December_(George_Winston_album)

<i>December</i> (George Winston album)

December (George Winston album)

1982 studio album by George Winston

December is the fourth solo piano album from George Winston. It was recorded during the fall of 1982 and was released at the end of the year. It is a Christmas album, and more generally a tribute to the winter season. The album is a follow-up to Winter into Spring from earlier in 1982.

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December is Winston's highest-selling album, having been certified triple Platinum by the RIAA, signifying 3 million copies in shipment.[2] The success of the album, along with several of Winston's other albums from the early 1980s, enabled the record label, Windham Hill, to get international distribution and a higher profile.[3] The album also spent 136 weeks on the Billboard 200, reaching a peak of No. 54 in January 1984, over a year after its original release.[4] In 1987, five years after its release, it reached No. 2 on Billboard's Top Holiday Albums chart.[5]

A 20th Anniversary Edition of the album, with two bonus tracks, was released in 2001. The album was again reissued in 2013 by Valley Entertainment with Dancing Cat Records, Winston's own label. This reissue was packaged in a Digipak and features revised cover art.[6]

Critical reception

AllMusic critic William Ruhlmann commented that December ranks as "the mother of all solo instrumental albums, and with good reason. Mixing traditional carols with Pachelbel's Canon and a few originals, Winston produces a solo piano album of unparalleled—and undeniable—beauty. How can music be simultaneously stirring and soothing, relaxed yet exalted? Millions have found the answer here, and an industry has spent decades trying to duplicate it."[1]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by George Winston, except where noted

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Personnel

Credits adapted from 1982 vinyl liner notes.

  • George Winston — piano
Additional
  • Anne Ackerman, William Ackerman — cover design
  • Karen Kirsch, Steven Miller — sound engineers
  • Jack Hunt — mastering
  • Greg Edmonds — photography

Chart

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Certifications

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References

  1. [1]
    Ruhlmann, William. December at AllMusic
  2. [2]
    Moser, John J. (April 9, 2015). "Pianist George Winston, playing in Bethlehem, finds inspiration in illness, recovery". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on October 29, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
  3. [3]
    Will's Biography, Will Ackerman homepage
  4. [4]
    "George Winston". Billboard.
  5. [5]
    "George Winston". Billboard.
  6. [6]
    "December". Valley Entertainment. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  7. [7]
    "Charts.nz – George Winston – December". Hung Medien.
  8. [8]
    "George Winston Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  9. [9]
    "George Winston Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard.
  10. [10]
    "December – Jazz Albums".
  11. [11]
    "Canadian album certifications – George Winston – December". Music Canada.
  12. [12]
    "American album certifications – George Winston – December". Recording Industry Association of America.
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