(Early Jazz, Christmas, Pop) Bing Crosby: Bing Crosby Sings Christmas Songs - (compil. 1986, Steve Hoffman mastering), FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Exact Audio Copy V0.99 prebeta 4 from 23. January 2008
EAC extraction logfile from 11. December 2009, 20:17
Bing Crosby / Bing Crosby Sings Christmas Songs
Used drive  : Optiarc DVD RW AD-7200S   Adapter: 3  ID: 0
Read mode               : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache      : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No
Read offset correction                      : 48
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out          : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks   : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations       : Yes
Used interface                              : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Gap handling                                : Appended to previous track
Used output format              : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate                : 320 kBit/s
Quality                         : High
Add ID3 tag                     : No
Command line compressor         : C:\Program Files\FLAC\flac.exe
Additional command line options : -V -8 -T "artist=%a" -T "title=%t" -T "album=%g" -T "date=%y" -T "tracknumber=%n" -T "genre=%m" %s
TOC of the extracted CD
     Track |   Start  |  Length  | Start sector | End sector
    ---------------------------------------------------------
        1  |  0:00.37 |  3:06.28 |        37    |    14014
        2  |  3:06.65 |  2:39.42 |     14015    |    25981
        3  |  5:46.32 |  2:47.43 |     25982    |    38549
        4  |  8:34.00 |  3:12.40 |     38550    |    52989
        5  | 11:46.40 |  2:19.62 |     52990    |    63476
        6  | 14:06.27 |  2:55.18 |     63477    |    76619
        7  | 17:01.45 |  2:57.70 |     76620    |    89964
        8  | 19:59.40 |  2:44.65 |     89965    |   102329
        9  | 22:44.30 |  2:36.72 |    102330    |   114101
       10  | 25:21.27 |  3:13.25 |    114102    |   128601
       11  | 28:34.52 |  3:03.33 |    128602    |   142359
       12  | 31:38.10 |  3:28.15 |    142360    |   157974
       13  | 35:06.25 |  3:23.17 |    157975    |   173216
       14  | 38:29.42 |  2:56.00 |    173217    |   186416
       15  | 41:25.42 |  3:00.65 |    186417    |   199981
Track  1
     Filename D:\Rips\01 - White Christmas.wav
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     Peak level 87.2 %
     Track quality 100.0 %
     Test CRC D76E14EF
     Copy CRC D76E14EF
     Accurately ripped (confidence 11)  [13925D60]
     Copy OK
Track  2
     Filename D:\Rips\02 - Silent Night.wav
     Pre-gap length  0:00:01.09
     Peak level 78.4 %
     Track quality 100.0 %
     Test CRC 5F47C303
     Copy CRC 5F47C303
     Accurately ripped (confidence 11)  [2C47D48B]
     Copy OK
Track  3
     Filename D:\Rips\03 - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.wav
     Pre-gap length  0:00:01.02
     Peak level 96.4 %
     Track quality 100.0 %
     Test CRC 91DC443D
     Copy CRC 91DC443D
     Accurately ripped (confidence 11)  [01B217A6]
     Copy OK
Track  4
     Filename D:\Rips\04 - Adeste Fidelis (O, Come All Ye Faithful).wav
     Pre-gap length  0:00:01.17
     Peak level 67.3 %
     Track quality 100.0 %
     Test CRC 7DFF24F0
     Copy CRC 7DFF24F0
     Accurately ripped (confidence 11)  [19C19FFD]
     Copy OK
Track  5
     Filename D:\Rips\05 - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.wav
     Pre-gap length  0:00:00.94
     Peak level 75.2 %
     Track quality 99.9 %
     Test CRC 2912D809
     Copy CRC 2912D809
     Accurately ripped (confidence 11)  [6E317A31]
     Copy OK
Track  6
     Filename D:\Rips\06 - Faith Of Our Fathers.wav
     Pre-gap length  0:00:00.89
     Peak level 62.9 %
     Track quality 100.0 %
     Test CRC 8EE93A0A
     Copy CRC 8EE93A0A
     Accurately ripped (confidence 11)  [15224785]
     Copy OK
Track  7
     Filename D:\Rips\07 - I'll Be Home For Christmas.wav
     Pre-gap length  0:00:00.94
     Peak level 58.5 %
     Track quality 100.0 %
     Test CRC AE4708AD
     Copy CRC AE4708AD
