"Available shortcuts abound: So many standards reside in the public domain, the arrangements write themselves, and expectations for the work as a whole generally hover somewhere in the neighborhood of 'This could be nice, I suppose.'"
The exception, NPR tells us, is Sufjan Stevens. Lots of streamable Christmasables over there, so you can check that assertion. I'm dubious, but I stopped 10 seconds into "Silent Night," the first song.
What are you listening to or singing these days? Christmassmedia or something else?
(If you're buying anything, enter through the Althouse portal to Amazon to send me some holiday cheer... as I sit here in the predawn, in a room lit only by the computer screen. I will type on and on whether you acknowledge me Amazonishly or not, but I do appreciate the cybergesture.)
२६ नोव्हेंबर, २०१२
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For me, it's too early in the season to listen to Christmas music. I overdose on it pretty quickly. Also, I find some of those songs ("Christmas Bells" and "Do You Hear What I Hear") insufferable.
I'm listening lately to the soundtrack from the movie Cashback and to to the album "Some Nights" by fun.
Bach's Holiday Oratorio
"Christmas Bells"? That song from the musical "Rent"?
No. I should have Googled it. The title is "Carol of the Bells", apparently. But that Rent song is icky, too.
Last night we had a decorate the church party. After the work was done we sang traditional Christmas carols accompanied by guitar. Beautiful. I enjoy traditional carols the most. I confess a guilty pleasure of Mariah Carey singing Joy To The World that morphs into Joy refrain from Jeremiah was a bull Frog.
God I love the smell of eschatology in the morning.
BTW, Joy To The World is not strictly speaking a Christmas carol. It is an Advent hymn however as it speaks of the coming of Christ for his millennial reign on Earth rather than a retelling of his birth.
WOLX 94.9! All Christmas, All The Time!
Yesterday I heard the Grinch song twice. I sang along. I sing along with all of them. I'm anxiously awaiting Eartha Kitt and her fabulous Christmas song, Baby.
But I agree with Bob Ellison: Some of the songs, and Do You Hear What I Hear and Little Drummer Boy, are horrid and I change the radio right away when they come on. (Unless it's Jim Nabors doing the singing).
Like, not and. Sheesh.
Off to Indie for Coffee.
BTW, Professor, I'm pretty sure that if I link directly to an Amazon item in a comment, it doesn't go through your portal. For example:
Direct link.
It'd be nice if Amazon had a way to streamline this on behalf of all webbers/bloggers with comment sections. Or maybe a little tool on your "Leave your comment" page could do the trick somehow. Amazon or Google should consider this.
I couldn't stomach much of Stevens' work either. Maybe it's some sort of ironic hipster, ugly Christmas sweater thing that I don't get.
I try to put off deliberately listening to Christmas music until after classes end in three weeks. Of course, you can't avoid a lot of it. We will be playing Christmas music in the church band throughout advent. And there are all the commercials on TV.
For what I am listening to, I usually put on the Messiah to grade finals. My nomination for most recent original addition to the Christmas canon is Vince Guaraldi's Charlie Brown Christmas Album. (I'd link, but like Bob Ellison said, you should use the Althouse portal.) Great songs, and I love the way it is recorded - particularly the drums. Very old school techniques.
"BTW, Professor, I'm pretty sure that if I link directly to an Amazon item in a comment, it doesn't go through your portal."
That is correct. You need to be signed in to my account to get the link that works. Best to name the product and give the portal address. That's the only workaround I know.
"The title is "Carol of the Bells", apparently."
I figured. Many people hate that song. It seems to intend to drive you crazy.
"But that Rent song is icky, too."
Rent is atrocious.
Well, it seems to me that this should go through your portal, which seems like a static suffix to standard links:
Braveheart soundtrack.
(That's another excellent soundtrack, this time by James Horner. I use it often as background for intense, close working, perhaps analogous to grading exams or composing lectures.)
Opps. I meant to link to this:
Braveheart soundtrack.
Last night? Iris DeMent's first album from 1993, Infamous Angel, and Lindi Ortega's new album, Cigarettes & Truckstops.
Here's the video for "The Day You Die," one of the songs off the new album, so you can see if she's your cup of tea or not.
