Christmas (Elaine Paige album)
Encyclopedia
Christmas is an album Elaine Paige
, released in 1986, the fifth and final album to be released on the label until the release of Piaf in 1994. The album reached number 27 in the UK album charts. The album was re-issued on CD in 2006.
It was the fourth and last of Paige's albums to be produced by Tony Visconti
, after Stage
(1983), Cinema
(1984) and Love Hurts
(1985).
The album was recorded at Visconti's Good Earth Studios in September 1986. In contrast to Paige's musical theatre
background, a feature of all her Visconti-produced recordings is the pop arrangements.
"Ave Maria" had been recorded and released as a single in 1982, it was also included on the 2CD set Save The Children - Christmas Carols and Festive Songs in 1988.
"A Winter's Tale" was written by Wombles
producer Mike Batt
and Paige's then partner, lyricist Tim Rice
and had been originally recorded by David Essex
. Rice also contributed a voiceover
as Santa on the final track. Tommy Körberg
who, in 1986, was starring alongside Paige in the London production of Chess
performed the Bing Crosby part on "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy".
The album cover artwork featured Paige in a fake fur
stole
decorated with mistletoe
. The reverse cover showed another 12 shots from the photoshoot where Paige makes a variety of humorous poses.
The Astarte Orchestra was led by Gavyn Wright
Elaine Paige
Elaine Paige OBE is an English singer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, North London, Paige attended the Aida Foster stage school, making her first professional appearance on stage in 1964, at the age of 16...
, released in 1986, the fifth and final album to be released on the label until the release of Piaf in 1994. The album reached number 27 in the UK album charts. The album was re-issued on CD in 2006.
It was the fourth and last of Paige's albums to be produced by Tony Visconti
Tony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
, after Stage
Stages (Elaine Paige album)
Stages is an album by Elaine Paige, released in 1983 on the Warner Music and has been re-issued on CD. The album charted in the UK album charts at #2 in 1983....
(1983), Cinema
Cinema (Elaine Paige album)
Cinema is the forth solo album by Elaine Paige. The album was released in 1984 on Warner Music, peaking at #12 in the UK album charts. This album has been re-issued on CD.It was the second of Paige's recordings to be produced by Tony Visconti...
(1984) and Love Hurts
Love Hurts (Elaine Paige album)
Love Hurts is the fifth solo album by Elaine Paige, released in 1985, on the Warner Music label. The album peaked at #8 in the UK album chart. The album has also been released on CD....
(1985).
The album was recorded at Visconti's Good Earth Studios in September 1986. In contrast to Paige's musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
background, a feature of all her Visconti-produced recordings is the pop arrangements.
"Ave Maria" had been recorded and released as a single in 1982, it was also included on the 2CD set Save The Children - Christmas Carols and Festive Songs in 1988.
"A Winter's Tale" was written by Wombles
WOMBLES
The WOMBLES are a loosely aligned anarchist and anti-capitalist group based in London...
producer Mike Batt
Mike Batt
Michael Philip "Mike" Batt is a British songwriter, musician, producer and Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry...
and Paige's then partner, lyricist Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
and had been originally recorded by David Essex
David Essex
David Essex OBE is an English musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Since the 1970s, Essex has attained nineteen Top 40 singles in the UK , and sixteen Top 40 albums...
. Rice also contributed a voiceover
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is a screen reader built into Apple Inc.'s Mac OS X, iOS and iPod operating systems. By using VoiceOver, the user can access their Macintosh or iOS device based on spoken descriptions and, in the case of the Mac, the keyboard. The feature is designed to increase accessibility for blind...
as Santa on the final track. Tommy Körberg
Tommy Körberg
Bert Gustav Tommy Körberg is a Swedish singer, actor, and musician. In 1969, he won Swedish Recording Industry Award Grammis in a category Best Debut Performance. English-speaking audiences know him best for his role in the Benny Andersson–Björn Ulvaeus–Tim Rice musical Chess...
who, in 1986, was starring alongside Paige in the London production of Chess
Chess (musical)
Chess is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story involves a romantic triangle between two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other;...
performed the Bing Crosby part on "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy".
