5 comments about You Sleigh Me: Alternative Christmas Hits.

1. "Merry Christmas from the Family" is hilarious! I think everyone has someone or something in their family that can identify with some part of this song. I happened to hear it on the radio and I had to have it. Everything on the CD is great, but this one really stands out.



2. This is my favorite Christmas album of all time and that includes "Alligator Stomp, Vol. 4 - Cajun Christmas". The whole CD crackles with wit, warmth and holiday tradition; at the same time it ruffles the hair of convention.

   Most of the tunes are tasty, a generous mix of old chestnuts and new tunes. Everything but the Girl's "25TH December" is a slow and poignant beauty; Donna Lewis' "Christmas Lights" is a synchopated wonder, reminiscent of her now outdated "Always and Forever". The talented Tori Amos breathes new life into the bloated corpse of "The Little Drummer Boy".

   If you're feeling a little wacky this Christmas, give it a try. If nothing else, you'll at least have a bright, shiny new coaster.




3. This is a rather uneven Christmas album. The standout track is the great, funny "Merry Christmas From the Family" by Jill Sobule. There are some other good performances here, but nothing great. The lowlight is the seemingly endless 8 minute long jazz saxophone version of "White Christmas" by James Carter. This CD is almost worth getting just for the Jill Sobule song.



4. Admittedly, this is not a proper review, but I just wanted to convey a quick "thank you" to the person who felt her voice was important enough to meddle with the one recorded version the world has of Tori's Little Drummer Boy.
   
   More from http://thedent.com/sleigh.html#littledrummerboy ...
   
   The Little Drummer Boy was recorded live on November 12, 1992 at a club in Dundalk, Maryland called Steel Town. Tori asked the crowd for silence, saying that the song would be recorded for a children's charity benefit. Of course, there was a woman who had to shout "play it, Tori" in response to the "shall I play for you" line. The bouncers quickly took care of her but, in a way, she had ruined the mood -- at least for some of those in her immediate surroundings...



5. I really like the idea of this album, however it could have had a few bigger names and better songs. Overall though it's a good listen. After the Rudolph opener, Collective Soul does a nice job, the Tori Amos cover is wonderful as expected, and the Juliana Hatfield song is a big plus too. Also worth a mention are the tracks from Victoria Williams and Everything But The Girl, both quite pleasing. The rest is good at the least, and the Jill Sobule song is a great addition. A nice disc for those wanting a cooler Christmas. I also suggest "The Edge Of Christmas" and "A Very Special Christmas 3".

5 comments about Christmas Is Almost Here.

1. This is a beautiful c.d. It's simple and understated in some ways and in some ways it's bigger and bolder than any other Christmas recording on the market. Carly Simon makes music that is "stripped back" and intimate. The miracle, the mystery, the seeking and the celebration are all components that Carly Simon has put in front of the listener.

   The spiritual Christmas songs like "Silent Night", "O Come, All Ye Faithful", are treated with grace and tenderness. The soulful, "Twelve Gates To the City" is a song you'll find yourself singing over and over. Carly Simon's arrangement of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" is just great! The reggae beat along with Ben Taylor, her son, make this a classic remake.

   The Christmas standards "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and "I'll be Home for Christmas" are just beautiful. Carly knows how to take a standard and put her stamp on it without taking away from the song. "White Christmas" with Burt Bacharach, again has her stamp on it.

   "The Land of Christmas (Mary)" is a song that Carly wrote and is probably one of the best songs she has written in years. It has all the qualities that you expect from a self-penned song by Carly. It's a great song with lots of emotion and soul. She also wrote "Forgive" which is very simple and beautiful. Andreas Vollenweider plays harp.

   "Christmas is Almost Here" written by Livingston Taylor, "Pretty Paper" a duet with Willie Nelson and John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War is Over) are all well preformed by Carly and very enjoyable.

   "Heaven" is the song on this c.d. that brings it all together. Written by Lucy Simon (her sister) and Carly, it sets a tone that puts a "yearning" in the listener's heart to experience the miracle, the mystery, the celebration, the search and the Savior.

