Christmas Nuggets!

Quick Christmas Nuggets

by Kristin Battestella

These comforting holiday favorites are easy, fast, and friendly for one and all fireside, trimming the tree, or at the festive party.

Enya Christmas Secrets – There are only four songs on this 2006 EP from everyone's perennial New Age Irish fave. “Adeste Fideles” opens with the ancient voice and instruments expected, however the echoing production elevates the simplicity with a modern but no less reverent lofty. Immediately there's a feeling of nighttime, earth at this dark and frosty but wondrous time thanks to the fairies and angels coming out to play in “The Magic of the Night.” Likewise “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” provides a pleasant pace as the overlays build with each verse and merriment, contrasting the melancholy sentiments of “Christmas Secrets” – bittersweet with chilly, lonely lyrics of trains, winter, moonlight, and blues. Of course, there's also a Target edition called Sounds of the Season with Enya that includes the wintry mystical of “Amid the Falling Snow” and a foreign, ethereal yet timelessly familiar “Oíche Chiúin Silent Night.” On its own, the short fifteen minutes here would get tedious over and over at the office, for sure. Fortunately, this hypnotic holiday sway mingles perfectly in an effortless December playlist, and the yuletide non-religious originals can be repeated all winter long.

The Nutcracker – You know you know the one I mean. To those of us of a certain age, this 1977 CBS television presentation of the American Ballet Theatre's production starring Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland is the definitive Tchaikovsky viewing – an annual seventy-eight minute spectacle that seems longer than it really is thanks to all those PBS telethon airings. Granted the innate videotape production, seventies period-esque meets ballet costumes, over the top silly boys, stick horses, cardboard sets, fake Christmas presents, and laughable mouse king masks look dated now. Ironically, this was Emmy nominated in its day thanks to that growing giant Christmas tree, careful spotlighting schemes, and not so special overlay effects captured by multiple camera angles wide or up close amid deliberate staging, complex ballet choreography, and dramatic action. It's all really still epic in its own way, for it's amazing they can fit as many dancers, magical backdrops, and sword fights on the stage as they do – strategically making the area small for a lone ballerina and candle or cleared for the sweeping leaps, battements, and jetés from the company. It's always a treat to see real dancers who are actually en pointe! A lighthearted narration fills in the story as that wonderful Tchaikovsky music brings familiar notes of the season in a strong, multi-layered yet effortlessly airy accompaniment to the performances of course including The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies, The Waltz of the Flowers, Spanish Chocolate, Chinese Tea, and The Dance of the Clowns. This is a magical audio/visual tale where its easy to root for the heroes and their sense of awe. Perhaps there are some slightly ominous notes or even a few scary moments for super young audiences – the broken nutcracker doll alone! – but any Drosselmeyer apprehension is quickly alleviated with fairyland charm, toys come to life, snowflakes, sweets, and dreamy adventures. Despite the excised Arabian Dance and overly dramatic facial expressions necessary for the stage but over the top for television, the pleasant waltzes and wintry magic make for a captivating and essential delight for young and old.

Perry Como Greatest Christmas Songs – This 1999 twenty-one track session is totally different from Christmas with Perry Como, Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music, and The Perry Como Christmas Album. However, it does repeat the perennial essentials “Home for the Holidays,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer,” “The Christmas Song,” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” and “White Christmas” from Season's Greetings from Perry Como. Whew! Fortunately, background singers, festive bells, and whimsical arrangements accent yet more nonchalant secular favorites such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Silver Bells,” “It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” and “There's No Christmas Like a Home Christmas.” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Twelve Days of Christmas,” “Love is a Christmas Rose,” and “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” provide more nostalgic silliness while the tender reminder “Christmas Bells,” adoring “Christ is Born” and mellow “Some Children See Him” provide slightly obscure reverence. Familiar carols are here, too, with “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “O Holy Night,” “The Little Drummer Boy,” and a superb “Ave Maria” finale. Mr. C fans can certainly stream their favorites here thanks to over an hour of instant holiday coziness.