As for holiday music, I'm partial to Mojo Nixon & The Toadliquors' Horny Holidays.
I linked to the MP3 files rather than the CD in case anyone wanted to listen to the samples...
Probably NSFW, by the way.
I collect Christmas music, it is a big deal to us. There is lots of great Christmas music available. Give a listen to All I Want For Christmas by Brian Wilson, or the Christmas album by the Blind Boys of Alabama, or some Los Straightjackets, or . . .
I am a music snob, but there is a great diversity of super Chrismas tunes. Los Lonely Boys, Andy Williams, Barenaked Ladies . . .
Trey
Sturgeon's Law ("90% of everything is crap") surely applies to Christmas music.
Presumably because the artists and their labels realize that the public will buy quantities of just about any new Christmas album, no matter how bad. Just because it's Christmas (or something).
TMink, as a Christmas music collector, you might like to give a listen to this version of I Saw Three Ships by the CPR Orchestra. A friend of mine, Peter Green, played trumpet on it. It's a joyous new-rhythm version of that song.
I only posted the first minute or so, because of course it's copyrighted. Not sure where to find the CD. The whole album, "Christmas Descarga", is good, but this is my favorite cut.
I like Alexis Cole's Christmas CD... Especially Rise Up, Shepherd and Follow. Amazing sax playing on that whole album. And Alexis is an exquisite singer. Army plug: She's now Staff Sergeant Alexis Cole, with the US Military Academy Jazz Ensemble, The Jazz Knights.
Since, ya know, Christmas is one of the major feasts on the Church calendar, if you want good, unjaded Christmas music, head back in time and get your Christmas tunes direct from the source (e.g. Viderunt Omnes by Perotin or even the Gregorian Chant. (Hey, if it's good enough for the Vorlons, it's good enough for you!).
Also, sometimes Christmas carols are a lot nicer in their original language than in their often mangled translations (e.g. "Minuit, Chretiens" is nicer in French than "Oh, Holy Night" is in English).
I like Cherish The Ladies' Cristmas Album a lot, too.
Hmmm, what's one man's treasured tradition is another man's icky.
That's about right.
I still like Little Drummer Boy and Do Yo Hear What I Hear. But not the classic recordings you always hear.
I think part of it is having travelled to the middle east, I have a better appreciation now for the importance of the humble origins (read, desperate, hand to mouth poverty) of the shepherd boy and the goodness of the shepherd metaphor that pervades Christianity. I've seen mangers, as built in the ME... They are not like the near barn-like structure you see in nativity scenes. They are just stick shelters and barely that. Hymns and carols that draw on those images have resonance for me that they did not before.
edutcher, true. I cherish an album by the New Christy Minstrels from the 1960s that we used to play every Christmas. It's really cheesy, but it's like audio soul-food to me and, I think, my sister.
Dang it, now I'm immersed in Christmas music. Can't get it out of my head (ELO). Must...find...antidote...or...go...crazy...
It's also clear to me why it is significant that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. In the middle east, these animals are not like what we think of as mules. They are closer to tiny burros... Just big enough to support the weight of a very slight man, at best. A 10 year old boy looks large on one. It is what a shepherd would have ridden. The message could not have been lost on the people of Jerusalem at that time.
Crash Test Dummies have a really good Christmas album: Jingle All The Way. Yes, seriously.
It's got everything, from an amazingly beautiful "In a Bleak Midwinter", through a Florida themed "White Christmas", and a hilariously strange "Jingle Bells".
Trans-Siberian Orchestra. What Mannheim Steamroller wishes it could be, if it had any balls.
Aside from that, my favorite Christmas albums are from (gasp) Christian artists. Third Day, Jars Of Clay, MercyMe, Steven Curtis Chapman, Family Force 5, Neal Morse. Each is uniquely them, and because they actually take the message seriously, they don't just mail it in, but put effort and creativity into their original songs as well as interesting takes on timeworn standards.
Rosie Thomas "Why Can't It Be Christmastime All Year?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYtR-a356Mg
Rosie Thomas "Why Can't It Be Christmastime All Year?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYtR-a356Mg
One song I enjoy:
All I wanted was a Skateboard by SuperDeluxe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RoJsJY9Qj8
Not a big fan of traditionals.
