Christmas Music Madness
Mark and I went ape shit the other day and considerably expanded our Christmas music collection. We already had a few-- Billy Gilman, Jim Brickman, and Mannheim Steamroller. As you can see, what we had was total shit. (Mannheim Steamroller makes me want to tie myself to a pickup truck and get dragged like a black man in Texas.) So it was totally necessary for us to bring some more diversity to our selection. Here's what we got:
A Charlie Brown Christmas
It just isn't Christmas without "Linus & Lucy". There's something positivley magical and prescient about this album. It is entirely possible to say the Counterculture Revolution of the Sixties wouldn't have happened without Peanuts.
Christmas with the Rat Pack
This one was prerequisite for this season, because it was Dean Martin's rendition of "Marshmallow World" that inspired my theme choice. This album will warm you with the intoxicating fumes coming from these inebriated mafioso-crooners.
Celine: These Are Special Times
This was Mark's selection. When it comes to Celine, I'm not a big fan. But her duet with Andrea Boccelli is to die for, and she does a fantastic rendition of "Christmas Eve".
Elton John's Christmas Party
So far this one has been quite the dud. There are some good ones from such awesome artists as Kate Bush, U2, and the Eagles, but the songs from The Flaming Lips, Rufus Wainwright, and Outkast are nothing short of disappointing. Maybe it still needs time to grow on me.
A Very Special Christmas
This one must be in everyone's collection. It was recorded in 1987 for the Special Olympics, and the cover is adorned with a beautiful drawing by the late-great Keith Haring of a mother holding a child. There are way too many good ones on this to list them all, but many are now classics, like Madonna's "Santa Baby", U2's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), Eurythmics' "Winter Wonderland", and Stevie Nicks' "Silent Night". Seriously, your Christmas will suck unless you have this album.
Harry Connick Jr.: Harry For Christmas
Predictably jazzy renditions of classics, maybe on or two originals, this album is rather lukewarm. But Harry's version of "This Christmas" is the only one that doesn't make me want to drive ice picks into my skull. It's worth putting on a 5-disc changer, but doesn't really merit a feature play. Also, waking up to it on your alarm clock is not the greatest way to start the day.