Few recordings define the year-end holiday season as auspiciously as
Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians' classic
Now Is the Caroling Season from 1957. As one of the earliest full-length 12" Christmas albums, it became practically anthemic to generation upon generation of baby boomers. Even as rock & roll was invading the youth-driven marketplace, this collection ably entered the Top 20 pop charts in 1957 and 1958.
Waring formed his aggregate while a student at Penn State University, appropriately enough calling the combo
the Collegians. Oddly, it was after relocating to Detroit that their name was permanently changed to
the Pennsylvanians. By the late '50s,
Waring and company had become household names thanks to years of radio, stage, and cinematic exposure. They were additionally the very first musical act to get their own weekly program on the burgeoning medium of television.
Now Is the Caroling Season was their second LP for Capitol Records and is presented in much the same fashion as their TV show, with an easy continuous flow combining a cappella or sparsely accompanied choral singing with bold, brimming orchestral scores. The ensemble's capacious sound reflects a spacious stereophonic image that audiophiles will revel in, especially with the close-listening environs of headphones. Although the 21-song track list might suggest the package is housed on more than one disc, most of the selections run well under three minutes, yielding a total playing time of just under 45 minutes. There is an abundance of both sacred and secular material, including traditional numbers such as "Here We Come Awassailing," "March of the Kings," "O Christmas Tree," "Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella," "Angels We Have Heard on High," and "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," the vast majority arranged by
Waring's seasoned associates Robert Shaw, Roy Ringwald, Jack Best, and Hawley Ades. There are also originals of note, including "It Was a Night of Wonder," "Christmas Was Meant for Children," "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)," and the title composition, "Now Is the Caroling Season," offered on its own and in a medley with "Sleigh Ride" at the album's midpoint. ~ Lindsay Planer