Also, like Otis Redding's Merry Christmas Baby,and I do actually like Mariah carey's All I want for christmas is You (groan).
But anything you'd have carolers sing would probably be something I'd not listen to.
Hate John Lennon's christmas song, don't hate Paul Mccartney's (though realize it's total pap).
Christmas music, especially secular Christmas music, is revolting.
Of course, the entire modern concept of Christmas is revolting.
Christmas songs that should NEVER be played again:
J. Lennon - 'So this is Christmas'
P. McCartney - '...Wonderful Christmas Time'
E. John - What the name is of his shiatty song.
Songs I personally despise: 'Silent Night' and 'Little Drummer Boy'.
BEST Christmas song ever, religious divison - 'The Angels' Carol' by John Rutter.
Breath-takingly lovely.
Best secular song: 'Sleigh Bells'.
I own approximate 70 CDs of Christmas music and can highly recommend ones by Mel Torme, Doc Severnson and the Tonight Show Band, the first Barry Manilow C'mas cd - yeah, seriously; it's both just joyous enough and yet wistfully sad enough to cut through all the saccarine crap out there.
Also own some other non-mainstream C'mas music - Lots of Motown, a reggae one, one done on steel drums, Celtic, lots of jazz, 'Jingle Bell Jazz' and 'God Rest Ye, Merry Jazz Men' are the best, and naturally 'A Chuck Brown C'mas' although almost all are old/older because this sub-catagory has worn it self out.
NO 'ironic' Christmas versions because I think they are trite and stupid; all these folks can get back to me when they start doing 'ironic' version of Ramadan music; until then they can gft.
If any of you need some suggestions, drop me a line.
I love Christmas music. I don't watch TV, so I don't get the commercial overload that drives some of the bah-humbug spirit out there. I love Carol of the Bells, Little Drummer Boy. Morman Tabernacle Choir, Reba, Andy Williams...I'm not picky. The Chipmunks are verboten, though. Grandma Got Run Over by the Reindeer is fun if I haven't heard it in a couple of years. And Mainheim Steamroller...ugh. Its first Christmas album is the only one I can stomach; after that one, Chip Davis got bored.
Thanks for the intro to Lindi Ortega, Clyde. Her voice reminds me of Dolly Parton's, sometimes. That's a good thing.
@crunchyfrog
Trans-Siberian Orchestra. What Mannheim Steamroller wishes it could be, if it had any balls.
Aside from that, my favorite Christmas albums are from (gasp) Christian artists. Third Day, Jars Of Clay, MercyMe, Steven Curtis Chapman, Family Force 5, Neal Morse. Each is uniquely them, and because they actually take the message seriously, they don't just mail it in, but put effort and creativity into their original songs as well as interesting takes on timeworn standards.
I agree about TSO.
I also agree about ThirdDay and Jars of Clay. I don't listen to much of their stuff anymore, but their Christmas music is usually very good.
There's also this knock-off band that never got big in the Contemporary Christian Music world: Lost and Found.
Most of their music is forgettable, due to the musical style that they call "Speedwood". But their rendition of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" is incredibly good. As is their musical rendition of "Oh Come, Oh Come Immanuel!"
Weirdly, they are hard (but not impossible) to find on Amazon, and appear not to offer MP3 versions of their songs. But they do have their own website, with a CD Order Page.
Vince Guaraldi, of course.
Also, (oddly to me), one of the best Christmas songs written and performed by a more or less contemporary performer is 'Cry of a Tiny Babe' by Bruce Cockburn.
Redemption rips through the surface of time
In the cry of a tiny babe
Well, I'm listening to my very own home-made Christmas song which I wrote (setting to music a poem of Ogden Nash's). It's called "A Carol For Children."
Give it a listen, all you give-a-listeners:
http://www.larryeubank.com/ACarolForChildren.mp3
I think the Christmas song we miss out on is "The Holly and the Ivy." It's a beautiful carol, but it never seemed to really catch on much in this country.
Give it a listen, give-a-listeners:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57l6dSbVppM
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