A Vocal Holiday Trio

A Vocal Holiday Trio

by Kristin Battestella

Hang on to your ear drums for this trio of Christmas sessions brimming with big crescendos, sweeping arias, and plenty of star power gone caroling.

A Christmas Celebration: Kathleen Battle – Make room for some huge notes for this 1986 hour featuring everything from two divine “Ave Maria” renditions and a truly lullaby “Away in a Manger” to the medieval “What Child is This” and a happy “Zither Carol.” The familiar religious operatic swells keep coming with the welcoming “O Come All Ye Faithful,” impeccable “O Holy Night,” powerful “Silent Night,” and rousing “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” However, short versions of rarer carols like “Bring a Torch Jeannette and Isabell,” “Fum Fum Fum,” “Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming,” “Gesu Bambino,” “Marie Wiegenlied,” and “Rise Up Shepherd” add a pleasing and sentimental yet international, performance atmosphere. A somber “I Wonder as I Wonder” and the tender “Mary Had a Baby” accent the choir-backed “I Saw Three Ships/The First Noel/The Holly and The Ivy” medley before the session goes out in style with a giant, Christmas concert in itself reprise finale featuring Veni Veni Emmanuel/ It Came upon a Midnight Clear/ O Little Town of Bethlehem /Silent Night/O Come All Ye Faithful. Whew! This is an old CD with a very low volume mix, which makes it tough to have individual tracks in a random holiday playlist. It's also one of the first discs I ever owned, so many artists often pale in comparison to the booming vocals here. Though I'm sure we often try, most listeners can't exactly sing along, and at times, it is tough to understand the lyrics of such operatic or obscure renditions – this epic session doesn't quite cater to the masses despite an inclusive variety with Catalan, French, Czech, Italian, and German carols. Fortunately, new downloads make it easy to pick and choose from your favorite octaves for an evening of reverent awe.

Stars of Christmas – Catch all holiday sets like this are a dime a dozen, and this generically named and occasionally billed as a Volume 3 CD hour has its share of clunkers alongside great tracks from big names that are tough to find elsewhere. Perennial essentials like “Sleigh Ride” from the Boston Pops and expected artists like Bing Crosby on “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman” and Frank Sinatra's “O Little Town of Bethlehem” anchor a helping of family fun with Eddy Arnold's “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas” and “Up on the Housetop” and Doris Day's carefree “Deck the Halls.” Children join in with Patti Page for “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” and a triple Perry Como with “Jingle Bells” and “Twelve Days of Christmas” is surprisingly solid in the reverent “Ave Maria” – as is Eddie Fisher's “O Come All Ye Faithful” compared to Andy Williams' somewhat nonchalant “Angels We Have Heard on High” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” There are some unusual tracks and questionable renditions here, too, including the unfortunately plain “Joy to the World” from Vic Damone, Engelbert Humperdink's easy listening “Away in a Manger,” Vicki Carr's too soft “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” and a struggling “O Holy Night” by Bobby Vinton. Although the fine medieval strings of Jose Feliciano's “We Three Kings” seems a little out of place amid the casual flavor, it matches the absolutely dynamite medley of “The First Noel/Silent Night/O Holy Night” by Kate Smith. Mahalia Jackson's “Silent Night” finale is also yes please and amen, and overall the mid century nostalgia here has enough spiritual attention and holiday lightheartedness for a family party or trimming the tree.

