What I Really Want for Christmas, one year on

[Fun Is In]

How have your likes and dislikes of Brian's solo Christmas disc changed over the first year+ since its release?

[Rocker]

Well, I liked it from the first time I heard it. But I couldn't listen to "Deck the halls" and "It came upon...." very much. That has changed now. I don't play them all over but I can dig 'em. I think Brian did a wonderful album here.
I loved his lead on "Little saint nick", and though I still like it very much, it's not as good as I had it in my mind.
"Joy to the world", from the mid 90s, will blow my mind for the rest of my life I'm afraid.

[shelter]

What I Really Want For Christmas is my favorite christmas album. I enjoy it even more than the BB christmas album.

[Ron]

I'm glad you mentioned "Joy to the World".  Either 1 or 2 things is happening in that song, somebody clue me in.

1st, it's possible that Brian's voice is so frieking bad on that song, that every note is out of tune.  However, if that's true, then somehow even when he's horrible he has a greater sense of harmony than nearly anybody alive because even all the out of tune stuff is perfectly in out-of-tune harmony. 

2nd, the other option is that his sense of harmony is so amazingly complex that I can't even follow what the hell he's doing.

It's really an amazing song.  The "bum bum bum bum" part is just achingly beautiful.  There's parts of the song where if you isolate (in your mind) 1 vocal, it just sounds like something he sang one morning as he woke up out of bed, it's all off sounding and just sounds like he's talking or something.  The whole, though, is incredible there's like 50 different directions going on in all the harmonies.  Amazing song.  1 good example of Brian's true musical genius, his harmonic sense.

I think "What I really want for Christmas' (the single) is pretty good as well.  The harmonies are beautiful, and I love how there's no real structure to the music... there's lines and phrases he sings solo, some he sings just double tracked, some he sings solo with a piano, some he sings double tracked with a piano, some he sings just the group acapella, some with the group and the piano, some full blown orchestration, etc.  It just goes back and forth all over the place, because when he's good, he's fearless in the studio and just records what he thinks sounds good.

I've liked "The First Noel" since the first time I heard it.  I love how his voice sounds, and the production is great.  At the end he does the little "1 more time in falsetto" trick that he pulls out every album, it sounds awesome.  A neat little touch too, because when he does it, he has the backup singers swell all around him and the harmony's doubled up, then he sails up above it with that one falsetto "NOELLLLLlllll" really beautiful. 

Great christmas album. 

[Sheriff John Stone]

I am curious what Clive Davis thinks about the album one year on.

[Daniel S.]

I am curious what Clive Davis thinks about the album one year on.

He doesn't.

[Rocker]

I am curious what Clive Davis thinks about the album one year on.

Are they still related to each other business-wise?

[Sheriff John Stone]

I am curious what Clive Davis thinks about the album one year on.

Are they still related to each other business-wise?

I don't know; I don't think so. And that was kind of my point.

Mark Ess started the thread by asking what we, the fans of Brian, thought about the Christmas album one year on. I have a pretty good idea how most Brian Wilson die-hards feel about his albums. I thought a related, and maybe more relevant question would be, "What does Clive Davis think about the album one year on". Clive's the one who paid for it.

When the Christmas album came out, Clive Davis couldn't say enough nice things about the album - and Brian - and understandibly so. But when news of Brian's next/new album surfaced a few months ago, Clive Davis's name was no where to be found. If Clive really meant the things he said a little over a year ago, wouldn't he be jumping at the opportunity to sign Brian for his next project?

[Rocker]

Probably. But was there any official word about Brian's new album? I really can't remember right now... Maybe some press-statement or something?

[Sheriff John Stone]

Probably. But was there any official word about Brian's new album? I really can't remember right now... Maybe some press-statement or something?

I'm probably the most computer illiterate person on the Smiley Smile board, or I'd post the link, but ...

On this board, on Page 9 of the General On Topic Discussions, there is a thread titled "New Brian album announced". I got the info from there.

[Rocker]

Damn, I started that thread... I really couldn't rememebr. Have to read that again. Thanks.

[Mike]

Here's a link to the Brian's new album thread.

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php?topic=2792.0

[Dave in KC]

Compared to the Michael MacDonald or James Taylor releases, not to mention the lesser others, WIRWFC stands far above anything new for years. However, the CD must get to those radio stations that play Xmas music constantly. In my market, we have 2 stations and one of them starts at midnight on Halloween! We listened alot and never heard any of Brian's new tunes. I will be contacting them this Summer about it though.

[Exapno Mapcase]

Have you heard Aimee Mann's Christmas songs?  In the same league as Taylor's.  I much prefer Brian's effort.

[Rerun]

I heard the title track in Meijer at two separate locations...it's a midwest store like Target.

[Jim McShane]

I haven't heard it except for when I play it as yet. But I think the title cut is one of Brian's best melodies ever and as someone else pointed out - it is a very sophisticated and complex arrangement. Bernie Taupin's lyrics are about as good as it gets too, some of the lines in there are classics. When Brian sings "Lucky to be home, when some are all alone" - that line and the gorgeous BVs just get to me every time. Such a simple lyric, but very emotionally delivered and very powerful.

A year later I still can't listen to a few of the Christmas "standards", but the 2 new songs have continued to grow on me - especially WIRWFC - and the reworking of TMWATT has completely supplanted the BBs version. Lots of great stuff.

Finally, I notice more and more the impact of Taylor Mills' voice on the blend. And I like it, especially on the new songs.

I still love it a year later. I play it way more than any other Christmas CD - I play it year 'round too.

[Aegir]

Whenever I hear a song from the album done by someone else, it just sounds so bad. WIRWFC set the bar so high, nothing can compare.

[Breakaway]

I love this album, too. I think I played it more this Christmas than the original BB album, which I've loved for years.

Oh, and that's the line that gets me too in WIRWFC (probably my favorite track). Just beautiful.

[TV Forces]

i played it a lot more last year than this year..  but i still love it and think its quite great.

brian's new masterpiece is the title song..  a seasonal "love and mercy," and his soul is on display for us again.