Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album
| Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Original LP cover art | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1968 | |||
| Recorded | June 1967 (#2–3, 6–7) CTS Bayswater, London October 1, 1968 (#1, 4–5, 8–10) 30th Street Studios, New York City | |||
| Genre | Christmas | |||
| Length | 29:07 original LP | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Jack Gold | |||
| Tony Bennett chronology | ||||
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Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album is a 1968 studio album by Tony Bennett, his first Christmas album.[1] It was arranged and conducted by Robert Farnon.
Even though they had been friends since the early 1950s, Bennett and Farnon had not recorded together before, Bennett having such reverence for Farnon's work that he felt he "wasn't ready...(and) not developed enough as an artist to record with him".[2] Farnon, who normally recorded in London, came to New York City for one of the two sessions that produced this album. Six tracks were recorded at Columbia's recording studios in New York City, and four in London.
In Bennett's autobiography, he recalls that the New York session was attended by such notable American arrangers as Don Costa, Marion Evans and Torrie Zito, all curious to see how Farnon worked. Quincy Jones subsequently threw a party for Farnon in New York City, and at the party there were so many famous musicians that Jones joked, "If a bomb goes off in this apartment, there won't be any more records made!"[2]
The album debuted on Billboard magazine's Christmas Albums sales chart in the issue dated December 14, 1968, and peaked at number 10.[3] The album was reissued on CD in 1994 with new cover art and a bonus track, "I'll Be Home for Christmas", recorded during a live appearance by Bennett on The Jon Stewart Show. It was reissued once more in 2007, again with different cover art and including a bonus DVD containing excerpts from Bennett's 1992 television special Tony Bennett: A Family Christmas.
Sony Music Distribution included this CD in a box set entitled The Complete Collection, which was released on November 8, 2011.[4]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [5] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
Billboard wrote Tony "weaves a very delightful holiday spirit with such favorites as 'White Christmas', 'My Favorite Things', 'Silent Night', and 'Snowfall'."[7] Cash Box highlighted Bennett's "inimitable readings of 'My Favorite Things', 'The Christmas Song', 'White Christmas', 'Winter Wonderland' and a host of others."[8] Record World referred to it as "Smooth and enticing".[9]
William Ruhlmann of AllMusic described the album as "a swinging affair" and noted that "Bennett's warm style was especially winning on this kind of material, making an inevitable assignment a winning combination of singer and songs."[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Snowfall" | Claude Thornhill, Ruth Thornhill | 2:52 |
| 2. | "My Favorite Things" | Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers | 3:17 |
| 3. | "The Christmas Song" | Mel Tormé, Bob Wells | 2:36 |
| 4. | "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" | J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie | 2:38 |
| 5. | "Medley: We Wish You a Merry Christmas/Silent Night/O Come All You Faithful/Jingle Bells/Where Is Love?" | Traditional/Josef Mohr, Franz Xaver Gruber/John Francis Wade/James Pierpont/Lionel Bart | 5:47 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Christmasland" | Dennis Farnon, Brian Farnon | 2:23 |
| 7. | "I Love the Winter Weather/I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" | Ticker Freeman, Earl Brown/Irving Berlin | 2:11 |
| 8. | "White Christmas" | Berlin | 2:05 |
| 9. | "Winter Wonderland" | Felix Bernard, Dick Smith | 2:15 |
| 10. | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" | Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin | 3:03 |
| Total length: | 29:08 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Favorite Things" | Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers | 3:17 |
| 2. | "The Christmas Song" | Mel Tormé, Bob Wells | 2:36 |
| 3. | "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" | J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie | 2:38 |
| 4. | "Medley: We Wish You a Merry Christmas/Silent Night/O Come All You Faithful/Jingle Bells/Where Is Love?" | Traditional/Josef Mohr, Franz Xaver Gruber/John Francis Wade/James Pierpont/Lionel Bart | 5:47 |
| 5. | "Christmasland" | Dennis Farnon, Brian Farnon | 2:23 |
| 6. | "I Love the Winter Weather/I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" | Ticker Freeman, Earl Brown/Irving Berlin | 2:11 |
| 7. | "White Christmas" | Berlin | 2:05 |
| 8. | "Winter Wonderland" | Felix Bernard, Dick Smith | 2:15 |
| 9. | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" | Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin | 3:03 |
| 10. | "Snowfall" | Claude Thornhill, Ruth Thornhill | 2:52 |
| 11. | "I'll Be Home for Christmas" | Buck Ram, Kim Gannon, Walter Kent | 2:02 |
| Total length: | 31:10 | ||
Personnel
- Tony Bennett – vocal
- Robert Farnon – arrangement, conducting
- Jack Gold – producer
Charts
| Chart (2018–2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[10] | 26 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[11] | 72 |
| Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[12] | 62 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[13] | 24 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[14] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ "20 Years with Tony". Billboard. November 30, 1968.
- ^ a b Bennett, The Good Life, p. 198.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums: 1955-1996. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 1008. ISBN 0898201179.
- ^ "Tony Bennett – The Complete Collection". AllMusic. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
- ^ a b Ruhlmann, William. "Tony Bennett – Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album: Review". AllMusic. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 148. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ "Christmas Pop Spotlight: Snowfall". Billboard. Vol. 60, no. 40. November 30, 1968. p. 76.
- ^ "Cashbox Albums Christmas Picks Reviews". Cash Box. Vol. 30, no. 16. November 30, 1968. p. 46.
- ^ "Christmas Album Reviews:" (PDF). Record World. Vol. 23, no. 1122. December 7, 1968. p. 14. Retrieved November 29, 2025 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Tony Bennett – Snowfall - The Tony Bennett Christmas Album". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tony Bennett – Snowfall - The Tony Bennett Christmas Album" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- ^ "2023 52-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. December 29, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Tony Bennett – Snowfall - The Tony Bennett Christmas Album". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
- ^ "American album certifications – Tony Bennett – Snowfall: The Christmas Album". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 17, 2021.