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The original album consisted of ten songs on five 78 records, all of which had been previously released. Each one had a holiday theme with the exception of "Danny Boy," paired with "I'll Be Home for Christmas" on its original record. Prior to the long-playing album era, such assemblies were not common for popular music, Merry Christmas instigated by the enormous popularity of the "White Christmas" record. Decca issued a second edition in this format in 1947, catalogue Decca A-550, consisting of four 78s, omitting recordings of "Danny Boy" and "Let's Start the New Year Right" from the previous release, and including new recordings of "White Christmas" and "Silent Night" from March 19, 1947. This recording of "White Christmas," heard on every subsequent pressing, is actually a re-recording of the song as, in an unprecedented occurrence, the 1942 master had actually worn out and was no longer usable. Decca and Crosby undertook the remake with the same orchestra and chorus, in an attempt to re-create the original May 1942 recording as closely as possible.
The 1955 vinyl LP configuration is the one extant to date, consisting of the entirety of Decca A-550 plus four additional tracks. The Andrews Sisters, often Crosby's recording partners in the 1940s, are featured on the tracks "Jingle Bells," "Mele Kalikimaka," and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." It has been continually in-print longer than any other album in the history of the United States, after the original cast recording to Oklahoma!, also from Decca Records, released in 1943.
Read more about this topic: Merry Christmas (Bing Crosby Album)
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