Joined: 19 Sep 2003 Posts: 646 Location: City of Trees, USA
Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2005 6:33 pm Post subject: Your weirdest Christmas album?
I just love pulling out all of the Christmas CD's this time of year. Recently bought Diana Krall's "Christmas Songs," with the Clayton/Hamilton band. Excellent. Dancing Cat Records' "Hawaiian Slack Key Christmas" is a favorite around here, and if CD grooves could actually wear out, it's a three-way toss-up among Elvis' "White Christmas," "The Sinatra Christmas Album," and Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song." (To play each's version of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" one right after the other leaves one's head a-spinning.) Of course, we have Der Bingle's "White Christmas" on one of his CD's (folk tale has it that Irving Berlin himself wrote a protest letter to the New York Times after hearing Elvis' version), and BB King (he's great on "Please Come Home for Christmas," but "Back Door Santa" was a little tough to explain to the kids when they were little). And how can anyone resist the Beach Boys' "Little Saint Nick" (or not cringe with images of dad Murray Wilson jamming his arrangement of "We Three Kings" down their throats in the Capitol Studios) on their Christmas Album. I've checked in on another thread re my Gene Autry CD.
So here's the challenge to all of you: What's the absolute wackiest, awfullest, weirdest, or worst Christmas CD in your collection? Disqualified are anything by Alvin and the Chipmunks (they retired the perpetual trophy decades ago) or Allan Sherman (ditto). If you have any Stan Frieberg Christmas stuff, though, you may sweep the ratings.
Unfortunately, I don't have anything really, really strange, but I've always regretted paying actual money for the least-played in our collection: "The Drifters - A Christmas Album, Featuring Rick Sheppard." Some of the worst arrangements and production values I've ever heard. (Sheppard signed on to the Drifters in 1966, after Rudy Lewis' premature death. I really don't want to bad-mouth an otherwise good singer, and apologize to anyone on this Board who may have been among the session players, but hints in the liner notes include that he listed himself as producer, with his wife as "Project Organizer." Recorded in Toronto -- maybe for the snow and ice factor. Plus, after naming the musicians, he credits not one, but TWO attorneys. Hey, I'm one myself, but two? On CD credits? Maybe he had to hire them to protect the group from all those folks demanding refunds after they'd played the CD.)
Extra points if you actually admit to owning Celine Dion's Christmas CD. Let the jousting begin! _________________ - BlueRunner
Joined: 08 Aug 2003 Posts: 943 Location: Terra Firma, Ether Sea
Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2005 4:58 am Post subject:
Blue- If you like Xmas albums, may I suggest "Takin' Care Of Christmas" on the Canadian Bullseye label.
It's a collection of Christmas songs, done in a variety of styles, by prominent Canadian musicians (including Randy Bachman, from the Bachman Turner Overdrive, performing the title tune).
I originally bought the CD last year for the song done by my friend Bob Segarini (who I spoke of in the thread titled, "Jellyfish") and found the album to be quite enjoyable.
1 ) "Takin' Care Of Christmas" (...everyday! ...In his sleigh!) - Randy Bachman
2 ) "Christmas Would Not Be Christmas (Without You)" - Carpet Frogs
3 ) "Christmas Kiss" - Tom Hooper
4 ) "Silent Night" - Jeff Jones
5 ) "This Christmas" - The Kings
6 ) "Hear Us Now" - Moving Targets
7 ) "Christmas All Over The World" - Greg Godovitch & The Carpet Frogs
8 ) "What Child Is This" - John Boswell
9 ) "A Song For Christmas" - Maureen Leeson
10) "Christmas Time Is Here Again" - Terry Draper
11) "It's Christmas" - Bob Segarini
12) "Faith In The Season" - Little Games
13) "All I Want For Christmas" - Joel-Steven
14) "Xmas Wishlist" - The Dave Rave Xmas Spirits
15) "Christmas Spasmas" - Dr. Lotech _________________ B C-ing U!
( }:-Daved
"This boy's diseased with rhythm!" -Bing Crosby (Road To Rio, '49)
I've been listening to Christmas music at my workplace continuosly since the day after Thanksgiving. Some is quite good, some is just awful.
Good :
Burl Ives
Vince Gill
Willie Nelson
Dianna Krall
Barbra Streisand
Awful:
Mariah Carey ( her renditions are agressively bad . I just read somewhere she was nominated for a bunch of grammy awards. I don't get it)
Cyndi Lauper
Michael Bolton
Esteban
Just impressions from a guy with no choice but to listen to Muzak 8 hrs a day.
Joined: 21 Jul 2003 Posts: 401 Location: College Station, TX
Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2005 7:15 am Post subject:
My absolute fave Xmas LP is a Stax collection I picked up years ago in the cutout bin. Albert King doing "Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'" is an absolute classic. Wish I had it on CD (are you listening, Santa?!).
Also, Duke Ellington did some Xmas tunes years ago that I have on an old cassette. Great stuff.
The Krall release is damn fine, too - the band just kicks up a storm behind her.
Joined: 08 Aug 2003 Posts: 943 Location: Terra Firma, Ether Sea
Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 9:50 pm Post subject:
(Wanting to place this post on this particular thread, I went hunting for it in the posts of recent months and was quite surprised to realize this thread actually exists in 2005. Wow, how time flies by....)
For those who enjoy xmas albums, I wanted to recommend the CD "Christmastime" by Larry Norman.
Larry, because of health issues, rarely tours these days and does not record much in the way of studio albums anymore, but he did do this one in, I believe, 2003 and I find it to be very enjoyable as xmas CDs go.
