David,

I have indeed stated many times in the past on the board that Percy Faith's 1959 (not 1958 as you had mentioned in your post) re-recording of Music Of Christmas is not only superior technologically because of the stereo, but artistically as well because of his perfected arrangements. It is a bona fide masterpiece.

As for my Top 500, both the 1954 and 1959 versions are represented: the 1959 re-recording is, of course, #1. And the original 1954 version is #153 (and it is noted as "Original Mono Version").

A much shorter and more definitive conversation than I expected.  :)

Thanks Chip. I haven't reviewed the list as a whole in quite some time. I clearly forgot that you called out the mono version at #153. That said, I tend to agree with you. In fact, what prompted me to post this question was a comment my daughter made the other day. I was playing the stereo version and she asked me what "station" I was playing. She said she loved their "playlist".  :)

As far as the year goes - I was editing the metadata of the stereo version of Mantovani's Christmas Carol album just before my post so 1958 was clearly stuck in my head. Or, at least, that's the story I am sticking with.  :)

As an aside - Let me take a min to thank you for maintaining this site Chip. It allowed me to rediscover the "sound" of Christmas I remember from my childhood. Both My Father and Grandfather were passionate about music, Christmas music in particular. I remember the big names names like Fiedler and Crosby being thrown around a lot but, because both passed away when I was young, too young to appreciate what they had shared with me, I never really absorbed enough knowledge to carry on the tradition. As a result, I resigned to the fact that most of those memories were lost, for the most part. However, when I discovered this site and started working through your top 500 list I realized I had stumbled onto a piece of my childhood. And, more importantly, A piece of my Father and Grandfather that I could now share with my daughter. Thanks for making this Christmas a little more special for me and my family! All the best!