Posted on 12/09/2001 9:06:15 AM PST by SamAdams76
My favorite artist at Christmas is Karen Carpenter....love her voice..
The Carpenters' "Christmas Portrait" album, on A&M Records. I literally never fail to get goosebumps when, after the 3 minutes or so of the choral and instrumental music that begin the album, her voice breaks in with the sustained first note of "Christmas Waltz." It's absolutely gorgeous.
There's a double CD entitled "Christmas Collection," but "Christmas Portrait" distills it down to the best of the best.
I would also recommend you check out "Punk Rock Xmas". Definitely not for everyone but with your range of interest, you might like it. It's pretty old so you may have some trouble finding it. My favorites on there are "Merry Christmas (I don't wanna fight tonight)" by the Ramones, "Daddy Drank our Xmas Money" by TVTV and "Run Run Rudolph". You wont find it on any CD but Tiny Tim singing "Santa's got the AIDS this year" should find it's way onto your hard drive.
I would also recommend you find David Bowie and Bing Crosby singing Little Drummer Boy.
George Winston Christmas
Excellent suggestion. I own almost all of his work. He is a magnificient pianist. I have yet to find any music that will soothe me quicker than his does.
My point though ... I've been trying to get the BEST version of that song for the longest time now. I have purchase many CD's hoping that would be the one I've been searching for, but it never is THE ONE. I hear the right one on the radio at least once every year, but they never say who sang (sung) it. Do you know the performers of a few versions, besides the ones you've mentioned already, that I could look for on the file sharing network I use? It would be old, but not THAT old. It would be a chorus, not one person, and it's not the Mormon Tabernacle(?) Choir.
Anyone? ... anyone? ... Bueller?...
.
Oh Yeah ...
Merry Christmas to you, and everyone here at the great Free Republic!
It has always irked me how radio stations will play songs and rarely identify who the artist is. The record companies lose more money this way than file sharing in my opinion. How can you buy the music if you don't know the artist? Hopefully soon, stations will transmit artist/song title information that we can read on our RDS displays. Or at least post to their website the playlist of at least the previous 24 hours.
Ain't that the truth? Well, I might as well get started then. See ya, and thanks for the post. It made me feel all Christmasy.
Just discovered Trans Siberian Orchestra this year and am lovin' these albums!
Again, a recommondation for a MP3 download of Leon Redbone's Let it Snow, and Jim Brickman's Christmas albums are nicely romantic, mostly piano instrumentals. Great while roasting your chestnuts-ahem-or soaking in a hot tub after a hectic day!
Wonderful reviews Sam; thanks for your efforts and the ping.
Running nightly in our church Christmas production...complete with camel, wise men, flying angels and the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes (or a reasonable facsimile of the babe when our cast member is colicky).
Sorry, but we're sold out this year...We play 18 performances to over 25,000 people.
O Holy Night is an annual favorite. In all honesty, we're probably not the "best," but it's still pretty spectacular...
Try Vienna Boys Choir. However, in hearing and downloading several versions of this song, it's hard to find one that isn't beautiful, be it sung by a choir or played by a piano alone. TSO's O Come All ye Faithful/O Holy Night is fabulous, too!
I'm sure "spectacular" is a gross understatement. I'd love to hear your, or any other, choir perform that song live. I'll bet my chills would multiply greatly.
One thing I don't understand though, why is that wonderful song is relegated to being only an annual favorite? It seems more like a year around song to me, even though I'm happy I don't hear it more often so the emotion it evokes can stay fresh with me.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
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