Every year I go look at the Roger Whittaker Christmas album and balk at its $17 price tag and decide against it. The next year, I’m back doing the same thing.
Given how humiliating it is to be seen flipping through the CD bin for Roger Whittaker, you’d think I’d just end this thing by buying it and slinking out of the store.
A few years back, I bought volumes 1 and 2 of the Time-Life Treasury of Christmas, and since then, I’ve hardly felt the need to buy new music. These discs are superb. Just look at the track list! I can’t find volume 2 on the Time-Life site, so I don’t know if that one can still be ordered.
Woo hoo, the threads about Christmas music are already starting! I’m a Christmas music addict, but one on a budget, so every year I pick one new Christmas CD. Last year, it was the compilation The Edge of Christmas, so this year I will probably look for something a little more traditional.
I’m kicking myself because I saw an all-bagpipe Christmas CD at a Celtic festival this summer, but didn’t buy it. Argh! It haunts me. Hopefully I can find it online.
I’m not sure I can narrow it down to my top five, but my #1 essential is the Phil Spector A Christmas Gift to You. We have all these goofy “traditions” (or “completely anal rules from which we will not vary under pain of death,” take your pick) about Christmas, and this the first Christmas CD we play when we get the Christmas decorations out.
I have a two disc English Import call The Best Cristmas Album in the World -Ever! And they are damn near right!
44 tracks highlights include
Happy Xmas (war is over)- John and Yoko
I wish it could be Christmas Everyday - Wizzard (my favorite)
Do They Know it Christmas - Band Aid
A Fiary Tale of New York - The Pagues
Step in the Christmas -Elton John
Santa Claus is Coming to Town Jackson 5
Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses
Ring Out, Solstice Bells - Jethro Tull
Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby and David Bowie
The second disc has stuff like
White Chirstmas - Bing Crosby
The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
Let is Snow [3x] - Dean Martin
Christmas Time - Cliff Richard
Winter Wonderland - Doris Day
Lonely Pup in a Christmas Shop - Adam Faith (which gets stuck in your head)
Happy Holiday - Andy Williams
Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt
and many many more…
I also like Charlotte Church’s Christmas disc, but only the traditional hymns.
But you need the MST3k album to get Patrick Swazy Christmas and Merry Christmas if That’s OK.
Plus you must have the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Then of course you need Jimmy Buffets Christmas Album Christmas Island.
My mom ordered the set earlier this year, and I’ve been holding it hostage since. I plan to extract the tracks I like most, and mix them with a few others, such as:
“Green Christmas” (from the The Grinch That Stole Christmas soundtrack) by BNL
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” by BNL and Sarah McLachlan
“There’s Something Stuck Up In The Chimney”
“Walking ‘Round In Womens’ Underwear”
“Filipino Christmas” by local comedian Frank DeLima (if I can find it!)
“Somewhere In My Memory” (from the Home Alone soundtrack) by John Williams
“You Make Christmas Feel Like Heaven” by Tommy Page
“Miss You Most At Christmas” and “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey
“Let It Snow” by Boyz II Men
“Please Come Home For Christmas” by either Don Henley or Jon Bon Jovi (can’t decide which version I prefer)
and probably the “What’s This?” song from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
If I’m feeling especially cheesy, I’ll even throw in some of NKOTB’s Christmas stuff.
I always buy two: the Placido Domingo one he does every year (usually around $8 at Academy Records) and the one from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS cause it’s always good and for a great cause. The 1999 one has the 12 Days of Phantom, which is the best treatment that song has gotten.
If you can find the two CD Save the Children set, featuring casts of London/Broadway/Austraila musicals, BUY IT! It’s out of print and copies on ebay go for $50-$60. It is outstanding!
There’s also a CD called Broadway Christmas, which has some good and unusally holiday songs, including the initial release Irving Berlin’s Happy New Year Blues done in specatular style by Vicky Lewis. That alone is worth getting the CD. It also has the entire We Need A Little Christmas. Who knew it has three verses?
Okay Annie. Let’s have this out. Do you or don’t you like Christmas? First I thought you loved it due to your username. Then in a thread you said you hated it so I figured you didn’t like it. Now you confess you buy Christmas albums every year.
I won’t be able to sleep at night until you clear this up for me. C’mon. Now Really. Christmas: Love it or no?
