Last week in a comment, Byron asked: “Where are the Christmas CD reviews?” Well, here are a couple from the 100+ Christmas CDs in our collection. I’m a fan of the Slow Jams series and listen to Slow Jams Christmas, Volume 2 this time of year. I’m fond of Al Jarreau’s version of “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)” and the underrated Rotary Connection’s “Christmas Love.”
Ultimate Holiday Collection was a Kohl’s charity CD with funds going to a children’s cause. I like Death Cab for Cutie’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” and Natalie Cole’s soulful “The Holly and The Ivy.”
Do you remember these Christmas songs? Any favorites here? Do you have a favorite Christmas song? GRADE: B+ (for both)
TRACK LIST:
| 1 | Alexander O’Neal– | My Christmas Gifts | 3:15 |
| 2 | The Whispers– | A Very Special Holiday | 3:48 |
| 3 | The Whispers– | This Christmas | 4:18 |
| 4 | Al Jarreau– | The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) | 4:12 |
| 5 | Charles Brown– | Merry Christmas, Baby | 2:53 |
| 6 | Al Green– | I’ll Be Home For Christmas | 3:15 |
| 7 | The Ebonys– | (Christmas Ain’t Christmas, New Year’s Ain’t New Year’s) Without The One You Love | 2:09 |
| 8 | Rotary Connection– | Christmas Love | 3:10 |
| 9 | Brook Benton– | Soul Santa | 3:22 |
| 10 | Darryl Tookes– | Merry Christmas | 3:14 |
| 11 | The O’Jays– | I Can Hardly Wait ‘Til Christmas | 4:40 |
| 12 | Lou Rawls– | Auld Lang Syne | 1:34 |
TRACK LIST:
| 1 | Michael Bublé– | Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! | 2:04 |
| 2 | Seal– | Make Someone Happy | 1:52 |
| 3 | Rob Thomas– | New York Christmas | 4:39 |
| 4 | Jason Mraz– | Winter Wonderland | 2:09 |
| 5 | Death Cab For Cutie– | Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) | 3:05 |
| 6 | Guster– | Donde Esta Santa Claus? | 2:22 |
| 7 | Natalie Cole– | The Holly & The Ivy | 3:59 |
| 8 | Otis Redding– | Merry Christmas Baby | 2:34 |
| 9 | Tori Amos– | Little Drummer Boy | 3:22 |
| 10 | Jewel– | Hark! The Herald Angels Sing | 3:21 |
| 11 | Carly Simon– | Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas | 3:11 |
| 12 | Jackie Wilson– | It Came Upon A Midnight Clear | 2:42 |
I recognize a lot of the songs. This looks like a snoozefest to me. I admit that after working a number of years in retail that my tolerance for Xmas songs is pretty low. Three months of an endless loop of Xmas songs can drive you crazy. The Otis Redding is probably the best thing here. Little Drummer Boy? Please retire this song forever.
Steve, I share your opinion of “Little Drummer Boy” no matter who sings it.
I like Christmas music, whether sacred or secular. We don’t even consider it Christmas in our house until we play Elvis’s Christmas album. When I as decorating my tree last weekend, the CDs I listened to were Christmas Number Ones (featuring one of my all-time Christmas favorites, Elton John’s “Step Into Christmas”), Now That’s What I Call Christmas (a two-CD set featuring a mix of old and newer music including a couple of real faves, Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime” and the Carpenters’ “Merry Christmas Darling”), and The Most Fabulous Christmas Album Ever, with a cover that lives up to its title and many fabulous Christmas songs including Eartha Kitt’s “Santa Baby”.
Deb, your Christmas playlist rivals Diane’s! Our home is full of Christmas music this time of year as Diane finishes up the Christmas cards. I only have a couple of presents to send out to out-of-town friends. The Christmas tree is up and Diane purchased many of the baking ingredients Patrick and Katie will need for their Christmas feast.
I think I’ve already established that I HATE McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime,” one of the rare times Deb and I disagree on music.
Yes, I was also startled to see her favorable remark on that. But you love what you love, and that’s okay.
It wouldn’t feel like Christmas without your CD reviews, George. I’d forgotten about the Slow Jam series but that does bring back some record store memories. Judging by the print in the bottom right corner I’m guessing that the second disc looks like it might be something sold by Kohl’s perhaps? By the late nineties it seemed like every other coffee shop chain or big retailer was selling a Christmas compilation CD and I confess to picking up a few from Caribou and Starbucks.
I only have about 50 Christmas CDs so I have a way to go to catch up with you. I picked up a few more this year-the Phil Spector disc (which I somehow never got around to before) the recently released complete Christmas albums collection of Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Philharmonic and a surprisingly enjoyable new disc by John Zorn of all people-and will probably pick up a few more in the next week. I couldn’t get through the holidays without Christmas music
Byron, same here! Diane and I love Christmas music. One of the CDs in our player right now is the Boston Pops Christmas CD. Just Wonderful! You’re right about the Kohl’s Christmas compilation: there was a time when Starbucks and Target and other companies issued these CDs…some good and some bad. Like you, we could not get through the holidays without Christmas music!
Not that I’m Scroogey or anything, but I liked Christmas a lot more before it took over the world and became synonymous with Wretched Excess. Now I’m just happy when it finally ends around the middle of February.