     Accurately ripped (confidence 11)  [FA00071A]
     Copy OK
Track  8
     Filename D:\Rips\08 - Christmas In Killarney.wav
     Pre-gap length  0:00:01.60
     Peak level 80.8 %
     Track quality 100.0 %
     Test CRC B9DFD31A
     Copy CRC B9DFD31A
     Accurately ripped (confidence 11)  [77DDA8D9]
     Copy OK
Track  9
     Filename D:\Rips\09 - The First Noel.wav
     Pre-gap length  0:00:01.08
     Peak level 85.4 %
     Track quality 100.0 %
     Test CRC 24C25A39
     Copy CRC 24C25A39
     Accurately ripped (confidence 11)  [1B3AE42B]
     Copy OK
Track 10
     Filename D:\Rips\10 - You're All I Want For Christmas.wav
     Pre-gap length  0:00:02.45
     Peak level 85.1 %
     Track quality 100.0 %
     Test CRC 0DFC5138
     Copy CRC 0DFC5138
     Accurately ripped (confidence 11)  [3A3D85B8]
     Copy OK
Track 11
     Filename D:\Rips\11 - O Fir Tree Dark.wav
     Pre-gap length  0:00:01.49
     Peak level 92.0 %
     Track quality 100.0 %
     Test CRC 2F30B34B
     Copy CRC 2F30B34B
     Accurately ripped (confidence 11)  [E69E2C57]
     Copy OK
Track 12
     Filename D:\Rips\12 - Christmas Carols Medley {DeckThe Halls, Away In A Manger, I Saw Three Ships}.wav
     Pre-gap length  0:00:00.80
     Peak level 77.1 %
     Track quality 99.9 %
     Test CRC 825B18B4
     Copy CRC 825B18B4
     Accurately ripped (confidence 11)  [5A11015E]
     Copy OK
Track 13
     Filename D:\Rips\13 - Christmas Carols Medley {Good King Wenceslas, We Three Kings Of Orient Are, Angels We Have Heard On High}.wav
     Pre-gap length  0:00:02.13
     Peak level 72.2 %
     Track quality 99.9 %
     Test CRC B9E1E4B6
     Copy CRC B9E1E4B6
     Accurately ripped (confidence 11)  [C90AB238]
     Copy OK
Track 14
     Filename D:\Rips\14 - The Christmas Song.wav
     Pre-gap length  0:00:01.98
     Peak level 74.9 %
     Track quality 99.9 %
     Test CRC 47B09E7B
     Copy CRC 47B09E7B
     Accurately ripped (confidence 11)  [9F5BC75F]
     Copy OK
Track 15
     Filename D:\Rips\15 - Greetings To Decca Employees, Christmas, 1940.wav
     Pre-gap length  0:00:02.16
     Peak level 84.6 %
     Track quality 100.0 %
     Test CRC 76288EBD
     Copy CRC 76288EBD
     Accurately ripped (confidence 10)  [AF650340]
     Copy OK
All tracks accurately ripped
No errors occurred
End of status report

REM GENRE Christmas
REM DATE 1986
REM DISCID B60A6A0F
REM COMMENT "ExactAudioCopy v0.99pb4"
FILE "01 - White Christmas.wav" WAVE
  TRACK 01 AUDIO
    PREGAP 00:00:37
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 02 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 03:05:21
FILE "02 - Silent Night.wav" WAVE
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 03 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 02:38:40
FILE "03 - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.wav" WAVE
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 04 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 02:46:30
FILE "04 - Adeste Fidelis (O, Come All Ye Faithful).wav" WAVE
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 05 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 03:11:44
FILE "05 - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.wav" WAVE
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 06 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 02:18:70
FILE "06 - Faith Of Our Fathers.wav" WAVE
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 07 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 02:54:22
FILE "07 - I'll Be Home For Christmas.wav" WAVE
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 08 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 02:56:25
FILE "08 - Christmas In Killarney.wav" WAVE
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 09 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 02:43:59
FILE "09 - The First Noel.wav" WAVE
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 10 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 02:34:38
FILE "10 - You're All I Want For Christmas.wav" WAVE
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 11 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 03:11:63
FILE "11 - O Fir Tree Dark.wav" WAVE
