5 comments about The Many Moods of Christmas (1963 RCA Victor Version) Robert Shaw Chorale and Orchestra.

1. Most that are familiar with this album rank it amongst the best Christmas recordings of all time. That said I strongly suggest purchasing Robert Shaw's "A Festival of Carols" instead. Why? Because it contains ever track on this album + 11 others, including the best version of Carol of the Bells ever recorded, for about the same price.



2. I really like the performance here. It beats the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra redo on Telarc hands-down, but the sound quality is disappointing, to say the least. Being RCA, I figured it would sound as good as their 90's Living Stereo releases, although I didn't expect it to be as great as the new hybrid series (those are incredible). The original tapes must be lost, or damaged beyond repair, and this was the best that could be offered of this historic recording. If you're not picky about sound, don't pay this review any mind - you'll like it just fine.



3. The Robert Shaw Chorale for me is the most enjoyable "classic" Christmas music available. I recommend it highly.



4. I first heard this recording as a kid at a friend's house back in the 60's as we sat enjoying the changing colors of the light wheel on their aluminum Christmas tree. I was delighted to find it on cd a couple of years ago, and it is the first and last recording I listen to each Christmas season and will be for all my life. People who care about crystalline recording quality and digital perfection miss the point entrely. The arrangements are wonderful and the orchestra and chorus bring passion to their performances. Give me the spirit of this recording over the "perfection" of any other.



5. My father bought this LP when I was 15 and played it on his Heath Kit stereo. It wowed us then and it still does. I set up my old record player just to play this album this Christmas and it was worth it! I've bought a ton of Christmas albums over the years, trying in vain to find something as good as this. No go. This is a BIG orchestra with a BIG string section, with a BIG sound and a BIG organ, backed up by a BIG chorus. There are four passages that still bring tears to my eyes when I turn the volume way up which I always have to do. I just play them over an over. Just magnificent! Powerful! Lots of quiet passages but Shaw knows how to sneak into full tilt. This album is the antidote to weenie Christmas records by pop stars who can't really sing! I'm buying the CD to replace my skipping record because I cannot live without this album. If you're disappointed in this album you're from another planet. It DEFINES Christmas music.

5 comments about Christmas Shoes.

1. This collection from NewSong includes one of the saddest songs I've ever heard. It brought me to tears, and then minutes later the same collection brought me to giggles with the rendition of "The Grinch". A great add for the season.



2. This is one song that will be played in my home every Christmas as well as the DVD watched.
   This song has such a strong meaning! As many songs, only part of the message is understood or even overlooked.
   Yes, Christmas should be a joyous time, but for many it is not. So I guess all things related to Christmas should only be joyous and depressing should be ignored? There are too many families out there suffering or hurting, so why does a depressing song as it is discribed by some posts, need to be excluded? This song should make everyone realize there is someone not far from you that has it so much worse and Christmas is the perfect time to reach out to them. This is exactly how the movie ended...a scrooge reaching out with the 'Red Shoes.'
   
   As a parent if my child made a card, Christmas ornament, etc it meant so much to me as it should. The same goes for anyone with a child. It comes from their love....this child wanted his mom to have the 'Red Shoes' that she had stated made her feel beautiful. How can you not appreciate the struggle he went thru to get her those before she died?
   
   I find it obvious that some have not had to struggle or overcome tragedy yet, like the song. When you do the song will come full circle for you.



3. I LOOKED FOR THIS SONG "CHRISTMAS SHOES" FOR YEARS, THE WHOLE CD TURN OUT TO BE EXCELLENT.



4. The c.d. was received quicky but it must have been a used c.d. After just two playings of the c.d, it skipped on several songs. UGH!!!! Next time I want a new item. I was not told it was used and it did not state that it was used. Not a very good impression for a first time user!!!!



5. This CD was sent as a gift!!! It arrived on time and in perfect condition.

5 comments about Johnny Cash Christmas 1977.

1. By the mid-1970s, Johnny Cash was a veteran TV performer, and new how to keep a show humming. This disc follows an earlier show from 1976 that featured Johnny and June Carter Cash hosting a folksy, round-robin "guitar pull" in their spacious Tennessee ranch house.
   