Michael, you’re right about the corporate conquest of Christmas. Materialism rules now and the religious aspects drown in a sea of spending on AMAZON!
I like it in moderation but our society doesn’t believe in moderation. I think they were playing it in October this year. Now it’s even blasting outside stores.
Patti, I seldom go into a retail store anymore because of all the holiday ruckus! Music blaring, bells ringing, mountains of toys, and long lines at the cashiers and self-checkout. I’m doing 90% of my spending online.
I listen to Christmas music the week of Christmas.
Current favorite is Joni Mitchell’s River.
Beth, you have great taste in Christmas music! I love Sarah McLachlan’s version of “River” best.
Having never been an Xian (nor a deist), Xmas music has no real pull for me other than its value as music…having early on (age four or so) loved versions of “The Little Drummer Boy”, I wouldn’t ban it but I never need to hear any version again (unless a musical genius does something ingenious with it). The Charles Brown song is the one I know and like best, while I think I’ve head Jarreau’s version of “The Xmas Song” but wouldn’t swear it in court (no Bibles necessary, thanks).
Does Handel ever count as a slow jam? Somebody Musti’ve done a funky reading of “The Hallellujah Chorus” over the decades…
Todd, I love Handel’s music. Every year I listen to Handel’s Messiah and marvel at the sound!
Not funky, but there is the Roche’s version of the Hallelujah Chorus, which is outstanding. People with more musical knowledge than I say that there are four vocal parts, which they cover quite well with their three voices. (It’s not on their wonderful Christmas album, WE THREE KINGS, but on their Robert Fripp-produced album KEEP ON DOING.)
Jeff, I listened to the Roche’s Christmas album last year after your recommendation. WE THREE KINGS indeed!
Indeed, I’ve been familiar with the Roches’ (including the late Margaret Roche) version for some decades, after finally hearing them again on their ’80s SOUNDSTAGE episode on PBS, after hearing them first (possibly/probably just Maggie and Terre) in the ’70s on NBC’S SATURDAY NIGHT. Went out and picked up all four albums they had out after the SOUNDSTAGE, from ’83 I think, which I first saw and heard in ’84.
Quincy Jones’s version is, sadly, not too impressive.
Todd, I agree with you. The late Margaret Roche was Something Special.
She was…all three sisters and their performing families were and remain. Though Terre Roche was my media crush among them, with the sweetest voice and (as a composer) outlook among them.
Todd, I had an amazing amount of crushes on female singers during my adolescence starting with Marianne Faithful.
I know a lot of the songs but not many of these versions. What Christmas songs do I like – first let me tell you what I hate. Anything by Bing Crosby. Burl Ives’ “Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas.” Horrible cover versions like Madonna’s “Santa Baby” and new versions of much of the about list, including “Wonderful CHristmastime” that makes the McCartney sound good.
I do like your traditional, old songs from the ’40s like “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas or “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” Nat King Cole’s version of Mel Torme’s “A Christmas Song”, “”Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Darlene Love (and the rest of the Phil Spector Christmas album, surprisingly – Gene Autry’s Christmas songs, particularly “Here Comes Santy Claus” (as he pronounces it), “Run Rudolph Run” by Chuck Berry, and yes, once or twice a year “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.” I do like the Carpenters’ Christmas music and The Eagles’ “Please Come Home for Christmas” (which Jackie loves). She also loves Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas.”
Jeff, we share some similar tastes in Christmas music. Diane, like Jackie, loves The Eagles’ “Please Come Home for Christmas” song. And I love the Phil Spector Christmas album!
I pick up a couple Christmas cds every year, and hit the 100 mark two or three years ago. Like Byron, I filled a hole in my collection by buying the Phil Spector one this year. I also got the Norah Jones and a Ralph Vaughan Williams, the three of them making this an excellent year, no duds.
I like all kinds, but particularly folk and classical. I just yesterday put together a playlist in Apple Music, primarily for the car, of the songs I’ve marked in my notes as four stars. 90 songs, 4 hours 45 minutes. In the house I sometimes play collections I’ve put together of three and four star music, sometimes just the actual cds that of course have everything from one to four stars.
One four star track not on Apple Music, available so far as I know ONLY on the Barnes & Noble collection Sunday Music 5: Holiday, is Trombone Shorty’s wonderful rendition of O Holy Night, which originally appeared on the tv show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
The Little Drummer Boy is not one of my favorites, either, but I nonetheless have some versions I’ve marked with three stars. Let’s see: Joan Baez, Bob Seger, John Boswell (instrumental), the Nylons, Ray Charles, Grey Eye Glances, Pink Martini. Hmm, more than I thought. The one song I cannot, cannot stand, is The Cat Carol, about a cat that dies saving a mouse during a Christmas Eve blizzard. Its website claims it is the number one seasonal song on a number of radio stations. I shudder to think of hearing it every day. Pfui!
Jeff, I avoid “gimmick” Christmas songs like “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” and “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” and songs of that ilk. Thanks for the insights on streaming Christmas music!
Favorite contemporary (sorta): Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas; traditional: O Holy Night.
Most hated: The 12 Days of Christmas and The Little Drummer Boy.
Bob, there’s a lot of hostility toward “The Little Drummer Boy.”