I like Christmas Island by Leon Redbone, but I just look for it on itunes and it wasn't there.
Freeform: Christmas Music For The Holiday ImpairedPosted: Dec 3, 06 6:30pmI have always had an ambiguous relationship with Christmas and Christmas music. So, when I was asked to write about "holiday tracks," I was at a loss. I was being asked to confess publicly to a heinous social crime: I don't like Christmas music as a rule. Since I don't celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, I find the omnipresent music to be oppressive and cloying. Most of the time, it just makes me cranky. But, as a TeeBeeDee team player, I offer some odd Christmas tracks that befit the Freeform label. Songs that reinvigorate my belief in the power of music to make us more sublime. O Magnum Mysterium by Tomas Luis De Victoria (1572) - Renaissance motet often sung during the Christmas season although written for the Feast of All Saints. It's an ethereal work with voices intertwining in a spiral that floats up to the heavens. I sang it once with a small choral group in a old stone chapel. I almost converted. "Misteriou Joaius" (Joyful Mysteries) sung by the Ensemble Choral du Bout du Monde: This is Christmas music from Brittany that sounds familiar but is sung in Breton so it isn't. And it is truly joyful. "Please Come Home For Christmas" by Charles Brown - It's pure R&B with Christmas chimes. It's tough being alone during a holiday that's about family and friends. "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by The Crystals - It's pure rock & roll. It's Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. And a reminder that Lola Brooks was in the same class as Darlene Love and Ronnie Spector. (And a tip of the hat to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band for their kickass version). However, my favorite holiday song (other than my own anti-Christmas carol) is the Smothers Brothers' version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town." Anyone remember it? Talk about dark!  4 Comments
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Posted: Dec 5, 06 9:20am I have always had an ambiguous relationship with Christmas and Christmas music. So, when I was asked to write about "ho...  Posted: Dec 6, 06 1:16pmI like Christmas Island by Leon Redbone, but I just look for it on itunes and it wasn't there.... On December 4, Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip featured a performance by some of the best brass players from New Orleans. Even I was blubbering. You can find it legally at
and look for the link to the clip. There is also information about The Tipitina's Foundation and its support for the stranded musicians still one year later Posted: Dec 7, 06 10:22pmI have always had an ambiguous relationship with Christmas and Christmas music. So, when I was asked to write about "ho... I don't think I've enjoyed any track as much over the years as Jimi Hendrix's version of "Little Drummer Boy" -- a song I loathe so thoroughly in any other rendition that each year, starting Dec. 1, I run frantically from department stores and supermarkets before I am forced to hear it. Posted: Dec 11, 06 6:57pmI don't think I've enjoyed any track as much over the years as Jimi Hendrix's version of "Little Drummer Boy" -- a song... The Little Drummer is also my most loathed carol. I start dinner conversations ( and end friendships ) around this time of year by asking people which Christmas songs they hate the most. Drummer Boy is mine. Anyone else have a candidate? |  ADVERTISEMENT |
