Posted on 12/22/2005 5:59:27 AM PST by churchillbuff
Two kinds of people are likely to pick up a CD called The Regis Philbin Christmas Album. The first are genuine Philbin fans, who'll buy anything that bears the mark of his exuberant personality. The second are smart-asses, who think even the title of the record is funny. Philbin and producer Steve Tyrell do what they can to give comfort to both camps, including openly inviting the snark crowd by serving up a duet with Donald Trump on "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer." Philbin and Tyrell probably don't realize that mockers will gravitate closer to the album's one original, the painfully sincere "Where Do We Go For Christmas?" (written by actor-restaurateur Frank Pellegrino). From the opening lines—"There's a spirit within us / We know it as Christmas"—to the inspired rhyme of "kissin'" and "reminiscin'," the song is as cutesy as it is toxic.
At the same time, people who buy The Regis Philbin Christmas Album because they like Philbin will be well-served. Philbin doesn't have the most expressive voice in pop-music history—he sounds like he's burying his chin in his chest to get the deepest tone imaginable—but his voice is amiable and in tune, and it's framed well by Tyrell, who runs an understated choir and some tasteful synthesized orchestration behind a tight piano-guitar-drums cabaret combo. This is old-school Christmas, New York style, with a Murderers' Row song lineup: "White Christmas," "Let It Snow," "Silver Bells," "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," and so on. When the season is over, the CD can be comfortably packed back into the Christmas tub, right next to the candy-cane advent calendar and the talking-reindeer ornament.
I'll have to check Costco. Too late to get it from BMG (woohoo -- Buy 1 Get 3 free this month)
TS
The Regis Philbin Christmas Album - "Buy it!"
Why would we want to do that?...come on now
Holiday rant topic -- Does it seem that, over the years, newly-written Christmas songs have grown steadily worse? A couple of generations ago they at least had a cozy, lovable feel, but today sound like utter crap written in the elevator up to the recording session.
Have you ever heard the new sond, "Mary did yopu know?"? It's simply beautiful.
When I was a kid in San Diego, the local CBS station had this light pip-squeek named Regis who hosted 'Sun Up San Diego' -- a truly awful show that was a prototype for also mug waving, morning shows with a too jocular host. Nice to know he rode that lousy format into making a Christman album
sheesh. sond=song!
Someone has to pay for his daughter's wedding.
I'm more likely to buy brocolli-flavored whipped cream.
I heard "Mary Did You Know" just recently and it's outstanding!!
< Have you ever heard the new sond (sp), "Mary did yopu know?"? It's simply beautiful. >
I like the Kathy Mattea rendition the best. Yup, beautiful song.
I'll in choir (a typically small Catholic church choir) and we'll be singing "Mary did you know?" at this years Christmas Day Mass.
Who's yopu?.........lol
Seriously, BE Taylor does the most beautiful arrangement on his Christmas 2 album that I heard, hands down. This, too, is my most favorite Christmas song!
I'm in a choir that will be singing "Mary did you know?" at this years Christmas Day Mass.
The song itself isn't new, it was written probably more than 8 years ago by Mark Lowrey and Buddy Greene, (who are usually featured on the Bill Gaither Homecoming shows)- I agree though; "Mary, Did You Know?" is one of the great Christmas songs, it's been recorded by artists ranging from Kenny Rogers to Clay Aiken.
Something to go along with my William Shatner Christmas album!
Are yopu making fun of my fat fingers???
I heard Mark Lowry talk about on the Gaither Homecoming Christmas show a year ot two ago and was surprised that he and Buddy Greene had written it. The first time I'd ever heard it was about 7-8 years ago on my way to work. Kathy Mattea was singing it and I pulled off the road to listen. It's a wonderful song. I really only meant new as compared to other Christmas favorites that have been around for 50-60 even 100 or more years.
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