   The following year, Cash had a much glitzier, punchier production, trading his funky ranch home vibe for a big, shiny soundstage, decked out with a gigantic golden holly wreath and twenty-foot tall panels of frosted-glass snowflakes. This show, which broadcast on November 30, 1977, was also a tighter show, mainly featuring the seasoned cast of Cash's long-running road show: June Carter Cash, the reconstituted Carter Family, Carl Perkins and the ever-jovial Statler Brothers, and another appearance by Roy Clark, who helped anchor the previous year's Christmas show. Although there's plenty of holiday music and seasonal cheer, there's also a wealth of secular music -- Johnny and June sing a duet of "Darling Companion," and the second half of the show is devoted to a tribute to Elvis Presley, who had passed away a few months earlier. Along with Carl Perkins, Cash hosts other buddies from his Sun Records rockabilly years -- Roy Orbison is in fine form on "Pretty Woman," while Jerry Lee Lewis tears it up on a modernized "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On," then slows things down for a sentimental reading of "White Christmas." Surprisingly, the Carter Family is kept mostly in the background -- Mother Maybelle wasn't in the show at all -- while Anita and the sisters only sang as part of a larger chorus. All in all, this is a lively, well-paced TV show, with a very sincere religious emotional core, sure to be a delight for Cash fans and country Christmas enthusiasts everywhere. Recommended! (DJ Joe Sixpack/Slipcue)



2. I enjoyed this dvd very much, it was done very well, brought back good memories, the Johnny Cash Show was always special. I have been a big fan of Roy and since he and Johnny were dear friends and neighbors, I watched.
   Any Johnny Cash fans out there will love this dvd. And here at Christmas time, 2007 will make a wonderfull gift.
   
   Thank you,
   Billie



3. This was just the most excellent Johnny Cash Christmas Special.
   I remember watching it on tv when they did it.I was 11 years old and I thoroughly enjoyed ity then and now since Mysister had got this DVD for me.
   The music was very special to hear for any huge Johnny Cash Fan such as I am.
   They had great musicians and singers on there as well.
   Watching it tonight really brought me back to some great memories.
   The Christmas Music was so beautiful.I know there were more Johnny Cash Christmas Specials they did one every year for a number of years.They had stopped doing them right before I got My first VCR so I was never able to tape them.
   
   Jeanne Zinda



4. I have to admit I bought this DVD as it contained a tribute to Elvis, my hero. I am so glad I did because the tribute with Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis is a real treat. Furthermore, the remainder of the show is fantastic. Johnny Cash is great as are his guests so if you like good music with a Christmas touch then you will enjoy this DVD. Hearing Jerry Lee do White Christmas is also a treat!!



5. Excellent quality,both sound and picture.To see those Sun legends together was something special.They don't make shows like this anymore,and there will never be artists like Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins again.Great.

5 comments about The Christmas Collection/Il Divo.

1. I don't even speak another language and don't understand what they are singing, but their voices are fantastic.
   
   This album matches all their other CDs. Simply Fantastic and very moving.



2. i enjoyed all of the music on IL Divo they are my favorite singing group all their music is the best.



3. This set, which contains a two side disc with a DVD on one side- is a must for Il Divo fans. I love this group and their material- it is full of romance and feeling.



4. This is a great Christmas CD as are all CDs from Il Divo. These four guys are outstanding singers which make them stand apart from any other groups. This is a unique CD everyone should consider for Christmas. You won't regret it!!!



5. This is the BEST Christmas CD I have ever listened to. Il Divo is an amazing combination of brilliant sound, heart felt emotion, and charisma packed into four perfect men. A true joy to listen to any time of year, but especially during the Holiday Season.

5 comments about Christmas Means Love.

1. Joan,
   If you're out there--I love you. I followed you through the blues, R&B, Motown, country, and Philly soul. I always said I'd buy a record of you singing the phone book. And I would. But this is too much. Girl, you sing naughty, not nice. Please shout the blues, and leave others to praise the Lord. Amen.



2. What can I say? I LOVE Christmas! The feeling of love during this special time of the year is unmatched and what better way to spend it than listening to great music. Joan Osborne has exceeded all expectations on this CD by creating something that is not your typical Christmas (we certainly have enough of that material!) and given us listeners something that is absolutely fun and poignant to listen to all at the same time. Her vocal chops never cease to amaze me and the selection of tunes is so very cool! Really cool to see John Leventhal on this album (great guitar player!) and it's another fine production from Tor Hyams who also produced her latest album, "Breakfast in Bed. Great job, Joan! I can't wait for the next one,but be sure I will be spinning you and Dean Martin in heavy rotation near the big green tree this year!



3. The simple truth about Joan Osborne is that she is one of the greatest singers of our time! The truth about this album is that it is like no other Christmas album I have ever purchased. It's much, much better. She goes from old spirituals to her version of the Band's "Christmas Must Be Tonight" with such grace and ease you'd think she could climb Mt Everest.Then there's her original, "What Do Bad Girls Get" which is a great next step from "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," because, well, frankly, it's a much sexier idea. I love the fact that this Kentucky born soul singer can easily make traditional (and Biblical) songs sound just as festive as the Andrew Sisters-esque "Santa Claus Baby." The absence of all the typical Christmas songs is what makes this CD the perfect Christmas for the modern world!