   If you're looking for a "over produced" c.d. with all the "whistles and bells" then this may not be the c.d. for you. If you're looking for something that seems like Carly is singing in your living room while music is being played by Willie Nelson, Billy Preston, Burt Bacharach, Andreas Vollenweider, and other great musicians then this is the c.d.!!

   This is a c.d. that will be played and enjoyed for years to come.




2. Carly's peak years were in the seventies, but she still sings as good as she ever did. This is a lovely album, with a mix of slow and mid-tempo songs, including some standards which everybody knows, together with some wonderful new songs.
   
   Carly and Willie Nelson sing a duet - Pretty paper, which Willie wrote and Roy Orbison had a hit with back in the sixties.
   
   Carly wrote The land of Christmas (Mary), while Heaven is a song originally written by Carly's daughter Lucy, which Carly and Lucy rewrote as a Christmas song.
   
   Twelve gates to the city is apparently a very old song, but I don't ever remember hearing it before despite having a large Christmas music collection.
   
   All these songs are brilliant, but perhaps the title track is the best of the lot - it certainly sets the mood of the album.
   
   This is a masterpiece, as anybody familiar with Carly's music would expect. It's probably not one to play during the height of Christmas festivities (there are plenty of other, more upbeat, Christmas albums that serve that purpose well), but rather, this is one that you play when things have quietened down, and you can just relax.



3. At first I was reluctant to buy this CD based on some of the tepid reviews here and the casual manner in which it reportedly was recorded. Boy am I glad I got it. It is very intimate and cozy. Just loved the informal feel to it. Like a good friend singing to you with spirit to spare. I would highly recommend this one.



4. Now that Christmas is approaching I have been listening to Carly's Christmas album with renewed interest and appreciation. The lyrics on her own compositions are heartfelt especially "Forgive" which should set a humbling example to us all. Of the popular covers my favourite is "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" which is one of the best versions of this gorgeous song that I have ever listened to, the vocal arrangement is beautiful and Carly's voice soars in purity. Sadly, I won't be able to see Carly in New York later this month, but any of these songs will work wonders live. I can imagine what a gas seeing "Twelve Gates To The City" would be like performed live, especially if Billy Preston was on the keyboards. A considered album with something for everyone, spiritually and tradtionally as well as the more popular covers.



5. Why are recording artists re-releasing albums with "bonus tracks". I bought this CD the first time only a few years ago. Already a new version?? As a Carly Simon fan, I am supposed to contribute to her retirement fund by purchasing the CD again!? I guess if Mariah Carey can re-release "The Emancipation of Mimi" 3 times each time with additional songs and sell 4 million copies, why not Carly. I think if an artist appreciated their fans, they would release new songs on a CD single or just a new CD. I feel ripped off. I will step off my soapbox now, but not re-purchase this CD. My Christmas CD this year will be from the Lovemongers!!

5 comments about The Christmas Angel: A Family Story.

1. I received this as a Christmas gift from someone who really likes Mannheim Steamroller. They listened and didn't like the talking. I wasn't that familiar with them although I had heard Deck The Halls before. I found the CD very easy to listen to. I like the music. I wouldn't buy this for the "Family Story". I agree with other reviewers that the "poetry" is terrible, the story itself would be better if it was just told without trying to rhyme. From a Christian standpoint, I did't like the story. Although there is an Angel, the story has NOTHING to do with CHRISTmas. It may represent the unseen battles as stated in Eph.6:12. Aside from that, I enjoyed listening to the music and the talking didn't bother me, it was actually soothing to hear the voice even when I wasn't actually listening to the story. My guess is, if you like the group and only want to hear their music, this isn't the CD to buy. Otherwise its okay.



2. This CD is more suited for Halloween than Christmas. Some of the music is interesting, but overall, the whole effect is just weird.



3. ok this would not be the best review but i just had to tell you i LOVE this CD!!!! the story is really neat and the music, it is the Best!!!
   
