Al Martino - A Merry Christmas

I was a baby when this came out. So I can't say I was a fan when it was first released. Like a lot of people, I came late to the party, really late. Sure, I knew about him from The Godfather, but that hardly counts. It was the maligned Godfather Part III and Johnny Fantane's character when he sang, "To Each His Own" that sealed it for me as an Al Martino fan. That was awesome. "Promise Me You'll Remember (Love Theme from The Godfather Part III)" was supposed to be the big crooner moment with Harry Connick Jr. but a quick A and B between Al and Harry shows the absolute gulf between them as vocalists. I like Harry, Al was simply on another level.

"To Each His Own" was supposed to be played at our wedding, except I forgot the cassette at home that had some of the songs we wanted to play. Which sucked because we wanted to exit the reception to Michael Nesmith singing "Eldorado to the Moon" and when he got to the part where he sang, "We got a million dollars worth of ethel gas / And a reservation for the room ..." we were going to wave so long and head out.

It never happened, but it was supposed to. 

I blame Mr. Bean. 

Seriously.

We hadn't been married very long and we had a very skinny Christmas music selection in our little apartment ... but I did have one CD, Al Martino's A Merry Christmas. It was perfect for us. The album was more or less split down the middle, with the first side featuring contemporary songs. You know, "Rudolph", "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" the obligatory version of "White Christmas" and the second side more traditional Carols.

One song, though, will always belong to Al. “You’re All I Want for Christmas” — for me, it’s the penultimate Christmas carol. Yes, I know Bing recorded it a couple of decades earlier, and his version with the Andrews Sisters is undeniably beautiful. But Al got to me first, and it’s his rendition that truly melts me.

Over the decades my collection of Christmas music grew and grew, and over the last few the number of records I've found takes up a fair bit of space. I don't mind so much. When I stumbled upon the stereo vinyl release of A Merry Christmas I couldn't help myself. I needed it more than I wanted it, and I had wanted it for some time (apologies to Jimmy Webb, I'm sure he could do better). There isn't a dud on this album, and the arrangements and performances are all so good. Al is at home with both contemporary and classic Christmas songs, delivering them with sincerity. I love this record. If push came to shove and I had to pick only one Christmas album to save ... it would be this one.

For over thirty years, on Christmas Eve, "You're All I Want for Christmas" is the song I dance to with my wife. The only light in the room comes from the Christmas tree — it's generally pretty late, after we’ve put the kids to bed and everything is ready for the morning. This is our moment. This is our song. I may not have been able to play "To Each His Own" at our wedding, but I think this makes up for it.