We Need a Little Christmas is the fifth Christmas album by American pop singer Andy Williams (and his forty-second studio album overall) that was released by Unison Music in 1995. It gives an adult contemporary treatment to songs that Williams had previously recorded for 1963's The Andy Williams Christmas Album ("Away In A Manger", "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)", "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year", "Silent Night"), 1965's Merry Christmas ("Mary's Little Boy Child"), 1974's Christmas Present ("Angels We Have Heard On High", "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day", "What Child Is This"), and 1990's I Still Believe in Santa Claus ("I'll Be Home for Christmas") and includes three songs that Williams had not recorded before. In a brief note on the back of the jewel case Williams writes, "These all-new recordings feature fresh, innovative arrangements of some of my favorite carols. I felt like I was singing them for the very first time."
The Recording Industry Association of America awarded the album Gold certification for sales of 500,000 units on February 2, 1998.
Track listing
"Mary's Little Boy Child" (Jester Hairston) – 4:14 "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (Kim Gannon, Walter Kent, Buck Ram) – 3:21 "Up on the House Top" (Benjamin Hanby) – 3:08 "Away in a Manger" (traditional) – 3:01 "We Need a Little Christmas" (Jerry Herman) – 3:33 Angel Medley – 4:40 a. "Angels We Have Heard On High" (traditional) b. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (Felix Mendelssohn, Charles Wesley) "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells) – 4:02 "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" (Edward Pola, George Wyle) – 3:34 "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" (traditional) – 2:33 "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" (John Baptiste Calkin, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) – 3:08 "What Child Is This" (William Chatterton Dix) – 4:10 "Silent Night" (Franz Xaver Gruber; Joseph Mohr) – 5:29
Personnel From the liner notes for the original album:
Production Don Boyer - producer; background vocal arrangement/children's vocal arrangement (track 6) Pat Coil - arranger (tracks 5, 7, 9, 10) John Darnall - lead vocal engineer (except as noted) Jim Falzone - editor Mike Frazier - lead vocal engineer (tracks 1, 5, 9); additional engineering Tommy Greer - arranger (track 12) Don Hart - string arrangement/conductor (tracks 5, 7, 11, 12), brass arrangement/conductor (tracks 1, 5, 10), string conductor (tracks 1, 4, 10) Peter Jacobs - children's vocal arrangement/conductor (tracks 5, 6, 8) David Jahnsen - additional engineering John Jaszcz - mixing (tracks 5, 6, 8) Sandy Jenkins - additional engineering Pete Martinez - additional engineering Blair Masters - arranger (tracks 2, 8, 11) John Mayfield - string engineer (except as noted) Gary Oldenbroek - associate producer Dennis Patton - arranger (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6) Daryl Roudebush - additional engineering Dan Rudin - mixing (except as noted) Roger Ryan - adult choir contractor/conductor (track 6) Chris Sabold - string engineer (tracks 2, 6, 8) Rich Schirmer - additional engineering David Schober - additional engineering Shaun Shankel - additional engineering J. Daniel Smith - background vocal arrangement (track 6), string arrangement/conductor (tracks 2, 6, 8) Bert Stevens - additional engineering Hank Williams - mastering Dave Williamson - background vocal arrangement/conductor (track 3), string arrangement (track 1) Don Wyrtzen - string arrangement (tracks 4, 10)
Musicians Mark Baldwin - guitar (track 11) Eric Darken - percussion (tracks 2, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12); snare (track 2) Gota Yashiki's Groove Activator - drum loop (track 3) Barry Green - trombone Mike Haynes - trumpet and flugelhorn Tom Hemby - guitar (track 10) Jim Hoke - harmonica (track 2) Sam Levine - alto saxophone (track 3), saxophone Carol McClure - harp (except tracks 2, 6, 8) Craig Nelson - bass (tracks 6, 8); acoustic bass (tracks 2, 9) Dan Rudin - additional percussion (track 7) Pam Sixfin - violin solo (tracks 7, 11) Chester Thompson - drums (tracks 5, 7, 8)
Design Kevin Majeski - art direction Jim Lersch - photography Susan Hulme, Barnes & Co. - graphic design
Vocalists Andy Williams - lead vocal William Cannon - adult choir Da'dra Crawford - background vocals (track 6) Steve Crawford - background vocals (track 6) Laurie Eason - children's choir Christi Ebenhock - children's choir Juanita Edwards - adult choir Gail Farrell - background vocals (track 3) Elaina Foley - children's choir Kara Foley - children's choir Richard Forde - adult choir Son Jones - adult choir Bonnie Keen - background vocals (track 3) Jason Laudadio - children's choir Melissa Laudadio - children's choir Marty McCall - background vocals (track 3) Mindy Metzger - children's choir Shandra Penix - adult choir Tiffani Ransom - adult choir Terita Redd - adult choir Fatima Richardson - adult choir Cindy Stuck - children's choir Katie Stuck - children's choir Randy Stuck - children's choir Nee-C Walls - background vocals (track 6) Dave Williamson - background vocals (track 3) Christopher Willis - adult choir
Strings (except tracks 2, 6, 8) David Angell - violin Monisa Angell - viola John Catchings - cello Bruce Christensen - viola Joann Cruthirds - violin David Davidson - violin Carl Gorodetzky - violin, contractor Jim Grosjean - viola Anthony Lamarchina - cello Lee Larrison - violin Bob Mason - cello Cate Myer - violin Craig Nelson - bass Randy Olson - violin Pam Sixfin - violin Elizabeth Stewart - bass Julie Tanner - cello Alan Umstead - violin Catherine Umstead - violin Gary Vanosdale - viola Mary Kathryn Vanosdale - violin Karen Winklemann - violin
Strings and harp (tracks 2, 6, 8) AWR Music, Chicago - contractor
Strings recorded at Woodland Studios, Nashville, Tennessee, and Chicago Recording Company, Chicago, Illinois Andy Williams's vocals recorded at Caravell Recording Studio, Branson, Missouri Mixed at Quad Studios, Recording Arts and 16th Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee Edited at Open Door Productions, Old Hickory, Tennessee Mastered at MasterMix, Nashville, Tennessee
References
Bibliography