I am quite envious of the Klein LP. I was urged to get the CD by earlier posts from @RSteven and I thouroghly enjoy it. But to have what is most likely an OP stereo copy is quite the find. Happy Holidays!
I’ve been streaming the Sirius XM channel Holiday Traditions - a nice selection of some obvious choices but also enough more obscure tracks to keep it interesting.
The John Klein album is one of my favorites. The Living Stereo LP sounds incredible, as does the Real Gone Music CD (which also includes the more obscure but equally enjoyable John Klein album Let’s Ring the Bells All Around the Christmas Tree).
Thanks for the shoutout on the John Klein twofer CD my good friend, I really appreciate it. Oh yeah, I grew up with the original vinyl album that my father got from his radio station days at The Mighty 690 in San Diego, but the advantage of the CD is twofold; Firstly, you have over an hour of uninterrupted music that was remastered to perfection from first generation master tapes at Battery Studios in New York. Secondly, I don't have to run over to the console as I did as a kid when my Dad would yell to me, "Hey Steve, can you turn the Bell's record over to side 2, Lol.
Yep, they got the sound exactly right on this CD! If anyone is even remotely interested get this disc now while still readily available. The artwork and liner notes are fantastic too.
Giving the Squirrel Nut Zippers' Christmas Caravan a spin now as I work. Besides a cover I love (boys running a prewar Lionel train under a Christmas tree!), the album has some good tunes on it, something different from the usual stuff.
Or at very least they consider her the Queen of Christmas music and put Bublé as the King of Christmas music. Now I’m more fine with Bublé being called that, as his Christmas music is actually pretty enjoyable to me, but he has not made enough Christmas music yet to really get that title.
Oh yeah, that is a really great point that makes it bittersweet for me. This CD will be out of print soon enough, unless their is some renewal of the licensing agreement in the future, and I have my doubts about that coming to fruition, but Real Gone Music has their Christmas sale going on right now, and you can pick this pretty baby up for about $10 bucks. The equally magnificent Music Of Christmas Expanded Edition by Percy Faith can be had for less than $9 bucks. I just ordered about a half dozen more RGM titles the other day to add to my own collection.
Yes indeed, I think The Voice Of Christmas is a title that should be reserved for Mr. Crosby, and he is not even my personal choice for most played artist this time of the year, but his various multi-million selling singles of holiday titles as well as albums and some highly rated Christmas specials over the years, pretty much earn him that title outright. At least our relatively new thread on this forum, Who Is The King Or Queen Of The Holiday Genre Of Music has Crosby dominating the poll with almost 60%. Poor Mariah is bringing up the rear with less than 4%, and that brings a big smile to my face, Lol.
Just got the complete RCA Christmas recordings of Eddy Arnold... thanks to @BradOlson for the head's up!
I'm not that thrilled with the Sarah McLaughlin album. It's not that she uses different arrangements that the traditional ones for the songs, but I find her phrasing - which is a unique feature of her singing - rather off-putting (to me) for traditional Christmas music. I really don't like it.
To whomever brought up Stan Kenton's A Merry Christmas, thank you! That album is fantastic!!! Sure is hard to come by at a reasonable price tho! And Bing Crosby will always be The Voice of Christmas. As far as female singers go I'm a bit split, but Ella Fitzgerald can do no wrong.
I'd also like to shout out Liberace's ultra solemn, ultra sincere Christmas albums. It's really nice to hear someone so fully committed to the sanctity of the spirit of Christmas who is extremely talented as a musician and emcee and story teller.
Yes indeed, and I agree with you about Ella as well. How many artists have not one, but two outstanding holiday albums?
Johnny Mathis had 2 classics - Merry Christmas (1958) and Sounds of Christmas (1963) Amy Grant - A Christmas Album (1983) and Home For Christmas (1992) I have to think about others... I know Percy Faith has 2 classic instrumental albums from the 50s. I definitely agree, not many artists have 2 or more outstanding Christmas albums.
Bing had 3 or 4, his original Merry Christmas album, his 1962 album, and his 1971 album. Frank arguably had 2/3, Christmas Songs By Sinatra and A Jolly Christmas. Bing, Frank, and Fred Waring made a very good good album together 12 Songs Of Christmas. Dean had A Winter Romance and the Reprise Christmas album. Andy has 3 being the 3 Columbia Christmas albums. Perry has 2 great studio albums, the 1959 one, and the 1968 one. I think both of Elvis' Christmas albums are considered great, but I don't really listen to them, haha. Burl Ives has the Rudolph soundtrack and the 1965 Christmas album. And of course Johnny Mathis has his outstanding Merry Christmas album and his 1961? album I'd say is pretty good too.
The Carpenters of course have two, both with significant selections that make both of them worthy. The Blenders have six, the best of them IMHO being When It Snows and Most Wonderful Time. Vocal groups' and audiophiles' dreams, these are! There's Kate Rusby, with While Mortals Slept, The Frost Is All Over and Sweet Bells, plus two more. She's re-defined folk music beauty in the British Isles Loreena McKennitts' Midwinter Night's Dream and To Drive The Cold Winter Away and her EP A Winter Garden. A true Ontarian treasure of talent, and detective of musical history. The Irish "National Chorus" Anuna has two, a more deeply traditional one, and a more generic-popular title. Such a unique sound for a choir! Sufjan Stevens has two...box sets, overflowing with clever, rarely-programmed and giddy recordings, most compiled from EP's originally sold on tour over the years. And Sarah McLachlan has three...each a seemingly-more-fleshed-out version of the previous one. And I would say, any of these has plenty of reasons why you should not automatically opt for the first choices on your lists of the usual suspects. Every Christmas deserves a fresh discovery.
