Fa la la la la la laaa etc. etc.

The past few years I have made and mass distributed a mix of Christmas music. This was beginning in 2002 ,although I skipped 2005 for some reason...or well, I guess I did have a reason, that being I was SURE I had used up every good holiday song imaginable. Retrospectively, it seems I just needed to put a little extra oooomph into tune acquisition because in 2006 I came up with a decent roster of new material. And then this year I put out not one (not seven) but TWO quality Christmas tune CDs (with a *few* songs from prev. years...but primarily it's all new stuff).

I like the notion of a homemade/mass produced holiday gift (you know, for those people who you feel you ought to give somethin' to but you don't really wanna shop for...ie: my landlords and cousins I'm not close to) and the popular option for such a gift is COOKIES. And I'm not going to knock my baking abilities (I gots MAAAD kitchen skillz, yo) but cookies on that scale...eh, no thanks. Rather a messy pain in the ass, methinks.


Did two CDs this year because some of my picks just could not reside on the same CD no matter how artfully I ordered the tracks? The Chipmunks on the same CD as "Angels We Have Heard on High"? Seems WRONG.

My CDs are as follows....



Mix 1-- TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS SONGS ( I love the real traditional, religous Christmas music. A really well performed choral piece gives me the chills...in a good way, of course)


1. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing--Arthur Godfrey & chorus. [ This song is decent, but not the best of its "genre" in my opinion. But I think I took a shine to it because Arthur Godfrey has such a distinct "older British gent" type of voice. I believe this is on account of him being an older British gent*.]


2. Christmas is Coming -- Harry Belafonte & random back up chorus [ I love this song: "Christmas is coming / the goose is getting fat/ please put a penny in the old man's hat/ if you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do/ if you haven't got a ha'penny, then GOD BLESS YOU" I may not even have a quarter-penny--qua-penny?--to my name after this year's Christmas shopping, and it warms my heart how Harry B. & co empathize with me here. I also relate to this goose they sing about. But seriously, I put a different version--sung by the Muppets-- on the 2006 mix and I like that one a smidge better. Sorry H.


3.Little Drummer Boy-- Lou Rawls [very good, very groovy rendition. Second only to Peter Griffin's terrific remake...see below vid..]








4. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas -- Emmy Rossum [ Emmy Rossum is really gorgeous girl.. and now, a good singer we find out. But, she just seems like she would be LAME to hang out with. She just gives off a vague, not-very-fun vibe. But I totally could be wrong. And honestly, I suspect I resent her just a smidge for her getting to rub up against Gerard Butler a few years back when she did Phantom. ]


5.Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring-- perf. by the Philadelphia Orchestra, composition by Bach [beautiful song]

6.The Holly and the Ivy--I think by the Cambridge Choir...I'm almost positive on that but not 100%. Well, whatever choir it is, it's one of those chill-inducing performances.


7.Carol of the Bells --Emmy Rossum


8.Christmas Chimes -- Andre Kostelanetz & orchestra


9.Deck the Halls -- The Columbia Choristers


10.Good Christian Men Rejoice-- Cambridge Choir ["Good Christian rejooooice/ with heart and soul and voooooice" I love this one. Can't believe I didn't have it before this year. I bought it off iTunes which means the album cover is absorbed into my iPod. Which I certainly don't mind...I'm all for a li'l visual stimuli with my tuneage. This beautiful song happens to have a this beautiful Pre-Raphaelite album cover. Behold...

I know I know the painter, but I can't think of who it is right at the moment. I just love it...although it does seem sort of funny shuffled in there amongst pics of Mims and Ludacris.

11. Allegro & Pastorale

12. Hallelujah Chorus--by Handel/ perf by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra w/ choir

13.Angels We Have Heard on High--Cambridge Choir [from the above pictured Christmas Star album. I particularly love the "In excelsis deo" part. I tend to dig anything sung in Latin...in fact on my '04 mix I had a song called "Gaudete" which is entirely in Latin)

14. Ding Dong Merrily on High! --Choir of King's College [LOOOOVE this one]

15. O Tannenbaum --Andre Kostelanetz & choir [this song is sweet...I stuck with the English version, but I considered putting a German version on the CD too]

16.Here We Come A-Caroling --some choir [ I like it just a half-smidge better when this song is called "Here We Come A-Wassailing" but that's a minor quibble. I think what's most loveable about this song is how it's just overflowing with fervent & indiscriminate goodwill...y'know, all that " Love and joy come to you and to you glad Christmas too. And God bless you and send you a happy new year. And God send you a happy new year" & the like.]

17. Christmas Time is Here-- Vince Guaraldi Trio

Mix 2-- Peppier Christmas Tunes

1. Last Christmas -Jimmy Eat World [ Also have the Wham! original on this mix (track 14 ) so listeners may compare & contrast, and ultimately rule on who does it best]

2.Christmas is a Time to Say I Love You -- Billy Squier [sadly underrated ...why don't they play this on the radio more???]

3. It Must've Been Ol' Santa Claus -- Harry Connick Jr

4. Cool Yule -- Louis Armstrong

5. Wonderful Day -- the Chipmunks [ I thought that "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" was the unequivocal #1 Christmas song performed by chipmunks, but this more obscure gem actually ties with it for top spot!! I HIGHLY recommend.]

6. Carol of the Bells -- The Four Seasons [CD didn't credit "Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons"...I'm not sure what that means. Was Frankie not with the group for this one? Or was he with the group and going through some rare modesty kick at the time of recording?)

7.We Need a Little Christmas --Percy Faith singers

8. A Marshmallow World-- Dean Martin [Ahhh...how I love me some Dino. His singing gives me a warm tipsy feeling. This tune is Robin's fave Christmas song, btw. ]

9.Frosty the Snowman--Jimmy Durante

10. That Old Christmas Moon -- Leon Redbone

11. Christmas in Killarney-- Bing Crosby [ Nearly as good as a visit to Scotland-by-the-Yard for puffing me up with pride in me Scotch /Irish heritage ]

12. Amen -- The Impressions

13. Wonderful Christmastime -- Paul McCartney/ Wings

14. Last Christmas -- Wham! [I regret to confess...I slightly prefer the track 1 version. Less moaning & sighing in that one]

15. Monster's Holidy-- Bobby "Boris" Pickett [ this here, is the absolute pièce de résistance I urge you to seek it out...it is the most ridiculously bad Christmas song ever made. OK, that's just my own opinion there but, objectively, it's got to be the only Christmas song that has Santa Claus sounding like Count Dracula]

16. We Wish you a Merry Christmas-- Booker T & the MGs [this instrumental has the distinction of being rated Zagat's "Best Christmas Song for Go-Go Dancing" And I can confirm that ruling. I haven't tried dancing to ALL holiday songs as yet, but I have tried with MOST. "Angels We Have Heard on High" ?? Doesn't work. "Adeste Fidelis"? No can do. "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" jammed out by Booker T & the MGs ?? Groooovy, man. Don't just take my word on it though...see for your own self!!]

*Have since tapped into the wisdom of wikipedia and discovered that Arthur Godfrey was born in NYC in the good ol' USA. But man...if you could just hear that track, you would SWEAR the dude was a Brit!!! Really!!