Christmas with The Three Tenors – I had to check and make sure I hadn't already reviewed this somewhat rough around the edges 2007 compilation hour, as a 'Christmas Three Tenors' search brings up hundreds of titles! These recordings apparently come from a variety of performances without notes as to their concert, and Placido Domingo receives the unceremonious coal at only two stirring appearances for “Requeim/Ingemisco” and “Et Incarnatus Est.” Instead, The Royal Music College squeezes in with the brief “A Christmas Medley” and “Vivaldi's Gloria” amid familiar but no less powerhouse odes including Luciano Pavarotti's “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Gesu Bambino” and a “Silent Night” finale from Jose Carreras. Poor mixing and audience noise can be heard on Pavarotti's otherwise powerful “Pieta Signora,” but the big notes keep coming in his humble “Agnus Dei.” Carreras, meanwhile, adds more somber with “Misericordia” and the reverent “Ave Verum Corpus.” Rival tugging at your tearducts “Ave Marie” versions come from both Carreras and Pavarotti, as does a doubly captivating “Panis Angelicus” and varying sweet versions of “Mille Cherubini” from Carreras and “Mille Cherubini in Coro” from Pavarotti. Try not to get confused, right? While similar downloads of The Three Tenors at Christmas or the superior The Three Tenors Christmas make it easy to pick and choose your favorite third's sweeping tracks, one probably has to be acquainted with the stars here. These are not laymen December tunes and to the breezy holiday album listener, this may be both too ecclesiastical and not Christmas enough thanks to the unfamiliar if breathtaking linguistic display. Fortunately, one just needs to know a scared octave when he hears it, and this budget presentation has a global, renaissance feeling poignant for the season.

Quick Christmas Oldies

Quick Christmas Oldies!

by Kristin Battestella

Need a pleasant, traditional, office acceptable, or family friendly playlist that’s quick, easy, and full of perennial favorites? Look no further than this handful of surprisingly short holiday albums for your speedy, festive fix!  

Christmas with Perry Como – There is most definitely no shortage of holiday music from Mr. C! This 32-minute CD is not the same as the Season’s Greetings from Perry Como previously reviewed here though this compilation does cross over somewhat with The Perry Como Christmas Album. Yes, it is exhausting to keep up with these numerous releases, but everyone needs the mid century snappy of Jingle Bells, Toyland, and Santa Claus is Coming to Town provided here. The spiritual dominates this session with backing choirs on the usual carols Silent Night and O Holy Night, but Perry also presents the Adeste Fideles refrains in O Come All Ye Faithful, a subdued God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman, slow and somber Ave Maria, rousing Do You Hear What I Hear, and simply stirring Little Drummer Boy. This is short, true, but there’s a little bit of everything for everyone in the Christmas brevity here. 

Perry Como sings Merry Christmas Music – Stay with me now for this oft reissued 1956 LP repeating O Come All Ye Faithful, God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman, Jingle Bells, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and Silent Night but adding more seasonal hits not found on other Perry editions including the nostalgic C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S and sentimental That Christmas Feeling. A ‘Twas the Night before Christmas reciting, bittersweet I’ll Be Home for Christmas, and The Twelve Days of Christmas join the family friendly Frosty the Snowman for a singing along good time, but a lively Joy to the World is the only new carol – and it’s exclusively here. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Christmas Song, White Christmas, and Winter Wonderland finish the set, but they can be found on Season’s Greetings, too. Whew! Pleasant as the tunes all are, it takes longer to figure out which songs are where than it does to actually listen to them! And is anyone else thinking of Blast from the Past right now?

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer – Duo Elmo and Patsy recorded several more humorous holiday hits for this 30-minute 1982 album, and yes, the eponymous funfest is of course here along with well known tunes such as the kid friendly Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, catchy Jingle Bell Rock, and hoedown worthy Jingle Bells. Even Joy to the World and Silent Night receive twangy treatments, too. While bemusing original songs like Percy the Puny Poinsetta and Senor Santa Claus might not be for everyone, these are relatively short tracks. Surprisingly, the longest tune Here’s to the Lonely is a subdued and bluesy December bittersweetness. Sure, it’s easy to pick and choose your download favorites nowadays, but this is a quirky, affordable CD to add to your Christmas collection when you want some country light with your egg nog – but don’t drink too much or forget your medication when you stagger out the door into the snow!

A Tenor's Christmas – Despite adding a reverent, operatic, and international tone, Mario Lanza makes the runtimes even shorter with this 28-minute session seemingly abbreviated from the longer Christmas with Mario Lanza CD also available. Deck the Halls and O Tannenbaum traditionals are the only secular nods, but choirs and lofty octaves accent the Old World feelings and pleasant pace of the no less peppy Joy to the World. The First Nowell, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and It Came Upon a Midnight Clear are also hymnly arranged with less frequently heard verses – lovely to hear in an age where so many feel the need to revise and meddle. Likewise, We Three Kings of Orient Are adds deeper notes to match the O Little Town of Bethlehem and Silent Night lullaby sounds. Mario takes his time with the longest concluding track O Holy Night and hits all the big notes as expected. This isn’t for every office or to sing alongside yet remains a very satisfying seasonal sound and merry mood maker akin to an old-fashioned, even Victorian styled Christmas from whence most of our traditions arose – what’s wrong with that?

