STAR WARS MECO Christmas in the Stars [1980] Vinyl LP RARE

$

45

Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album is a record album produced in 1980 by RSO Records. It features recordings of Star Wars-themed Christmas songs and stories about a droid factory where the robots make toys year-round for "S. Claus".

Much of the album is sung and narrated by British actor Anthony Daniels, reprising his role as C-3PO from the Star Wars films. Sound designer Ben Burtt also provided sound effects for R2-D2 and Chewbacca.

Contents

ProductionEdit

The album was produced by Meco Monardo (who had previously recorded Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk), with the hope that this would be the first in a series of annual Star Wars Christmas albums. The majority of the album's original songs, both music and lyrics, were written by Maury Yeston, a Yale University music professor who went on to become a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical composer. One of his songs, "What Can You Get A Wookiee For Christmas (When He Already Owns A Comb)", with vocals by Yeston, went on to become a recurring top-40 X-mas hit.

The album is notable for featuring the first professional recording of Jon Bon Jovi (credited as "John Bongiovi", his birth name), who sang lead vocals on the song "R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas." His cousin Tony Bongiovi co-produced the album and ran the recording studio at which it was recorded, where Jon was working sweeping floors at the time.[2]

After the first printing of 150,000 copies, Meco was asked to allow George Lucas' name to be credited beside his under "Concept by". Due to the success of the album, the studios were ready to do a second printing, which would give Lucas credit. But before the second record printing could be done, RSO Records shut down due to an unrelated lawsuit.[2]

Track listingEdit

1. "Christmas in the Stars" – 3:17
2. "Bells, Bells, Bells" – 3:15
3. "The Odds Against Christmas" – 3:04
4. "What Can You Get a Wookiee for Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb?)" – 3:24
5. "R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas" – 3:16
6. "Sleigh Ride" – 3:36
7. "Merry, Merry Christmas" – 2:09
8. "A Christmas Sighting ('Twas the Night Before Christmas)" – 3:43
9. "The Meaning of Christmas" – 8:08

ReleaseEdit

LP and CassetteEdit

The complete album was released by RSO records on LP and Cassette in November 1980, to cash in on the increasingly popular Star Wars saga. This original printing featured cover art by the Star Wars film's production artist, Ralph McQuarrie. The cassette version is now quite hard to come by.

Also in 1980, RSO released a 45 of "What Can You Get a Wookiee for Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb)" (credited to The Star Wars Intergalactic Droid Choir and Chorale) b/w "R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas" with a picture sleeve.[3] In late 1983, a second 45 from the album was released by Polygram on the RSO label, "R2D2's Sleigh Ride" b/w "Christmas in the Stars", also with a picture sleeve.[citation needed]

This album was one of the music industry's first non-classical-or-jazz projects to be recorded and mixed digitally, and when "What Can You Get a Wookiee for Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb)" reached No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1980[4] it was only the third digitally recorded single in the chart's history.[citation needed]