The album cover artwork featured Paige in a fake fur
Fake fur
Fake fur, also called fun fur or faux fur, is any material made of synthetic fibers designed to resemble fur, normally as part of a piece of clothing...
stole
Stole (shawl)
A stole is a lady's shawl, especially a formal shawl of expensive fabric used around the shoulders over a party dress or ballgown.A stole is typically narrower than a shawl, and of simpler construction than a cape; being a length of a quality material, wrapped and carried about the shoulders or arms...
decorated with mistletoe
Mistletoe
Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemi-parasitic plants in several families in the order Santalales. The plants in question grow attached to and within the branches of a tree or shrub.-Mistletoe in the genus Viscum:...
. The reverse cover showed another 12 shots from the photoshoot where Paige makes a variety of humorous poses.
Track listing
- "Walking in the AirWalking in the Air"Walking in the Air" is a song written by Howard Blake for the 1982 animated film of Raymond Briggs' 1978 children's book The Snowman. In the film the song was performed by St Paul's Cathedral choirboy Peter Auty...
" - 3.29 (Howard BlakeHoward BlakeHoward Blake, OBE is an English composer , particularly noted for his film scores, although he is prolific in several fields of classical and light music...
) - "Peace on EarthPeace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy"Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" is a Christmas song with an added counterpoint performed by David Bowie and Bing Crosby...
- 3.01 (Buz Kohan/Larry Grossman/Ian Fraser) / The Little Drummer BoyPeace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy"Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" is a Christmas song with an added counterpoint performed by David Bowie and Bing Crosby...
(Harry SimeoneHarry SimeoneHarry Moses Simeone was a distinguished music arranger, conductor and composer, best known for arranging the famous Christmas song "The Little Drummer Boy", for which he received co-writing credit.-Early years:Harry grew up listening to stars performing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City,...
/Henry V. Onorati/Katherine K. DavisKatherine K. DavisKatherine Kennicott Davis was a composer, pianist, and author of the famous Christmas tune "The Little Drummer Boy".-Biography:...
) - "Father Christmas Eyes" - 4.36 (Julia Downes/Johnny WarmanJohnny WarmanJohnny Warman is an English singer-songwriter best known for his 1981 album Walking Into Mirrors and the hit single "Screaming Jets".-Early life:Warman was born in Bethnal Green, east London...
/Don BlackDon Black (musician)Don Black, OBE is an English lyricist. His works have included numerous musicals, movie themes and hit songs. He has provided lyrics for John Barry, Charles Strouse, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Quincy Jones, Jule Styne, Henry Mancini, Michael Jackson, Elmer Bernstein, Michel Legrand, Hayley Westenra,...
) - "Ave MariaAve Maria (Gounod)The Bach/Gounod Ave Maria is a popular and much-recorded setting of the Latin text Ave Maria.Written by French Romantic composer Charles Gounod in 1859, his Ave Maria consists of a melody superimposed over the Prelude No. 1 in C major, BWV 846, from Book I of The Well-Tempered Clavier, written by...
" - 3.52 (Charles GounodCharles GounodCharles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:...
) - "Wishin' On a Star" - 3.52 (Billie Calvin)
- "Santa Claus is Coming to TownSanta Claus Is Coming to Town"Santa Claus is Coming to Town" is a Christmas song. It was written by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie, and was first sung on Eddie Cantor's radio show in November 1934....
" - 2.50 (Haven GillespieHaven GillespieJames Lamont "Haven" Gillespie was an American Tin Pan Alley composer and lyricist. He was the writer of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" as well as "You Go to My Head", "Honey", "By the Sycamore Tree", "That Lucky Old Sun", "Breezin' Along With The Breeze", "Right or Wrong," "Beautiful Love",...
/J. Fred CootsJ. Fred CootsJohn Frederick Coots was an American songwriter. He wrote over 700 songs.He is most famous for the song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", a song that became one of the biggest best sellers in American music history....
) - "Coventry CarolCoventry CarolThe "Coventry Carol" is a Christmas carol dating from the 16th century. The carol was performed in Coventry in England as part of a mystery play called The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors. The play depicts the Christmas story from chapter two in the Gospel of Matthew...
