The Best of Christmas (Thomas Kinkade: Blessings of Christmas)

~ Release by Various Artists (see all versions of this release, 1 available)

Annotation

CD 1: Universal Music Special Markets - B0003553-02
CD 2: EMI Music Special Markets - 72438-74804-2-1

Annotation last modified on 2026-06-08 19:40 UTC.

Tracklist

1CD
#TitleArtistRatingLength
1White Christmas
recorded in:
Los Angeles, California, United States (on 1947-03-19)
choir vocals:
Ken Darby Singers (on 1947-03-19)
lead vocals:
Bing Crosby (on 1947-03-19)
orchestra:
John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra (on 1947-03-19)
phonographic copyright (℗) by:
HNH International Ltd. (not for release label use!) and UMG Recordings, Inc. (operational headquarters of Universal Music Group, based in Santa Monica, USA; read annotations)
part of:
Billboard Hot 100: 2026-01-03 (number: 16), Billboard Hot 100: 2025-12-13 (number: 19), Billboard Hot 100: 2025-12-20 (number: 19), Billboard Hot 100: 2025-12-27 (number: 20) and Billboard Hot 100: 2025-12-06 (number: 34)
recording of:
White Christmas (on 1947-03-19)
lyricist and composer:
Irving Berlin (from 1938 until 1940)
publisher:
Copyright Control (not for release label use! this is only for copyrights and publishing relationships), Irving Berlin Music Corp., Williamson Music Company and Irving Berlin Music Company (from 1940 to present)
sub-publisher:
EMI Allans Music Australia Pty Ltd, Irving Berlin Music Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Pty Ltd. (Australian subsidiary of Universal Music Publishing Group), Warner/Chappell Music Ltd. (1996–2019), Warner/Chappell Music, Hong Kong Limited (華納音樂版權香港有限公司, 1995–2019), シンコーミュージック・エンタテイメント (Shinko Music Entertainment Co., Ltd.) and ユニバーサル・ミュージック・パブリッシング Synch事業部 (Universal Music Publishing, Synch Division)
part of:
The 15th Academy Award for Best Original Song (number: 1) and Academy Award for Best Original Song (number: 1942 winner)
Bing Crosby4.23:03
2The Little Drummer Boy
choir vocals:
The Harry Simeone Chorale
recording of:
Carol of the Drum (aka “The Little Drummer Boy”)
lyricist and composer:
Katherine K. Davis (Katherine Kennicott Davis) (in 1941)
additional composer:
Henry Onorati (in 1958) and Harry Simeone (in 1958)
publisher:
EMI Mills Music (ASCAP-affiliated), International Korwin Corp., Warner Chappell, Warner Chappell Music (holding behind all publishing activities of Warner Music Group, 2019–), Belwin-Mills Publishing Corp. (in 1955) and Mills Music, Inc. (in 1964)
is based on:
Trad. (traditional Czech carol, became “Carol of the Drums”)
The Harry Simeone Chorale3:19
3It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
phonographic copyright (℗) by:
Capitol Records, Inc. (not for release label use; US company behind the “Capitol Records” imprint) (in 1963)
part of:
Billboard Hot 100: 2026-01-03 (number: 18), Billboard Hot 100: 2025-12-20 (number: 22), Billboard Hot 100: 2025-12-27 (number: 23), Billboard Hot 100: 2025-12-13 (number: 24) and Billboard Hot 100: 2025-12-06 (number: 38)
recording of:
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (on 1951-09-10)
lyricist and composer:
Meredith Willson (in 1951)
publisher:
Frank Music Corp., Kobalt Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd, Meredith Willson Music LLC, MPL Communications Australia and MPL Music Publishing
Perry Como and The Fontaine Sisters with Mitchell Ayres and His Orchestra32:36
4I'll Be Home For Christmas
bass:
Craig Nelson (US string bass player)
drums (drum set):
Harold Jones (jazz drummer)
piano:
Clare Fischer
orchestra:
London Studio Orchestra
orchestrator:
Ronn Huff
phonographic copyright (℗) by:
Amy Grant Productions (in 1992, in 2007)
cover recording of:
I’ll Be Home for Christmas
lyricist:
James Kimball Gannon
additional writer:
Buck Ram
composer:
Walter Kent
publisher:
Chappell Music Ltd., Edward B. Marks Music Co. (founded originally as J. Stern & Co. in 1894, renamed in 1919), Gannon and Kent Music Co., Piedmont Music Company, Warner Chappell and Warner Chappell Music (holding behind all publishing activities of Warner Music Group, 2019–)
sub-publisher:
ヤマハミュージックエンタテインメントホールディングス (Yamaha Music Entertainment Holdings, Inc., holding company – do not use as release label) and ワーナー・チャペル音楽出版 Synch事業部 (Warner/Chappell Music Japan K.K., Synch Division)
Amy Grant43:28
5Oh Holy Night
Lee Greenwood3:01
6Pretty Paper
cover recording of:
Pretty Paper
lyricist and composer:
Willie Nelson
