The Perfect Christmas Album

Cafe Society
1

It is my first holiday season with an iPod, and I was hoping to put together “Best of” Christmas album.

For the most part, I like my Christmas Music to be traditional, but I don’t mind a few more modern choices (e.g.- Happy XMas- War is Over by John Lennon!)

But I was hoping for some selections for the Playlist, but more importantly, I need help picking the artist. There are like a MILLION versions of Silent Night.

Help me get the “standard” version of each song. It’s would be easy to just download Bing Crosby, Burl Ives, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (though I think the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is too high pitched for repeat listening), but I want to ones that I grew up listening to. The main radio versions.

A few songs that are a must:

Feliz Navidad- Jose Feliciano
Please Come Home For Christmas- The Eagles
Happy XMas (War Is Over)- John Lennon [Not available for Download]
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year- Andy Williams
Jingle Bell Rock- Bobby Helms
The Christmas Song- Nat King Cole

Need an Artist
Silent Night
O, Holy Night
Jingle Bells
Joy To the World
Silver Bells
I’ll Be Home For Christmas
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Little Drummer Boy (The Harry Simeone Chorale seems to be the standard…)
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Mele Kalikimaka
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
Any other obvious choices I am missing? Any recs on the artists?

Thanks

2

Elvis did some great covers of almost all of those songs. Some of his Christmas Albulms really are top class. I’d look into his versions of the following:

Silent Night
O, Holy Night
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

3

These are just the versions I like, off the top of my head.

Silent Night --I’ve never found a version of this song that I actually like, though the one by the Temptations is enjoyable to me.

O, Holy Night – Someone operatic. I prefer Placido Domingo.

Jingle Bells – So many choices! I like the Count Basie Orchestra, or Bing Crosby with the Andrews Sisters.

Joy To the World – Julie Andrews

Silver Bells – I’m drawing a blank, though I know I’ve heard versions I like a lot.

I’ll Be Home For Christmas – Lou Rawls has a nice version, a little jazzy and shows off that voice

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand

Little Drummer Boy (The Harry Simeone Chorale seems to be the standard…) – I like the odd take by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Of course, I think the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack is the best Christmas cd ever.

Do You Hear What I Hear? – Jim Nabors

Mele Kalikimaka – Bing Crosby

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas – I’m a broken record, but Bing Crosby

Some others that are nice:

I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm – Dean Martin
Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
For Unto Us a Child is Born – excerpt from Handel’s Messiah (and most hummable, beware)
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel – Vienna Boys Choir
Merry Christmas, Darling – The Carpenters
Old Toy Trains – Statler Brothers
The Christmas Waltz – Peggy Lee
Winter Wonderland – The Platters
Go Tell it on the Moutain – Mahalia Jackson
Carol of the Bells – The Nylons
Let it Snow! – Ella Fitzgerald
A Holly, Jolly Christmas – Burl Ives
Children Go Where I Send Thee – Tennessee Ernie Ford

4

Oops. I tracked down the version I like and it’s Perry Como, not the Bingster.

5

Silver Bells – Bing Crosby
Silent Night – Wilson Phillips

Others I like:

Sleigh Ride – Leroy Anderson (that’s the orchestral version with the clip-clops and jingle bells)
Home for the Holidays – Perry Como
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – Bing Crosby & Ella Fitzgerald
Santa Claus is Coming To Town – Frank Sinatra (by himself or paired with Cyndi Lauper)
Winter Wonderland – The Eurythmics
Pretty Paper – Roy Orbison
Christmas All Over Again – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Merry Christmas Baby – Charles Brown
The Man with the Bag – The Brian Setzer Orchestra

6

I’ve always liked Bing Crosby’s and David Bowie’s duet Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy

7

The Bingster?

The Bingster??

Der Bingle, if you please.

My new favorite version of Silver Bells is by Rockapella.

8

For a different take, check out “Little Drummer Boy” by the Dandy Warhols. A Christmas classic! :smiley:

9

Without Dana singing ‘Cold, Cold Christmas’, Squeeze’s ‘Christmas Day’ or Gilbert O’ Sullivan’s ‘I’m Not Dreaming of a White Christmas’, there is no Christmas. Everything else is free sweeties.

10

What, no “Grandma got run over by a Reindeer?”

Anyway…

Many tracks from this album. (I’d reccomend tracks 1 and 3, especially. And 7, if you’ve got the guts.)

The Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, by Vince Guaraldi.

Enya’s version of Silent Night, Oiche Chiun.

Walking in the Air, from the soundtrack to The Snowman. (Check PBS, or your local public library.)

Placido Domingo’s Adeste Fideles. (Almost called him Placido Flamingo. Sesame Street never quite lets you go, does it? :wink: )

11

Pretty much Mannheim Steamroller’s entire first two Christmas albums. Especially their Carol of the Bells.

12

**Stille, Stille, Stille ** - Vienna Boys’ Choir
Snowfall - Manhattan Transfer

Most anything from the David Benoit album, if you like jazz.

13

Carol of the Bells is one of my all time favorites too!

14

I’m more of a Houston Rockets fan! :wink:

Thanks for all the tips.

Especially jsgoddess!

15

Johnny Mathis’ 1959 Christmas album is pretty good. Especially “Winter Wonderland”.

16

I have always liked Trans-Siberian Orchestra :cool:

17

I like Three Dog Night’s version. :smiley:

“Jeremiah was a bullfrog…”

18

The Brian Setzer Orchestra has an entire album of rockin’, swingin’, big-band hipster Christmas songs, old and new. I highly recommend it, as a swing and rockabilly fan, and as a Jew who loves Christmas cheer as much as anyone. :cool:

You can’t go wrong with Elvis’ version of “Blue Christmas,” either. Practically brings a tear to my eye every time.

U2 has a neat cover of “Baby, Please Come Home For Christmas” that really shows how much they can rock out and have fun with someone else’s song.

And I’ll reiterate a vote for the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Nothing makes me think of “Christmas festivities” more than that jazzy piano.

19

Patti Austin did a beautiful version of “Christmastime is Here” for the Charlie Brown tribute album. That is one of my favorites. And for some sass try Eartha Kitt singing “Santa Baby”

20

If you are looking for a spectacular version of O Holy Night look no further than Jussi Bjorling. The review at amazon says “the CD ends with what must be the greatest recording of ‘O Holy Night’ in ANY language, capped by an astonishing high C. In fact, when I first heard this, it was on the first track of another CD, and I replayed it 5 times before going on to the rest of the CD!” If you want a slightly more rare and absolutely unbelievable version of this song, you owe it to yourself to track down Jussi’s version. It will blow you away.