   
   P.S. this is RumWomans Teen Age Daughter



4. While I was never very excited about this CD when I bought it, my kids 9 and 6 love it and have done so for the past few years. It has become part of our Christmas tradition. They hope another similar CD will come out soon. I like the story and the music although it is a bit scary for the littlest ones.



5. I have loved all 3 of the first Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Albums, so I was excited when this one came out. Unfortunately, "The Christmas Angel" turned out to be a real dud.
   
   For one thing, most of the music is recycled and - even worse - relegated to background music for a "family" story entitled "The Christmas Angel." Despite the efforts of Olivia Newton-John, the story is lame at best and weird, New Age-y and rather creepy at worst. Not only does it do an injustice to the marvelous Mannheim Steamroller Christmas classics, it is actually a detriment to, and cheapens the true meaning of these Christmas carols in general.
   
   The only decent, nonrecycled piece on the CD is "Messangers of Christmas" (was the misspelling intentional?) - and even that is dubbed over in the beginning by narration of this so-called "story." I wound up putting this CD into a recycle bin.
   
   Thankfully, Mannheim Steamroller have redeemed themselves with their "Christmas Extraordinaire" and "Christmas Song" albums. I would recommend either of these albums before I would even waste my dollars (and even pennies, nickels and dimes) on this turkey.

5 comments about We Three Kings.

1. Quite enjoyable, but rest assured that a bit of grit (and frolick) comes through. If you're looking for the polish of, say, Manhattan Transfer, forget it. But if you're willing to just let go and have fun, this CD makes you feel as if you should (and could) be singing along, even on one of the great harmony parts.



2. This CD includes the trademark Roches touches - quirky humor and lovely harmonies - but also includes some superior production and arrangements (the title song in particular). A very fine holiday collection, perhaps my favorite.



3. I never get tired of this CD. I've owned the tape since sometime in 1991, I think. My enthusiasm builds more each year to hear it again. It is crisp, unique, fun, packed with favorite songs. The Roches' harmonies impress you and invite you to sing a long Besides being a GREAT Christmas CD, this music may have been the first music to move me from a exclusively Top 40 hits listener to being a fan of a much broader range of music. I just so enthusiasticly endorse this CD. Myself, my kids, my classic-rock only husband adore this CD.



4. I've listened to this tape with my daughter for the last 10 years. I want the CD and have ordered two (one for a friend). (...)



5. I bought this CD on a whim, and came away disappointed. I knew nothing of the Roches, but I thought that I couldn't go too wrong with a 24-track Christmas CD sung in harmony by two (or three) folk singers.

   Yet, despite my love of Christmas music, I can hardly listen to this CD. These girls sound like a cross between Crosby, Stills & Nash and the Chipmunks. Their voices have no depth, and they really sound like munchkins. I was looking forward to an accapella version of the Hallelujiah Chorus, for instance, but after hearing many powerful and beautiful versions of that elsewhere, I just have to wince at the Roches' version. Chipmunky all the way.

   The other thing I didn't like was some of the hokey arrangements which almost seem like mockeries of the original tunes sometimes. "Winter Wonderland" (done in an annoying Bronx accent) and "Frosty the Snowman" are two egregious examples. I'm not a strict traditionalist, and I really look for Christmas CDs that show some innovation or imaginative arrangements -- but this is NOT it.

3 comments about Eban Schletter's Witching Hour.

1. Perfect Halloween mood music: fun, jaunty, and eerie without being too much for the little ones. More sophisticated than your usual family fare and yet nothing here to offend. I really recommend this.



2. These tracks are perfect for setting the mood for Halloween! Fun and interesting for both children and adults. And, I love that there are contributions from artists that I already enjoy as performers.



3. Like "White Christmas" is to Winter, Etta James' "At Last" is to Valentine's Day, and The Beach Boys are to Summer, The Witching Hour is to Halloween; it is music that defines the season. I'm so glad to finally hear and own a disc to fit this niche in my collection and to enjoy annually at Halloween, and during the year as well because of the moods it sets. This is great music I am sharing with my friends.

