5 comments about A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.

1. Do yourself a favor and buy this CD - even if you don't think you like Christmas music. People stand in line for hours to hear the Choir of King's College's annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, and when you hear this recording, you will understand why. Rarely does a choir sound quite as pure, smooth, and "together" as they do on this recording. The selection of music is wonderful. You get a few traditional favorites like "O Come All Ye Faithful", recorded live with the choir and the congregation singing along (I thought this would annoy me but it really doesn't - it only makes me feel the spirit of the ceremony even more). You also get plenty of wonderful choir-only pieces that you've probably never heard before unless you're a big cathedral music enthusiast. It all begins, of course, with a single choirboy singing the first verse of "Once in Royal David's City". It's impossible for me to pick an absolute favorite from this recording. I find "The Fayrfax Carol" by Thomas Ades to be particularly haunting and beautiful. Vaughan Williams' "The Truth from Above" is also very, very lovely. And how could you not enjoy "Up! Good Christen folk, and listen"? There is also Ord's short, but beautiful, "Adam lay ybounden". I like all of these pieces in and of themselves, but I think having them sung so expertly and sweetly by the choir makes me like them even more.

   To top it all off, you get about 20 minutes worth of readings and prayers recorded live at the service, interspersed among all of the music. I suppose this could be seen as the recording's only drawback (people talking), but I think it makes the recording much more authentic as a representation of the world-famous service. The readings make the recording more than just a musical experience, but a complete Christmas experience - which is what the ceremony is supposed to be. Besides, if you really hate the talking, that's what the skip button is for.

   Go ahead and buy this -- you'll be very glad you did.




2. A holiday classic. It has been a tradtion in our family for years. This is the first time I've seen it available on CD. I would highly recommend it to anyone.



3. A DIVINE DISC FOR THE DEVOUT!
   
   Listening to this one and one-half hour recording is one way to experience the meaning of Christmas. It must be a joy for those who can attend such a service as the "Festival of nine-lessons and carols". To hear the beautiful voices of the King's College Choir and their marvelous organist, Benjamin Bayl. This is all under the direction of Stephen Cleobury, and provides a treat for music lovers everywhere. The carols are related directly to the scripture readings that tell the Christmas Story in its entirety, all read skillfully by various people involved in the program. They are not lengthy, but quite to the point. The related carols are varied as to composer and mood, running the gamut from the traditional to the more recent such as : 'The Truth from above'(Vaughan Williams)-'Illuminare,Jerusalem' (Judith Weir)- and 'The Lamb' (John Tavener). The soloists include:Edward Moore (treble)-Thomas Bullard (baritone)-Adrian Kelly (tenor)-Edward Harries (treble)-and Julian Perkins (baritone). All sang well as did the entire choir. The English sound, that is boy sopranos and male altos, appeal to me personally and show up very well in this particular group. It's all quite emotional and very moving, especially to those who celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday. I've had this disc for several years, and would not think of celebrating Christmas without listening to it several times during the season.



4. A great experience combining Christmas carols with the reading of Holy Scripture (the lessons). It's a beautiful Christmas worship service in the Anglican tradition. I highly recommend it.
   
   In our age when thing change so fast, it's good to know that some great traditions continue. This recording is one of them.



5. This is familiar, traditional Christmas music, very well-crafted and performed in the Anglican style of hymnody. One of the best ever Christmas albums.

5 comments about A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector.

1. There was a time when Christmas CDs weren't put out on an assembly line. There didn't seem the need to put out a Christmas album for every flavor of the day artist just to be contemporary and not miss out on money making opportunities. That's not to say there aren't good modern CDs of the holday category. It's only to emphasize how special and enduring some Christmas CDs are. "A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector" is just that type of CD. It's why you hear it so widespread at the holidays, at such a wide variety of stores and radio stations. It's flawless. It has all the classics. It's pointless to go through them one by one since they're all fabulous. There's not one rendition of any song that isn't recognized by any generation. This is like "A Charlie Brown Christmas," which not only is as esssential to the holiday season as the Christmas tree, but is magical in the sentimentality and nostalgia it evokes. There are many other Christmas standards that fit into this category- Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Rosemary Clooney and Stevie Wonder to name a few have all put their stamps with their interpretations of Christmas classics. But for comprehensive collectioins, Phil Spector's Christmas CD is almost unmatched. It's why you hear most of it wherever you go during the holidays. It brings out the little kid in all of us at Christmas.