We Need a Little Christmas – This 45 minute Andy Williams CD is a 1995 contemporary redo of his prior holiday classics along with several new tracks. Yes, there’s a bit much on the attempted hipness with the opening Mary’s Little Boy Child, the grooving Up on the Rooftop, somewhat tame What Child is This, and the seemingly smashed together and jarring Angels We Have Heard on High/Hark the Herald Angels Sing medley. Some Christmas carols just don’t need to be jazzed up. Fortunately, I’ll be Home for Christmas is a perfectly modern melancholy and swanky befitting Williams’ delivery, as are The Christmas Song, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, and the Silent Night finale. Of course, there’s some family fun, too, with Away in the Manger, Jolly Old St. Nick, and the still catchy titular staple. Though evenly split between religious and secular tunes, this update is ironically more dated than the traditional renditions one expects to hear from Williams every December. Longtime listeners may even find this millennial rerecording unnecessary altogether, however, the easy tone here nonetheless remains a charming addition to the tree trimmings playlist.

Our Christmas Vinyl Collection

The Christmas Vinyl Collection 2012

By Kristin Battestella

Another year, another look at the state of the ever-growing collection of Yule on Vinyl here at I Think, Therefore I Review! Here’s a quick list of all the snap, crackle, and pop holiday essays, conveniently in one non-scratchable location at last.

The Abbey Choir Little Drummer Boy

Barbra Streisand Christmas Album

Bing Crosby White Christmas (record and CD)

Charles Dickens Classics: A Christmas Carol and Mr. Pickwick’s Christmas 

The Christmas Song Nat King Cole

Christmas Through the Years Holiday Box Set

Christmas with George Beverly Shea

Christmas with Kate Smith

Elvis’ Christmas Album (record and CD)

Elvis' Christmas Album (Pickwick Issue)

Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas

Favorite Christmas Carols from the Voices of Firestone Volume 1

George Beverly Shea Christmas Hymns

Give Me Your Love for Christmas Johnny Mathis

Hark the Herald Angels Sings George Beverly Shea

A Henry Mancini Christmas

Holiday Sing Along with Mitch Miller

Jackie Gleason White Christmas

John Lanchbery Conducts Tchaikovsky’sThe Nutcracker

Joyous Christmas Volume 4

Luciano Pavarotti O Holy Night

Merry Christmas with Johnny Mathis (record and CD)

O Come All Ye Faithful Kate Smith

Seasons Greetings from Perry Como

Silent Night Christmas Carols and Holiday Strings

Silent Night George Beverly Shea

Sing We Now of Christmas: The Harry Simeone Chorale

The Star Carol Tennessee Ernie Ford

A Tennessee Ernie Ford Christmas Special Double LP

A Very Merry Christmas Volume 1

A Very Merry Christmas Volume 2

A Very Merry Christmas Volume 5

And lastly, the only remaining Christmas records I own and have not reviewed thus far are the 10 album Great Songs of Christmas Goodyear series. Whew!

For more fun reference, you can also visit the 2009 Christmas Vinyl Assessment or use the Christmas tags, labels, and search options. Most of these reviews and posts have shopping links or album cover photos where available, as heck, not all of this turntable material is available digitally or even that easy to find and identify via checking the musty attic or searching the messy thrift shop.  So, if anyone has further questions on clarifications or specifications, please feel free to inquire in the Comments Section any time. And as always, whatever You and Yours celebrate this holiday season, may you be warmed, well fed, and abundantly blessed!

