My picks for all time best
Ah, "Black Friday." Some brave souls look forward to duking it out with other shoppers for the perfect discounted gifts. Me, I get excited about dusting off our box of Christmas music.
I love good holiday music and have been collecting it for decades. Choosing 10 all-time favorite CDs for this lens was not easy. I had to focus hard and think, what 10 albums would I take to a desert island in December? Below, a diverse mix of Christmas CDs that made the cut.
Image: Karate Kat Graphics
Merry Christmas
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 12/19/2009)
This is the granddaddy of Christmas albums in our family. An absolute classic. We trim the tree to Johnny's rich, warm voice every year. This CD was one of the first gifts I gave to my husband's family, before we were married. As stressful as the holidays can be, when this guy belts it out, it seems like nothing can go wrong.
![Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas [Remastered]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31NFJB-dXaL._SL160_.jpg)
Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas [Remastered]
Amazon Price: $8.97 (as of 12/19/2009)
Ella's voice crackles with energy and style. Santa, Rudolph & Frosty are all here for the kids--but done in the classiest way you'll ever hear. Adults will appreciate less-traveled tracks like "Good Morning Blues" and "What Are You Doing New Year's Day?" An aptly titled CD, this swings from start to finish.
A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 12/19/2009)
I fretted over including this 1963 classic, in light of Phil Spector's recent murder conviction. But I couldn't leave it out. Honestly, it's one of the very best Christmas albums ever made. Spector's famed wall-of-sound style layers bells, percussion, and piano with powerhouse vocals from the likes of Darlene Love and the Ronettes. A must.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~What's New for 2009?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Among the upcoming releases that have caught my eye are Bob Dylan's Christmas in the Heart, Sting's If On a Winter's Night..., and The Jackson 5 Ultimate Christmas Collection. All are due out this month.
Christmas
Amazon Price: (as of 12/19/2009)
A haunting, atmospheric masterpiece and probably my all-time favorite nontraditional Christmas album. Low's minimalist style sheds a whole new light on chestnuts like "Little Drummer Boy," "Blue Christmas," and "Silent Night." Inspired originals round out the mix, from the wide-eyed joy of "Just Like Christmas" to the sobering "If You Were Born Today."
A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Original Sound Track Recording Of The CBS Television Special
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 12/19/2009)
It's hard to believe that at one point I actually got sick of this album. One of my old roommates was a huge fan, and I probably heard it a few times too often. I'm over that now, and able to appreciate once more the jazzy genius of Vince Guaraldi. The vocal pieces have a nostalgic pull for me, after dozens of Charlie Brown Christmas Special viewings. But the instrumentals are the tastiest treats, especially "Skating."
Barenaked for the Holidays
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 12/19/2009)
These Canadian popsters are known for their wit, and they don't disappoint here. My kids love the silliness of "Jingle Bells" (yep, Batman does indeed smell in this version) and "Deck the Stills." "I Saw Three Ships" fast-tracks me to the holiday spirit, as does "God Rest Ye/We Three Kings" (with Sarah McLachlan). The BNL cover of the 1984 famine-relief song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is the best of many I've heard. The guys break the mold by mixing in several Hanukkah tunes, too. (If you've tried to create a soundtrack for a class holiday party, as I have, where half the kids are Christian and half Jewish, that alone is enough reason to buy this album.)
Wintersong
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 12/19/2009)
Sarah McLachlan wraps her lovely voice like a handmade blanket around a dozen holiday songs, 11 well-executed covers and one pretty original. I still prefer Joni Mitchell on "The River," but McLachlan holds her own--which is no easy feat. Bonus: When the school-break honeymoon's over and the kids start climbing the walls, this album will mellow them out.
Maybe This Christmas Tree
Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 12/19/2009)
There are more alt-Christmas compilations out now than you can shake a mistletoe branch at, but this one strikes a better balance--hip, yet festive--than some of its counterparts. Highlights: Ivy's languid "Christmas Time is Here," Death Cab for Cutie's earnestly tuneful "(Christmas) Baby Please Come Home," Polyphonic Spree's slightly otherworldly take on "Happy Xmas (War is Over)."
Chris Isaak Christmas
Amazon Price: $10.99 (as of 12/19/2009)
Combine 3 parts rockabilly, 2 parts country, 1 part gospel & a splash of pop-rock. Stir with an Elvis swizzle stick and serve in a hula-dancer glass. YUM! Start to finish, Chris Isaak just seems to be having a blast on this album. Rarely can originals compete with classics on holiday disks, but Isaak pulls it off with panache. I love his melancholy "Washington Square," rockin' "Hey Santa," and intimate "Brightest Star."
Merry Xmas From the Space-Age Bachelor Pad
Amazon Price: (as of 12/19/2009)
When the backing singers twirp "zoot-zoot-doobee-wah," you know you're in for a kitschy treat. To say this is not your typical Christmas record is like saying Vegas ain't your typical American town. Wonder what it says about me (or my friends) that I received not one but two copies of this as a Christmas gift? 1950s/60s Mexican sci-fi lounge maestro Juan Esquivel kicks things off with a little flattery for you, the listener ("The cut of that suit is impeccable!"), then takes you on a 12-track carnival ride that's perfect for an offbeat holiday cocktail party. "Feliz Navidad, baby!"
A little YuleTube ;) ....
What do you think?
Are any of your favorites on my list? What "musts" did I leave out? Are you burned out on Christmas music by December 15, or are you (like me) sad to stash those CDs away every year post-holidays?
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- LivingInParis LivingInParis Dec 13, 2009 @ 11:29 pm
- I had no idea that Low, Death Cab and The Polyphonic Spree had Christmas songs. It's nice that you featured cool Christmas albums for a wide variety of musical tastes.
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- ViolinStudent ViolinStudent Dec 11, 2009 @ 3:08 pm
- I love Gardiner's 3-disc set of Messiah, as well as Trans Siberian Orchestra's and Mannheim Steamroller's albums. I had the good fortune to play with TSO's stringmaster Mark Wood a couple times. Great fun. Great albums.
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- crosscreations crosscreations Nov 25, 2009 @ 9:31 am
- Loved many of these in the past, having a different feeling about the holidays these days and made a lens about a totally different type of xmas music that's kinda quirky and crazy - lensrolled it here, very nice page presentation! 5*s!
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- susannaduffy susannaduffy Nov 18, 2009 @ 4:41 pm
- Blessed, and featured, by a Christmas Angel (squidoo.com/angel-christmas)
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- lasertek lasertek Nov 10, 2009 @ 8:38 pm
- Nice! Will purchase the A Charlie Brown Christmas for my kids. They will definitely enjoy listening to the carols. Thanks for adding it on your list.
Hope you could visit my lenses as well. Thanks again.
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