What is your favorite Christmas album?

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

I have two contenders tying for my all-time favorite Christmas album.


Russ TaffA Christmas Song.



This fabulous album has been a perennial favorite in our house since it came out in the early 90s. It’s typically the first CD I reach for every Christmas season.

Taff is an powerful and versatile vocalist who is as much at home as an old-styled “crooner” as he is with rock or country material. With A Christmas Song he croons with the best of them, to what I’d characterize as old-styled, semi-jazz arrangements with a late 50s-early 60s sound. Don’t let the fact that he was a major Contemporary Christian Music artist during the mid-80s to mid-90s deter you. The album includes popular secular selections like “White Christmas” as well religious standards like “Angels We Have Heard On High.” The only downside is that it’s a really short album – barely 32 minutes – and it leaves you wanting for more!


Chicago XXV



Chicago is my all-time favorite band, even though I haven’t followed them much since the early 80s. They were never the same after Tery Kath died. When I heard several years ago that they had released a Christmas album, I couldn’t help but groan. A Chrismas album! There is no better, sure-fire indicator that you’re a has-been act than to come out with a Christmas album!

A couple of weeks later my mom was visiting us and watching General Hospital, and Chicago was on the show that day doing some of the songs from the album. Appearing on General Hospital – yet another indicator that you’re a has-been act!

Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked what I was hearing! I ran out to buy the CD, but all the stores were all sold out. Small wonder, since according to Wikipedia the album hit #47 on the charts and went gold. Pretty impressive for anyone’s Christmas album, I’d say!

So, I had to wait a year before I could get one, but it was worth the wait! Chicago XXV quickly became my other favorite Christmas album, and I look forward to playing it every year. The selections and arrangements are excellent. Christmas songs to the sound of those fabulous horns – only Chicago could do that! Even their arrangement of Feliz Navidad is great, and I have never have liked that song! I love the cover art as well, IMO the best since Chicago VIII

Don’t go to the stores looking for Chicago XXV,though. After Chicago partnered with Rhino Records in 2002, the label decided to re-work the album. According to Wikipedia, “It was decided to record six [additional] songs – with producer Phil Ramone – and re-issue the whole package under a new design, title and sequencing, entitled What's It Gonna Be, Santa? in 2003, deleting its predecessor in the process.”



This version managed to reach #102 on the charts, also an impressive showing for a Chrismas album.
EDIT: I picked up the What’s It Gonna Be, Santa re-release, and I’m not terribly impressed. The arrangements of the additional songs are a bit over the top and just don’t “mesh” well with the original material, which was much more tastefully done. With the original XXV, the song selection, arrangements, and even the order of the songs, all blended well to make a cohesive work. Now, it just seems disjointed. For anyone interested, I’d say pass on the re-release and see if you can eBay the original XXV .


My other favorite Christmas albums, in no particular order:


Tran-Siberian Orchestra Christmas Eve And Other Stories



I discovered this one after finding one of my sons had downloaded one of the songs on my computer. Liked what I heard, and e-Bayed it on a hunch. It’s an unusual mix of classical and metal elements, which is pretty cool, IMO. Some of the songs are original and as such unfamiliar, but they’re good, too.


Bing Crosby Merry Christmas



Perry Como Season’s Greetings



Both tried-and-true classics. Crosby and Como – can’t go wrong there! I was asking my wife earlier tonight as she baking Christmas cookies to these, “Where have all the crooners gone? Is there no more of them being born, or do all the labels ignore them?” Oh well. When I was a kid these albums filled the air in our house every Christmas, so naturally I had to have them when they were released on CD.


Manhattan Transfer The Christmas Album



I’ve typically found the Transfer to be a hit-or-miss group: Their 1992 Grammy-winner Offbeat Of Avenues is one of my favorite albums, but another one I have – can’t remember the name – really sucks. However, it’s hard to screw up a Christmas album (okay, maybe not – Lonestar did). Their lush vocal arrangements make for an excellent Christmas album.

Regards,
Wayne

[rcarlton]

Gosh, haven't pulled anything out yet. Hard to get in the mood with no snow. However...Burl Ives Christmas songs always did something for me.

[brucek]

“Where have all the crooners gone? Is there no more of them being born, or do all the labels ignore them?

Wayne, Wayne, Wayne - where have you been?

Canadian Michael Bublé is one of the best crooners around.