Christmas Through the Years Box Set

Christmas Through the Years A Dynamite Little Set

By Kristin Battestella

I think I paid a whopping $5 for Christmas Through the Years, a special 1984 holiday record collection from Reader’s Digest Music. With five LPs each themed on a decade or topic, there are more than enough Christmas tunes here to meet one and all’s December listening needs.

Entitled “Christmas Favorites Forever,” Record 1’s debut is excellent- from the opening Boston Pops’ Sleigh Ride to the somber Silent Night by Bing Crosby. There’s plenty of Perry Como to go around with Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Silver Bells, and The Christmas Song, too. The erroneously forgotten soldiers’ ode Christmas Eve in My Home Town by Kate Smith is absolutely dynamite. I’ve played it so many times, now it skips! Side B serves up more Perry with Home for the Holidays, and Bing’s Rudolph rendition is old time fun for all. Christmas Through the Years may be worth the holiday hunt just for this record alone. The common classics and heart-warming rarities alike are that good indeed.

Yes, it is a little dated with essential kid staples ala Leave it to Beaver, but Record 2’s “Christmas in the 50s” block is Christmas Through the Years for the whole family. Santa Claus is Coming to Town from Lawrence Welk, Here Comes Santa Claus by Eddie Fisher, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by Spike Jones, and Nuttin’ for Christmas are all youthfully annoying and yet strangely endearing- except for I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. I’ve never understood how they made a kids song out of that kink! Hello, holiday role-playing, anyone? Fortunately, Harry Belafonte’s Mary’s Little Boy Child is far more tender and Bobby Helm’s Jingle Bell Rock is grooving fun for all. Bing Crosby’s A Marshmallow World is somehow more sophisticated for adult memories, too, and Perry Como’s It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas is always timeless.  Unfortunately, Record 3’s “Christmas in the 60s, 70s, and 80s,” might be weakest part of Christmas Through the Years, only because it’s more split with dated rather than enduring tunes. The Singing Dogs version of Jingle Bells is fun- once, the first time you hear it, when you are five. Otherwise, the barking novelty is amiss. This track is also stuck in the middle of the glories of Pretty Paper by Roy Orbison and Brenda Lee’s iconic Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree. Suffice to say, it’s not the right place for it!  O Holy Night and The Christmas Waltz by The Letterman are soft, easy, and pleasant but also irrevocably trapped in their certain sixties harmony or glee club style. Ironically, Perry Como’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Forever- a 1982 release-sounds more mid century idyllic.  Kate Smith’s medley of Deck the Halls/Joy to the World/It Came upon a Midnight Clear is, of course, simply stunning, and Jose Feliciano finishes strong with Feliz Navidad.

  

I’m not really sure why Christmas Through the Years goes out of order, as Record 4’s theme is “Christmas in the 40s.”  Fortunately, there’s more booming Bing with Adeste Fideles and I’ll Be Home for Christmas, and of course, more pleasing Perry with Winter Wonderland. Love it or hate it, you’re getting I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas, and Spike Jones returns for All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth. I might have preferred an album side or whole record in Christmas Through the Years be dedicated to all these goofy, dated and silly kids tunes, that way all the classic memories and melodies wouldn’t be so interrupted. However, I suppose the intermixed family placement encourages young ones to listen to all, and everything here is child friendly anyway. The soft vocal of ‘Twas the Night before Christmas is so tender and charming- I’m surprised there aren’t more musical versions of this poem ala the recordings of The Lord’s Prayer. And hello! Glenn Miller’s smooth Jingle Bells rendition is the way this song should be. End of story, and that’s a fact! Surprisingly, The Merry Christmas Polka isn’t half-bad, either.  Record 5 concludes Christmas Through the Years blissfully with a focus on “Beloved Carols,” although the inclusions of Twelve Days of Christmas and We Wish You a Merry Christmas keep this segment from being purely spiritual faire. Amid today’s lesser-heard staves such as O Sanctissima, Angels from the Realms of Glory, and The Holly and the Ivy, the heartfelt choirs and harmony vocals offer affectionate and traditional odes such as the robust Hark The Herald Angels Sing, orchestral We Three Kings, and a wonderfully medieval What Child Is This.  I haven’t even touched upon all sixty plus songs, and yet the smart categorizing of these LPs and its built-in options to pick and choose keeps Christmas Through the Years viable almost thirty five years on. Old-fashioned Yule for Grandma, classic holiday sing a longs for the kids, refined December traditions for dining adults, crèche focus for a night in with the whole family- Christmas Through the Years has it all!

