O Tuneful Time

[filkertom]

filkerdave has a thread going about people's least favorite Christmas song. I'm asking the opposite question: What, if any, are your favorite Christmas musical selections?

In my case:

• "Angels We Have Heard On High" in full choral arrangement
• "The Carol of the Bells" as played on hand bells
• "Santa Baby" by Eartha Kitt (and definitely not the Betty Boopish version by Madonna)
• "Deck Us All With Boston Charlie" by Walt Kelly
• Any song from "How The Grinch Stole Christmas", "A Charlie Brown Christmas" or "Rudolph" except "We Are Santa's Elves"
• The entire soundtrack of Scrooge
• "White Christmas" by Der Bingle
• "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" by Bruce Springsteen

Comments

[ericcoleman]

Chrsitmas At Ground Zero- Weird Al - I love the Spector-esque production

[ericcoleman]

OH ... geeze ...

More of one of those holiday songs that are getting protested against, even more reason to like it

December Will Be Magic Again - Kate Bush

[adamselzer.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on Deck Us All With Boston Charlie.

Others for me would be:
-Silver Bells (the version from the 80's version of Sesame Street Christmas)
-Really, the whole pre-Elmo Sesame Street Christmas
-Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon, despite some corny lines
-Fairytale of New York by the Pogues
-God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (what a great title!)

[chirosinger.livejournal.com]

We have pretty similar taste I think. I'd add Pat-A-Pan, Old City Bar (TSO), and Frosty the Snowman (Leon Redbone) to my list. I also listen to the Windom Hill Winter Solstice recordings, Celtic collections and Trans Siberian Orchestra. Ertha Kitt, mmmmmmmm.

[ericcoleman]

Oh yeah ... Leon Redbone's version is killer

Now I need most of what has been listed on my computer, so I can fry tiny brains here at work

[takaal.livejournal.com]

"It Feels Like Christmas" from "A Muppet Christmas Carol" and pretty much the entire Manheim Steamroller Christmas library, particulary "A Fresh Aire Christmas".

My fave christmas song.

[illusionmajik.livejournal.com]

Its really sad but "Christmas in the Trenches" - Seamus Kennedy did a wonderful version of it

On the funny side it's Bob Rivers "The Restroom Door Said Gentlemen"

I like Peter Paul and Mary's "A Soalin'"

Any Christmas song sung by Nat King Cole

And Tony Bennet's "My Favorite THings"

Re: My fave christmas song.

[blaisedec.livejournal.com]

I'll second Nat King Cole, and add O Holy Night.

[adamselzer.livejournal.com]

Oh! And Joan Baez's cover of Steve Earle's "Christmas in Washington." And Weird Al's "Night Santa Went Crazy."

[sunfell.livejournal.com]

I like "Still, Still, Still" and all three of the GRP Christmas albums, which are sadly out of print. There's an uptempo version of "Let it Snow" on one of them that I love.

[sunfell.livejournal.com]

Found the album: "Let It Snow" is by Nelson Rangell, on Volume Two.

Favorites...

[jmthane.livejournal.com]

- Just about anything by Mannheim Steamroller.
- I agree with you on "Angels", and I have a brilliant recording of that in full choral and orchestral arrangement from a 4 LP Readers' Digest set my parents own.
- "I Believe in Father Christmas" by Greg Lake and Pete Sinfield. I prefer the orchestrated version over the ELP version. (I also sang it one year at a Christmas gig.)
- "A Christmas Carol" by Tom Lehrer, because, let's face it, Christmas is all about the money...

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

Not much for serious Christmas Music, but I have to put in a mention for:

Bob and Doug McKenzie's version of The Twelve Days of Christmas.

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

Definitely. And I'll throw in a plug for Allan Sherman's "The Twelve Gifts of Christmas" to boot.

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

I Found the Brains of Santa Claus is a perennial favorite of mine. God Rest Ye, Unitarians as well, although I've seen different variants of this one.

As I mentioned in my original post, I like the Joan Jett and the Blackhearts version of "Little Drummer Boy"

The Tom Lehrer Christmas song.

That Kinks one, as well.

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

"Feliz Navidad"
"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"
"Blue Christmas"

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

Great minds think alike. (Or would, if my mind were great :-) Many of your choices are on my list, starting with Springsteen, Eartha, and Boston Charlie; I also want to sing like Thurl Ravenscroft. I prefer the Carol of the Bells as played by George Winston, though.

In no particular order, I also like Christmas Rapping by the Waitresses, Light One Candle by Peter Yarrow (though I prefer the Steve Macdonald version; it has more oomph), and the songs from Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol (razzleberry dressing!) and lots more, though as is usual, it's proving harder to bring the good ones to mind than the awful ones.

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Hm. I absolutely adore the BNL/Sarah McLachlin cover of 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,' and the David Bowie/Bing Crosby cover of 'The Little Drummer Boy.' And Dar Williams' 'The Christians And The Pagans' is marvelous.

[markbernstein.livejournal.com]

Count me as a strong second for "The Christians and the Pagans". In fact, I'd call it one of the best new folk songs of the last ten years, period.

