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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Dec 6, 2019 19:26:07 GMT
Luther posting in the Christmas music thread!? Hmmm ... maybe he's just messing with KDS!
Taylor Swift released a new Christmas song, "Christmas Tree Farm." And you know what? Classic pop (meaning rock and roll pop, not modern electro pop) sound. Not half bad, actually, stiff drum machine style sound notwithstanding. Not a fan of most of her music--especially her recent music--I actually kind of like this.
Thanks for the post. It's an OK song; a little derivative. It doesn't do much for me, but that doesn't mean anything. Let's see...this new song by Taylor Swift was released today. That means by tomorrow night, "Christmas Tree Farm" will probably qualify for kds's list of Most Overplayed Christmas Songs. Actually, there is a Taylor Swift Christmas song that I like a lot - her version of Wham's "Last Christmas". I love the wall of sound her producer used on that version.
Here is a poignant video, not just because of the song, but because of who we lost:
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Post by kds on Dec 6, 2019 19:42:30 GMT
It really would've shock me if any of her Christmas songs get overplayed. Kelly Clarkson's Underneath My Tree is only like five years old, and I've been sick of it for four years.
Earlier, there was a clip of Blondie rocking up We Three Kings..check this out
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Post by Kapitan on Dec 9, 2019 13:05:21 GMT
I just heard on Minnesota Public Radio that today marks the anniversary of the classic TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas. Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack, also released in Dec. 1965, is one of the greatest Christmas albums of all time. (It has gone quadruple platinum.)
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Post by kds on Dec 9, 2019 13:14:04 GMT
I just heard on Minnesota Public Radio that today marks the anniversary of the classic TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas. Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack, also released in Dec. 1965, is one of the greatest Christmas albums of all time. (It has gone quadruple platinum.)
That album is in my Top 10 Christmas albums. And the special is my all time favorite Christmas special or movie. Even if things get busy in December, it's the one Christmas show I cannot go without seeing.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Dec 9, 2019 13:17:07 GMT
I just heard on Minnesota Public Radio that today marks the anniversary of the classic TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas. Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack, also released in Dec. 1965, is one of the greatest Christmas albums of all time. (It has gone quadruple platinum.)
That album is in my Top 10 Christmas albums. And the special is my all time favorite Christmas special or movie. Even if things get busy in December, it's the one Christmas show I cannot go without seeing. Here is a fascinating article on A Charlie Brown Christmas:
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Post by kds on Dec 9, 2019 13:23:40 GMT
That album is in my Top 10 Christmas albums. And the special is my all time favorite Christmas special or movie. Even if things get busy in December, it's the one Christmas show I cannot go without seeing. Here is a fascinating article on A Charlie Brown Christmas:
And I thought I knew everything there was to know about that special. The Willie Mays story was new to me. As was the 2015 arrest of Peter Robbins.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Dec 10, 2019 14:14:55 GMT
Any Moody Blues' fans out there? It's hard to believe, but The Moody Blues' last studio album was released back in 2003, and it was a holiday album, December. It was the group's first album following Ray Thomas' retirement from the band. He was replaced by Norda Mullen, who is still performing with the group. December is a fine album, a combination of some traditional Christmas songs along with some new originals. One of the best original songs from the album is "December Snow", written and sung by Justin Hayward. "December Snow" was also featured on the 2005 album, Lovely To See You: Live. This video features that live version:
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Post by B.E. on Dec 12, 2019 16:50:52 GMT
Call me crazy, but I found myself really enjoying Dylan's Christmas album yesterday. Maybe I was just in the perfect mood, but I'm looking forward to listening to it again.
Despite being a big Dylan fan, I never really got around to his post Wilburys' career. So, I'm not as used to his current voice as you might think. I picked up Christmas In The Heart years ago, but only listened to it a few times. Revisiting it yesterday, I thought the production was great. I loved the instrumentation and the backing vocalists. I liked the arrangements. I even thought Dylan's voice was perfectly mixed - which is no easy feat! Too loud, and it's overexposed and abrasive. Too quiet, and it's harder to decipher and it feels like you're trying to hide it. Basically, I thought the production as a whole (including the contrast between his voice and the backing vocalists) did the best possible job of supporting the state of his voice. Consequently, I heard an album of sincerity and maturity, with a requisite amount of playfulness; whereas, others might think the record is some kind of joke.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Dec 12, 2019 18:36:02 GMT
As much as I love Dylan - and I can appreciate all of his phases - I just do not enjoy Christmas From The Heart. Yes, B.E., as you mentioned, the production, instrumentation, and backing vocalists are fine. It's Dylan's voice/vocals that ruin it for me, and I'm not one of THOSE who like to complain about Dylan's voice. I view many Christmas songs, especially Christmas carols, the same way I view Brian Wilson's Gershwin album. In my opinion, certain material requires certain singers. Like many of Gershwin's ballads and the Great American Songbook, you have Christmas songs that demand a singer that can do them justice. This is especially true with the slower, religious Christmas music. For some reason, instead of going mostly with fun, rollicking Christmas songs like "Must be Santa" and "Here Comes Santa Claus", Dylan chose mostly to go with slower, bluesier Christmas songs, and TOO MANY slower carols. Bob Dylan can't sing Christmas carols!