My vinyl box set of Christmas Through the Years also contains a very nice little “Music Program Guide” booklet inside with brief histories and detailed information on each track-that’s always a nice treat. Obviously, this is a pretty generic and multi used title, so having any concrete information is a premium. It seems there was an early, brief, and/or rare CD edition, but beware on some of the uber high pricing that apparently comes with an elusive digital edition.  Unfortunately, no other MP3 or download correlations seem available either, but at least there are cassettes! Perhaps it is fitting that the Christmas Through the Years vinyl set is actually fairly easy to find. After all, the faux-Yule log snap, crackle, pop adds to this must have seasonal charm. Shop now and keep Christmas Through the Years for many Yules to come.

A Second Helping of Christmas Vinyl

Another Helping of Christmas Vinyl!

By Kristin Battestella

Get ready for more snap, crackle, and pop from yesteryear!  Here are this holiday season’s tips on which records to treasure or thrift hunt for in your pursuit of yuletide nostalgia and revelry.

George Beverly Shea Hark the Herald Angels Sing – The titular carol opens this 1964 Christian set with bold, robust nostalgia and then some.  Largely filled with lovely, somber, and lesser known or not often seen carols or birth hymns such as Joyously Sang the Choirs, That Beautiful Name, Have You Ever Seen the Star, Dear Little Stranger, Shadows So Softly Enfold Thee, and He Became Poor among others; the holiday tunes here are obviously not for those exclusively celebrating a secular season. The overall album is also quite short, with only the standard verses of one or two famous carols and one full Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee rendition. Along with Christmas Hymns George Beverly Shea, the tracks here have survived as George Beverly Shea Christmas Joy and A George Beverly Shea Christmas, both available on CD or MP3 download.  Regardless of format, for those looking for traditional church bound holiday, Bev is tough to beat.  

John Lanchbery Conducts Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker – This 1982 two record set is one in a series by Lanchbery and The Philharmonia Orchestra along with Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty.  The LPs also include a booklet on the music, the man, and the ballets all in a pretty and shiny red box, making this album look just as much a part of the season as the tunes from this December dance definitive.  Though this is a complete production spread over four sides, the music seems short somehow or goes by too quickly- perhaps because we so often associate The Nutcracker with big Baryshnikov ballets, varying family film adaptations, or  lengthy theater performances.  Even so, the instantly recognizable Overture and March, the Waltz of the Snowflakes, Kingdom of Sweets and the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the Waltz of the Flowers are all here for plenty of ingrained but pleasing sounds of the season.  This edition, or really any Nutcracker tunes you can accumulate, is the perfect backdrop for either casual dinners, formal parties, or a relaxing night fireside.

Joyous Christmas Volume 4 – I remember having several copies of this LP from the Beneficial and Columbia Records series, which is a very pleasant background album to play over and over again- which we did, repeatedly. The eponymously rousing Joy to the World leads off a seasonably round set of traditional arrangements such as Silent Night, Adeste Fideles, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, and The Nutcracker mixed with more instrumentals festivities like Jingle Bells and Toyland.  We can also boast some special guest vocalists, from Doris Day’s White Christmas to The First Noel by Nelson Eddy and Johnny Cash’s Little Drummer Boy amid a solid God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen selection and samples from Messiah. Though it’s easy to find these tunes individually nowadays, the vinyl seems fairly common and easy to find second hand.  Of course, you could end up with something scratchy and flat, but that what I call ‘fireside’ sound is what appeals to me.

