TerokNor, I prefer the traditional ones, too. Silent Night is in, say, my top five. For a wonderful and very traditional Italian carol, follow the link in message #10. Amen to that! Worst ever. And, now, thanks to you, I can't get it out of my head.
I havent read the whole thread but there's a version of that Old St Nick song sung in a very grating epilectic inducing way by some indie hipster couple in a Honda ad going around this year that gets on my nerves...
Cool, another bah humbug person! I used to work in retail when I was a student and that pushed me over the edge in relation to Christmas music. I spent 4 and a half years there, which included 5 Christmases.
Maybe you guys can help me out. I heard this version of "12 Days of Christmas" on the radio the other day, but I went to the station's site, and they got no playlist, just a list of Christmas songs they play, but it's only ap artial list, and it wasn't on there. Anyway, it sounds a little old, traditional orchestra like, along the lines of Dean Martin styling, and occassionally the "drummers drumming" part, the drumemr would do a quick solo, and on most of the "two turtle doves" repraises there would be a plucking cello (or bass cello) to each word. I don't have head phone access very often, in fact very rarely, so hunting it down would be hard, and I'd forget about it when that time came again.
I worked after school and weekends at a Consumers Distributing catalogue shop (think 7th circle of hell) for several years and the first Christmas we had 3 cassettes to choose from: Alvin and the Chimpmunks (blech! ptui!), Barbra Streisand (can't stand her) and Boney M (no comment). It was a long, hard December. The following December the manager fetched the Christmas cassettes only to discover that someone had tied a knot in the Chipmunks one. Such a shame! (No, it wasn't me, but I wish it was). I can't listen to anything she screeches. One of my brothers bought this as a gag gift for another brother and the one time we played it our dog went nuts. The novelty wore off veeerrry quickly.
EDIT: Are you talking about the Ray Conniff Singers? Sounds a lot like it. I like their rendition of almost every Christmas song, e.g., What Child Is This, etc.
Another one that always make me smile is [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUELu8o5KJg[/yt] Even if you hate the song those guys laughing in the back ground crack me up, what the fuck were they smoking..
I have a few favorites: Do they know its Christmas? Band Aid Little Drummer Boy Harry Simone Choral Feliz Navidad Jose Feliciano Least Favorites: Ding Dong George Harrison Wonderful Christmas Time Paul McCartney Jingle Bell Rock Hall and Oates
I hate those freakin' commercials with the quasi-hippie band murdering some of my favorite songs like Deck the Halls, etc.
I literally cannot listen to Christmas songs unless it's December. Then I ADORE them. Well.... I say that by there is one Christmas song that I can listen to at other times of the year: The Pogues and Kirsty McColl - Fairytale of New York Apart from that this list of of songs can only be listened to in December (mostly): Slade - Merry Xmas Everyone Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas? Shakin' Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Happy Xmas (War Is Over) Mike Oldfield - In Dulci Jubilo Murray Gold - The Stowaway (Performed by Yamit Mamo) I also like most of the more traditional Chritmas songs and Celtic Woman made a Christmas Album with a load of traditional Christmas songs and their voices are angelic, so I'll post links to their versions: White Christmas Let It Snow Silent Night Panis Angelicus Carol of the Bells The Christmas Song As for not liked Christmas songs.... I don't really know, I tend to avoid them if I don't like them
"Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses and the aforementioned "Fairytale Of New York" are the only Christmas songs I'm particularly fond of.... GM
Despite not really being religious myself, let me mention "Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful)" as a particularly festive traditional Christmas tune. Here, in a particularly angelic version by Enya: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5ONtCZUhZ0&feature=related My second favorite: "Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyrdxftXugA&feature=related I guess it shows that I grew up Catholic....
I am exactly the same. It's because Christmas is a wonderful "season" - there's a mood and a feeling of togtherness, sharing and love. As far as I am concerned, that's exactly the opposite message of bigoted and judgemental Christianity.
I like most Christmas music. I really enjoy listening to Christmas music arranged for large choirs. For instance, I really like "Angels from the Realms of Glory" sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir with Renee Fleming. Gives me the chills all the time. I'm not Mormon or very religious (though I am a Christian) so I never really pay attention or realize the religous-ness of some Christmas songs. I just appreciate the mood they put me in. If any of you are interested, you should watch a lot of their stuff they do with Renee. So good. I also like jazz arrangments of Christmas songs. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't mind almost any Chrismas song. The only reason I wouldn't like them would be because of the arrangment or singer/performer. One song I cannot stand goes "Last Chrismas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away.." It drives me NUTS, no matter who sings it. I worked in retail for 2 years and had to suffer through that song for 8 hours a day around Christmastime. I don't ever want to hear it again!! (I'm sorry, I couldn't remember the name, nor do I care to know!)