5 comments about Operatica Christmas Classics.

1. Jamie Lewis rebuilt the nutcracker and away in a manger. He has proven that techno has soul.
   -your mom -Alternative Press



2. This is a beautiful collection of holiday songs performed by the incredible Maureen O'Flynn in the unique electronic style of Operatica. I gave this gift to my mom for the holidays and she's been playing it constantly. Thank you Operatica for creating this masterpiece. We are looking forward to the next release in your series as we have all 3 now.



3. This is a project of a life time.. Great works, great vibe and an amazing twist to each and every track..Lord Vanger,Maureen and all of the producers involved in this project as well..Great job.
   I must say, it is refreshing to hear such a great variety of works. This is a package full of talent and a great vision for today's music, this is what I call music that never dies. It is a must project for the holiday.. It really is a must..
   Great Job all..



4. These cuts are definitely new and refreshing takes on your basic Xmas classics...it added a mood to my 2003 Xmas that I could not get by listening to the favorite Xmas albums. This year I plan to mix this very hip, very chill collection w/Brian Setzer's album to have one hell of a fantastic Xmas. This album is one for the open-minded music listener who wants to hear an old dog taught new tricks. Highly recommended for its wonderful fusion of operatic vocals and killer-chill electronica.



5. lord wanker better keep his day job, because this is yet another in the downward spiral of kitsch that he has released on his vanity label...i am truly embarrassed for him, since he must have absolutely no taste or shame...sure hope he marries well, cause what a talentless loser he is musically

3 comments about Glen Campbell Christmas.

1. This disc compiles 10 of Glen's Christmas songs from several sources, all recorded for Capitol/EMI. Most tracks are taken from Glen's 1968 LP, That Christmas Feeling. But, this CD also includes his 1972 single, I Believe In Christmas, plus some songs recorded for Christmas For The 90's Vols. 1-2 in 1990. Just 10 songs, but nicely chosen.



2. It isn't the glen cambell album I was looking for, but, it had most of the songs my husband and his family grew up on. They were very happy and so was I.



3. This is mostly a 1960's recording. It is the best 'old feeling' Christmas stuff by Glen and the sound quality is great! There is one or two more recent 1990's tracks included here which are ok but not a patch on the original stuff.Here you will find most of the songs are taken from his 1968 capitol album Hear Glen in top form with lush orchestra and backing singers. They sure don't make 'em like this anymore and why they don't is beyond me as they sound as if they were recorded more earnestly with real atmosphere as are most 60'S artists on Capitol Christmas releases.

5 comments about Christmas Oratorio (Spec).

1. Recording seems unbalanced - heavy on bass, treble range is weak.
   
   This is a small scale performance with the bare minimum number of pieces and a small chorus.
   
   Perhaps this is more "accurate" in a period sense than the Geza Oberfrank Naxos recording we have grown to know and love but it fails to stir the soul.



2. To the reviewer below.....wake up to yourself. It's your sound system that's faulty, not this recording. Hillarious that you would put the Naxos recording above this one. The orchestral playing is superlative by the ever brilliant Academie Alte Musik Berlin, lead by Jacobs, a master in his field...and the soloists are the finest in the business. This recording in DIVINE!!!!



3. This has to be one of the best Christmas Oratorios I have heard. I have listened to the Van Veldhoven, the Gardiner, and others, and I always come back to this one.
   
   The reason is simple. Rene Jacobs' recordings never fail to be vibrant and exuberant. This Christmas Oratorio is no exception. Like the previous reviewer said, this record is moving. The opening chorus, from the first strike at the timpani, is pure joy and celebration. No other conductor I know could pull off such an emotional impact. The famous Sinfonia in the middle of the work is sheer magic, and perhaps only Herrewehge (on the Virgin Classics label) could rival Jacobs in this department.
   