I really wanted to incorporate Mr. Zimmerman into my Christmas music rotation, so I had to compile my own compilation. I couldn't choose enough Dylan songs that I liked from Christmas From The Heart, so I incorporated The Band into the mix for some winter music. I also went back to New Morning for some help, and also integrated some short, spoken word "messages" from Dylan's Christmas radio shows. It ain't perfect but this is what I came up with:
Christmas With Bob Dylan & The Band
01 Must Be Santa - Bob Dylan 02 Opening Christmas Message - Bob Dylan Radio Message
03 Winter Wonderland - Bob Dylan 04 Winterlude - Bob Dylan 05 Whispering Pines - The Band 06 Ho Ho Ho - Bob Dylan Radio Message 07 Twas The Night Before Christmas - Bob Dylan Radio Message
08 Here Comes Santa Claus - Bob Dylan 09 Father Of Night - Bob Dylan 10 The Weight - The Band & The Staple Singers (from The Last Waltz) 11 Wise Men - Bob Dylan Radio Message 12 Christmas Carols - Bob Dylan Radio Message 13 O Come All Ye Faithful - Bob Dylan 14 Three Angels - Bob Dylan 15 Acadian Driftwood - The Band 16 Working On Christmas - Bob Dylan Radio Message 17 Christmas Bells - Bob Dylan Radio Message 18 Do You Hear What I Hear? - Bob Dylan 19 Little Drummer Boy - Bob Dylan 20 Christmas Must Be Tonight - The Band 21 Holiday Blues - Bob Dylan Christmas Message 22 Closing Message - Bob Dylan Radio Message 23 I Shall Be Released - Bob Dylan & The Band (from The Last Waltz) 24 Greensleeves - The Band (from The Last Waltz)
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Post by Kapitan on Dec 13, 2019 1:08:24 GMT
I have to say, I recall being surprisingly delighted by the Dylan Christmas album. It felt somewhat mischievous, in a really nice way. And he had a relative hot streak in terms of original music just prior, which made it feel like a quick, fun diversion. Instead, sadly, unless I'm mistaken we haven't had anything original from him since, just standards. And more standards. And archival stuff.
However, I also don't recall the last time I listened to the Dylan Christmas album. Probably within a month of buying it, when it was new.
B.E., I do really, REALLY strongly suggest you check out some of Dylan's latter-day stuff, however! I think Modern Times and, even more so, Love & Theft are truly great. Love & Theft is unquestionably among my five or so favorite Dylan albums.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Dec 13, 2019 1:22:58 GMT
I have to say, I recall being surprisingly delighted by the Dylan Christmas album. It felt somewhat mischievous, in a really nice way. And he had a relative hot streak in terms of original music just prior, which made it feel like a quick, fun diversion. Instead, sadly, unless I'm mistaken we haven't had anything original from him since, just standards. And more standards. And archival stuff.
However, I also don't recall the last time I listened to the Dylan Christmas album. Probably within a month of buying it, when it was new.
B.E., I do really, REALLY strongly suggest you check out some of Dylan's latter-day stuff, however! I think Modern Times and, even more so, Love & Theft are truly great. Love & Theft is unquestionably among my five or so favorite Dylan albums.
Just a quick timeline:
Love And Theft - released September 11, 2001 Modern Times - released August 29, 2006 Together Through Life - released April 28, 2009 Christmas In The Heart - released October 13, 2009 Tempest - released September 10, 2012 Shadows In The Night - released February 3, 2015 Fallen Angels - released May 20, 2016 Triplicate - released March 31, 2017
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Post by Kapitan on Dec 13, 2019 1:25:49 GMT
OK, so I had that wrong. I was thinking Christmas was after his last originals album. I see that's not the case.
I do want to clarify, when I said he was on a hot streak, I didn't mean in terms of releasing product overall. Because I know he got out more content with all those standards. But it was nice having had three albums of originals from '01-'09.
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Post by kds on Dec 13, 2019 13:12:09 GMT
Funny thing happened this morning. I heard Swift's Christmas Tree Farm (when it was posted, I wasn't able to listen). I didn't hate it. I'm with Kapitan, it's far and way better than the dreck she's released since becoming a full blown pop tart.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Dec 13, 2019 13:37:22 GMT
The Bill Murray Christmas special has become sort of a holiday tradition at my house since it first aired a few years ago. We haven't had a chance to watch it yet this year. So here’s this… I love this version of Alone on Christmas Day.
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Post by B.E. on Dec 13, 2019 15:47:52 GMT
She & Him performed the Beach Boys' "Christmas Day" on Jimmy Kimmel!
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