A Fresh Aire Christmas
A Fresh Aire Christmas is the second Christmas album and tenth studio album released by American musical group Mannheim Steamroller. The album was released in 1988 and was the last album to feature Eric Hansen as a member of the band. The album is the highest selling album in the Chip Davis/Mannheim Steamroller music catalog.
A Fresh Aire Christmas | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 15, 1988 | |||
Recorded | 1987–1988 | |||
Genre | Christmas, symphonic pop | |||
Length | 40:57 | |||
Label | American Gramaphone | |||
Producer | Chip Davis | |||
Mannheim Steamroller chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic |
When selecting the tracks, Chip Davis had requested of fans to submit three of their favorite Christmas songs. He then tabulated the results and sent a note of thanks and a copy of the album to those fans who had a song selected.[2]
Album sales were massive upon release in 1988. The album was a huge success and continues to be a huge seller 25 years since its original release. On June 21, 2004, A Fresh Aire Christmas was certified by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipment of six million copies in the United States, making it one of the best-selling holiday albums in the U.S.[3]
Four of the album's tracks were included in the group's 2004 compilation Christmas Celebration.
As of November 2014, A Fresh Aire Christmas is the sixth best-selling Christmas/holiday album in the U.S. for the Nielsen SoundScan era of music sales tracking (March 1991 – present), having sold 3,660,000 copies during this period according to SoundScan.[4] The album has become the band's biggest success, even surpassing their mammoth first Christmas release four years earlier, Mannheim Steamroller Christmas.
Track listing
- "Hark! The Herald Trumpets Sing" (20th Century (16th Century Style)) - 1:23
- "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (18th Century German) - 3:27)
- "Veni Veni (O Come O Come Emmanuel)" (12th Century French) - 4:15
- "The Holly and the Ivy" (Ancient French Melody) - 2:58
- "Little Drummer Boy" - (20th Century American) - 4:06
- "Still, Still, Still" (Austrian Carol) - 3:39
- "Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming" (15th Century German) - 2:23
- "In dulci Jubilo" (16th Century German) - 2:43
- "Greensleeves" (16th Century English) - 3:24
- Re-arrangement of "Red Wine" from Fresh Aire IV
- "Carol of the Bells" (19th Century Ukrainian) - 3:48
- "Traditions of Christmas" (Chip Davis 1988) - 3:32
- "Cantique de Noel (O Holy Night)" (19th Century French) - 5:19
References
- Allmusic review
- Newman, Melinda (October 16, 2015). "Mannheim Steamroller's Chip Davis On How To Build A Multi-Million Dollar Brand". Forbes.com. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
- "RIAA Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 2013-04-16. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
- "The Gifts That Keep on Giving: Biggest Radio and Album Hits of the Holidays". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. December 1, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2014.