The Secret of Christmas (Julie Andrews album)
| The Secret of Christmas | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1975 | |||
| Genre | Christmas | |||
| Label | Embassy | |||
| Julie Andrews chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Secret of Christmas is the second Christmas album released by English singer and actress Julie Andrews. The album consists of twelve holiday carols and was first released in England, where it received rave reviews for its exquisite arrangements and Julie Andrews' performance.[1] The album was released in the United Kingdom in 1975 by the budget record label Embassy Records. Julie Andrews, who had previously worked with various record labels throughout her career without ever signing a long-term contract with any of them,[2] released this album after an eight-year hiatus from solo records projects.[3]
Embassy Records was known for producing affordable cover versions of popular songs, sold exclusively at Woolworths. Initially active from 1954 to 1965, it ceased operations when its parent company, Oriole, was acquired by CBS Records. The label was revived by CBS between 1973 and 1980 to release budget-friendly versions of albums by Columbia Records artists in the UK and Europe.[4] Building on this partnership, CBS decided to release Julie Andrews' album in the United States seven years after its original UK launch. This new edition featured a fresh album cover and was titled Christmas with Julie Andrews. It also included two special additions: a cherished early 1960s recording of "Silent Night"—previously released on the compilation Firestone Presents Your Favorite Christmas Music Volume 4 (1965)—and the brand-new song "The Secret of Christmas", which, despite lending its name to the original album's title, was notably absent from its tracklist.[1]
In 1984, Reader's Digest, a division of The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., publisher of Reader's Digest magazine, released a new edition of the album, now titled The Julie Andrews Christmas Album, with the songs in the track listing in a different order.
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Records.Christmas | [6] |
| The Record | Favorable[7] |
| The Washington Post | Favorable[8] |
| Sunday Mail | Unfavorable[9] |
Robert Lovering of AllMusic wrote that Christmas with Julie Andrews occasionally suffers from overly polished and meticulous arrangements, but Andrews' elegant vocals and the album's well-curated selection of songs elevate it. According to him the tracklist includes beloved classics like "Away in a Manger", "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", and "O Little Town of Bethlehem", as well as lesser-known gems such as "See Amid the Winter Snow", "The Holy Boy", and "The Secret of Christmas". He concluded that these elements combine to make it a standout easy-listening holiday album.[5]
Johan Palme, in his review for Records.Christmas website described Julie Andrews' The Secret of Christmas as a masterclass in "overproduction" done right. He praised Ian Fraser's intricate arrangements, which fill the stereo space with harps, choirs, strings, and glockenspiels, creating a lush, cinematic soundscape. While the album's clinical precision and lack of naturalism might not appeal to everyone, Palme admires its artificial beauty, with Andrews' serene vocals serving as the perfect centerpiece. He awarded the album 9 out of 10 stars, celebrating it as a standout in the realm of Christmas music.[6]
Bill Ervolino from The Record praised Christmas With Julie Andrews as a standout holiday album, highlighting Andrews' "lovely, lucid voice" on classics like "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" and "Away in a Manger".[7] Similarly, Richard Harrington of The Washington Post commended the album for its "clear, clean vocals" and nuanced performances, particularly on lesser-known tracks such as "In the Bleak Midwinter" and "The Holy Boy".[8] However, Kris Teo of the Sunday Mail offered a more tempered view, noting that while Andrews "can hit the high notes" on traditional carols like "O Little Town of Bethlehem", the album's "by-the-numbers arrangements" limit its appeal, confining it to a quiet, after-dinner ambiance.[9]
The album was featured in a list of Christmas albums by USA Today, with Edna Gundersen writing that it "finds the silver-throated singer in orchestral arrangements of both holiday chestnuts and such less familiar fare".[10] Regarding The Julie Andrews Christmas Album, critic Steve Metcalf, writing for the Hartford Courant, praised the album, noting that every track stands out and describing it as "a work that always knocks me out".[11]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" | Frederick Oakeley / John Reading / John Francis Wade | 2:22 |
| 2. | "In the Bleak Midwinter" | Ian Fraser / Traditional | 3:51 |
| 3. | "The Holy Boy" | Traditional | 3:28 |
| 4. | "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" | Edmund Sears / Richard Storrs Willis | 3:37 |
| 5. | "See Amid the Winter's Snow" | Traditional | 3:57 |
| 6. | "O Little Town of Bethlehem" | Phillips Brooks / Lewis Redner | 3:07 |
| 7. | "What Child Is This?" | William Chatterton Dix / Traditional | 3:32 |
| 8. | "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" | Felix Mendelssohn / Charles Wesley | 3:32 |
| 9. | "Rocking" | Traditional | 2:22 |
| 10. | "Away in a Manger" | James R. Murray / Traditional | 3:55 |
| 11. | "I Wonder as I Wander" | John Jacob Niles / Traditional | 3:58 |
| 12. | "Patapan" | Bernard de la Monnoye / Traditional | 2:50 |
| 13. | "The Secret of Christmas" | Sammy Cahn / James Van Heusen | 3:21 |
| 14. | "Silent Night, Holy Night" | Franz Gruber / Joseph Mohr | 2:23 |
Personnel
[edit]Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Secret Of Christmas record.[12]
- All titles arranged and conducted by Ian Fraser.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Arntz & Wilson 1995, p. 231
- ^ "Julie Andrews Great Disk Star -Without a Record Contract!" (PDF). Record World. 4 March 1967. p. 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 March 2025. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
- ^ Stirling 2008, p. 405
- ^ "39 Releases to Mark CBS's Embassy Label". Billboard. New York City: Lynne Segall. September 29, 1973. p. 49.
- ^ a b Lovering, Robert. "Christmas With Julie Andrews - Julie Andrews". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ a b Palme, Johan (17 December 2015). "Julie Andrews – The Secret of Christmas". Records.Christmas. Archived from the original on 4 December 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2025.
- ^ a b Ervollino, Bill (3 December 1999). "In harmony with the holidays". The Record. 425062519. Retrieved 24 March 2025 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b Harrington, Richard (10 December 1999). "It's the most musical time of the year". The Washington Post. 408593330. Retrieved 24 March 2025 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b Teo, Kris (17 December 2000). "Something from Santa". Sunday Mail. 324989638. Retrieved 24 March 2025 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Gundersen, Edna; Jones, Steve; Mansfield, Brian; Stearns, David Patrick (17 December 1999). "Wrapping up the season holidays offer CD collections filled with music from the heart". USA Today. 408835583. Retrieved 24 March 2025 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Metcalf, Steve (15 December 1996). "Corny Christmas tunes and the people who love them making merry music for the holidays". Hartford Courant. 255779042. Retrieved 24 March 2025 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Julie Andrews (1975). The Secret Of Christmas (liner notes). Embassy Records. EMB 31237.
Bibliography
[edit]- Arntz, James; Wilson, Thomas S. (1995). Julie Andrews. Two Prudential Plaza, Chicago. Illinois: Contemporary Books, Inc. ISBN 0-8092-3267-7.
- Stirling, Richard (2008). Julie Andrews: An Intimate Biography. London: Piatkus Books Ltd London. ISBN 978-1-84782-162-1.