CHRISTMAS 2020: Santa's Pandemic.

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by cgoodwin22, Nov 4, 2020.

  1. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    I was recently writing a review on a Johnny Cash Christmas album for another thread, and I mentioned that country music artists rarely make outstanding holiday albums. This comes from someone who grew up on country music in the late 60's and early 70's, so I do not say this easily or as a put down on one of my very favorite genre's of music. My main theory is that country artists cannot seem to make up their mind whenever they try to make a great holiday album; Are they making a Christmas album or a country album or both. They seem to get lost in some sort of musical void. My favorite country Christmas albums are the ones where the artists just go ahead and follow their heart and passion try not to overthink it. If you want to make a traditional pop Christmas album, just go ahead and do it, but don't think that by adding a steel guitar or banjo, you are going to impress us or make us believe that it is now a country album.

    Clay Walker is a very talented country singer, who decided to make a great traditional holiday album with no pretensions of it being a country holiday album. He round up a huge group of orchestral players and background vocalists and made a terrific, but totally unheralded holiday album in 2002. Just like in the good old days of the Golden Age of Christmas, the choice of arranger was pivotal to its success. Clay chose Nashville arranger Bergen White, one of the greatest and truly unsung heroes in country music history. Elvis Presley thought so highly of him in the 1970's that he requested Bergen by name to come in and arrange songs like Polk Salad Annie, Walk A Mile In My Shoes, Bridge Over Troubled Water and You Don't Have To Say You Love Me for him, among many others.

    Please check out the gorgeous instrumental overture on the very well known Mary Did You Know, from Clays's terrific holiday album. I am not sure if any Nashville artist has ever had a song begin with an almost thirty second all orchestral instrumental intro before this attempt, but it is a gorgeously scored piece of music that really sets the stage for this modern hymn.

     
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  2. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    I'd say that Glen Campbell's "That Christmas Feeling" works great on both fronts. As do Buck Owens' two, but those are less traditional.
     
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  3. Scourge

    Scourge The Contagion in Nine Steps

    Location:
    US
    I totally disagree about country artists not making great Christmas Albums. Chet Atkins, Loretta Lynn, Buck Owens, Jim Reeves, Jimmy Dean, Hank Snow, Ferlin Husky, Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard all have great Christmas albums, just to name a few. That doesn't even get into stuff like The Statler Brothers or Oak Ridge Boys or Dolly and Kenny. Jeez.
     
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  4. Scourge

    Scourge The Contagion in Nine Steps

    Location:
    US
    And a big yes to Glen Campbell.
     
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  5. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    My parents only listened to two holiday albums for many years while I was growing up in the 1960's John Klein's A Christmas Sound Spectacular and Johnny Mathis's Merry Christmas, but they eventually added Glen Campbell's very fine That Christmas Feeling album to their holiday playlist, when it came out in 1968. That was a great choice, my friend.
     
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  6. ModernBingFan0377

    ModernBingFan0377 Crosby ‘Connoisseur’

    [​IMG]
    I’m currently listening to this great, but unusual, Christmas album. [​IMG]
     
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  7. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    And here is a great Willie Nelson song that Glen does a fine job with on his gorgeous holiday album.

     
  8. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    One reason I love the album is because it has this-- a pure country track, and one whose lyrics add some (true) grit to an otherwise very sweet set.
     
  9. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    It really is a well crafted album with some lesser known gems like Old Toy Trains (I still cannot believe that you never hear that on the radio when the stations go all Christmas in November), and Glen does a very silky version of Elvis's Blue Christmas that I like as well. Real Gone Music did a great job when they remastered this album project for Glen's Complete Capitol Christmas Recordings.
     
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  10. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    It would be nice if some radio stations actually played Roger Miller's great version of this gem, since he was the one who actually wrote it for his own son, Buddy Miller, and first recorded it. Despite Billboard Magazine's fantastic review of the single, it never really became a huge hit record, but it did eventually become a holiday standard that got covered a whole lot in ensuing years. Here is Roger's own splendid version with the great Hargus "Pig" Robbins on piano and the legendary Bob Moore on bass guitar. Roger Miller never made a full fledged Christmas album, but his single holiday masterpiece still resonates to a lot of listeners and other country singers.

     
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  11. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    My favorite Bing Crosby Christmas album.
     
  12. virgopunk

    virgopunk Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    I can't believe nobody's mentioned the funkiest Christmas album evah:
    [​IMG]
     
  13. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA

    Interesting how Glen Campbell's version (which I heard long before the original) changed a key word in the title. Not only does that make the song easier to sing, it now makes more sense (Why would Santa Claus be bringing OLD toy trains instead of new ones?)
     
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  14. YardByrd

    YardByrd rock n roll citizen in a hip hop world

    Location:
    Europe
    I just picked up a Dutch '65 LP of the Supremes Xmas album and an original Atco Soul Christmas LP... haven't spun either yet and have no idea what the music sounds like, but they've always gotten good reviews around here so I'm looking forward to listening later this month!
     
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  15. Recordfan

    Recordfan Misfit Among Misfits

    Chillingly beautiful...
     
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  16. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    Real Gone Music did a nice two CD compilation of The Supremes holiday album, along with a remixed version of it a few years ago. The artwork and liner notes are outstanding as well.


    [​IMG]
     
  17. mantis4tons

    mantis4tons Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO, USA
    I love Christmas music!

    One of my favorites is the ZE Records compilation "A Christmas Record," which is almost certainly the only holiday record to include a Suicide song.

     
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  18. Roland Stone

    Roland Stone Offending Member

    One of the very few obligatory Christmas songs that can be ranked with a band's best tracks:

     
  19. BeatleJWOL

    BeatleJWOL Senior Member

    Buddy Miller - Wikipedia ? :p
     
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  20. RSteven

    RSteven Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brookings, Oregon
    I screwed that one up, didn't I? Oh yeah, Roger wrote Old Toy Trains for his son, Dean Miller. :righton:
     
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  21. BeatleJWOL

    BeatleJWOL Senior Member

    For a second I thought you were blowin my mind there. Google corrected me. :D
     
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  22. ducktrapper

    ducktrapper Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts USA
    If you like brass, and are in the mood for something witty and jazzy, Carla Bley's "Carla's Christmas Carols" is a recent delight.
     
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  23. YardByrd

    YardByrd rock n roll citizen in a hip hop world

    Location:
    Europe
    Just found a '71 reish of the Jim Reeves 12 Songs of Christmas in stereo for a nice price... and also can grab a mono from Germany in '63... anybody prefer one mix over the other? Is the mono ok or _____? I have no problem with either mono or stereo as long as it's a good mix and master...
     
  24. YardByrd

    YardByrd rock n roll citizen in a hip hop world

    Location:
    Europe
    I'm gonna hit you folks with another mono and/or stereo question in regards to a Christmas LP... any preference for Paul Revere & the Raiders Christmas Present... and Past - stereo or mono, which works best? Or do both have their own charms?
     
  25. Timothy Fiacco

    Timothy Fiacco Captain Coconut

    Location:
    Palm Bay Florida
    I received the John Klein CD today and it is beautiful sounding! My Wife and I are listening to it as I write this and are enjoying it immensely. Does anyone know of a nice Christmas choral CD? I was thinking maybe the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, any suggestions would be appreciated.
     
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