[catmcroy.livejournal.com]

Anything by the Night Heron Consort. They have to beautiful Christmas albums - Celtic Celebration and Celtic Celebration 2 that are just beautiful.

[knitmeapony.livejournal.com]

I have a shameful addiction to the 'cats sing Christmas carols' CDs.

[ericthemage.livejournal.com]

TSO (Trans-Siberian Orchestra)
Maggie Sansone - Ancient Noels
Snoopy vs. The Red Baron
Matt Rogers' Rated Xmas

[ericthemage.livejournal.com]

I forgot Mediaeval Baebes' "Mistletoe And Wine"

[kightp.livejournal.com]

"The Holly and the Ivy," done by damned near anybody, in damned near any arrangement.
"White Christmas," as you say, but mostly when I'm sitting in front of a blazing fire with my sweetie and a nice big mug of steamy adult beverage and feeling utterly sappy-sentimental
"Happy Christmas/War is Over" by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, for entirely nostalgic personal reasons. Somewhere I still have the tattered "War is Over If You Want It" poster a friend tore off a light pole in Toronto and gave me for Christmas the year he was killed. (Good Lord. That's 25 years tomorrow.)

[isolde-deely.livejournal.com]

"O Holy Night" Orchestral instrumental (I like to sing it)
"In the Bleak Midwinter"
"Snoopy and the Red Baron"
"Ave Maria" by Schubert
"Little Drummer boy" with David Bowie and Bing Crosby
any traditiniol carol done with a bell choir
"Where are you Christmas" sung by the little girl in "Grinch"
"Let it Snow" (I like snow)
Christmas in Sarajevo - Transiberian Orchestra
"Coventry Carol"
most Mannheim Steamroller

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

Second on the Mannheim Steamroller, as well as most of the rest of the above post.

Thinking of more classical-ish stuff:
"O Magnum Mysterium" -- the settings by Tomas Luis da Victoria and WIlliam Byrd. (And I get to sing *BOTH* this year! Yay!)
"Angelus Ad Pastories Ait" -- the setting by Samuel Scheidt
"Magnificat" -- setting by Antonio Vivaldi
"Hodie Christus Natus Est" -- setting by Jakob Handl

Advent/Christmas is one of the BEST times of year for choristers.

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

The Kinks - Father Christmas

Anything by TSO

[hiddenkrypt.livejournal.com]

Right on! one of my favorite kinks songs...

[phillip2637.livejournal.com]

On the "I really like it" side:
- Fairytale of New York, by The Pogues

On the "If you play me any more sappy crap, I'll get even" side:
- I Am Santa Claus, by Bob Rivers
- Christmas With The Devil, by Spinal Tap

[shaharazad.livejournal.com]

Pretty much the entire "Bells of Dublin" album by the Chieftains.

My favorite traditional carol is "Go Tell it on the Mountain", which I've heard a couple of nice versions of. I think my favorite is a medley with "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" by the Lettermen.

Also I should plug Atwater Donnelly (http://www.atwater-donnelly.com) Who have a new Christmas album out including the very nice pagan song "Winter Solstice".

-Rick

[partiallyclips.livejournal.com]

"The Holly and the Ivy" in four-part harmony with a harp accompaniment.

[hiddenkrypt.livejournal.com]

"Christmas Night of the Living Dead" - MXPX
Zombies, Punk Rock, Christmas...

"Little Saint Nick" - originally by the beach boys, but I prefer the cover done by the muppetts. :)

"So this is Christmas" - John Lennon

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

My favorite to sing, myself:
* Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (original sad bridge lyrics, if I'm feeling blue; rewritten happy bridge lyrics if not)
* Santa Baby (I'm way better than Madonna, baby)
* White Christmas
* O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
* You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

My favorite to listen to (okay and sometimes sing along with):
* You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch-- TMBG cover (I just heard this for the first time in Guitar Center the other day. HEE!)
* Santa Claus is Comin to Town and another, I think it's called Christmas Time Pretty Baby, both Bruce Springsteen. ("You guys know what time it is? Oh, Christmastime!") Also Sheryl Crow's version of the latter.
* Christmas Wrapping, by the Waitresses (I can't help it, Dave. I'm a product of the 80s.)
* nearly any version of O Come, O Come Emmanuel
* nearly any version of Carol of the Bells
* Ray Coniff Singers Christmas albums. They're completely cheesy 60s, but they're what I grew up with, and I didn't know any better at the time, so now they just feel like Christmas.
* The entire Grinch, dialogue and all. (You should just hear me as Cindy Lou Who, is all I'm saying.)
* Any Christmas song sung by Bing or Frank.
* Any good a capella stuff. First Call has some beautiful arrangements.
* A lot of the Celtic stuff that's out there.
* Winter Wonderland, Annie Lennox. Also her Put a Little Love in your Heart from Scrooged.
* Entire Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, Vince Guaraldi trio. Over and over and over and over and over. Probably my most favoritest of all.

Probably lots more. I'm an easy sell. :)