5 comments about Holiday Concert.

1. I'd like it to be available on video or Cd too because it's truly one of the best holiday concerts ever by the superb talented trio with all the singers and the children on stage. I always try and watch it on PBS every year and hopefully I'll see it this year.



2. I want more than a video, I want to see the schedule for tours come out sooner than they do. Last summer a date was performed about two hours away from my home, and I didn't know about it until it was over. I have seen the concert in Branson, MO, and I loved it, the days have changed so much since I was a teen in the sixties, and the memories are so good, to hear the songs, and remember all we went through in those years. Our young people today are reaching for the same things we had, but lets hope we don't have to have the same events that made our years so memorable, for them to have what we have had. Please put the tour dates on very soon. Thanks



3. This concert was done in 1988. And was recently show on channel 11 during the pledgement drive they do, I think for every season of the year. So you have Peter, Paul & Mary performing on a stage with fake snow. And performing Christmas songs and other Hoilday songs in the month of December. And they aslo sing non-holiday songs like Puff The Magic Dragon, and Blowin In The Wind. This is a must own if you are a fan of Peter, Paul & Mary.



4. This Holiday Concert is a tradition in our family. Peter, Paul and Mary are such animated PERFORMERS, not just singers. Their tenderness and humor singing for children makes me feel like a child. The singing is excellent, and includes Christian and Jewish music (which I love). The audience are a part of this beautiful concert, because they are shown listening to old favorites and its as if you can see the memories going through their minds. And the children love it all just as much, even without the nostalgia. It is a joyful gathering, and you become a part of the joy.



5. This wonderful holiday concert is hard to find. Used copies are presently available at $50 and up on Amazon Marketplace. It is also available in some libraries. It is a high quality VHS production. It will be loved by both Peter,Paul & Mary fans and by those who appreciate an excellent live holiday concert. The concert runs for 90 minutes of non-stop happiness. Peter, Paul & Mary perform both holdiday songs and non-holiday songs. Some of the songs featured are:
   
   1. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
   2. Puff, The Magic Dragon
   3. O Come All Ye Faithful
   4. Blowin' In The Wind
   5. Silent Night
   6. 'Twas The Night Before Christmas
   
   This video is great for the whole family including young children and children from Mary's elementary school perform as part of the concert. The concert can be fully enjoyed at any time of the year. Don't just wait until the holiday period.
   
   For this live concert Peter wrote a special song "Light One Candle" which is just terrific. Don't let the light go out for justice in the world. Somehow justice will prevail. Don't miss this very inspirational and hopeful song.
   
   (Wallingford)
   
   Feedback to:
   
   George Reid
   knowledgebooks@snet.net

No comments about A Christmas Offering.

5 comments about Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album.

1. I personally love "Christmas in the Stars". I am an 18 year old currently studying dramatic writing at one of the most prestigious universities in the world and I can honestly say that this album has helped me get through all of the rigors of college. I listen to this album while writing, walking, doing laundry, eating, showering, etc. I highly recommend "Christmas in the Stars" to any star wars enthusiast, children over the age of seven, your aunt, grandfather, and homeless drunk who has currently found temporary shelter on the corner from your house. I LOVE CHRISTMAS IN THE STARS!!!!!!!



2. What do droids, Chewbacca, legendary disco producer Meco and rocker Jon Bon Jovi have in common? They all celebrate the holidays on Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album. With memorable tunes such as "What Can You Get a Wookiee for Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb?)" and C-3PO's retelling ofa sci-fi infused "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," the album is a quirky addition to any holiday music collection. In fact, the record was so sought after by collectors, that in 1996 Rhino records and Lucasfilm, Ltd. decided to re-release Christmas in the Stars for eager fans.
   