2. First off let me say if you only own one x-mas cd it has to be this one. So we all know Phil Spector is a little crazy, but who cares! This album is absolutely fabulous. It creates a timeless mood for the holidays that cannot and will not ever be matched. Like I said in the title it is amazing how these traditional christmas songs can be made so enjoyable. There are only two thing I look forward to every holiday season. I feel terrible saying this, but those two things are not family and gifts. They are this classic album and National Lampoons Christmas Vacation!



3. 
   I'm by no means an expert on music...but Christmas would not be the same in my house without this album. It's fantastic - I could listen to it in the middle of August.



4. Orignally released in 1963 (as "A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records"), this classic "Wall of Sound" production from Phil Spector has stood the test of time. If you don't believe me, check out Mariah Carey's rendition of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" or the TV special "A Diva's Christmas Carol", which featured a cover of the Ronettes' "Sleigh Ride". In my opinion, the original versions on this album are superior. "Frosty The Snowman" in particuiar is a standout, due to the instrumentation and enthusiastic (almost innocent-sounding) vocals. A template for countless Christmas pop albums that followed, and arguably better than most of them.



5. A Christmas Gift for You might be Phil Spector's greatest work, and is probably the best and most influential ensemble Christmas album ever made. I myself first heard of A Christmas Gift for You as part of the publicity campaign for the Very Special Christmas series that began in 1987, the first of which included U2's cover of Darlene Love's Christmas (Baby Please Come Home). U2's version of Christmas, along with Bruce Springsteen's Santa Clause Is Coming to Town and Dean Martin's Marshmallow World, are for my money the only versions of these songs to rival Spector's. Released for the holidays in 1963, the album also delivers a final burst of American Rock and Roll before the British Invasion and might also explain why the Beatles' own Christmas albums were works of comedy: not even they could have topped Spector and his group of very young artists. My personal favorites are Love's White Christmas and Marshmallow World, and the Ronettes' Frosty the Snowman, Sleigh Ride, and I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. On a few occasions the production overwhelms the vocals, but so what? The Wall of Sound has never sounded better.

3 comments about John Rutter: Music for Christmas.

1. This is just an outstanding collection of choral, Christian selections. The majority are composed by Rutter, who it turns out was led into this field for which he is so well known and loved when in school, he was motivated by a fellow student who was composing a Christimas carol to do the same. Thanks be to God for that motivation!

   Rutter's work simply in this humble reviewer has no other contemporary peer. He is reverent, fresh and excellent theology to boot! This collection has his best, including my favorites: "Shepherd's Pipe Carol, What Sweeter Music, The very best time of year, Angels' Carol."

   To his compositions, added is Kirkpatrick's "Away In a Manger" and of course, Gruber's "Silent Night", both skillfully arranged and performed. Bonus selections of traditional pieces such as "I Wonder as I wonder."

   The City of London Sinfonia conducted by Stephen Layton provides the orchestra background marvelously for Polyphany, the outstanding choir on this work.

   You will be delighted to add this CD to your collection, and it will rise in most collections to near the top.
   Well worth




2. Anyone who truly loves the choral and carol traditions of Christmas cannot miss Mr. Rutter's work. He is truly possessed of extraordinary talent and this fine recording puts it on proper display. The collection here houses the best of Mr. Rutter's original/edited works for the Christmas season, and one can sense the composer's affinity for the spirit of the holidays of which he has written so prolifically and well.



3. Excellent Christmas CD. I especially liked the "Angles Carol" track!
   Would recommend this CD to one and all.

5 comments about Celtic Christmas III.