Try his new album "it's Time"



or since you like Christmas stuff he has:



Don't tell me Harry Connick Jr. isn't a crooner, or Britain's Jamie Cullum, or even Diana Krall does some crooning......

brucek

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Wayne, Wayne, Wayne - where have you been?

Hee hee – actually, I have heard of him. My 15-year-old daughter loves him – shocker, considering the other stuff she listens to! Thanks for the tip on the Christmas album – I’ll have to go get it for her!

Yeah, I know there are some around, but the “crooners” all minor players compared to what they were in days gone by. Sad.

But – we’re getting sidetracked. C’mon, folks, dish up your fav Christmas albums for us!

Regards,
Wayne

[Andrew Pratt]

We have a number that get regular play time on our system at this time of year including..

• John Denver and the Muppet's
• Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers
• Rodger Whittiker
• CMT Christmas (Country)
• Ann Murray
• Celine Dion
• Paul Brant
• Michael Buble (Excellent)
• and songs by Enya, George Fox, Crash Test Dummies, Loreena McKennitt, Il Divo, and Porky Pig

A co-worker of mine just told me about the Trans Siberian Orchestra which truth be told I'd never heard of before so I did some Googling and came to find their website that has some samples in audio and video. You're right Wayne its sort of a cross between classical, rock and opera and their Christmas songs are quite interesting. Check out Christmas Canon Rock or Faith Noel in the audio if you're curious. I'm certinaly going to be buying a few of their CD's shortly.

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Another vote for the Bublé album! I tried to find it and learned it’s out of print, and used ones on eBay are selling as high as $50! And it only has five songs! Yikes!

Regards,
Wayne

[Andrew Pratt]

That's nuts! No wonder people turn to downloading MP3's if they can't buy a legal copy?

[brucek]

I tried to find it

I see 7 available here at the Shack. You forgot to check in your own back yard.....

buble.jpg

brucek

[Ayreonaut]

For traditional Christmas hymns it doesn't get any better than Glad.

Glad
An Acapella Christmas


Glad
Voices of Christmas



These two albums by Michael Card are full of his original works about the birth and life of Christ. Timeless.

Michael Card
The Promise


Michael Card
The Life


For secular stuff, I like the popular

George Winston
December


Aaron Neville
Soulful Christmas


And I like some of those mentioned by Wayne, like Chicago and Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

[adogand6kids]

Wayne,

My family loves Christmas music so much, and has such diverse tastes in music that I would have a hard time listing all our music in one post. I'll start by bringing out our favorite instrumental Christmas albums.

Lorie Line - Sharing the Season (any of the volumes)

If you've never heard her albums, get one of them and prepare yourself to buy more. Her albums are great, and her live shows blow the albums away!


Vince Guarldi - A Charlie Brown Christmas (Expanded) (Remastered) - great piano jazz for the holidays. Can make you laugh or cry just listening.


The Canadian Brass - Noel - More traditional, who doesn't like the sound of brass at Christmas?


Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass - Christmas Album - More brass, with a Latin twist, it's a fun album.


The Narada Nutcracker - moving from jazzy to classical. This music is timeless and a joy to hear anytime, but especially during the holidays.


Stevan Pasero - Christmas Classics for Guitar - Put this in some evening when you have a fire burning, snow falling outside and someone you love to listen with.


I have to stop now and go listen to some of these!

Merry Christmas!

[Sonnie]

I don't really own any Christmas albums, but I do like the Mannheim Steamroller music...

[Andrew Pratt]

I don't really own any Christmas albums

Really?

[Sonnie]

Well, we do have one or two I think. Now that I think about it, I believe Angie owns a Christmas album of one of the country music singers.... and I have a Sheffield Labs compilation of various jazz artist performing Christmas tunes, but I don't care much for it.

We listen to holiday music here at the office all day and when at home if we want background music we usually tune to one of the holiday music channels on DirecTV.

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

brucek wrote:

I see 7 available here at the Shack. You forgot to check in your own back yard.....

LOL – I didn’t even know we had a “back yard” selling new and used CDs! I might have been able to jump on that one if I was getting e-mail notifications of my threads, but it looks like that cheap one got snatched up! Now there are six left, ranging in price from $32 to – hold on to something - $79!!!

Some of these you guys are mentioning look really intriguing, I’ll have to look into getting them!

Keep ‘em coming, folks!

Regards,
Wayne