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12/25/2004 Archived Entry: "Christmas Songs"

Posted by antle @ 11:32 PM EST [Link]

CLAY AIKEN AIN'T NAT KING COLE: I've been listening to a radio station that plays Christmas songs for 36 hours straight until midnight tonight. That necessarily means it must mix the classics - Bing Crosby, Sinatra, Nat "King" Cole, Andy Williams' older Christmas recordings - with a lot of more recent dreck (Stevie Nicks, for example, never should have recorded "Silent Night").

Sorting through it all not only confirmed that some of the remakes are a little off compared to earlier versions, but that there is in fact a dearth of recent great Christmas music.

Some of the newer pop and rock Christmas caroling is fine. I confess to being a fan of the '70s singer-songwriter genre, so I was disappointed that I was unable to snap up a copy of James Taylor's new Christmas CD And for whatever reason, I've always been a fan of that 1977 Bing Crosby/David Bowie duet.

Oh well. I guess I'll leave my Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Christmas with the Rat Pack CDs in the stereo 'til New Years.

Replies: 2 comments

Dude, that Cosby/Bowie duet seriously rocks Christmas. Seriously...I love it too. What a juxtaposition of old guard Hollywood and experimental 70s rocker.

I happen to have the Christmas with the Rat Pack myself! Then again, my home is Fort Sinatra so that shouldn't be a surprise.

On a more serious note, I completely dig what you mean. My sister charged me with compiling a few Christmas CDs for a get together she held recently so I trolled Christmas music going back six decades. Frankly, most of everything after the 1960s -- with limited exceptions -- wasn't very good. I don't know, I guess it's like asking someone to repaint the Mona Lisa. If Bing Crosby sang "White Christmas", why do we need Bruce Springsteen or Bonnie Rait singing it? It's as amazing as it will ever be.

Posted by Steve Martinovich @ 12/26/2004 01:26 AM EST

Amen. Most of the more recent Christmas stuff is garbage. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir always gets it right, though. Roger Whittaker has some very good Christmas stuff, too, you should check it out.

Posted by Mark Trapp @ 12/27/2004 08:43 AM EST