blog #4 - The Original WHITE CHRISTMAS album by Al Green

In 1983, Al Green’s White Christmas album was released.  My dad would play this Christmas album all the time during the holidays, and I loved it!  He would play it on our road trips too.  In fact, this was the only Christmas album I remember hearing during my childhood.  Of course, I heard and sang other Christmas songs, but Al Green’s was the only holiday album that I listened to time and time again, especially when I sat in the backseat of my parents’ white, Eldorado Cadillac. 
 
I believe Al Green began exclusively recording Gospel music back in 1980.  Since I grew up listening to Gospel music only, it made perfect sense for my dad to purchase his Christmas album in 1983 when I was about 6 years old.  When I was little, I only knew Al Green to be a Gospel singer. Anyway, I remember my dad driving with my mom in the front seat, me in the backseat, and my grandmother was sitting back there with me, as she did on a lot of occasions.  She was singing along with one of Al Green’s Christmas songs entitled, White Christmas.  I wondered how she knew that song because my dad had just purchased the cassette tape.  Afterall, this was Al Green’s new holiday album containing his BRAND NEW CHRISTMAS SONGS I hadn’t heard.  The majority of those songs were new to me, especially, White Christmas (which was the very first song on the album).  So, I was absolutely amazed at how she was singing along. 
 
Later on, I found that mostly all of the Christmas songs on his album to be Christmas standards, except for 2 songs:  What Christmas Means To Me (co-arranged by Al Green) and It Feels Like Christmas (written and arranged by Al Green).  Thanks to my dad purchasing that tape, I had a very new and long-lasting Christmas experience with those new songs.  Well, at least they were new to me.
 
It is no surprise that Al Green’s White Christmas album has been re-released by several different record labels at different times. What brings me the most pain is that the title of the album has been changed from White Christmas to The Christmas Album to Christmas to Feels Like Christmas.  WHY?!  The album entitled, The Christmas Album contains 4 bonus songs:  My God Is Real, Glory, Glory, God Is Standing By, and God Blessed Our Love.  I do love these songs, but they have no business anywhere near his Christmas album because THEY ARE NOT CHRISTMAS SONGS!!!  It is also very unfortunate that the Christmas album’s current title, Feels Like Christmas contains one of the songs mentioned above by Al Green entitled, Glory, Glory.  THIS IS NOT A CHRISTMAS SONG, EITHER!!!!  It is simply ridiculous to include ANY of these songs in his collection of wonderful Christmas songs.  Incidentally, the album covers for each re-released Christmas album were changed to some random, non-Christmas pictures of Al Green.  What a shame!!! You can visit the website: https://www.discogs.com/Al-Green-White-Christmas/master/362158  to see which record labels re-released Al Green’s Christmas music.   
 
As I mentioned toward the beginning of this blog, I only knew Al Green to be a Gospel singer.  I had no idea he was a secular recording artist until I started listening to all of his previous recordings later on in my life of which I do enjoy.  In the near future, I will explain how much Al Green’s Gospel music from the 1980s has meant to me in an upcoming blog or two. 
 
Now, without further ado, here is Al Green’s original Christmas album (with the original Christmas songs in their proper order, the original album title, and with the original album cover---- the way it should be) entitled, White Christmas on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/4e0pz5p0leqwq8xnb0ccf6fwx/playlist/3fj1oIRoI6AkYLQpZyf9Qr?si=WxZXP45tQQOoOFhClbg3nw