2 comments about Praetorius: Polyhymnia Caduceatrix & Panegyrica.

1. There isn't a lot more I can add to the title of this review.
   The singing and playing on this CD is excellent and this selection contains a large and tasty chunk of Praetorius' scared music.
   McCreesh and his Gabrieli Consort & Players don't come anywhere near this recording. La Capella Ducale and Roland Wilson and his players know this music and make it sing. Just listen to the incredible cornett solos in the "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" weaving in and out of the voices.

   No crumhorns, shawms or rackets anywhere near this recording!




2. This is, as Mr. Guy below said, a very important and essential recording of Praetorius' music. The Polyhymnia collection (published in 1619, coincidently same year as Schutz's magnificent Psalmen Davids) is bound to appeal to anyone who likes the multiple-choir works of Gabrieli.
   
   One of the highlights is the Magnificat which has the most delicious echo effects by three sopranos. Roland Wilson has a great sense of how to perform this repetoire. Although, I must mention that I do like the McCreesh disc of Praetorius very much (I don't mind the use of crumhorns, racketts, etc.) and find Wilson to be slightly restrained, especially when comparing Puer natus where McCreesh manages to create an excitement that is missing from the Sony set.
   
   Overall though, this is recording holds pride-of-place among my Praetorius recordings, and is easily the most important one. It is very hard to come by now, but I highly recommend seeking it out.

2 comments about Santa's Greatest Hits.

1. The folks at Hip-O have released a number of new holiday titles this year. One of the best is a compilation called Santa's Greatest Hits. The track list speaks for itself (all the classics are here--well OK, there is a Chipmunks tune on here, but you can always program around it), so I won't go into specifics. If you don't have any holiday CDs, or you're just looking for a great Christmas collection, this is the disc for you. Plus it sounds great. Kudos to whoever did the mastering on this CD.



2. There's no shortage of Christmas collections, but this is one of my favorites because it collects what in most cases are simply the best versions of these 14 holiday tunes that have ever been recorded. Many are by the original artists: Brenda Lee's 'Rockin Round the Christmas Tree', Bobby Helms' 'Jingle Bell Rock,' and Jose Feliciano's ''Feliz Navidad.'' But my favorite3 tune is "The Little Drummer Boy" by the Harry Simeone Chorale. This is the version I remember as a kid and I can't believe I went 30 years without hearing it. Thanks, Hip-O. Great compilation.

No comments about Merry Christmas from Cole & Fitzgerald.

3 comments about It's Christmas Time.

1. A fine, fun holiday record, western swing with a honkytonk beat, with Thompson's jovial touch added to standards such as "White Christmas," "Silver Bells," "Rudolph," and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," as well as loopy Thompson originals like "I'd Like To Have An Elephant For Christmas" and "It's Christmas Every Day In Alaska." Thompson and longtime producer Ken Nelson bend the songs to their will, moulding each one to match Thompson's distinctive, instantly recognizable, bouncy hillbilly swing style. Best of all, is the gusto with which Thompson tackles each tune -- his delivery is vibrant and heartfelt; it may be just another goofy, cornball Christmas record, but it's lively and enjoyable, a cut or two above similar efforts by other artists. Plus, guitar whiz Joe Maphis provides a sparkling counterpoint to the band's infectious beat. Hey, even a curmudeonly country Scrooge like myself can get into this one!



2. Hank Thompson is one of country music's all time greats and I can't tell you how delighted I was to see this reissue of this fantastic 1964 Christmas album. I highly recommend this album to not only Hank Thompson fans, but it should be in everybody Christmas collection in my opinion. You will love Hank's beautiful and smoothe voice and my favorite song from this album is Mr and Mrs. Snowman. You will love the sound of the Brazos Valley Boys. My darling Nafisah Anif will always be my Christmas angel.



3. If you like Texas swing, you'll like this one. I would have preferred a few more traditional songs, though. The Brazos Valley Boys are a fantastic band and really prove it on this one.

3 comments about This Christmas Time.

1. This is the greatest Christmas CD I've heard in a long time...



2. This is a wonderful album to add to your holiday season soundtrack. The songs are done with tender vocals, yet, you can tell the boys had a great time with this project.



3. I sought out this album solely for their rendition of "drummer boy" because I LOVE bagpipes. These guys did a great job! The rest of the album is also enjoyable, because I like country, and Lonestar's sound. This is a good Christmas album to add to your music library, and not get tired of over the years.

1 comments about Absolute Favorite Christmas for Kids.

1. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy "Absolute Favorite Christmas for Kids." This is a great collection of classic and contemporary songs. One of my favorites is "Christmas in My Heart," with its strong hook and jangly guitar. The sweet innocent voice of a child adds to the poignancy of Amy Grant's "Breath Of Heaven (Mary's Song)."
   
   In addition to Christmas classics like "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," "Little Drummer Boy" and "Joy to the World," we get Chris Rice's "Welcome to our World," Mark Lowry's "Mary Did You Know" and the Newsong classic "The Christmas Shoes." "The Manger of Bethlehem Medley" near the end puts you in the mood for the season with its selection of classic carols.
   
   The production is crisp with snappy electronic enhancement. The sound is modern pop. The songs are sung flawlessly by a youthful choir of voices that leave room for solo performances. There is an almost equal mix between faster and slower songs.
   
   I would not hesitate to share this with a child. It ought to do more than hold their interest; they might want to sing along.

No comments about 100 Best Christmas.

No comments about Baroque Christmas Music.

5 comments about Rockin Around the Christmas Tree.

1. Brenda Lee's Christmas songs have been a part of my holiday celebrations for over 30 years. My children look forward to singing the tunes every year while decorating our tree and opening gifts. I too looked for years for copies of the original "A Brenda Lee Christmas" and was thrilled to find a CD a few years back, but it was an incomplete recording of my favorites, No "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", and no "Frosty" It is wonderful to finally add this to my collection!



2. This is a great CD. But of course all Brenda's are. If you aren't in the Christmas mood, put this CD on and you'll feel the spirit of Christmas right away. The Angel And the Little Blue Bell will be sure to give you a tingle. I just love this song. Although I like the standards, it is nice to have fresh songs like Strawberry Snow and Marshmallow World. Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without the dynamic Christmas music provided by The One and Only, Brenda Lee!



3. This is one of my favorite christmas records growing up.
   Every year I have personal tradition of starting my christmas music playing by playing this record first. I had the CD version with only ten songs. This CD has all twelve of the original songs plus three songs that were added after this record was made plus three songs that Brenda Lee recorded when she was younger, Two were recorded when she was eleven years old! I'm gonna lasso Santa Claus is an adorable song about a little girl who wants to bring chrismas joy to everyone. Of course Johnny Marks "Rockin around the christmas tree" and Bobby Helms "Jingle Bell Rock" are pure classics. "Christmas will be just another lonely day" soars with its orchestral acompaniment.



4. Brenda is one of those singers - just like Bing Crosby - who's most famous song is a Christmas classic, despite a vast catalog of other material. On this collection, Brenda demonstrates her skills on a wide variety of Christmas songs, although there is only one carol (Silent night).

   The oldest recordings here (from 1956, when Brenda was only 11) are Christy Christmas and I'm gonna lasso Santa Claus - this song is quite amusing but also has a moral tale, as it points out that Santa is more generous to the rich than the poor. Sadly, that will always be true.

   In 1958, Brenda recorded Papa Noel, a cajun-flavored song, and Rockin' around the Christmas tree. Expected to be a massive hit, it missed the charts completely, though Brenda wasn't yet in the big time. Following the multi-million selling I'm sorry in 1960, a decision was taken to try again that Christmas. This time, the song went high in the charts, not just in America, but around the world.

   The remainder of these songs, except the last three (which were recorded in 1965, but remained unissued outside Japan until the release of this CD), were first released on Brenda's original Christmas album in 1964, which also included some of the earlier tracks, including (of course) Rockin' around the Christmas tree.

   Some of the songs were originally popularized by other singers, including Jingle bell rock (Bobby Helms), White Christmas and Silver bells (both Bing Crosby), This time of the year (Brook Benton) and Blue Christmas (Ernest Tubb, but made even more popular by Elvis), but Brenda's vocal style makes her versions distinctive, even though the arrangements are mostly faithful to the originals. It's a marshmallow world is a brilliant song which had already appeared on the Phil Spector Christmas album, though I don't know it's origin.

   What really makes this album, though, are the original songs. Apart from those recorded in 1956 and 1958, there is Christmas will be just another lonely day (a serious song written by Ray Stevens, best known for his comic songs), Strawberry snow and the slightly silly (but brilliant) The angel and the little blue bell.




5. This great music from Brenda Lee deserved better representation than this lame cd. For some unknown
   reason, the label reissued these wonderful performances - but used a mono source instead of the readily available stereo sources! What a waste of money! I'm happy to see it's now pulled from the market. The new 18 song package from The Millenium series is superior AND THEY ARE IN STEREO FINALLY! So don't waste your $ on this junk!

No comments about The Ultimate Christmas Album, Vol. 3: WODS 103 FM Boston.