'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Poem by Clement Clarke Moore with original music by Ray Charles

With String Ensemble Directed by Mitchell Ayres

Produced by Henri René

Recorded RCA Victor Studio 2, New York City

Recording Time 3:45

Recorded June 22, 1953 ~ Matrix No. E3VB-1601 Take 1 - 1A

Single release: RCA Little Nipper "Blue" Junior Series WBY-43 45-RPM Blue Vinyl

Single release: RCA-78RPM "Perry for Kids" Y-487 & EYA-40

Single Flip Side: "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

Original issue: "Around the Christmas Tree" LPM-3133 and "Around the Christmas Tree" 45-EPA-496 MONO 1953

Album reissue: RCA-LP12 "Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music" LPM-1243 MONO 1956

Australia album: RCA-45RPM EP "Twas the Night Before Christmas" EP-20031 MONO 1958

Re-issue: Camden-LP12 "Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music" CAL-660 MONO 1961

Re-issue: Camden-LP12 "Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music" CAS (e)-660 ELECTRONIC STEREO 1964

Re-issue: Pickwick-LP12 "Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music" CDS-1045 ELECTRONIC STEREO 1972

Album issue: Pickwick-LP12 "The Christmas Collection" PDA-027 ELECTRONIC STEREO 1979

Re-issue: Camden-LP12 "Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music" CAS (e)-660 ELECTRONIC STEREO 1987

Around the Christmas Tree ~ LPM 3133 circa 1953

Merry Christrmas Music ~ 1961 Camden alternate cover

Merry Christmas Music ~ 1964 Camden Reissue

The Night Before Christmas - Australian EP

| Lyrics | CD-Finder |

Note: a number of Perry's original RCA Camden albums were later issued in Electronically Reprocessed Stereo during the mid-1960s when it became important for recordings to be available in a stereo format. Generally speaking, results were not very good but this was largely dependent on the remastering engineer. Oddly, a number of recordings previously recorded in real stereo were also remastered in this "fake" stereo for reasons assumed to be associated with the project budget but, nevertheless, in direct contradiction to RCA General Manager George R. Marek's original mission statement for RCA Camden recordings in 1958.