   
   The album's story takes place in a droid factory where robots trudge away at building toys year round for S. Claus. However they don't understand the meaning of Christmas until C-3PO and R2-D2 show them how to appreciate the holiday spirit. Even Artoo adds to the season festivities by learning how to whistle the catchy Christmas ditty, "Sleigh Ride." Later we learn who gets what from their wish list: a scarf for Luke Skywalker, perfume for Princess Leia and earmuffs for Han Solo.
   
   Recorded in 1980, many of the album's songs were written by Maury Yeston, a Yale University music professor and composer. Producer Meco Monardo, who already topped the charts with his best-selling disco albumsStar Wars And Other Galactic Funk and Encounters of Every Kind, envisioned and supervised the unusual project.
   
   British actor Anthony Daniels lent his voice to reprise his role as C-3PO and Lucasfilm's sound artist Ben Burtt provided the sound effects of R2-D2 and Chewbacca.
   
   However, the most trivia-worthy album liner note is the debut of a then 18-year-old Jon Bon Jovi, who ends up singing with a high school choir on "R2-D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas." At the time the album was in production, Jon Bon Jovi , then known as John Bongiovi, swept floors and did odd jobs at the famous New York City recording studio Power Station, ran by Jon's cousin Tony Bongiovi. As Meco auditioned singers for Christmas in the Stars, Tony suggested Jon for one of the lead vocal parts, and the rest is caroling history. Soon after Jon's singing debut, he recorded his own demo at the Power Station which included a hit song called "Runaway." The single eventually lead to a deal with Mercury in 1983.
   
   Even though Christmas in the Stars did not lead to a series of additional Star Wars holiday-themed albums as Meco initially had planned, the album still remains a favorite among movie and music collectors alike.



3. Let's examine the track entitled "The Odds of Christmas". C-3PO opens this number pontificating on the likilihood of Christmas existing. Now if you know the original Star Wars film trilogy (episodes IV-VI), C-3PO only elicits the odds of something happening when our heroes are in mortal peril and must defy the odds. One would wonder, then, just what peril this album portends. It's a pity the songrwiter (reportedly a music teacher at Yale - pah!) here didn't identify this irony earlier. Oh, wait. He never did. But of course music may just be music, and I'm not going to rant that this music will wreak moral destruction on you (I believe some music can).
   
   But let's examine some of the reasons C-3PO divulges as to why Christmas might *not* exist. The odds against Christmas existing, we are told, are 365 to 1. Of course, this is because there are 365 days in a year, and Christmas could only possibly exist on December 25th. If society picked any other date, there's no concievable way it could work. So it's a good thing they picked that date! After all, 3PO reasons, they might have invented the wheel on December 25th! If that had happened then, we might not have ever celebrated Christmas. Because we might have at any time peered back through, like, history, and found scrawls on a stone in Turkey that translated: "Dec. 25th. Invented Wheel. Impressed Grolanka; she want move into cave with me. Head Gronk say OK, you marry. Told no one I didn't invent wheel. Strange creature showed me wheel. Thank you, E.T. E.T. Phone Home." It could happen! Extraterrestrial Wheel Day might have stolen Christmas, but it didn't! We should be grateful! Another of 3PO's reasons: bad old King John might have been cornered into signing the Magna Carta on December 25th! If that had happened, Christmas might not exist. That ol' wicked king, he just about stoled Christmas, he did! Good thing he was cornered on, er.. um.. Magnitum.. Carteria.. day.. instead! Otherwise, the cultural and religious forces bringing about Christmas might have been brought to a dead halt in the name of the progress of human law and liberty! You see, these two things could not happen on the same day. Remember, it has to revolve around only one possible day, and Christmas *and* the Magna Carta happening all on one day? It's just too much. There just isn't enough room in one day for human liberty and the birth of a savior! What could the latter have to do with notions of liberty, anyway? But aren't you glad Christmas happened on some day other than.. Magnitum.. Carteria.. ? Wait a minute, should I have had a day off work to celebrate the signing of the Magna Carta? But anyway, by Christmas taking up the slot of .. december 25th.. it left.. only.. 364 slots open.. wait. *Could* Christmas have happened on any other day? When did all these people start giving each other presents and decorating trees, anyway? When *did* Christmas happen? I'm asking my history teacher.
   
