'Twas The Night Before Christmas - Fred Waring and The Pennsylvanians - 1942

Here's a new transfer I did of the original 1942 recording of this classic, from the 10" LP. This original version has never been released on CD - only on 78, 45 and 10" LP. (Later versions were recorded in 1954 and 1961, and those have been released on CD.)

Written by Clement Clarke Moore, Ken Darby and Harry Simeone. Featuring Jack Best and Gordon Goodman, recorded July 29, 1942 in New York City.

The group worked frantically to finish the recording before the end of the month, when the musicians' union would be going on strike. They barely got the production onto shellac before the musicians walked out, and it was released on the Decca label.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Twas
• The
• Night
• Before
• Christmas
• Fred
• Waring
• and
• Pennsylvanians
• 1942
• yt:quality=high

[boinx1234]

hageja01

This is by far the best sung version of this song. No other version comes close and has this much emotion when sung. This forever will be a Christmas Classic.

friendsfamilyaccount

I love this - it almost brings tears to my eyes, the flood of memories. Somebody needs to release these old classics on CD - all the Good Year records, etc. Thanks for posting! :)

[icujts]

I grew up listening to this song and our Dad always played the whole Fred Waring album at Christmas time. Have loved this song for 30-40 years. This song, along with Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" always take me right back to my childhood, the old record player, and great Christmas memories! Thanks for posting! My brother and I both love this song to this day and always talk about this album...

[studedude43]

This 1942 classic Decca recording is by far the best. version. I've listened to it for most of my 68 years and it fondly reminds me of my childhood. Today it bings tears to my eyes when I think of how much time has since passed in my life. Reading the comments posted here it seems this iconic piece has similarly affected many others .

[SidTheLoveRat]

I love this song.  This is the best version that I've heard. :)

[josephR1938]

My Mother bought this album just after its release way back then. I have such fond childhood memories not only of this but so many wonderful things. Now, only my Mother is left, age 96. All Grandparents, aunts, uncles and most cousins are gone, but the memories are warm and precious. These things bring tears to my eyes and sometimes I choke up trying to talk about these times past. No matter what, Christmas is a blessing and full of wonderment! Khristos Razhdajetsja!!! Slavite Jeho!!!

[icujts]

love this song! This is the version we listened to on record when we were kids! :) Merry Christmas!

[latitudeCheck]

Thank you for uploading and sharing this. It's the version I grew up listening to every year at Christmas. One snowy Christmas Eve while listening to this playing on our RCA Victrola I remember looking out the window as one of my brothers pointed to some very distant red lights in the sky proving that Rudolph was leading the reindeer this year. Merry Christmas!

[creeper1014]

Oh, thank you! This is the Christmas album I grew up with. I don't know how you made the transfer with such fidelity. Merry Christmas to you!

P.S. Could you please do the rest of them?

[53Aubergine]

Ah, but I believe you're wrong. Contact the University of Pennsylvania Archives :D But that being said, I love listening to this pressing. MERRY CHRISTMAS! Nothing does it for me like -this- music.

[douglasamarshall]

If you ever get a chance to look at the sheet music of a Harry Simone arrangement, which most of Waring's were, you'll notice how he carries a word ending with a consonent over to a word that begins with a vowel, in order to hear the consonent, an example:"If I were you", would be written "Ih fi were you."

[socallymike]

My dad bought Christmas albums by Firestone & Goodyear. Included in his collection was the Fred Waring record with the Norman Rockwell painting. Love to have this someday but until then thanks for the posting. Dad's been gone, now, over 25 years.

[Sara95127]

Thanks for posting this - we still have our folk's 78 rpm -- now played sparingly.