As mentioned here far too many times, I'm not a person of faith. I do, however, really enjoy good holiday tunes. My Christmas music collection is merely adequate. I have about 20 discs, I think, and try to pick up a couple every year.
To that end, what's your favorite Christmas CD? My stuff tends to span from the classic holiday crooners (Bing, Frank, Mathis) to the good rock and country stuff (Presley, Willie, Merle) and the excellent compilations that Deano puts together. I need some more. Give me some ideas. I'll buy the two that sound the most intriguing and review them here.
Posted by mikewolf at November 25, 2003 11:39 AMA new xmas comp is under development, as we write. And I'll be sending you the sofa session cdr, as promised.
Official release suggestions? Here's 2 off the top of my head:
I never get through a season without playing the Winton Marsalis yule tide thing, at least once, front-to-back. It's amazing. The Low christmas cd is great.
Posted by: deano on November 25, 2003 02:53 PMThe Motown xmas CD is a classic.
Posted by: Jim on November 25, 2003 08:45 PMI only own two Christmas Albums:
1) John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together... and
2) The Brian Setzer Orchestra: Boogie-Woogie Christmas.
I highly reccommend both.
Posted by: Kirsten on November 26, 2003 01:27 AMI LOVE Christmas music! I probably have 30 or 40 cd's (plus some old cassettes) and usually add a couple of new ones every year. I went home and looked last night and here are some of my faves that absolutely make Christmas for me:
Sinatra
Elvis Christmas Album
Jackson 5 Christmas
The Beach Boys Christmas Album
Charlie Brown Christmas - Vince Guaraldi
Ella Wishes You a Swingin' Christmas
Ultra Lounge - Christmas Cocktails (I & II)
Christmas Island - Leon Redbone
Christmas Caravan - Squirrel Nut Zippers
I'll stop there for now!
Posted by: susan on November 26, 2003 08:41 AMDo They Know It's Christmas (Feed The World)
Posted by: Bob Geldof on November 26, 2003 11:50 AM
Hey Bob,
After you feed the world, are you stopping by the church tomorrow, for more turkey?
Your buddy,
ADG
I'll second Susan's vote for Ella. It's one of my faves.
Others are:
Christmas Cooking - Jimmy Smith. Smith alternates between big band and trio arrangements on this very soulful jazz classic. If you love the Hammond organ, this is for you.
Hipster's Holiday - v/a
Have Yourself a Jazzy Little Christmas - v/a
both of these are great jazz comps, well worth checking out
A John Prine Christmas. No season is complete without 'Christmas in Prison'.
Christmas Cracker - Graham Parker. This is OOP but available used on Amazon.
Acoustic Christmas - v/a
You did pick up Emmylou's Light of the Stable last year didn't you?
Posted by: Dennis on November 26, 2003 03:30 PMAmen to Dennis's praise of "Christmas in Prison." Two new Xmas ones I just picked up: Los Straightjackets and Brian Setzer. So far the mexican wrestling masks are edging out the bleached pompidor.
Posted by: Vernam on November 27, 2003 02:35 AMThe Stax XMas Collection is a classic, especially Rufus Thomas singing "I'll Be Your Santa Baby" and Mack Rice's "Santa Wants Some Lovin'."
Posted by: Ken Goldstein on November 27, 2003 12:17 PMi think my favorite of the holiday cds i own (there aren't too many, unfortunately) has got to be a holiday comp put out by sister ruby records, a label in atlanta, several years ago. kelly hogan singing rockin' around the christmas tree... smoke doing little drummer boy.... yippee. i'd put it on right now, but i need to wait until a bit closer to christmas before i pull the music out.
Posted by: zeebah on November 28, 2003 06:32 PMalvin and the chimpunks were my fav
:D
Kelly Hogan singing RAtCT???!!!
Please tell that disc is still in print.
Posted by: Dennis on November 28, 2003 10:38 PM'fraid not, Dennis. Sister Ruby was an Atlanta label in the mid-90's that my friend Alan was somehow involved with. They didn't do much. Babyfat was with them and, IIRC, they sorta had the Rock*A*Teens for a while. I think that comp was called "Christmas Present." Is that the one, Zeebah?
One of my favorite Christmas CDs is similarly OOP. It's "The Mother of All Flagpole Christmas Albums" has a bunch of great Athens bands including Vic doing "White Christmas". The Flat Duo Jets take on "Jingle Bells" is amazing, too.
Posted by: mrw on November 28, 2003 10:59 PMNot to be a grinch, but is so much new Christmas music really necessary? How much does one need? I tend to like songs rather than whole albums or compilations. I probably like enough of certain ones to make a compilation of my own.
But if you do have a really good holiday song, that's one way to be immortal, because we're bound to hear it every year, like that Elton John one or Wham's "Last Christmas."
Posted by: LadyCrumpet on November 30, 2003 02:00 PMWell, I decided to purchase two of your recommendations and one freelance impulse purchase.
En route from Amazon are the Motown Christmas, the reissed Ella disc and some crazy song-poem Christmas disc. Here are the liner notes. It's deliciously insane.
Posted by: mrw on November 30, 2003 04:36 PMYou're right, Mike. I used to be friends with Pete, one of the owners. They also did several Dylan cover compilations, one of which I played on.
Posted by: zeebah on November 30, 2003 09:38 PM