   The singers, especially Dorothea Roeschmann (who has been gaining in popularity over recent years) are top-notch. The orchestra and chorus are also first rate. This is a very "extroverted" rendition, which is very apropos for the subject matter. Forget what the first reviewer said. I find the Naxos recording far too mannered, and I, for one, am a little bored of classical conductors rendering such famous works as if the were on their "tiptoes." I appreciate Jacobs for breathing some life into classical music! I suspect there will be more releases of the Christmas Oratorio soon, but I also suspect I will keep returning to the Jacobs records for a long time.
   
   Buy this one, and turn your speakers up full blast!



4. Beware what the earlier reviewer said and steer well clear of any naxos recordings of this work. Bach interpretation is moving in a new and fresh direction, orchestras are sounding less full, less tight, less heavy - more fresh, more real, more alive. We are just starting to understand the Baroque in its own context. See the music that came before it to understand that Baroque performance surely had a sense of freedom and a sense of play about it. The heavy, thick-sounding dead-solid and straight performance of Bach is a cross polination of the foolish concept of 'new objectivity' in orchestral conducting which may apply, if you wish, to modern works, but is certainly not what the Baroque was about. This recording is worth every cent and is magnificent.



5. This is a fabulous performance of Christmas Oratorio. The orchestral playing and choral singing are superb. The Evangelist/tenor soloist is one of the best I have heard. The leadership of Jacobs is both informed and inspired. I heard this recording on an XM broadcast and had to have it in my collection. BTW, I have sung the role of the Evangelist, the tenor solos, and been in a professional choral ensemble for many performances of Weinachts Oratorium, so I have a particular connection and familiarity with this work.

3 comments about Ski Surfin'.

1. But unfortunlty not the Australian dj mixers who released Since I Left You
   this is a 60's surfer group.



2. Yep, the Avalanches were a studio group that included notables Billy Strange, Tommy Tedesco, Hal Blaine, and David Gates - later of 70's icons Bread. All the songs are "winter-themed," but several of them are also closely associated with Christmas.



3. David Gates and company play a nice set of originals and classic tunes that are thematically centered around the winter season. Excellent sound and artwork on this reissue - first time on CD for this one.

No comments about Christmas Is.

2 comments about Just in Time for Christmas.

1. Tillis set out to record the sort of Christmas record that she'd play at her own home, one that's put on "when you cook for company, while you trim the tree, while you're wrapping presents, while you look through old photo albums with old friends." And in that she's succeeded, nestling her mostly secular selections amidst a trio of acoustic bass, piano and drums. The album opens and closes with drowsy late-night arrangements of "Have Yourself a Merry Lil' Christmas" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas," the latter adding superb Manhattan Transfer styled background harmonies. The album's three new songs include the imagery rich "Beautiful Night" and the Spanish guitar of "Light of the World." The tempo's turned up to a western swing canter for a medley of "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" that features Tillis and her father Mel singing in duet. Her second medley, combining "I Wonder as I Wander," "Away in a Manger," and "Silent Night" is sung spiritually and gives the album its deepest moment of Christian faith. The album's real treat is a cover of Willie Nelson's "Pretty Paper," a top-20 hit for Roy Orbison in 1963. Tillis has always shown herself to be a great singer, but with the crying steel of a vintage Nashville arrangement behind her, she turns into a heartbreakingly sentimental storyteller. The Nashville A-listers add warmth with live backing tracks that are easily imagined in an intimate club setting. It's comfort and familiarity which makes this a terrific disc to slip into your CD player while you enjoy holiday activities. [©2007 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]



2. this ain't a Christmas cookie cutter disc. nope, way etter then what main stream Nashville has let loose over the past number of years. Sure Ms. Tillis mixes a bit of jazz and blues and other music forms in this, but isn't that --- her ? Ms. Tillis' style comes thru strong, loud and beautiful. The way she blends her vocals with the musical stylings makes this a must have Christmas cd, which you will play every year and not stick in the drawer with the pop favorites of the day. If you are looking for a change in Christmas music, but no so much it turns you away, give this disc a chance. you won't be sorry, i'm not.

3 comments about That Christmas Feeling.

1. My father used to play this record of all others for me when at Christmas time when I was growing up. I'm 21 now and still love it. The record is barely playable, so I wanted to get him the CD for Christmas, but NO it's out of print! It is A CRIME that this CD is no longer available! A CRIME! A CRIME! A CRIME!