4. What a nice change from the regular sappy Christmas music out there. "What do bad girls get" is an original written by Joan and it is my favorite. There are only a couple of traditional songs that might be alittle boring but all in all ....great CD!!



5. I just loved this CD! What I think I loved the most about it is the fact that it is something a little different than the "usual" Christmas stuff. Would highly recommend it to anyone searching for something that veers away from standard Christmas fare.

5 comments about Christmas Wonderland.

1. Right at the top of my Christmas music list( to join the irreplaceable recording of Nat King Cole) is "Christmas Wonderland". The selection that features chimes and flutes immediately brings to mind Santa's workshop and elves. The music is a joyful reminder of the holiday season. I'm sure you'll want to add it to your collection as much as I have!



2. I used to listen to this every christmas as a kid. My dad played it
   all the time. To me, it isn't christmas with out this music. It give
   me an awesome feeling inside at a special time of the year.



3. I searched for some of this music for years. It's a blast right from the 1960s. And since Christmas is so much about nostalgia, memories, and music, this is a great addition to any collection. I remember being a small child and hearing this music over loudspeakers at an outdoor shopping mall every year. Jingo Jango takes you right back. Very fun.



4. since the others made a big and good review on berts christmas album i'm just going to say this,buy it put it in the player get some hot choclate or eggnog and sit and enjoy.



5. I am so thankful to my father for turning me on to Bert Kaempfert as a child. "Christmas Wonderland" has been a staple in our home throughout my entire lifetime. I overflow with nostalgia whenever I hear this CD. I am extremely grateful that this music has been preserved on a CD format. I get the warm fuzzies just looking at the album cover. In my quest to preserve Bert's legacy, I have purchased several of his CD's and given them as gifts. I hope my children will continue the tradition. Bert lives on and "The Bass Walks." If you haven't heard that piece, try his CD entitled, "Blue Midnight."

5 comments about Martinis & Mistletoe: Cool Tunes for Your Christmas Cocktail Party.

1. This selection of Christmas songs done with a twist of jazz is fun and adds a nice backdrop to any Christmas season.
   
   Amazon doesn't seem to have a track listing... so here it is for your pleasure. Please note many of the songs have vocals but some of the tracks are instrumentals only.
   
   1. We Wish You A Merry Christmas*
   2. Santa Baby
   3. Merry Christmas, Baby
   4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
   5. Silent Night*
   6. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
   7. Cool Yule
   8. Away in a Manger*
   9. The First Noel
   10. O Little Town of Bethlehem*
   
   *indicates instrumental only.



2. Let me start with my bias. If you share it, then this review will be helpful, otherwise skip it and read the others.
   
   I like swing music from the 40's and 50's. I prefer that old style of playing and recording; for me new swing records typically lack a sense of soul and character. I think the reason for this is because back in those previous decades swing was still new, people were innovating. Nowadays, most (not all) swing stuff is merely preserving the genre, so it lacks a certain edge to my ears.
   
   Martinis and Mistletoe is a relatively new recording (2002). The songs are played very well, the recording is everything you would expect from something recorded with all the new technology: well balanced, clear and full. The band is solid and clearly does a good job with all of the numbers performed. The singers are pretty good, depending on the song. It is not a bad album by any standard.
   
   All that said, I don't really like this CD and will not be keeping it in my Christmas album rotation. Again, that's because I have a bias for older recordings. If you are of the same mindset, keep looking for other recordings.
   
   An alternate I suggest is Swingin' Christmas Party. This one has the exact feel that I look for...
   
   Cheers,
   
   G



3. no big surprises here. i guess i expected more. ok background music for parties



4. The instrumental portion of the CD is very good. Just what you would expect from a "Lounge Music" genre. But where did they find those female singers? Yikes, makes the hair on the back of my head stand on end. Would be a great CD without the vocals.



5. I was looking for some good background music for Christmas, but this cd is very cheesy. I was hoping for more.

5 comments about We Three Kings.

1. I first purchased this album in the mid 80's. Since this time I have bought it for family and friends and all have loved it. It has the best Good King Winceslas and We Three Kings I have ever heard. Also the Winter Wonder Land and Frosty the Snowman will make you smile. Purchase and enjoy!



2. It has a great beat and it is easy to dance to. Seriously, we have enjoyed the cassette tape of this album for years and were delighted to get it in the CD format so we can play it in the car. The voices and harmonies are outstanding.



3. We Three Kings displays the considerable talent of The Roches. It has so many traditional Christmas songs with great arrangements.



4. This is a favorite in my family, so I'm going to be a little biased!



5. The Roches are all but gone now. They have one recent release. They are from the 80's. Most of what I have of their fine song writing is on vinyl. The three sisters were inspired and trained by their dad.
   
   But this disk is of Christmas standards done in their own harmonies, their own musical idiom. I first saw them on "Saturday Night Live" way back in their salad days. They did an a cappella version of Handel's chorus. It stopped the show.
   
