Chicago Christmas: What's It Gonna Be Santa?

by Chicago

Overview

Chicago Christmas: What's It Gonna Be, Santa? is actually a retitled reissue of Chicago's 1998 album Chicago 25: The Christmas Album with six newly recorded extra tracks, bringing the running time up near 75 minutes. Chicago 25 was a gold record seller, and after the band sold its catalog to Rhino Records in 2002 and that label began releasing expanded reissues of the back catalog, the idea of adding to the holiday album came up. It wasn't a bad record to begin with, one on which the Chicago style was applied to seasonal standards. As ever, the group was a cooperative unit, with the three lead singers -- Robert Lamm, Bill Champlin, and Jason Scheff -- taking turns on the different songs, arranged by various bandmembers and always allowing for generous contributions by the horn players Lee Loughnane, James Pankow, and Walt Parazaider. The songs were all old favorites except for Loughnane and John Durrill's "Child's Prayer," featuring a choir dominated by the musicians' children, which sounded so much like a Middle Ages English hymn that it fit right in. Highlights included a particularly moving vocal on "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by the gruff-voiced Champlin, a wonderful doubled flute passage by Parazaider on "O Come All Ye Faithful," and a rare lead vocal by Loughnane on "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" But the whole album, pristinely produced by E Street Band pianist Roy Bittan, was well performed. It sounded exactly like you would expect a Chicago Christmas album to sound, and if you liked the band and holiday music, you'd like the record, too. Now, there's just a little more of it, including a rocking version of "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" with new lyrics referring to the bandmembers; two more Loughnane lead vocals on "Bethlehem" and "Sleigh Ride"; and Champlin turning "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" into an R&B tour de force. Bittan may not have been available for the new sessions, but drafting in Phil Ramone as producer wasn't too shabby as replacements go. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	10/14/2003
Label:	Rhino
UPC:	0081227389222

Tracks

1. Winter Wonderland
2. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
3. Jolly Old St. Nicholas
4. The Little Drummer Boy
5. This Christmas
6. Feliz Navidad
7. Bethlehem
8. The Christmas Song
9. O Come All Ye Faithful
10. Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer
11. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
12. Sleigh Ride
13. Silent Night
14. What Child Is This?
15. Christmas Time Is Here
16. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
17. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
18. Child's Prayer
19. One Little Candle
20. White Christmas

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Chicago   Primary Artist
Luis Conte   Guest Artist,Percussion
Dylan Loughnane   Children's Chorus
Edie Lehmann Boddicker   Choir/Chorus
Kayley Gable   Children's Chorus
H.K. Dorsey   Choir/Chorus
Ryan Bittan   Children's Chorus
River Loughnane   Children's Chorus
Sean Lamm   Children's Chorus
Brittany Scott   Children's Chorus
Amity Addrisi   Children's Chorus
Jade Thacker   Children's Chorus
Alex Bittan   Children's Chorus
Lee Loughane   Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Michael Amezcua   Children's Chorus
Kate Lamm   Children's Chorus
Sarah Pankow   Children's Chorus
Walt Parazaider   Alto,Sax (Alto),Sax (Tenor),Tenor (Vocal)
Roy Bittan   Accordion,Keyboards,Synthesizer Drums,Organ,Piano
Gia Ciambotti   Choir/Chorus
Robert Lamm   Piano,Vocals,Clavinet,Vibraphone,Piano (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Keith Howland   Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Monalisa Young   Choir/Chorus
Tim Pierce   Guitar,Guitar (Acoustic)
Gary Falcone   Choir/Chorus
Tamara Champlin   Choir/Chorus
Carmen Twillie   Choir Director,Vocals (Background)
John Durrill   Synthesizer
Jason Scheff   Bass,Vocals,Trombone,Keyboards,Fretless Bass,Bass (Electric),Vocals (Background),Electric Upright Bass
Maxine Willard Waters   Choir/Chorus
Oren Waters   Choir/Chorus
Alex Brown   Choir/Chorus
Ryan Kelly   Conductor
Bill Champlin   Vocals,Synthesizer,Piano (Electric),Synthesizer Bass,Guitar (Acoustic),Synthesizer Vibes,Vocals (Background),Lead,Organ,Piano,Guitar
Alvin Chea   Choir/Chorus
Tris Imboden   Drums
Bobbi Page   Choir/Chorus
Larry Klimas   Sax (Baritone),Baritone (Vocal)
Clark Gable   Children's Chorus
James Pankow   Trombone,Synthesizer
Lee Loughnane   Lead,Vocals,Trumpet,Flugelhorn,Piccolo Trumpet,Trumpet (Muted),Vocals (Background)
Walter Parazaider   Flute,Sax (Alto),Sax (Tenor),Flute (Alto)

Technical Credits

Linda Cobb   Art Direction
Jimmy Edwards   Project Assistant
George Black   Programming
Larry Mysels   Composer
Dave Donnelly   Remastering
Sammy Kahn   Composer
Valerie Pack   Production Coordination
Tim Scanlin   Project Assistant
EMI Ferguson   Assistant
J. Mallay Roach   Composer
Kosh   Design,Art Direction
Posie Muliadi   Assistant
Laudir DeOliveria   Group Member
Walt Parazaider   Group Member
Jeanne Pankow   Musician
Roy Bittan   Producer
Jule Styne   Composer
Nadine McKinnor   Composer
Peter Cetera   Group Member
Phil Ramone   Producer
Robert Lamm   Arranger,Group Member,Brass Arrangement
Robert Wells   Composer
Gary Peterson   Discographical Annotation
David Millman   Liner Notes
Keith Howland   Arranger,Group Member,Brass Arrangement,Vocal Arrangement
Mel Torme   Composer
Cory Frye   Editorial Supervision
Nick Lane   Brass Arrangement
Henry Onorati   Composer
Mitchell Parish   Composer
Danny Seraphine   Group Member
John Francis Wade   Composer
William Chatterton Dix   Composer
Haven Gillespie   Composer
Donnie Dacus   Group Member
Leroy Anderson   Composer
Tamara Champlin   Composer
Felix Bernard   Composer
Frederick Oakeley   Composer
David McLees   Reissue Producer
John Durrill   Arranger,Composer
Jason Scheff   Arranger,Programming,Group Member,Vocal Arrangement
Katherine K. Davis   Composer
Ralph Blane   Composer
Harry Simeone   Composer
Dick Smith   Composer
Sammy Cahn   Composer
Bill Champlin   Arranger,Composer,Programming,Group Member,Brass Arrangement,Vocal Arrangement
Traditional   Composer
Terry Kath   Group Member
Tris Imboden   Arranger,Group Member,Brass Arrangement
Johnny Marks   Composer
Hugh Martin   Composer
Jimmy Pankow   Brass Arrangement
J. Fred Coots   Composer
Irving Berlin   Composer
Chicago   Reissue Producer
Ed Thacker   Mixing,Engineer
Donny Hathaway   Arranger,Composer
Lee Mendelson   Composer
Jeff Magid   Sound Supervision
Lance Morrison   Arranger
Vince Guaraldi   Composer
Franz Gruber   Composer
Mike Engstrom   Product Manager
James Pankow   Arranger,Group Member,Brass Arrangement,Flute Arrangement,Vocal Arrangement
Lee Loughnane   Arranger,Composer,Group Member,Brass Arrangement,Sound Supervision,Vocal Arrangement
Joseph Mohr   Composer
Hugh Brown   Art Direction
Walter Parazaider   Group Member
Jose Feliciano   Composer