" - 2.28 (Traditional) - "The Coldest Night of the Year (Incredible Phat)" - 4.45 (Jimmy WebbJimmy WebbJimmy Webb is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He wrote numerous platinum selling classics, including "Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "Wichita Lineman", "Galveston", "The Worst That Could Happen", "All I Know", and "MacArthur Park"...
) - "Light of the StableLight of the Stable (song)"Light of the Stable" is a Christmas song, which was first released in 1975. It was written by Steve Rhymer and Elizabeth Rhymer.This song was originally recorded by Emmylou Harris in 1975 with Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Neil Young providing harmony, and it became the title track of her 1979...
" - 3.06 (Steve Rhymer/Elizabeth Rhymer) - "I Believe in Father ChristmasI Believe in Father Christmas"I Believe In Father Christmas" is a song by Greg Lake , with lyrics by Peter Sinfield.Although it is often categorised as a Christmas song this was not Lake's intention...
" - 3.28 (Greg LakeGreg LakeGregory Stuart "Greg" Lake is an English musician, songwriter and producer, best known as a vocalist and bassist of King Crimson, and the bassist, guitarist, vocalist, and lyricist of Emerson, Lake & Palmer.-1960s: King Crimson:...
/Peter SinfieldPeter SinfieldPeter John Sinfield is an English poet, lyricist and artist, most famously known as the lyricist and co-founding member of early incarnations of King Crimson, whose debut album In the Court of the Crimson King has been regarded as one of the most influential progressive rock albums ever...
) - "A Winter's TaleA Winter's Tale (David Essex song)A Winter's Tale is a song by David Essex from the 1983 album The Whisper. First released as a single in 1982, it reached #2 in the UK singles chart in January 1983.-Production and release:...
" - 3.58 (Mike Batt/Tim Rice) - "Thirty-Two Feet and Eight Little Tails" - 0.51 (John Redmond/James Cavanaugh/Frank Weldon)
Personnel
- Elaine PaigeElaine PaigeElaine Paige OBE is an English singer and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, North London, Paige attended the Aida Foster stage school, making her first professional appearance on stage in 1964, at the age of 16...
- vocals - Mel CollinsMel CollinsMel Collins is a British saxophonist and flautist and session musician.He has worked in a wide variety of contexts ranging from R&B and blues rock to jazz, but is perhaps known for his work in progressive rock, as with King Crimson, Camel and the Alan Parsons Project.-Career:Collins has worked...
- tenor saxophone - Mitch Dalton - guitars
- Mary HopkinMary HopkinMary Hopkin , credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti, is a Welsh folk singer best known for her 1968 UK number one single "Those Were The Days". She was one of the first musicians to sign to The Beatles' Apple label....
- backing vocals - Mini Pops (Richard Agg, Kelly East, Paul Hardy, Zoe Hart, Robin Wilson, Jessica Visconti) - backing vocals
- Steve Pearce - bass guitar
- Tim RiceTim RiceSir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
- Santa voiceover on "Thirty-Two Feet and Eight Little Tails" - Robin Smith - musical director, keyboards
- Ali ThomsonAli ThomsonAli Thomson is a Scottish singer-songwriter. His brother was Doug Thomson, of the Alan Brown Sect and Supertramp. Ali began singing and playing piano in local bands and moved to London in the 1970s where he worked for Mountain Records as an office helphand. Ali signed to A&M Records in the UK and...
- backing vocals - Graham Ward - drums
- Mari WilsonMari WilsonMari Wilson is an English singer, best known for her sometimes quirky, early 1960s-influenced pop music songs, and her beehive hairstyle.-Career:...
- backing vocals
The Astarte Orchestra was led by Gavyn Wright
Gavyn Wright
Gavyn Wright is a British violinist and orchestra leader with the London Session Orchestra and Penguin Cafe Orchestra, best known for his orchestral arrangements on pop productions as well as numerous TV and movie soundtracks Gavyn Wright is a British violinist and orchestra leader with the London...
Production
- Producer and Mixer - Tony Visconti
- Mixer - Sid Wells
- Assistant Engineer - Sam Smith
- Orchestral Arrangements and "Coventry Carol" Arrangement - Robin Smith
- Strings Arrangements - Tony Visconti
- "Ave Maria" Producer and Arranger - Mike BattMike BattMichael Philip "Mike" Batt is a British songwriter, musician, producer and Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry...