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.

[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"

[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

[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.

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...

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

God, I haven't listened to the Redbone/Dr. John "Frosty" in, like, forever. I'm pretty sure I've got an MP3 of it around here somewhere.... Thanks for reminding me!

[sunfell.livejournal.com]

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

Re: My fave christmas song.

[blaisedec.livejournal.com]

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

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

-God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (what a great title!)

Almost made my list. The Sarah McLachlan/Barenaked Ladies version is amazing.

[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.

[darthparadox.livejournal.com]

Agreed. And I've got music for a piano version that sounds, for lack of a better word, epic. Always been one of my favorites.

My other main favorites are Carol of the Bells and Sleigh Ride - the latter, though, I far prefer without the words. It makes a really nice instrumental, but the words are a little corny, I guess? Something like that.

[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.

[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

[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