A Fresh Aire Christmas
A Fresh Aire Christmas is the tenth studio album and second Christmas album by American musical group Mannheim Steamroller, released in 1988.
| A Fresh Aire Christmas | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 15, 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 1987–1988 | |||
| Genre | Christmas, symphonic pop | |||
| Length | 40:57 | |||
| Label | American Gramaphone | |||
| Producer | Chip Davis | |||
| Mannheim Steamroller chronology | ||||
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| Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
The album was the last to feature Eric Hansen as a member of the band. It is the highest selling album in the Chip Davis/Mannheim Steamroller music catalog.
When selecting the tracks, Chip Davis had requested of fans to submit three of their favorite Christmas songs. He then tabulated the results and sent a note of thanks and a copy of the album to those fans who had a song selected.[2]
On June 21, 2004, A Fresh Aire Christmas was certified by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipment of six million copies in the United States, making it one of the best-selling holiday albums in the U.S.[3]
Four of the album's tracks were included in the group's 2004 compilation Christmas Celebration.
As of November 2014, A Fresh Aire Christmas is the sixth best-selling Christmas/holiday album in the U.S. for the Nielsen SoundScan era of music sales tracking (March 1991 – present), having sold 3,660,000 copies during this period according to SoundScan.[4] The album has become the band's biggest success, even surpassing their first Christmas release, Mannheim Steamroller Christmas.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hark! The Herald Trumpets Sing" | Chip Davis[lower-alpha 1] | 1:23 | |
| 2. | "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" | Traditional (18th century German) | 3:27 | |
| 3. | "Veni Veni (O Come O Come Emanuel)" (featuring the Cambridge Singers) | Traditional | Traditional (12th century French) | 4:15 |
| 4. | "The Holly and the Ivy" | Traditional (ancient French) | 2:58 | |
| 5. | "Little Drummer Boy" | Katherine Kennicott Davis[lower-alpha 2] | 4:06 | |
| 6. | "Still, Still, Still" | Traditional (Austrian) | 3:39 | |
| 7. | "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" | Traditional (15th century German) | 2:23 | |
| 8. | "In Dulci Jubilo" | Traditional (16th century German) | 2:43 | |
| 9. | "Greensleeves" | Traditional (16th century English) | 3:24 | |
| 10. | "Carol of the Bells" | Peter Wilhousky | Mykola Leontovych[lower-alpha 3] | 3:48 |
| 11. | "Traditions of Christmas" | Davis | 3:32 | |
| 12. | "Cantique de Noel (O Holy Night)" | Adolphe Adam[lower-alpha 4] | 5:19 |
- Uncredited in the tracklist, described as "20th century (16th century style)." Davis credits himself in the liner notes, acknowledging the influence of composer Giovanni Gabrieli.
- Uncredited; attributed as "20th century American."
- Neither Wilhousky nor Leontovych is credited; attributed as "19th century Ukrainian."
- Uncredited in tracklist and attributed as "19th century French"; Davis credits Adam in the liner notes.
References
- Allmusic review
- Newman, Melinda (October 16, 2015). "Mannheim Steamroller's Chip Davis On How To Build A Multi-Million Dollar Brand". Forbes.com. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
- "RIAA Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 2013-04-16. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
- "The Gifts That Keep on Giving: Biggest Radio and Album Hits of the Holidays". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. December 1, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2014.