1. This cd is a favorite of mine. I love it so much, because I can listen to a song in spring and I can see flowers blomming and then when I listen to it at Christmas, I see trees lights and snow. My favorite song is "A Raven in the Snow", but they're all great. I recemend this with a smile, for all times of the year!



2. While equally beautiful and broader in its approach than simply presenting holiday songs in a Celtic style, this particular collection does present two distinctly Christmas songs: The Wexford Carol and Lully Lullay. As such this CD is somewhat more specifically holiday oriented. However, one should certainly not be put off by that. The two carols, as well as the other 10 selections, are most beautifully performed, and the light, lilting quality of the music is most enjoyable.



3. This remains one of my favorite compilation albums of any genre, despite the fact that it isn't very Christmas-sy in tone or content (at least not in a traditional sense), and really doesn't seem all that Celtic either. Actually, I would consider this more of a Wintery album, with primarily New-Agey and neo-Celtic selections that are gently minor, reflecting the stark beauty of a cold snowy day or, in contrast, the warmth of home and hearth. It is that combination of moods that is most compelling here. Some of the tracks are sweet and soothing, others moody, but all are beautiful and all are moving. Particularly intriguing are the compositions by whistle player James McNally ("Black is the Color"), flute and keyboard duo Brian Dunning and Jeff Johnson ("A Raven in the Snow"), harpist Lisa Lynne ("Circle of Joy" & "Home"), guitarist Snuffy Walden ("Sails of Galway") and multi-instrumentalist David Arkenstone ("Angels in the Snow"). Don't buy "Celtic Christmas 3" if you're looking for yet another batch of tired interpretations of stock Christmas Carols. There are plenty of those out there already. But DO buy it if you like mellow, high-quality compositions that will sooth your soul and transport you to a place of peace, grace, and more than a touch of mystery--rather like the beautiful, haunting ruins of Tintern Abbey that seem to grace the album cover. Sounds like a perfect Christmas present to me! If you enjoy the tone set by "Celtic Christmas 3", you may also like another interesting Windham Hill compilation CD, "The Renaissance Album".



4. I never tire of this music. Favorite tracks are the haunting "Lament" and "Sails of Galway". I played this CD for a Muslim coworker who was enchanted and wanted to introduce this music to her children.



5. It's a good Cd with some great songs, although I prefer the first one.It was delivered on time and in perfect condition.

5 comments about Hymns, Carols and Songs About Snow.

1. We've been given this album as a Christmas present in 1991, the year it came out. At the time we only had one child, one year old. Fourteen years and three more children later, we still keep playing this album all December- we all love it! It has become the official soundtrack of our family's Christmas time.
   
   It's incredible how Tuck Andress brings freshness to age-old tunes like God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen or Silent Night; his rendition of such a commonplace tune as Jingle Bells is as un-commonplace as you can wish. And what makes it most incredible, at least to a would-be guitarist as myself, is that he played all tunes live in studio, with no production at all! This means what you hear is what he played, period. Deserves a standing ovation.



2. I just heard this album for the first time tonight at my mom's house...all I can say is: WOW!
   
   We had it on while putting up the tree and playing some family games. Everyone commented about how relaxing and yet captivating the tunes were. Overall - so carefully and craftully done -- it's a MUST for any Christmas get-together.



3. I bought this album on a whim at a sale rack after Christmas. It was the best bargain I've ever found. It was my first introduction to Tuck Andress's jazz guitar, and I've been a fan ever since. The songs he selected, the talent he possesses, and the superb production value of this album makes it a must-have for everyone's holiday collection. I actually look forward to listening to it every holiday (and sometimes in between). Andress solo's his way through our favorite carols with a style and finesse that can soothe the weariest of souls during the most hectic time of year. My favorite is Little Drummer Boy, as he uses his guitar as a true percussive instrument. Ave Maria is played with beautiful emotive feeling. And get ready to sing-along to the most syncopated Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer you've ever heard. (Check out his website for his own personal background on recording this album.) I play Hymns, Carols and Songs About Snow as background for guests, during gift-wrapping and just about every other holiday occasion. This makes a wonderful gift for anyone.



