Favorite Christmas albums?

[Sheriff John Stone]

Just picked up a new CD from Tony Bennett, " A Swingin' Christmas", featuring the Count Basie Orchestra. A nice little album to swing into the holidays. At age 82, Tony can still hit all the notes, and these big band arrangements really get you hopping.

[Alex]

Beach Boys Xmas Album (60s version, not Ultimate Xmas)
Barenaked Ladies-Barenaked For The Holidays
Phil Spector-A Christmas Gift for You
South Park-Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics Soundtrack

[Lady]

1.  Christmas with The Beach Boys – it includes Dennis’ gorgeous “Morning Christmas”

2.  Dean Martin’s Christmas Album

3.   Carnie & Wendy's - "Hey Santa!" is great

[donald]

Sheriff...a new Tony B xmas lp?

I've got the old Snowfall on lp and disc...are you recommmending a new album?  TB is spun a LOT around this house at christmas!!

Other favs here:  BB of course, Vince G. and the Charlie Brown music, Spector, Bobby Helms,Brenda Lee,


and a Flashback Records comp that I highly recommend called White Christmas and other Doo Wop Christmas Classics featuring Drifters, Frankie Lymon,Orioles,Marcels, and Ray Charles....I promise you will not tire of this Christmas record...a very rewarding and repeatedly listenable comp that I bought cheaply at a box store a few years ago.  Checkthe discount bins or go online to get it.

One more...the Time/Life  disc "A Rockin Merry Christmas" with Darlene Love, Gary US Bonds, Moonglows, Hank Ballard and others.

[Aegir]

The BB's MIU Christmas album is so much better than the 1964 one. The only song I don't like on MIU Christmas is the medley at the end with everyone in their families singing. Carnie, Wendy, Matt, Adam, Christian and Hayleigh are good singers now, but they were terrible as kids!

[donald]

Aegir,

That is one dry sense of humor you have there!

[Sheriff John Stone]

Sheriff...a new Tony B xmas lp?

I've got the old Snowfall on lp and disc...are you recommmending a new album?  TB is spun a LOT around this house at christmas!!

Yeah, it's called "A Swingin' Christmas" featuring The Count Basie Big Band. It's a fun little album, got it at WalMart for about $14.00, well recorded (but louder than Tony's other CD's, I tried to mix a couple together), and very upbeat.

Tony, at age 82, sounds the same, but he seems more comfortable with the fast cuts than the ballads. I enjoy his phrasing and the big band arrangements. He does reach a poignant moment with the final cut, "O Christmas Tree". It's a really quiet, introspective reading of the song.

The negative aspect of the CD is that several of the songs were covered (in slightly different arrangements) on Tony's Snowfall album. On this CD, he reprises "I'll Be Home For Christmas", "My Favorite Things", "Winter Wonderland", "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", and "I've Got My Love To keep Me Warm" Why did he do that? There are so many other holiday tunes out there....

[the captain]

My contribution to this topic this year is the same as last year's:

I don't like xmas and usually like xmas music less. But there are some good ones. (btw, see 30music.com, which is streaming my xmas music at the moment...)

Spector's
Beach Boys' actually released xmas album (not the 70s merda)
Motown xmas
BW's xmas

The Sufjan set of xmas EPs has a few good moments, but like all Sufjan, is way, way, way, way too repetitive. SUFJAN: EDIT.

And the single Christmas in Hollis, by Run DMC, will always kick ass...

[Sheriff John Stone]

My contribution to this topic this year is the same as last year's...

Can't think of anything new to add? Grinch.

[the captain]

My contribution to this topic this year is the same as last year's...

Can't think of anything new to add? Grinch.

Considering it took almost 50 years worth of xmas music for me to name those four or so albums, I don't think we ought to be too surprised that I didn't find anything else of interest in the past 11.5 months. I mean, was I supposed to include Julian Koster's singing saw xmas album?

[Sheriff John Stone]

My contribution to this topic this year is the same as last year's...

Can't think of anything new to add? Grinch.

Considering it took almost 50 years worth of xmas music for me to name those four or so albums, I don't think we ought to be too surprised that I didn't find anything else of interest in the past 11.5 months. I mean, was I supposed to include Julian Koster's singing saw xmas album?

"Big Sur Christmas"?

[the captain]

Jeezus, man...

[Music Machine]

Mostly I just like certain Christmas songs by bands and artists so I go the mix cd route but I do like Brian Setzer's Boogie Woogie Christmas, Brian and Ann-Margret do a great version of Baby it's Cold Outside, Kate Bush's Christmas single December Will be Magic Again b/w Warm and Soothing and Chris Squire's recent Christmas album Chris Squire's Swiss Choir. Steve Hackett plays guitar on it.

[endofposts]

If singles are named, I'm partial to "Father Christmas" by the Kinks.  And Keith Richards' version of "Run, Rudolph."

[Sheriff John Stone]

Anybody here familiar with Mario Lanza? If yes, have you ever heard his Christmas music?

Also, you know who could've done a cool Christmas album? Dennis Wilson.

[Shady]

Anybody here familiar with Mario Lanza? If yes, have you ever heard his Christmas music?

Also, you know who could've done a cool Christmas album? Dennis Wilson.

That would be the ultimate Drunk and Depressed at Christmas LP

[phirnis]

I've wanted to check out some John Fahey for ages now, always been hesitant about it because of his catalogue being so vast and reportedly diverse. So the very only Fahey I've ever really heard is his version of Hark The Herald Angels Sing, which I got to hear by chance two years ago on Christmas.