Luciano Pavarotti O Holy Night – You don’t have to be an opera fan to appreciate this long-winded 1976 collection of bellowing spiritual sweeps like Ave Maria, Panis Angelicus, and the titular high note- but it certainly helps!  Some of the selections are fairly long at over 8 minutes, and the heavy styles might be too headache inducing for a family dinner, but lyrics and liner notes are included too help budding fans follow along- even if we can’t quite sing along! With Pieta Signore, Gesu Bambino, and Adeste Fideles, Pavarotti creates a culturally classy album of global renditions as only he can. And hey, if you want to pick and choose your windpipes or go for even more tenor magic, the set is available for download or in a Special Deluxe CD edition with bonus tracks.

A Very Merry Christmas Volume 5 –   Perry Como’s Home for the Holidays starts off this 1971 LP in quintessential form, and the holiday hits continue with the equally ever-December-present Boston Pops Sleigh Ride, Harry Belafonte’s Christmas is Coming, and more.  Traditional inspirations like Mario Lanza’s rendition of O Holy Night, John Gary’s touching Sweet Little Jesus Boy, and the Robert Shaw Chorale O Little Town of Bethlehem/The First Noel medley balance the reverence as Henry Mancini does Rudolph and Frosty for the kids.  The Ballad of the Christmas Donkey by Ed Ames, Santa Claus is Coming to Town via Eddy Arnold, and a big Perry We Wish You a Merry Christmas finale keep up the seasonal pace, too. Naturally, these versions are oft available elsewhere on disc or as individual downloads, and this Very Merry Christmas record series from RCA for Grants Stores is a little more junk shop elusive than other sets like Goodyear’s Great Songs of Christmas. Nevertheless, if you could only have one record with all the classics for every aspect of the season all in one place, this would be it.

Again, the records here might be tough to find, and digital options or exact contemporary correlations aren’t always available.  Despite the vinyl vintage ebbs and flows or record resurges in popularity where collectors both reissue and overprice or shatter, Frisbee or otherwise trash; we need to remember to treasure the music of Christmas past.  Nay, it is our duty to preserve the flat hisses, bent tone, moldy art, and warped plastic of the musical yule’s of yore for future generations!

More Christmas Vinyl

More Christmas Vinyl

By Kristin Battestella

It’s that time of year again! Time to dust off those warped Christmas vinyl delights and enjoy the snap, crackle, and pop of records in lieu of a real toasty fireplace- after awhile, they sound the same anyway.  Here are a few timeless hits to enjoy again on the phonograph or bring into the digital play list. 

Barbra Streisand A Christmas Album – Reissued in several CD sets, this 1967 Christmas debut has remained popular thanks to big and fine Broadway-esque renditions of classics like The Christmas Song and Ave Maria, with new arrangements of My Favorite Things and The Lord’s Prayer.  I could, however, do without Babs’ iffy take on Jingle Bells- her super speedy arrangement makes you want to check if you have the right RPM speed.  Otherwise, this short half hour set is perfect for a mature evening of holiday martinis, mimosas, and memories. 

Christmas Hymns George Beverly Shea – The longtime Billy Graham Crusade vocalist lends his deep sound to not often heard classics like Put the Christ Back into Christmas, I Wonder as I Wander, and O Men from the Fields along with traditional carols such as Go Tell It on the Mountain and Sleep Precious Babe.  Obviously recorded with plenty of reverence in mind, this lovely set is perfect for a Christmas Eve candlelight dinner or a somber late night wrapping presents. Although it looks like this record is part and parcel with the CD A George Beverly Shea Christmas and contemporary listeners might not be accustomed to such old-time baritone arrangements; today’s spiritual families would be hard pressed to find a more focused Christian Christmas album.

Holiday Sing Along with Mitch – Well, I can’t think of a more annoying album than this kitschy set from Mitch Miller- and it’s complete with song sheets, too.  However, no holiday household full of kids is complete without this fifties best seller.  Honestly, Must be Santa and the Twelve Days of Christmas on one record? With Frosty and Rudolph, too? Oh me oh my, the kids can go to town with this one, and adults will definitely be singing along with these easy arrangements- by choice or torture.  Thankfully, mellow renditions of I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, The Christmas Song, and Silver Bells balance the fun for all.

