Merry Christmas, Jackie Gleason (1956)
- Details
- Written by T-Shirt Wolf
Winter holidays and powerful opiates are a time-tested pairing. But nowhere does this duo come together so seamlessly as in Jackie Gleason's one-of-a-kind Christmas record. Released by Capitol Records in 1956 it was another LP cooked up from Gleason's formula: Popular tunes, lush arrangements, and inhumanly slow tempos. And like many of his records of the time, it also features a slight twist to tie the record together, in this case the electric celeste played by Hercules, "an outstanding master of the instrument." Hercules' mastery is not put to the test here, as he generally plays the melody in single notes. And very, very slowly.
But the more you listen to this record, the more you realize that Hercules and his melodies are only the the little hooks on which are hung the glowing lights of Gleason's pure, abstract sound. The space between each note is so giant that time stops, you forget what song you are listening to. Until all 14 eternal cuts are through, nothing can hurt you. Nothing can touch you.
You can find this on CD (with an inexplicably garish cover) but you're going to want it on LP eventually. Because every December, before you're even conscious of it, your back brain will compel you to pull it out and drop the needle. It'll get so you won't even be able imagine the holidays without it.
