The Animals' Christmas


The Animals' Christmas is the sixth solo studio album and the first Christmas album by vocalist Art Garfunkel, released in December 1985 by Columbia Records. The album was written by Jimmy Webb and features vocals by Garfunkel, Amy Grant, and Wimbledon King's College Choir. The Animals' Christmas tells the story of the Nativity of Jesus from the perspective of the animals present. The album received positive reviews, with one writer calling it "one of the best Christmas albums of the '80s."

Background

During the early 1980s, Jimmy Webb began writing the songs that would become The Animals' Christmas, based on a children's book about the Nativity of Jesus by Anne Thaxter Eaton. Garfunkel became interested in the project because he felt it was "born out of the love of a musical person to make music." In his 1989 book, Still Water: Prose Poems, Garfunkel wrote about his experience with the project.

Production

The Animals' Christmas was recorded between December 23, 1984 and December 12, 1985. The orchestra was recorded at CTS Studios in Wembley, England. The boys' choir was recorded at St. Paul's Church in Wimbledon, England. Vocals were recorded at Air Studios in Montserrat, West Indies. Amy Grant's vocals were recorded at Bullet Recording in Nashville, Tennessee. The organ was recorded at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. Overdubs were recorded at The Hit Factory in New York City.

Packaging and artwork

The original album contained a 12-page booklet with lyrics in four languages: English, Spanish, French, and German. The album cover art was created by Abby Levine.

Critical reception

Writer David A. Milberg called The Animals' Christmas "one of the best Christmas albums of the '80s."

Track listing

All songs were written by Jimmy Webb, except where indicated.
  1. "The Annunciation" – 2:38
  2. "The Creatures of the Field" – 2:31
  3. "Just a Simple Little Tune" – 2:54
  4. "The Decree" – 3:25
  5. "Incredible Phat" – 4:59
  6. "The Friendly Beasts" – 3:24
  7. "The Song of the Camels" – 2:46
  8. "Word from an Old Spanish Carol" – 3:41
  9. "Carol of the Birds" – 2:00
  10. "The Frog" – 5:15
  11. "Herod" – 4:21
  12. "Wild Geese" – 3:33

    Personnel

;Music
;Production