Any suggestions for good Christmas CDs?
We like to buy one every year to add to the collection. One of the first purchases Paul made when still a very young and single man was the Time Life Christmas Classics two disc set. With a few exceptions, they were really good. Sadly, the mists (and scrapes and scratches) of time have made them completely unlistenable. I miss them.
What CD(s) do you need to make the auditory aspect of Christmas complete?
City on a Hill (Various Christian Artists) It’s Christmas Time–I think they have others out, too, that I would like to pick up.
Nat King Cole Christmas Favorites
Barbara Streisand A Christmas Album
Handel’s Messiah
And this is a favorite, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to find it as it was a self-produced, limited release by a friend of ours:
David Reynolds Christmas at the Keys
Others that have been downloaded onto the laptop, but we don’t actually own the CD’s are Christmas compilations by:
Johnny Cash
Louis Armstrong
Ella Fitzgerald
Julie Andrews
Dean Martin
Frank Sinatra
Christmas just wouldn’t feel right without such great music.
You definitely need Nat if you don’t have it, and I have a soft spot for Bing Crosby–old school Christmas.
do you have any of the Mannheim Steamroller Xmas CDS? Very good stuff.
You need some brass in there too!
The Empire Brass Christmas CD is terrific, and I think it’s still in print.
The London Brass Christmas CD is also fantastic…so good I’ve tracked down arrangements from it for our brass groups to play.
The Granddaddy of brass Xmas CDs would have to be a Festival of Carols in Brass, by the Philadelphia Brass Ensemble. You’ve heard this in stores everywhere, every Xmas, and I honestly don’t grow tired of it.
The instrumental stuff is a nice change I find.
Have to second the Johnny Cash, we had the lp when I was growing up and it wouldn’t be Christmas without it. I can sit and listen to the whole thing at one stretch, it brings back so many memories 🙂
We also had a Young Messiah, that was very popular with the kids. Quite a few new recordings out there now (I didn’t see the one we had when I googled, but the “New Young Messiah” looks pretty good!)
give those old ones a shot of windex and try them again. it cleans as well as filling in gaps or scratches. good luck.
Otmar Liebert’s Poet and Angels has long been a must for us. Absolutely beautiful.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra “Christmas Eve and Other Stories”
Kevin Max
Third Day “Christmas Offerings” (I think)
I like Sherry’s list
Hopefully this will only post once! 🙂
Some good ones here – I also always enjoy George Winston’s December.
And a new favorite of mine is Sufjan Stevens’s Songs for Christmas. It’s indie stuff, but I love it.
scot’s right sufjan is incredible, if a tad melancoly. maybe he bucks up and puts a smile on for songs of christmas.
All, thanks for the suggestions.
Question for Sherry and Susan: Is your Johnny Cash, “The Spirit of Christmas” ?
He’s such a talk-y lad.
There are one or two of the 42 songs where there’s a hint of a smile, Tanner. But even so, it’s a sweet album.
Come on Sherry, what about Amy Grant Home for Christmas? I really didn’t ruin that for you, did I? 🙂 I also like the Bing/Bowie duet alot.