4. You are in for a treat if you have never heard this album. One of the finest jazz guitarists around. His technique is simply flawless. I cannot add much to what eneryone else has said.



5. Tuck Andress is a first-rate fingerstyle guitarist. This Christmas album represents some of his most impressive playing (at times it sounds like three guitars but it's only one). Not many people know this album, but it is astounding guitar work. It is also a lovely, instrumental Christmas album--i.e., you don't have to be a guitar-head to enjoy it.

5 comments about My Gift to You.

1. Hayley Westenra is the best. I thought this would be Valentines Day music or the like, but it is more like simulated Christmas / religious. The title does say "gift", but when I read the description before buying I did not think Christmas music.



2. I was disappointed when i recieved this cd. Not worth the price.



3. I did not know who Hayley Westenra was until I saw her performing on PBS. She has a really beautiful voice. This cd is a Christmas cd that she has recorded. Some songs are traditional Christmas songs and others are inspirational tunes. I recommend it.



4. What more to say? Haley sings like the angels in Heaven. Especially love the Maori songs.



5. This is the best CD to buy at Christmas, or in July! She has a remarkable voice that comes straight from her heart. I have all the CD's she has made that I know of, and I love them all. I don't hesitate to buy any new one's whether I know the songs or not because I've never been disappointed by any of them. I reccomend it to anyone who loves music.

2 comments about The Flesh Eating Rollerskate Holiday Joyride.

1. The Flesh Eating Rollerskate Holiday Joyride is one of those albums that reminds us how commercial Christmas has become. It makes fun of the happy holiday times that are only there for anyone that wants to make a quick buck and a fake smile, and exploits all the idiocy that Christmas generates every December.
   
   The album starts out with a horrible rendition of Joy to the World. Unbeknownst to the high school band that was playing it, it was being recorded. That's just the start...
   The album gets much better after those 30 seconds of misery though. It becomes a mix of hardcore and metal professionally performed in the highest of standards. The quality of this album is definitely as great as the first one and is 100% worth it to any fan of hardcore, metal, off the wall christmas music, or just anyone with a sense of humor.



2. This is a great cd..Psychostick gets better and better.. My only complaint is I wish the cd was longer but it will just have to hold me off until their full length album coming later this year!

5 comments about Halloween.

1. Let me start by saying I've never listened to Steamroller before picking this up. I am a big fan of Halloween and have quite a collection of music/sound fx so naturally, this was a must buy when I saw it.
   Strictly from a Halloween fan's point of view, I can't recommend this except maybe for a kids party. The synth on the tracks really removes any spookiness from the tunes and makes them fall short of Halloween-worthiness. Tocatta and Hall of the Mountain King are some of my absolute favorite classical pieces and here they are given a royal treatment...if they were produced on a Commodore 64, or Casio keyboard for you younger folk.
   The FX disc isn't horrible, but it's below the average generic sound fx you find in the bargain bin. Again, not much scary except for the fact that I spent money on this.
   If possible, check it out before you buy.



2. I only know M.S. from his Christmas music and I have to say that I enjoyed his take on Halloween tunes. If you liked his Christmas stuff needless to say you'll enjoy their all hallow's eve music.



3. I found this to be a really good CD. AS a huge fan of Halloween I wanted something I could play at work w/o totally freaking out my co-workers. It has the perfect amount of scare quality. Of course, I am a huge Steamroller fan!



4. I loved it, made Halloween more enjoyable,I look forward to using it again next year.



5. If it is the original music from the Masters that you are looking for, then this is not it for you. The style is bland and I wished that it had kick, as the original interpretations do. I would not suggest this. I wished that I had read reviews before purchasing this.

5 comments about Acoustic Hearts of Winter.

1. this cd is awesome i liked it so much i started listening to it 3 months before christmas! u can listen to it every christmas it will never get old. aly and aj have such beautiful voices and combining classics tunes along with some new ones was a great idea. i cant wait till their next album hits stores!



