Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits is a set of two Christmas-themed compilation albums released by Rhino Records in 1989, each featuring ten popular Christmas recordings from 1935 to 1983, many of which charted on the Billboard record charts. Both volumes were certified Gold by the RIAA in the U.S., with the second volume being certified Platinum.
1935–1954
"White Christmas" — Bing Crosby (Best Sellers in Stores and Christmas singles chart #1, Hot 100 #12) "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" — Vaughn Monroe (Best Sellers in Stores, Most Played by Jockeys & Most Played in Jukeboxes #1) "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" — Gene Autry (Best Sellers in Stores, Most Played by Jockeys & Most Played by Folk Disk Jockeys #1) "The Christmas Song" — King Cole Trio (Most Played by Jockeys & Most played Juke Box Race Records #3) "All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)" — Spike Jones & His City Slickers (Most Played by Jockeys #1) "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" — Jimmy Boyd (Best Sellers in Stores #1) "Christmas Island" — Andrews Sisters & Guy Lombardo (Most Played in Jukeboxes #7) "Silent Night" — Bing Crosby (Record Buying Guide #10) "Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane)" — Gene Autry (Best Sellers in Stores #8) "Santa Baby" — Eartha Kitt (Best Sellers in Stores #4)
Reception
Shawn Haney of Allmusic says the album is a "charming collection of golden classic Christmas favorites" that "should appeal to all ages." Featuring "everybody and everything from the Bing himself to Gene Autry's "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" to "All I Want for Christmas," a comedic, hilarious family favorite". The album peaked at #24 on Billboard's Top Christmas Albums chart in 1991 and charted a total of 7 weeks.
1955–Present
"Jingle Bell Rock" — Bobby Helms (Top 100 Sides #6, Hot 100 #35 (in 1958), Christmas singles chart #1) "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" — Brenda Lee (Hot 100 #14 (in 1960), Christmas singles chart #3) "The Chipmunk Song" — The Chipmunks with David Seville (Hot 100 #1, Christmas singles chart #5) "The Little Drummer Boy" — The Harry Simeone Chorale (Hot 100 #13, Christmas singles chart #1) "Mary's Boy Child" — Harry Belafonte (Best Sellers in Stores #12, Christmas singles chart #5) "Blue Christmas" — Elvis Presley (Christmas singles chart #1) "Nuttin' for Christmas" — Barry Gordon (Best Sellers in Stores #6) "Please Come Home for Christmas" — Charles Brown (Hot 100 #76, Best-Selling Rhythm & Blues Records #12 & Christmas singles chart #1) "White Christmas" — The Drifters (Rhythm and Blues #2, Top 100 Sides #80, Hot 100 #88, Christmas singles chart #4) "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" — Elmo 'n Patsy (Hot Country Singles #92 (in 1983), Christmas singles chart #1)
Reception
Allmusic critic Stewart Mason calls the album "a rather skimpy but nonetheless useful compilation of Christmas songs" and says it "wisely steers mostly clear of the annoying novelty Christmas songs of the rock era." While it does include the "horrifyingly bad 'Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer'," it also includes "Charles Brown's 'Please Come Home for Christmas', maybe the best R&B Christmas song ever". The album peaked at #15 on Billboard's Top Christmas Albums chart in 1991 and charted a total of 59 weeks.
Other albums
Rhino Records subsequently released five other albums as Billboard Christmas hits:
Billboard Greatest Country Christmas Hits (1990) "Blue Christmas" — Ernest Tubb (Most Played by Folk Disk Jockeys #1, Best Sellers in Stores #1) "Christmas Carols by the Old Corral" — Tex Ritter (Most Played Juke Box Folk Records #2) "Will Santy Come to Shanty Town" — Eddy Arnold (Most Played by Folk Disk Jockeys #5) "Little Sandy Sleighfoot" — Jimmy Dean (Top 100 Sides #32) "Jingle Bell Rock" — Bobby Helms (Hot C&W Sides #13) "White Christmas" — Ernest Tubb (Most Played by Folk Disk Jockeys #7) "The Little Drummer Boy" — Johnny Cash (Hot C&W Sides #24, Hot 100 #63) "C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S" — Eddy Arnold (Best Selling Folk Records #7) "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" — Jimmy Boyd (Top Country & Western Records Most Played In Juke Boxes & Best Sellers in Stores #1) "Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy" — Buck Owens & His Buckaroos (Christmas singles chart #1)
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