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Post by lonelysummer on Jul 10, 2023 4:28:18 GMT
To each their own -- I can't stand the orchestral arrangements on the Christmas album, especially on "Frosty." I do like "Christmas Day" a lot, tho. Me, three - especially Frosty.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 10, 2023 11:33:04 GMT
Not a lot of love for the Christmas album, which is surprising because when we discuss it each year/season, it usually gets mostly positive comments. I guess it does have some significant competition with some of these 1964 heavy hitters.
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Post by carllove on Jul 10, 2023 13:06:36 GMT
Not a lot of love for the Christmas album, which is surprising because when we discuss it each year/season, it usually gets mostly positive comments. I guess it does have some significant competition with some of these 1964 heavy hitters.
Well - I love the Christmas album and all of its cheesy, 60’s orchestration. It was a bit weird listening to the album in July though. Also - A lot of heavy hitters on the list. I wonder if the votes would have been any different if the poll was taken in December?
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Post by jk on Jul 10, 2023 20:39:40 GMT
Not a lot of love for the Christmas album, which is surprising because when we discuss it each year/season, it usually gets mostly positive comments. I guess it does have some significant competition with some of these 1964 heavy hitters.
Shoot me, but I'm not overfamiliar with the Christmas album as a whole. I have listened to it and I know I liked what I heard, including the orchestral stuff (I'm a complete sucker for orchestras). That said, I prefer the glittery 45 version of "LSN", which is why I voted for it. I've always wondered where Brian got the "slurs" in the backing voices when they sing the title. I don't believe it's the Freshmen or The Hi-Los -- it's a beautiful effect! Well, that long ascending "sigh" in "GOK" is in all likelihood a Brian creation, so maybe this effect is too.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 10, 2023 20:49:09 GMT
For me, as long-timers know, I'm just not that into Christmas music. So while I like the Beach Boys' '64 Christmas album about as much as anyone else's, that's just not that much! But I do like the Dick Reynolds arrangements more than I think most do. Including (especially?) "Frosty."
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 11, 2023 0:31:39 GMT
Not a lot of love for the Christmas album, which is surprising because when we discuss it each year/season, it usually gets mostly positive comments. I guess it does have some significant competition with some of these 1964 heavy hitters.
Shoot me, but I'm not overfamiliar with the Christmas album as a whole. I have listened to it and I know I liked what I heard, including the orchestral stuff (I'm a complete sucker for orchestras). That said, I prefer the glittery 45 version of "LSN", which is why I voted for it. I've always wondered where Brian got the "slurs" in the backing voices when they sing the title. I don't believe it's the Freshmen or The Hi-Los -- it's a beautiful effect! Well, that long ascending "sigh" in "GOK" is in all likelihood a Brian creation, so maybe this effect is too. While I enjoy Christmas music very much, I'm not a huge fan of The Beach Boys' Christmas Album. Oh, I like about half of it, but the other half is only...OK. Too many slow songs and not enough faster, traditional Christmas songs. I think what bothers me the most about it is what it isn't. I would've expected Brian Wilson, who was channeling Phil Spector at that time, to produce the album like Spector's A Christmas Gift For You. Instead, he employed Dick Reynolds and went another direction.
But there are some quality songs on the album including IMO "Little Saint Nick", "We Three Kings", "Frosty The Snowman", "White Christmas", and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". While "Blue Christmas" drags, it features a tremendous BW vocal. For this thread and these rankings, I didn't expect many Christmas songs to challenge for the Top Ten. "Little Saint Nick" is a given, but I thought "We Three Kings" (especially) and "Frosty The Snowman" (maybe) would get more votes. Oh, well. I'll revisit the Christmas album again in a couple months.
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Emdeeh
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 520
Likes: 532
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Post by Emdeeh on Jul 11, 2023 1:26:27 GMT
I agree that Brian's vocal on "Blue Christmas" is stunning.
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