The sets are available in December
Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings will commemorate the 30th anniversary of Mariah Carey’s seminal Merry Christmas album with several new variations in December. Each version includes “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” as a bonus track.
A new limited edition 2 LP set features the full Merry Christmas album on disc one and the newly remastered version of her 1994 St. John of the Divine concert on disc two. This deluxe set, available on December 13th, also includes a 24-page photo booklet of Carey’s Christmas journey and a special Mariah Christmas card, all housed in a hardbound package.
Limited edition picture disc, zoetrope vinyl, and a limited edition red and white cassette of the 11-track album will also be available.
Carey’s biggest hit, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” will be the subject of several single offerings with different bonus tracks and previously unreleased new cover art for each. A direct-to-consumer gold cassette will feature a live version from the Tokyo Dome. A seven-inch vinyl single features the timeless version of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” on side A and “Sleigh Ride” on side B, also with new cover art that pays homage to the original single artwork. The 12-inch vinyl single features the bonus tracks “Oh Santa!” with Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson and “Miss You Most (At Christmas Time) (Video Version).” The CD single features the bonus tracks “Christmas Wrapping (Live from Madison Square Garden)” featuring Carey’s daughter Roe, and “Miss You Most (At Christmas Time) (Video Version).”
Each single offering is expected to ship around December 6th.
Mobile Fidelity will also release several audiophile versions in physical formats on December 13th, including a deluxe UltraDisc One-Step 180-gram 33 RMP vinyl box set, 180-gram 45 RMP 2 LP set, and Super Audio CD (SACD).
Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and strictly limited to 3,000 numbered copies, the pioneering label’s UltraDisc One-Step 180-gram 33 RPM LP set of Merry Christmas plays with superb detail, depth, and dimensionality. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) technique bypasses generational losses inherent to the traditional three-step plating process and are made directly from the lacquers. Since each lacquer yields only one stamper, multiple lacquers have to be cut. Mobile Fidelity’s UD1S process produces a final LP with the lowest possible noise floor, revealing musical details and dynamics that would otherwise be lost due to the standard multi-step process.
Sourced from the original master tapes, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and strictly limited to 4,000 numbered copies, the pioneering label’s 180-gram 45 RPM 2 LP set of Merry Christmas plays with riveting detail, depth, and dimensionality. Benefitting from the superb definition afforded by the wide 45 RPM grooves, the music takes on a heightened energy and anticipatory emotion synonymous with the holiday season. Carey’s signature vocals explode with liveliness and dynamics, the full scope of her acrobatic range presented in clear, transparent sound that practically places her on a small stage in your listening room. This collectible version also breathes the kind of warmth, intimacy, and coziness you want from a landmark vocal album.
Lastly, the label will also release a hybrid SACD in time for Christmas. Mastered from the original master tapes and housed in mini-LP-style packaging, the pioneering label’s numbered-edition hybrid SACD of Merry Christmas plays with superb detail, depth, and dimensionality.
Having re-entered the Top 200 charts every year since 2019, Merry Christmas ranks as one of the three most commercially successful holiday albums ever made. Its powerhouse single, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” has climbed to No. 1 on the Hot 100 every year since 2019, and as of November 2023, has spent 12 total weeks at No. 1. It’s only the second holiday song to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100, after “The Chipmunk Song” in 1958. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” became Carey’s 19th Hot 100 No. 1 in 2019, extending her record for the most No. 1s of any solo artist.
The global pop star recently kicked off her Mariah Carey’s Christmas Time, set for 20 cities across the country. Performances include the famous Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and more before wrapping on December 17th in her hometown of New York City.
Side A:
- Silent Night
- All I Want for Christmas Is You
- O Holy Night
- Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
- Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)
Side B:
- Joy to the World
- Jesus Born on This Day
- Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)
- Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child
- God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
Side C:
- All I Want for Christmas Is You (Live at The Cathedral of St. John The Divine)
- Silent Night (Live at The Cathedral of St. John The Divine)
- Joy to the World (Live at The Cathedral of St. John The Divine)
Side D:
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / Gloria (In Excelsis Deo) (Live at The Cathedral of St. John The Divine)
- Jesus Born On This Day (Live at The Cathedral of St. John The Divine)
- Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (Live at The Cathedral of St. John The Divine)
- Hero (Live at The Cathedral of St. John The Divine)