   With that kind of thought going into the lyrics and premesis of any song, what are the odds of the music being a standout despite? Well, it is very skillfully done, I'll give it that. But with this level of cultural thought ya gotta place the odds of this having occured as laughably unbearable music at 365 to 364. If only they had *composed* the songs on Christmas. But there wasn't enough room on that day..
   
   There are, however, various conditions or occurences which can lead to the enjoyment of this album. Here are a few.
   
   1. Snuffing bantha pudu
   2. An infestation of Hutt, Rancor, and other intergalactic giant disgusting creature sewage in your ground water
   3. Watching the Star Wars films more than thirty times in your life, as opposed to the average, say, 5-30 times
   4. Having no diverse musical exposure whatever
   5. Having your parents, who have no diverse musical exposure whatever, play this on Christmas morning when you are an overly impressionable child, prey to such horrid aesthetic victimizations.
   6. Being a music teacher at Yale
   7. Placing Yoda on the same pedestal as Plato
   8. Snuffing more bantha pudu
   9. Snuffing even more bantha pudu.
   10. Snuffing still more bantha pudu.
   
   I must say, however, that it is great fun to listen to this album from a vantage of enjoyment and marveling at how terrible it is. In fact, on that tack it deserves five stars. But most folks I know who run accross this music first recoil in agony and start cursing the person who presumed to share it with them.



4. This hilariously funny album came out in 1980, and features C-3PO (Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO in all six Star Wars movies!), and R2-D2 (sounds provided by Ben Burtt who did the "voice" of R2-D2 for all six Star Wars movies), with various backups, including the first ever appearance of a young Jon Bon Jovi! The songs are all cute and upbeat, ranging from the toe-tapper "Christmas in the Stars" to the goofy "What Can You Get a Wookie for Christmas, When He Already Owns a Comb?"
   
   OK, let me start out by saying that this is a goofy Christmas album, one that is obviously aimed at very young fans of Star Wars. It came out right after The Empire Strikes Back, and was an obvious attempt to cash in on the movie's popularity. But, is it really "utter cr*p" as some have claimed? No, it isn't. I mean, if you are very young, or very young at heart (and a Star Wars fan), then you enjoy its offbeat hilarity. I know I did.
   
   I enjoyed this offbeat, extraordinarily different Christmas album, and I highly recommend it!



5. My heart is full of joy, full of joy, full of joy, and music's in the air....Christmas is NOT Christmas without Star Wars' Christmas in the Stars!! By far my most cherished Christmas album since I was a kid!

1 comments about Christmas Classics: Jingle Bells and Twas the Night Before Christmas.

1. Not quite what I expected. I was hoping that it would be as good as the Rankin Bass Christmas programs.

3 comments about A Winter's Night; Christmas in the Great Hall.

1. I've been to several of the ensemble's Christmas performances and can agree that their music is a wonderful fusion of the best of early music- unique and beautiful early music instruments and Cetlic instruments- the Celtic harp, the scottish small-pipes which are mellow sounding; and then even a classical instrument and a "new -age" touch with the addition of the oboe and its haunting plaintive sounds that create a beautiful reed sound. There's an amazing variety to the sounds and great use of arrangements that brings out a wonderful blend. And, best of all, its ancient carols and not so familiar christmas music that's good any time of the year.This CD does indeed captures their performances.



2. Absolutely brilliant. This is not at all the same old Christmas music. Only a few of the songs are well known, but their takes on them are so fresh that you won't mind. All the songs are quite good, but What Child is This/O Come O Come Emmanuel is possibly the best.



3. I bought the CD since I was looking for "Rorate" which is performed beautifully on this CD as are a number of other tracks. My husband and I both thought the CD was not very festive and found some of the original compositions to be slow and lackluster especially the second track, "New Prince, New Pomp". It did not put us in the Christmas spirit as we were driving many miles for the holidays...was rather dull. Overall, I was disappointed with the CD.