"Excerpts from A Very Special Christmas" - Various Artists
Promotional Release
U2 Related Content:
Full Track Listing:
- Introducing the Special Olympics – Vicky Iovine (01:45)
- Santa Claus is Coming to Town – Pointer Sisters (01:11)
- Merry Christmas Baby – Bruce Springsteen (1:20)
- Do You Hear What I Hear? – Whitney Houston (01:15)
- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – John Mellancamp (01:07))
- Winter Wonderland – Eurythmics (01:17)
- The Little Drummer Boy – Bob Segar (01:32)
- Back Door Santa – Bon Jovi (01:15)
- Gabriel’s Message – Sting (01:07)
- Silent Night – Stevie Nicks (01:26)
- Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – U2 (01:08)
Background Information
This special promotional cassette was produced and circulated in September 1987 to promote the forthcoming album A Very Special Christmas, featuring a number of contemporary stars performing traditional Christmas carols. As the opening by Vicky Iovine informs, all but two of the tracks were specifically recorded for the album release. The songs featured here on the cassette are shortened edits of the full tracks, running from 01:07 in length to 01:32 in length. The cassette opens with a spoken introduction by Vicky Iovine, the wife of producer Jimmy Iovine, who at the time was working with U2 on the Rattle and Hum album.
The sampler cassette contains edited versions of all tracks from the album with the exception of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (The Pretenders), “Christmas in Hollis” (Run D.M.C.), “Santa Baby” (Madonna), “Run Rudolph Run” (Bryan Adams) and “The Coventry Carol” (Alison Moyet). All of these artists are however mentioned on the card insert inside the promotional package.
The cassette itself repeats the same tracks on both sides. The full length of one side is just over fourteen minutes. One side is labeled with the artists and song names, and the other side just lists that it repeats program one.
The cassette is packaged in a unique video style library box, similar to what children’s VHS titles were packaged in, but of a smaller size, about 6-1/2” by 5-1/2” in size. A paper insert with information about the album slides into the outer clear pocket on the library box.