrum, this session is almost all down and reverent carols. Little Boy King may be less well known,
but it’s a wonderfully innocent little story. This seems like what would be the
Children’s Church segment of the hour, but there is a mature simplicity at hand,
too. Love, brotherhood, peace on earth, goodwill, joy, freedom-these shouldn’t be
estranged subjects to us, especially at Christmas.
More
somber and seriousness follows with Slumber
Song of the Infant Jesus. This rendition doesn’t feel sing a long-able,
it’s more of a sit back, listen, and be awed by Ernie’s down home church singing
and power. I think sometimes with all our contemporary pop wintertime tunes, we
forget that it is okay to be moved by the stillness of the season. Also
becoming more and more rare, Bring a
Torch, Jeanette, Isabella is upbeat and lighthearted and not operatic as
usually heard. Big T carries the choir as if this were a festive nursery rhyme.
Hush, hush, up up- good little girls and boys won’t want to wake the baby even
if they don’t understand the rest of the lyrics. Likewise, Good Christian Men Rejoice is hardly heard anymore, but it is darn
catchy nonetheless with a joyous message, fun rhythms, and high notes to finish
O Come All Ye Faithful’s Side 1.
The Wassail Song rings in this final leg of A Tennesse Ernie Ford Christmas Special with the more familiar
seasonal singable. It’s rousing in a different way. Where the obscure carols
are all Christ’s meaning, this is happy. We do have reason to be happy come
December, oh yes. The Friendly Beasts gives
us more of the crèche story in a lovely little anthropomorphic tale- another
amazing lesser-heard ode that says so much in its small way. He is Born, The Holy Child also forgoes
the flair as Ernie sans music recounts the whole dang reason we are
celebrating. The savior is born, say it merrily- what else is there?
Tennessee and his choir have a different pace with While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks but
this quick refrain still works. Some today might perceive O Come All Ye Faithful as a bit dry, granted. How many birth carols
can one have in row anyway before things get redundant? Fortunately or
unfortunately, the tracks here are once again too quick. After so many less
common great church going tunes, it is a bit unusual to end such a deeply
spiritual album with so secular a staple as White Christmas, but it sounds perfect, with Ernie’s booming notes
and Christmas blessing matching the old-fashioned cold we associate with mid
century snows. Thanks to all these recordings from Sing We Now of Christmas and O
Come All Ye Faithful, baritone listeners can choose which Ernie they want-
seasonably safe and festive or soulful and obscure meaning. Not many today can
do both- either vocally or commercially- but Tennessee Ernie Ford pulled it
off- that’s why they combined both albums for A Tennessee Ernie Ford Christmas Special!
Previously,
I’ve also written upon the 1958 best seller The
Star Carol: Tennessee
Ernie Ford Sings His Christmas Favorites. If you’re seeking the big name
carols and reverence, then that’s the album to find the likes of Joy to the
World and Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Despite this combination reissue, it
doesn’t appear that any songs overlap here or on Ernie’s two other seasonal
albums, 1963’s Story of Christmas and
C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S from 1971. Though Story of Christmas seems part and parcel available on CD, most of
Ernie Ford’s holiday sessions appear unavailable digitally. The current Christmas Favorites CD looks to be the same
as The Star Carol, but it seems like
chasing vinyl is the best way to get your Ernie Ford December fix. All these confusing releases, reissues, and
similarly titled compilations make it tough to enjoy the music and the meaning,
but pursuing A Tennessee Ernie Ford
Christmas Special is worth the vinyl vintage, old-fashioned charm, and
spiritual family faire.
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