The Platters - 1963 - Christmas with the Platters

The Platters

1963

Christmas with the Platters

01. Jingle Bells Jingle

02. White Christmas

03. Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town

04. Christmas Time

05. Blue Christmas

06. I’ll Be Home For Christmas

07. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

08. Come Home For Christmas

09. Jingle Bell Rock

10. All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth

11. Winter Wonderland

12. Silent Holy Night

13. For Auld Lang Syne

It’s all about those honeyed harmonies on this winning collection of festive favorites from a classic vocal group. Drawing on doo-wop, soul, and blues, The Platters’ voices melt into each other over sighing strings on dreamy versions of “White Christmas,” “Silent Night,” and “Auld Lang Syne.” Their massed singing sounds weightless and angelic, seamlessly meshing even when they ratchet up the tempo and start swinging on “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” and “Jingle Bell Rock.”

Old-school doo wop and R&B enthusiasts should note this baker’s dozen of seasonal offerings from the incipient incarnation of the Platters. The quintet serves up distinct and soulful interpretations of well-known selections, such as the buoyant opening “Jingle Bell Jingle” and a heartfelt stirring rendition of “White Christmas“, boasting a signature Buck Ram string arrangement. More in the spirit of the genre is the appropriately ebullient “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town“. The yuletide novelty “All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth” is likewise a standout, featuring a lighthearted lead from Zola Taylor. Standing in contrast is the affectively sublime “Silent Night” which is one of the effort’s finest moments, as well as “Auld Lang Syne” and a heartfelt “I’ll Be Home for Christmas“.

Ram’s combination of intimate orchestration and warm inviting vocals has never sounded better. His influence similarly stretches into a pair of original compositions. “Christmas Time” is a waltz ballad that feels right at home in the Platters’ canon beside the likes of “Twilight Time” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes“. Ram’s “Come Home for Christmas” is languid and laid-back, with a smoky debonair lead from tenor Tony Williams. Of the uptempo numbers, “Jingle Bell Rock” captures the essence and innocence of the era.