Larry is considered by most to be the 'godfather' of Christian rock music and, tho considered the 'bad boy' of Christian music and spurned by his peers for several decades because of his "sacrilegious" belief that there was no reason you couldn't write rock songs praising god ("I ain't knocking the hymns... I don't like none of those funeral marches. I ain't dead yet!"- Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music from the CD, Only Visiting This Planet - recorded at Abby Road Studios and produced by George Martin in the early 70's), was finally inducted into the CCM hall of fame a couple of years ago.
Christmastime:
1 ) Christmastime
2 ) The First Noel
3 ) Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem
4 ) Do You See What I See?
5 ) O' Holy Night
6 ) Jingle Bell Rock
7 ) Medley: Carol Of The Bells/ Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairies
8 ) Let There Be Peace On Earth
9 ) Angels We Have Heard On High
10) Christmastime Is Here
11) The Day That A Child Appeared
12) Auld Lang Syne
For those who may be interested, I believe the CD can only be purchased thru Larry's website, www.LarryNorman.com .
Outside of the christian music community he is probably mostly noted as the high voice in the song "I Love You"... the only hit from the one-hit-wonder band, People! back in the late 60's. The song still sees airplay on classic-rock stations and Pete Townsend has credited that band's song "The Epic" as his inspiration to go home and write "Tommy" after seeing them perform it while supporting a leg of the Who's tour.
Larry left the People! as the 60's slipped into the 70's and, having been writing Christian rock songs since the 50's, pioneered what became known as the christian rock movement. _________________ B C-ing U!
( }:-Daved
"This boy's diseased with rhythm!" -Bing Crosby (Road To Rio, '49)
Joined: 09 Jun 2004 Posts: 289 Location: Baltimore, Md
Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 9:09 am Post subject:
Daved wrote:
Quote:
Outside of the christian music community he is probably mostly noted as the high voice in the song "I Love You"... the only hit from the one-hit-wonder band, People! back in the late 60's.
That's the same song the Zombies did, back around the same time, no?
"And I don't know...what to say..."
Speaking of Xmas tunes, I heard Cheech & Chong's, "Santa Claus and His Old Lady" routine on the radio.
You know, where Santa gets kicked out of the projects, and gives "magic dust" to his reindeer:
"A little magic dust for the reindeer...a little magic dust for Santa...a little more for Santa...a little MORE for Santa..."
Joined: 08 Aug 2003 Posts: 943 Location: Terra Firma, Ether Sea
Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 2:28 pm Post subject:
AndyR wrote:
...That's the same song the Zombies did, back around the same time, no?
"And I don't know...what to say..." ...
Yup, that's the song and that was Larry singing that part.
Zombies wrote the song but it never went anywhere for them.
People! (a band out of San Jose, California, featuring 2 lead singers) had the hit with it. _________________ B C-ing U!
( }:-Daved
"This boy's diseased with rhythm!" -Bing Crosby (Road To Rio, '49)
Joined: 19 Sep 2003 Posts: 646 Location: City of Trees, USA
Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 5:11 pm Post subject:
Wow, this is an OLD thread. This time around the song played most frequently was Victoria Vox's "Christmas With You," from her "... And Her Jumping Flea" CD. Amazing what one can do with a pennywhistle, a toy piano, and a ukulele.
Happy New Year to all. _________________ - BlueRunner
Joined: 17 Jul 2003 Posts: 908 Location: Tampa Bay, FL
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 8:19 am Post subject:
It's time to pull out the tree and lights.
This old thread has some great cd suggestions so I'm bringing it back to life. I was at the used record/cd/dvd store the other day and I found one REALLY good cd: Evergreen by the Alison Brown Quartet with Joe Craven and John Burr. This new release (2008) has 10 traditional holiday songs performed on banjo, fiddle, mandolin, piano, bass and drums. The arrangements are brilliant, fresh and inspiring. This cd is a great introduction to the music of Alison Brown... I'm hooked!
You can preview at www.compassrecords.com _________________ Travelling by train of thought
Joined: 06 Dec 2006 Posts: 246 Location: San Mateo, CA
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 12:33 pm Post subject:
One of my favorite Christmas records was Joe Pass' Six String Santa, re-released as Christmas Guitar Dreams.
I just had to buy Merry Axemas to hear Jeff Beck do "Amazing Grace." The rest of the record's not quite that good.
Some years back the pianist Cyrus Chestnut did a Christmas record called A Charlie Brown Christmas, on which he does much of the stuff from the Vince Guaraldi soundtrack of the same name from the sixties. Great stuff, including some nice solos by Jerry Goodman (ex-Mahavishnu violinist) and Pat Martino on guitar.
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I just love pulling out all of the Christmas CD's this time of year. Recently bought Diana Krall's "Christmas Songs," with the Clayton/Hamilton band. Excellent. Dancing Cat Records' "Hawaiian Slack Key Christmas" is a favorite around here, and if CD grooves could actually wear out, it's a three-way toss-up among Elvis' "White Christmas," "The Sinatra Christmas Album," and Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song." (To play each's version of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" one right after the other leaves one's head a-spinning.) Of course, we have Der Bingle's "White Christmas" on one of his CD's (folk tale has it that Irving Berlin himself wrote a protest letter to the New York Times after hearing Elvis' version), and BB King (he's great on "Please Come Home for Christmas," but "Back Door Santa" was a little tough to explain to the kids when they were little). And how can anyone resist the Beach Boys' "Little Saint Nick" (or not cringe with images of dad Murray Wilson jamming his arrangement of "We Three Kings" down their throats in the Capitol Studios) on their Christmas Album. I've checked in on another thread re my Gene Autry CD.