publisher:
Sony ATV Music Publishing (1995–2020) and Tree Publishing Inc.
Roy Orbison2:46
7A Holly Jolly Christmas
lead vocals:
Burl Ives
chorus master:
Owen Bradley
instruments arranger:
Owen Bradley
part of:
Billboard Hot 100: 2026-01-03 (number: 12), Billboard Hot 100: 2025-12-20 (number: 15), Billboard Hot 100: 2025-12-13 (number: 16), Billboard Hot 100: 2025-12-27 (number: 16), Billboard Hot 100: 2025-12-06 (number: 24), Billboard Hot 100: 2025-11-29 (number: 40), Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2023 (number: 71), Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2022 (number: 89) and Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2024 (number: 94)
recording of:
A Holly Jolly Christmas
lyricist and composer:
Johnny Marks (American songwriter)
publisher:
Audiam Publishing, Warner Chappell (Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.) and St. Nicholas Music Inc. (in 1964)
Burl Ives42:14
8Rockin' Around the Christmas TreeBrenda Lee42:05
9Jingle Bell Rock
Bobby Helms and The Anita Kerr Singers2:11
10Blue Christmas
producer:
Tony Brown (US producer, pianist and keyboardist) and Michael Omartian
conductor:
Patrick Williams (composer, arranger)
arranger:
Patrick Williams (composer, arranger)
cover recording of:
Blue Christmas
writer:
Bill Hayes (songwriter) and Jay Johnson (songwriter of “Blue Christmas”)
publisher:
Anglo-Pic Music Co. Ltd., Bibo Music Publishing, Inc., J. Albert & Son Pty. Ltd., PolyGram International Publishing, Inc. (renamed Universal PolyGram International Publishing, Inc. circa 1998), Universal PolyGram International Publishing, Inc. (existed only since ca. 1998) and Universal Polygram International, Inc.
Vince Gill3:49
11Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful)
Bing Crosby3:11
12Twelve Days Of Christmas
recorded in:
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States (on 1949-05-10)
lead vocals:
The Andrews Sisters (on 1949-05-10) and Bing Crosby (on 1949-05-10)
orchestra:
Vic Schoen and His Orchestra (on 1949-05-10)
recording of:
The Twelve Days of Christmas (on 1949-05-10)
lyricist and composer:
[traditional] (special purpose artist)
arranger:
Frederic Austin (English baritone and composer) (in 1909)
publisher:
Shawnee Press Inc.
Bing Crosby with The Andrews Sisters3:23
13Ave Maria
recording engineer:
John Dunkerley (engineer) and James Lock (James Locke, engineer) (in 1976-01)
producer:
Ray Minshull (record producer)
choir vocals:
Wandsworth School Boys’ Choir (in 1976-01)
tenor vocals:
Luciano Pavarotti (tenor) (in 1976-01)
orchestra:
National Philharmonic Orchestra (fka the London Promenade Orchestra until 1971, mostly film music and opera) (in 1976-01)
conductor:
Kurt Herbert Adler (conductor) (in 1976-01)
arranger and orchestrator:
Douglas Gamley (film composer)
phonographic copyright (℗) by:
The Decca Record Company Limited (not a release label; for copyrights use only) (in 1976)
recorded at:
All Saints’ Church (Petersham) in Richmond upon Thames, London (Greater London), England, United Kingdom (in 1976-01)
live recording of:
Ave Maria (catch-all for arrangements) (in 1976-01)
composer:
Franz Schubert (composer)
arrangement of:
Ave Maria (Schubert’s Ave Maria: Latin “Ave Maria” text sung to the tune of ‘Ellens Gesang III, op. 52 no. 6, D. 839 “Ave Maria”’)
recording of:
Ave Maria (Schubert’s Ave Maria: Latin “Ave Maria” text sung to the tune of ‘Ellens Gesang III, op. 52 no. 6, D. 839 “Ave Maria”’)
lyricist:
[anonymous] (special purpose artist)
composer:
Franz Schubert (composer)
version of:
Ellens Gesang III, op. 52 no. 6, D. 839 “Ave Maria” (Schubert's song, not the Bach/Gounod work; original for voice and piano)
recording of:
Ave Maria, D. 839 (Schubert; catch-all for arrangements)
composer:
Franz Schubert (composer) (in 1825)
arrangement of:
Ellens Gesang III, op. 52 no. 6, D. 839 “Ave Maria” (Schubert's song, not the Bach/Gounod work; original for voice and piano)
recording of:
Ellens Gesang III, op. 52 no. 6, D. 839 “Ave Maria” (Schubert's song, not the Bach/Gounod work; original for voice and piano)
lyricist:
Jairo (Argentinean singer) and Sir Walter Scott (19th-century Scottish author)
composer:
Franz Schubert (composer) (in 1825)
translator:
Adam Storck
part of:
Franz Schubert, thematisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke in chronologischer Folge (number: D. 839)
Luciano Pavarotti and The National Philharmonic Orchestra, Kurt Herbert Adler, Conductor4:44
2CD