   Winter Wonderland in Brooklynese! Get it before it is lost!

5 comments about Christmas Caroling.

1. This Album and with the "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" Album (many songs are on both) are the two I grew up with listening to in front of our giant old stereo, when these were on 33 LP records. I couldn't believe when I spotted the 'girl in the Santa Mini-Skirt' in the Christmas CD section and like so many others, instantly recognized the album from when I was just a kid. I both both albums a few years ago on CD and listen to them every year. Amazing the memories the songs bring back, it's not today's music, but why should it be? :D



2. Not that a 'best of' is a bad thing, but you do miss out on some outstanding Christmas music if this is all you buy. And if you buy the other three (Here We Come A-Caroling, We Wish You a Merry Christmas and Christmas with Conniff) you don't need this compilation. All of the songs on this CD are from those 3 original releases from the late 50's and early to mid 60's.
   
   For me, Ray Conniff all but defined Christmas music in our house when I was growing up. We had one of those record players where you stack up the records and the play one after the other. The mix was made up of Ray Conniff, Alvin and the Chipmunks and Christmas with Chet Atkins (if you don't have Chet Atkins's Christmas CD... check it out..)
   
   Depending on how much Ray Conniff Singers you want, either buy this, or skip it and buy the other three.
   
   4 stars because I think the original 3 are a better choice. The music itself is 5+ stars



3. Where would Christmas be without the Ray Conniff singers? Indeed, this is nostalgia at its best. For many listeners who grew up in the '60s and '70s, Ray Conniff was a fixture in the family record bin -- don't you love those album covers? RAY CONNIFF: CHRISTMAS CAROLING was part of the collection, and listeners who remember other similar records may have had Ray Conniff sandwiched in between the Mitch Miller and Henry Mancini records. Who could resist singing along with the uniformed girl and guy singers interchanging particular parts of classic Christmas carols, such as "O Little Town of Bethlehem," "O Tannebaum," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," to popular holiday favorites, "Frosty The Snowman," "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Jingle Bells," "Sleigh Ride," with great delight and foxtrot precision.
   
   CHRISTMAS CAROLING should be a part of every Christmas record collection. For listeners who cannot resist singing along to Christmas gems, this is the perfect record to play and share with others regardless if you grew up listening to your parent's cassette or lp version of this cd. Ray Conniff's version of these Christmas favorites will entice that quirky holiday spirit.



4. Great songs. Brings back alot of good memories. They don't sing like this anymore! Great tape, can listen to it for hours!



5. Saw this CD on Amazon and remember my family owning this LP when I was small. For old times sake I bought it now, in July so to have for the holidays, remembering days gone by. CD came in very good time and in very good condition. Very pleased with results.

5 comments about A Christmas Album.

1. Beautiful CD - came beautifully packaged and O so very quickly. A must buy.



2. I waited for some time for Michael Crawford to release a Christmas record. His fans rejoiced when he announced that he was finally working on a Christmas Record, originally titled: In The Moonlight Of Winter - Christmas With Michael Crawford but the album was delayed an entire year. Of course fans got concerned but celebrated when the news of the release was announced backed by a date in early November. I was in line to buy the disc the day it came out and was surprised by the title change on the CD. I popped it into the player and that is where it remained all season long! The disc was fantastic! Michael Crawfords beatiful vocals supported by a lush symphony and lavish choir was almost hypnotic. When Michael sang my all time favorite Christmas song "Oh Holy Night" I actually had to pull the car over as I was so moved by his perfomance on that song! I can honestly say I have NEVER heard that song so well done, EVER! The disc is not filled with the sappy holiday songs that gets forced down our throats every year, instead Michael decided to make the record about the real reason for Christmas...the celebration of the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. The finest singer of our time releases an extraordinary record fill with hope, love and peace! God Bless you Mr. Crawford and Happy Holidays to everyone EVERYWHERE!!!



3. I gave this CD as gifts to two people who have repeatedly told me how much they have enjoyed Michael Crawford's voice and his entire CD.



4. Boy how could an album that possess what I feel is the world's best version ever recorded of "O Holy Night" not do anything for me after that? It sounds as if Michael held back on all the other songs. Maybe my hopes were too high, my suggestion, down load the single and save the money to purchase the Phantom of the Opera, a 10++.



5. I love Michael Crawford so I figured this was an easier winner with me. His beautiful voice is certainly as eloquent as ever on this album. I guess I was expecting more variety in terms of some being traditional slow Christmas songs and others being fun, upbeat songs. In retrospect, I obviously didn't think about that too much before ordering. If you want slow, provoking songs and love Crawford, you will probably like this album. If you want sing a longs, look elsewhere (course that should be obvious!)