Jackie Gleason White Christmas ­– Though one can debate how much Gleason actually took part in his musical endeavors, slow and moody treats like the titular staple, Blue Christmas, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas are most excellent secular instrumentals for a lonely winter’s night or a private, mellow evening for two.  Even normally upbeat hits like Let it Snow and Jingle Bells are slowed down to waltzing pace with your turtledove here. Talk about fifty cents well spent! Such brass, such velvet…hot damn.

A Merry Mancini Christmas – This swanky 1966 LP from the Oscar winning composing maestro begins with a fine Little Drummer Boy and continues with smooth medleys of secular essentials like Winter Wonderland and Silver Bells- as well as the classic carols We Three Kings, O Come All Ye Faithful, and Joy to the World.  Some modern listeners may not be used to the choral styled vocals, but the blended sound is soft and easy for all to enjoy.  I don’t know about the happenin’ Rudolph rendition here, but kids always love that one. The record also adheres to the old format of secular tunes on one side, religious compositions on the other, assuring something for everyone, indeed.

Season’s Greetings from Perry Como – I happened to find this 1959 record hidden within another set and was pleasantly surprised to find all the traditional greats like Home for the Holidays and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer in one collection.  Como’s good old jolly mid-century style adds winter charm to Here we Come A Caroling, Winter Wonderland, and even the traditionally somber God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. He doesn’t have the range for O Holy Night, but it’s also nice to here this lofty tale down on the easy notch.  A Christmas Story melody of words and songs adds a little family reverence for all to enjoy as well. Como perfectly combines the best of the secular season with the true meaning of Christmas.

I’ve linked to the CD versions of these albums on Amazon, although a few are out of print or not available for download.  However, it also occurs to me that one might not have a record player anymore these days- although the current ease of USB plug-in and conversion processes have brought several copying entertainment systems back on the market in common department stores like Target and K-Mart.  My current record player- a Crosley stand-alone unit now discontinued- was an early Christmas gift from my mother in 2003.  I had spent the previous year without a player after the needle on my automatic player broke, so $60 at Value City was a stereophonic steal as far as I’m concerned. 

Even with the ease of digital music, the affordability of transferring equipment and the nostalgia of records at second hand shops have returned- and it’s just perfect for the Christmas season!  

A Taste of Christmas Vinyl

A Taste of Christmas Vinyl

By Kristin Battestella

Maybe it is a little too early for Christmas. Even a traditional Thanksgiving is subverted with December décor and holiday music. Nevertheless, to combat the early shopping season, I’ve decided to list my collection of Holiday albums. And yes, I mean albums-as in records, lps, vinyl. Dust off the musty box o’ records in the basement and get your collection out of the attic-it’ll melt!

I’ve linked to Amazon Vinyl where available. Some of these sets are well known in CD or digital and download media, but others are out of print and quite the value. You can even buy a few of these gems cheap at thrift shops or Salvation Army and Goodwill stores. Sweet yuletide tunes and doing some good for our fellow man- not bad, my little elves!

A Christmas Album Barbara Streisand

Christmas Hymns George Beverly Shea

The Christmas Song Nat King Cole

Christmas through the Years Readers Digest Collection

Favorite Christmas Carols Voices of Firestone

Great Songs of Christmas Album 2

Great Songs of Christmas Album 3

Great Songs of Christmas Album 6

A Henry Mancini Christmas

Holiday Sing a Long with Mitch

Joyous Christmas Volume 4

The Little Drummer Boy The Abbey Choir

Merry Christmas Bing Crosby

Merry Christmas Johnny Mathis

The Nutcracker Tchaikovsky’s Ballets

O Holy Night Luciano Pavarotti

Seasons Greetings from Perry Como

Silent Night: A Diplomat Christmas Record

Sing We Now of Christmas Harry Simeone Chorale

A Very Merry Christmas Volume 5

So, what’s the value of my collection? By guessing with the online auction prices, my Christmas records alone stand under $200. Not bad considering I’ve not spent $10 for the few I purchased! Every December, I am always tempted to find the rest of those Great Songs of Christmas albums. Then I go to the junk shops and see records I already have and think better of it!

I have more Christian music and inspirational hymns on record, too, but I think I’ll save that list for Easter. ;0)