Cliff Richard

Christmas with Cliff!

Martin Hutchinson reports on the Peter Pan of Pop’s first Christmas album in nineteen years and speaks to the man himself.

Sir Cliff Richard’s first dedicated Christmas album in nineteen years, ‘Christmas With Cliff’ has been issued in chart eligible “magazine format”, a first even for an artist who’s career has spanned an incredible eight decades. Featuring the full thirteen-track CD and a twenty-page magazine dedicated to the album and Cliff’s love of Christmas, this unique, chart eligible format brings albums back to some supermarket shelves for the first time since they started phasing out CDs from July 2021. The ‘Christmas With Cliff’ magazine format is available in selected WH Smith and Tesco stores.

Released on East West Records, the brand-new album features Christmas classics and brand new Christmas tracks from this British music legend synonymous with his love of Christmas. In addition to Richard’s first magazine format, the album is also available digitally, on CD, very special red vinyl and a limited run of white vinyl exclusive to Amazon.

As the only artist in the world to achieve UK top five albums in eight consecutive decades, ‘Christmas With Cliff’ continues to see Cliff Richard as an industry trailblazer and his first ever magazine format features twenty pages of thoughts on the album from Cliff, lyrics, photos and a special dedication to fans. Now celebrating his 82nd year, his passion has brought together an album of classics such as ‘It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year’; ‘Sleigh Ride’; ‘Joy to the World’; ‘When a Child is Born’ and many more in his own distinctive style. The album also includes new Christmas songs ‘First Christmas’; ‘Six Days After Christmas (Happy New Year)’ and ‘Heart of Christmas’.

Richard recently told us: “I have had

many firsts in my career, but have never had an album released in a magazine format, it’s like Christmas has come early for me. Music means so much to us all and to ensure it is available to all, no matter who they are or what age they are, is important. This format has enabled me to share my love of Christmas and a few personal memories, so I’m delighted that I can share these with you in such a beautiful way.”

Recorded earlier this year in Criteria Studios, Miami and produced by Sam Hollander and Chris Walden, this is Richard’s first Christmas album since ‘Cliff at Christmas’ (UK#9) in 2003, which today stands as the third biggest selling seasonal album of the 21st Century, with sales in excess of 409,000 copies. Meanwhile, there is of course a Christmas single in the form of one of the new tracks featured on ‘Christmas with Cliff’, ‘Heart of Christmas’. Well, what else would you expect from an artist who has topped the Christmas chart on two occasions as a solo artist with ‘Mistletoe and Wine’ in 1988 and ‘Saviour’s Day’ in 1990 and narrowly missed out on the 1999 Christmas number one when ‘The Millennium Prayer’ was knocked off the top spot by Westlife’s ‘I Have a Dream’ / ‘Seasons in the Sun’? Additionally, Richard also scored a Christmas number one as part of the Band Aid II ensemble in 1989, but his first Christmas number one came way back in 1960, when he and The Shadows released the not at all Christmas-related ‘I Love You’.

In November 2023, just after turning 83 on the 14th of October, Richard will be celebrating his 65th year in the music industry with the eight-date ‘The Blue Sapphire’ tour, which calls at London, Blackpool and Glasgow.

‘Christmas with Cliff’ is out now on East West Records, with the magazine format of the album being available from selected WH Smith and Tesco stores. Meanwhile, tickets for next November’s ‘The Blue Sapphire Tour’ are on sale now.

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