2. I'm sorry although not surprised that "That Christmas Feeling" by Bing Crosby is no longer available. I have to say that, in my opinion, it was not only the best Christmas album ever, but the best album from any genre, from any time.

   It conveyed the best of the best. It was in this collection that Bing Crosby who, like no other, sang Christmas superbly, with arraignments and vocal interpretations second to none. The true meaning of Christmas was unmistakenly painted in music and I have never tired of hearing it, year after year. I play it many times during the Christmas season, and the pleasure of once again enjoying this album only increases with time.

   I'm sad that this album is no longer generally available. It is possible to obtain the songs on a collection of Bing's Christmas music that was released a few years ago, but they lack the warmth attached to the inspired "That Christmas Feeling" compilation. Even though the songs were recorded at different times and probably at different places over a period of 15-20 years, "That Christmas Feeling" came very close to being inspired in the selections that were chosen, and even the manner in which the songs themselves were lined-up, and then recorded. There was a "magic" to it all. It seemed as if they were woven into a kind of Christmas tapestry. Whether this was intended or not, is for someone else to say. However, the magical effect is truly present.

   Unfortunately, the magic is largely gone. You can get the songs that were on the album, but they are re-mixed and digitized, and therefore have lost a considerable amount of the warmth and personality that accompanied the original compilation of "That Christmas Feeling." Even though the album had technical flaws, these flaws actually added to the ambiance that was so important to us who grew up hearing this album. When the attempt to clear up the flaws was completed, there might have been improved sound in some respects, but sound in the selections now betray an uneven "texture" and lack the character and especially the warmth that should characterize the Christmas season, especially music that was sung by Bing.

   I say bring it back, whether people buy it or not. Bring it back with the original cover (a darkened picture of a church) and with all due respect to one of the greatest talents of all time, notwithstanding his bad press and problems. Bing would approve and so would the rest of us who had merrier Christmases thanks to his genius, and especially when hearing yet again "That Christmas Feeling."




3. This album features Christmas songs that were not included on Bing Crosby's "Merry Christmas" album (a.k.a. "White Christmas"). This is a terrific selection of Yuletide classics. Another CD by Bing is entitled "The Voice of Christmas", and he really is. His singing on these songs exudes a warmth that is lacking from many other singers. It doesn't say it on the CD, but "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Twelve Days of Christmas" are duets with the delightful Andrews Sisters. This CD is out of print, but it shouldn't be too hard to find a used copy. I recommend that you do so.

No comments about The Charlotte Church Collection [Box Set].

No comments about Halloween Cocktail Party.

5 comments about Christmas Rhapsody.

1. David Lanz? Jim Brickman? John Tesh? Move over guys... John Bayless has done what no others could... Taken the xmas classics to a new level of musical enjoyment! By combining the songs together, and making them so rich and full of life, this will be my favorite Christmas CD for a looooooooooong time.



2. This is the holiday music I have listened to throughout the season, and it is so beautiful I cannot bear to put it away yet. I love Bayless's work at any time, and these arrangements simply take my breath away. His blending of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" with "Going Home" from the New World Symphony is particulary poignant. And his signature "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring/Amazing Grace" is seasonless and timeless. Christmas is over, but get this anyway; it's wonderful.



3. John Bayless is the best concert pianist in the world. This album shows his genuis. Perfect music to listen to any time of the year.
   This is the best Christmas album on the market.



4. Christmas Rhapsody has quickly become one of our all time favorite Chistmas CDs. We love it so much that it is February 10th and we are still listening to it.



5. I can't believe how well John Bayless has mastered the piano. This is very obvious from the first song that you ever hear him play. I'd really like to watch him play in concert. However, the songs on this album are too much work for me to listen to. The music is so busy that I can hardly concentrate on the melody and it hardly gives me the peace I expect from traditional Christmas music. Some of my favorites for this category are Jim Brickman, David Huntsinger, and Tim Janis.