Hey there folks and Welcome to Retro Dee Reviews!

In this section I will be reviewing music albums. I hope this will help other retro fans who are looking to add to their CD collection. (Yes, there are still people who buy CDs) So maybe this review will reveal that an album is just what you’re looking for. Or maybe it will show you that it’s just not your cup o’ tea.

So to buy or not to buy? Let’s have a look at this entry of “Retro Dee Reviews”!

Disclaimer: These reviews are my personal, independent opinions. I do not get paid or compensated in any way to endorse anything.

For the Holiday Season I’ll be reviewing a compilation CD called “Malt Shop Merry Christmas: ‘Tis The Season ”

Malt Shop Merry Christmas CD stock photo. Distributed by Universal Music Enterprises.

This album was distributed by Universal Music Enterprises in 2013. It has 14 songs on one CD, with a very attractive cover featuring a pretty girl sipping a candy cane malt in her Christmas attire. The inside is also quite attractive, with the songs listed in the inset and the CD itself looks like a snowflake.

Inside Malt Shop Merry Christmas ‘Tis The Season CD by Universal Music Enterprises

There are 14 tracks in all:

1. “Little Saint Nick” (The Beach Boys) Okay, we start off with The Beach Boys which I’ll admit is not my favorite group, but it’s Christmas so I’m willing to overlook that fact. 2. “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” (Brenda Lee) This 1958-released song didn’t become a hit until the 60’s, as Brenda Lee’s popularity rose. Today, it’s a great classic, upbeat, fun and very 50’s. 3. “Jingle Bell Rock” (Bobby Helms) The original 1957 classic! As I’ve stated before in the Keeping the 50’s Alive Christmas Music post, the original is my favorite version, even if it is more like a “leisurely stroll”.

4. “Please Come Home For Christmas” (Charles Brown) This is a nice tune with a chime in it that sounds like the Powell/Hyde cable car, but it’s not. There’s a good Jazz interlude too. 5. “Run Rudolph Run” (Chuck Berry) One of the reasons I chose this compilation, was for this song. It’s classic Chuck Berry complete with guitar solo and lyrics that talk about wanting an electric guitar for Christmas. 6. “Jingle Jangle” (The Penguins) Not to be confused with “(I’ve Got Spurs That) Jingle Jangle” by Gene Autry. This is a totally different song.

7. “Here Come Santa Claus” (Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters) This is another classic that is always welcome at Christmastime. This song always reminds me of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. But funny enough, (speaking of Gene Autry) the version used in the movie is actually the Gene Autry version! 8. “Jingle Bells Jingle” (The Platters) Not much to say about this one. It’s Jingle Bells. Not sure what the extra “Jingle” in the title is for, but whatever. 9. “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm” (The Mills Brothers) Here’s a real early version of this song, which is a nice classic Holiday tune.

10. “The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)” (The Supremes) I’m not a Supremes fan, so this is nothing special to me, but if you like The Supremes, God Speed. 11. “Mambo Santa Mambo” (The Enchanters) It was hard to come up with something good to say about this song… Actually, I couldn’t. 12. “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” (Pat Boone) This is a great rendition (see I’m not that much of a Scrooge!) It’s got Pat Boone’s smooth voice, which is perfect for any Christmas song. It’s also got a good ole fashioned classic sound. There’s even a cheerful whistling solo!

We meet Brenda Lee again with 13. “Blue Christmas” which is very MEH in my humble opinion. Granted, I’m not much of a Brenda Lee fan, so I’m just not too excited about this one. The back-up singers don’t sound too excited either.

Finally for this compilation we have:

14. “For Auld Lang Syne” (The Platters) I never liked this song, and the fact that it’s The Platters doesn’t help much.

All in all, this isn’t a bad Christmas Compilation of songs from the Malt Shop Era. There are better ones out there, but this will do, especially if you’re after the 3 classics that I bought it for. I would like to see something that has the favorites I mentioned on my previous Christmas Music post, so I’ll keep looking.

The sound quality of this CD is very good, so if you like enough of the songs on this album, you definitely should pick it up.

Retro Dee Unofficial Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 out of 5 Stars

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❤

– dee

Disclaimer: I DO NOT get paid or compensated in any way for endorsing any companies or products, nor am I affiliated with any companies or products. All logos, names, titles, lyrics image copyrights etc.. etc.. are retained by their original owners.

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Retro Dee Reviews: Malt Shop Merry Christmas