Favorite Christmas Album?

OK, so some of hate all Christmas songs. Some of us hate some of them.

But is there a Christmas album you love? I mean, more or less beginning to end?

I have a couple. Maybe three.

1. Christmas Portrait, by the Carpenters. You undoubtedly hear some songs, especially one of them, off this album, but the whole thing is almost a concept album. And some of them are gems. A good example is "White Christmas," with the original (and almost never heard) introduction.

White Christmas

2. A Mannheim Steamroller Christmas. If there is any more "Christmasy" album in the world, I don't know what it is, from the decidedly new age/rock "Good King Wenceslas" to the painfully peaceful "Stille Nacht."

Good King Wenceslas

Stille Nacht

3. A Fresh Aire Christmas, Mannheim Steamroller. A good follow-up the the previous album.

I like some other albums, but I find that all of them I can think of have a stinker or two on them, spoiling the effect. That includes, unfortunately, Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

I love the TSO's albums.
Ti bad I did not get to seem them in cocert this year because the cat show was the same days of the concert.
They are great.

My favorite Christmas album is Here Comes Santa Claws by the Jingle Cats. You can listen to some of the songs here.

I have a few. But if I had to narrow it down, I think mine would be Ella Fitzgerald......"Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas". Fantastic.

But then there's James Taylor's "A Christmas Album".

I also love Chanticleer, Take Six, and The King's Singers.

The Manhattan Transfer Christmas album is also fantastic.

I love Christmas music. (With only a couple of exceptions.)

Hmmmm.....I think I'll turn on some Christmas music now!

Would you be impressed if I told you I had some contact with "Take Six" when they were "Take Three?"

I'm not acquainted with the Ella record.

Is Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby" on a Christmas album?

Originally Posted by mrblanche

Would you be impressed if I told you I had some contact with "Take Six" when they were "Take Three?"

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Yes.....I would. 'splain, please.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

I'm not acquainted with the Ella record.

Is Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby" on a Christmas album?

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The Ella album is jazzy, without messing up the tunes, great arrangements. Of course, I love everything she did.

I thought I had Eartha Kitt singing "Santa Baby", but I don't...I've just heard it on the cable "Sounds of the Season" station - I have it on in the background alot when I'm home.

Originally Posted by ConsumerKitty

My favorite Christmas album is Here Comes Santa Claws by the Jingle Cats. You can listen to some of the songs here.

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that´s what I will going to say too!... .... ...absolutely cool!...

I don't care if this makes me a dork. It reminds me of my childhood Christmasses and they were happy times.

John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together

The Rudolph album by Gene Autry.

BTW, mrblanche, I know the identity of your secret santa. A friend of mine, in fact.

I have Sarah Mclaughlin's Christamas album from a few years ago: Wintersong. I really like it and enjoy most of the songs.
I also like a lot of Michael Bauble's Christmas Special he did a while ago.

Originally Posted by nurseangel

The Rudolph album by Gene Autry.

BTW, mrblanche, I know the identity of your secret santa. A friend of mine, in fact.

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Is that a hint? Is it you?

My favorite has always been Sandy Patty's "The Gift Goes On." Mom had that on cassette when I was a kid and I have it on CD now. I've always loved it.

I take it back; Take 6 was originally Take 5. I had some passing contact with them while they were a touring group doing religious music and I was teaching at a school operated by the same church. Somewhere around here, I may have one of their really old cassette tapes, but I may have thrown it out, too.

I don't much care for Christmas music that's sung by specific people. I seem to prefer more generic kinds, songs sung by choirs (and just the instrumental versions are gorgeous). But I recently picked up Clay Aiken's Christmas CD from a few years back, called Merry Christmas With Love, and I'm finding WHY I don't much like other people's versions of Christmas music. They try too hard to "make it their own," slowing the song down, or speeding it up, or adding trills and vocal gymnastics. Drives me nuts. But Clay Aiken sings his stuff the way it's meant to be sung, so I don't feel like my brain is about to go into a stress-induced seizure at any second. Plus his voice is paired with good background music (orchestras, I believe), which doesn't hurt.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

I take it back; Take 6 was originally Take 5. I had some passing contact with them while they were a touring group doing religious music and I was teaching at a school operated by the same church. Somewhere around here, I may have one of their really old cassette tapes, but I may have thrown it out, too.

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Very cool. I love their sound. I'm in a group and we've sung a couple of their arrangements.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

Is that a hint? Is it you?

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Not me! But I'm probably saying too much....

Give me an Elvis Christmas album and I'm a happy camper

I absolutely LOVE the Jimmy Buffet song that is in the movie Christmas Vacation. I always butcher the official name, but it is something like Mele Kanikiwana.

And now I'll have that song running through my head the rest of the day.

That's "Mele Kalikimaka," I believe. Hawaiian for "Merry Christmas."

Here's the Buffett version:

Mele Kalikimaka

It's an old song. Bing Crosby did it long ago!

That Buffett song is from a whole album of his Christmas music. But again, as I said earlier, there are some stinkers on it.

I love The Carpenters' and Andy Williams' and Anne Murray's christmas albums.

I was so disappointed the other day when I saw Andy Williams on TV singing "Moon River" and "Chestnuts Roasting". Unfortunately the man with the buttery smooth voice has lost it, and it was so sad to listen to him.