Yeah, it ain’t even Thanksgiving yet but by god I’m getting started early this year. Every year I try to come up with a list of Christmas songs I want to hear but I’ve never gotten started on it early enough. I have yet to nail down a copy of the version of Carol of the Bells I love the most though luckily I like almost every version I’ve heard. So what are some of your favorite holiday songs and who sings them? No reason to limit this to Christmas songs in particular.
[ul]
[li]O Holy Night - Charlotte Church[/li][li]O Holy Night - Eric Cartman[/li][li]Christmas Time is Near - The Chipmunks[/li][li]Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses[/li][li]So This is Christas - John Lennon[/li][li]Carol of the Bells - Any Version, even Mr. Mackey[/li][li]Winter Wonderland - Anyone[/li][li]Let it Snow - Lena Horn[/li][li]Santa Baby - Ertha Kitt[/li][/ul]
Sure there’s more, that’s just off the top of my head.
The Brian Setzer christmas album released last year is great. There’s a duet with… oh, crud, I’ve forgotten her name, the lady who was on The Flintstones – that’s it, Ann Margrock - I mean, Ann-Margret. Brian Setzer and Ann-Margret doing “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” Also a bad-ass version of the Nutcracker Suite, arrangement apparently by Les Brown although I’ve never heard his.
Home for the Holidays - Perry Como
I’ll Be Home For Christmas - nearly anybody, although I have a swell Sinatra version
Feliz Navidad
The Chieftains’ Bells of Dublin cd, with Elvis Costello’s ‘St. Stephen’s Day Murders’
the very first“A Very Special Christmas” Special
Olympics benefit cd…
I think it’s the one where Annie Lennox sings ‘Winter Wonderland’
I have an ancient vinyl record which belonged to my parents; it is the Trapp Family Singers (of Sound of Music fame) singing very old carols in Latin and German, their harmony is beautiful and the carols are soothing.
On the third Very Special Christmas (I think that’s the one) Blues Traveler does an astonishing original song called ‘Christmas’. It’s truly a feel good extravaganza.
I like the Mannheim Steamroller’s renditions of several Christmas carols. They put a nice twist on many familiar melodies. The same can be said for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
I also agree with Sting’s version of “The Angel Gabriel”.
Christmas Wrapping and Fairytale of New York are my two favourite Christmas songs, but they make me so damned sad, 'cos the female leads on both songs are now dead.
When it comes to Christmas give me the oldies, the classics, the ones you hear in the mall. My father used to work at a radio station so he knew which albums were the best; it’s taken me many years to acquire these (pre-Amazon).
Johnny Mathis - Merry Christmas Percy Faith - Music of Christmas Arthur Fiedler & the Boston Pops - any one of several, but make sure it has Anderson’s arrangement of A Christmas Festival on it somewhere Bert Kaempfert - Christmas Wonderland (this is THE album, I don’t care that you never heard of Bert Kaempfert, you’ll have to trust me) Chet Atkins - Christmas with Chet Atkins Ray Conniff and the Ray Conniff Singers - We Wish you a Merry Christmas Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme - That Holiday Feeling (only available via their website)
Plus, of course and already mentioned, Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas; also love Eartha Kitt. I’m still looking for a really good Perry Como and need to add Nat King Cole. And, it’s not an album, but Charles Brown’s “Merry Christmas Baby” is really great (it’s that bluesy one).
Rats! Rats! It’s actually Anderson’s arrangement of Sleigh Ride that’s soooooo good, especially when performed by Fiedler & the Pops. Make you get up and dance!
Actually all the Anderson arrangements are really good.
Feliz Navidad is also terrific - but, you know, when you’ve got Jose Feliciano, you got no complaints.