2. I got this cd on Christmas day,so I enjoyed it all day! I kept listening to it well into January. Although, I wish the cd had more up-beat songs. I thought their re-makes would be edger, but it help capture the true meaning of Christmas. They even wrote two of the songs on this album, " Greatest Time of Year" and " Not This Year" this song is about how it's okay not to be in the Christmas spirit when something really awful happens to you, you can cry. You should get this cd!



3. I was very critical of Insomnia (feeling they sold out their values to pop culture). However, this Christmas CD is, in fact, a solid Christian production. Get it without reservation to celebrate the LORD and SAVIOR that Aly and AJ speak about in the thanks section and song lyrics.
   
   Kenneth Clifton
   -author of The Christian Superhero Training Guide



4. These girls are absolutly wonderful. I would recommend them to ANYONE! They blow me away. This Christmas album was absolutly fabulous! It brings holiday cheer with classic non-religious songs, but then really hit it home with the TRUE meaning of Christmas with Christian Christmas songs. It truly shows Aly & A.J. for what they really are: good, Christian, talented, beautiful, strong young ladies. This would be a very ideal Christmas gift. I recommend this album highly and Aly & A.J.'s other works. Keep it up Aly & A.J.! Don't go all "Lohan" or "Spears" on us!
   
   FOR PARENTS: (Scale from 1 to 10, 10 being the highest/worst)
   bad language - 0 there is no bad language
   sexual content - 0 there is no sexual content
   violence - 0 there is no violence
   adult content - 1
   1. one example of adult content is that it may offend people that there are Christian songs on there, but, no mean to be rude, if you're not Christian, or trying to become a Christian, what the heck are you doing listening to a CHRISTmas album?
   
   Overall, this is another example of the beautiful work Aly & A.J. do!



5. this is a christmas cd, (duh) that has christmas songs sung by aly and aj!! also they wrote two songs, the greatest time of year and not this year. its a cool cd! i got it in may though....no one said you have to celebrate chritmas in december...or did they?

5 comments about Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits.

1. Vince guaraldi often gets a bad wrap from jazz critics, claiming that his music is soft and not deep enough to be considered great. I couldnt disagree with them more, after thelonius Monk he is the easiest jazz pianist to recognize upon listening to. His playing sings with a sense of joy unlike anybody else. And his best music was written for the peanuts cartoons.
   However, this is not the peanuts disc to get. Most of the songs while charming and fun are short and underdevolped, surfin snoopy for example is energetic and catchy, but it sounds like it is just one short riff being played over and over again for 1:30. the songs that will best bring back the Holiday memories can all be found on " A Charlie Brown Christmas". I would also recomend that you buy " A Boy named charlie Brown " if you want even more peanuts music.



2. Don't waste your money. I would send it back but my dad threw it away.



3. Excellent disc, something you can listen to not only during the holidays. I would recommend this purchase to anyone. We like this disc more than the Charlie Brown Christmas one.



4. If you love Vince Guaraldi's music for the Peanuts shows as much as I do, you'll probably enjoy listening to "Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits." But as some reviewers here point out, this is certainly not the CD to start with if you're new to this music. I'm making my own compilation of Guaraldi's Peanuts music, so this CD is valuable to me for providing some tracks I didn't have, especially since there is not a lot more of this music on the market other than "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas." However, start with those two soundtracks if you don't already have them. Also, the 1989 CD "Happy Anniversary, Charlie Brown" on the GRP label, which is music mostly by Guaraldi re-recorded by other artists, is also worth considering. "Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits" is good for completing your collection, but 5 of the tracks on it are from those earlier soundtrack CDs, and of the 9 new tracks here, 7 are in mono, some are quite distorted too, and overall the music is not as good. Still, I'd say this is an enjoyable CD, and helps to complete your collection if you've already got "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas."



5. I bought this for my Dad (89) and he just loved it. He plays it in the background while he does most everything. Guaraldi's style on the piano is upbeat without being overbearing.