December 21, 2014 – Motor City Radio Flashbacks

From the MCRFB NEWS archive: 1963

ANDY WILLIAMS’ YULE MARK; TOPS TWO CHARTS FOR CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY 1963

Andy Williams in 1963 (click image for larger view) — Andy Williams *1963* *(click image for larger view)*

NEW YORK — Columbia’s Andy Williams gave the label a first place in both the singles and albums derby, according to Billboard’s special Christmas sales recap last week. For the first time in the Christmas listings, Williams scored with his “White Christmas” single and his “Andy Williams Christmas Album.”

In the album running, Columbia held the top position with eight of the 25 packages listed, including three in the top 10. RCA Victor took second-honors with four on the parent label and two others on its low-priced Camden line. Capitol placed third with three Christmas best sellers. On the charts with one album each were Decca, Mercury, 20th-Century Fox, London, Liberty, Philles, MGM and Argo.

In the singles area, Decca and Capitol tied with four listings each out of 16 records reported showing healthy sales on this week’s best-selling Christmas singles charts. Liberty placed two on the list (both by the Chipmunks) while Columbia, 20th-Century Fox, King, Mercury, Epic and Warner Brothers landed one each on the Billboard special Christmas list for 1963. END

CHRISTMAS TOP 10 ALBUMS

The Christmas Top 10 best-selling albums Billboard listed (from 25) for December 21, 1963:

No. 1: “Andy Williams Christmas Album,” Columbia; No. 2: “Sounds Of Christmas,” Johnny Mathis, Mercury; No. 3: “Little Drummer Boy,” Harry Simeone Chorale, 20th-Century Fox; No. 4: “This Christmas I Spent With You,” Robert Goulet, Columbia; No. 5: “Elvis Christmas Album,” Elvis Presley, RCA Victor. No. 6: “Merry Christmas,” Bing Crosby, Decca; No. 7: “Christmas Greetings From Mantovani and his Orchestra,” London; No. 8: “Merry Christmas,” Johnny Mathis, Columbia; No. 9: “Christmas With The Chipmunks, Vol. 2,” David Seville and the Chipmunks, Liberty; No. 10: “Christmas Song,” Nat King Cole, Capitol Records.

This Holiday Season

MCRFB is presenting “The Andy Williams Christmas Album” in its entirety from 1963. You will note the audio source is from the actual vinyl record album, clicks, pops and all, not from a CD. But the album’s high-fidelity audio source is outstanding.

Aside from his best-selling Christmas recordings, Andy Williams brought us some of the best in televised Christmas specials into our homes during the Christmas holiday season as well, for nearly five decades, singing praise with profound holiday spirit and Christmas joy. Andy Williams passed away in September, 2012.

If only for a moment, in playing this album, imagine it’s Christmas-time 1963 once again. We hope this holiday album will take you back to a special time and place, to a memorable holiday seasons’ past we cherished with loved ones, our families, and with friends we were truly blessed having then when we first heard this beautiful Andy Williams yuletide recording for the very first time . . . . from a long time ago.

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(Information and news source: Billboard; December 21, 1963)