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 12 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 03:02:48
FILE "12 - Christmas Carols Medley {DeckThe Halls, Away In A Manger, I Saw Three Ships}.wav" WAVE
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 13 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 03:26:05
FILE "13 - Christmas Carols Medley {Good King Wenceslas, We Three Kings Of Orient Are, Angels We Have Heard On High}.wav" WAVE
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 14 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 03:21:18
FILE "14 - The Christmas Song.wav" WAVE
    INDEX 01 00:00:00
  TRACK 15 AUDIO
    INDEX 00 02:53:63
FILE "15 - Greetings To Decca Employees, Christmas, 1940.wav" WAVE
    INDEX 01 00:00:00

The folks at MCA essentially fused together one half of White Christmas and one half of That Christmas Feeling to create Bing Crosby Sings Christmas Songs. Not a bad recipe for success, except that here they elected to "restore" the songs to the original mono masters from Decca. At times, especially on the White Christmas selections, "remanded" seems like the better word. While tape hiss and saturated sound levels have a certain charm on vinyl, the original defects come through too clearly on compact disc. Of course, dismissing this disc for occasionally testing the rarefied ears of the digital age would be like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Yuletide classics "White Christmas," "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," "I'll Be Home for Christmas," and "The Christmas Song" do their parts to smooth over an otherwise bumpy ride. Generally, the selections from That Christmas Feeling have aged better, both for their improved sonic presence and more contemporary arrangements. By comparison, the recordings of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Faith of Our Fathers" feel like poorly preserved artifacts. Listeners are less apt to be critical of this disc's shortcomings when they're in the holiday spirit, but the fact remains that there are better Bing Crosby Christmas records to choose from. The disc ends, oddly enough, with a 1940 recording of Bing, Connee Boswell, Decca founder Jack Kapp, and others wishing Decca employees a "happy" Christmas. ~ Dave Connolly, All Music Guide~~~~~~~~~~~~Happy Holidays! It’s time yet again to celebrate the holiday season on keithhirsch.com with an early Christmas CD. This year, we grace this site with a compilation from one of the great crooners — Bing Crosby. In 1986, MCA Records released Bing Crosby Sings Christmas Songs on CD in the U.S. (catalog number MCAD-5765). The original version to hit store shelves back in ’86 was pressed in Japan.
This CD features 14 Christmas classics that Crosby recorded with Decca Records, including his staple, “White Christmas”. Track 15 is a recorded holiday greeting that Crosby and others gave to employees of Decca in 1940. This CD was compiled and remastered by well-known mastering engineer Steve Hoffman, and the back cover of the booklet states “RESTORED TO THE ORIGINAL MONO FROM THE DECCA MASTERS”. As a result, this CD sounds outstanding. Crosby’s baritone is warm and rich on this CD. It is trite in the audiophile world, but this CD has that “in-the-room” feel.
The original CD issue of Bing Crosby Sings Christmas Songs was pressed in Japan by JVC. While the Japanese pressing is difficult to find, this compilation stayed in print for many years, and U.S. pressings are rather common.
Shown below is the cover and back insert for Bing Crosby Sings Christmas Songs. Also shown is the original Japanese pressing.
Warm wishes to all of you this holiday season. The cover for Bing Crosby Sings Christmas Songs (MCA, catalog number MCAD-5765). The back insert for Bing Crosby Sings Christmas Songs (MCA, catalog number MCAD-5765). The Japanese pressing of Bing Crosby Sings Christmas Songs (MCA, catalog number MCAD-5765). The disc was pressed by JVC, and the matrix code is “MCAD-5765-U1E11″. Note the paragraph at 4 o’clock that states “COMPILED AND REMASTERED BY STEVE HOFFMAN. RESTORED TO THE ORIGINAL MONO FROM THE DECCA MASTERS.”
~ keithhirsch.com