Favorite Christmas albums (yeah it's early)

[Mysterytrain]

Looking to revitalize my tired, played-out Christmas selections this year. I can think of no better place to discuss this. Go crazy. Any style, artist, era, genre, etc. Anything goes. Just be sure to mention why you think it's a great album/song/piece.

I'll start:
Vince Guaraldi - Charlie Brown Christmas - yeah it's an obvious, standard-issue holiday album, but it contains some really beautiful music. Wonderfully and simply recorded. Encapsulates the holidays in so many ways: joy, melancholy, wonder, etc. Those children's voices are haunting.

There are some fantastic post-Sun, Columbia-era Johnny Cash holiday recordings that strangely enough cop a pretty good Sun-era vibe. Vintage sounding, stripped-down Johnny doing Blue Christmas, Little Drummer Boy, etc. Not run-of-the-mill christmas carol arangements, but instead infused with old-school Cash goodness. Great stuff. Wonderful version of I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day that he turns into a sort of hymn.

Just getting the ball rolling.

[honkyjonk]

There's a John Fahey one I like.
Can't remember it's name.

[mjau]

I'll second the Guaraldi stuff, and also add Brian Wilson's Winter Symphony (a song, not an album).

[No Wave Casio Kitsch]

Martin Atkins & The Chicago Industrial League - An Industrial Christmas Carol

Good when you're tired of the same old holiday standards.

[theistheman]

dude, It's all about the Chipmunks christmas album.

you can't beat it.

[sad iron]

The past 2 years it's been Christmas in Memphis by Husky Team. Amazing Xmas carols in the style of Booker T, etc. Wonderful.

The band was Dennis Diken (smithereens) Dave Amels (Swinging Neckbreakers and the guy who designed all that great Bomb Factory stuff) and a slew of others. I'd almost listen to it year round...

[hulahalau]

Christmas with Eddie G (sony/columbia). Mix tape gone commercial.

[MarcoPogo]

***The Booker T. and the MG's Christmas record is great, Phil Spector's record is cool, Esquivel's is, well,...Esquivel; but my favorite is the Ventures Christmas record- gets me in the spirit every time.

-MR

[MarcoPogo]

***Oh Yeah, and there's the klezmer Christmas record, worth it for the title alone:

Oy To The World.

-MR

[cgarges]

Santa's Got A Brand New Bag.

Even though most of the tunes are cheese-city, it's really entertaining and the few that are funky are REAL funky.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[vvv]

It's too bad G.G. Allin never did an Xmas album.

I would suit my usual Xmas mood.

[tylerbcrawford]

It's too bad G.G. Allin never did an Xmas album.

I would suit my usual Xmas mood.

GG Allin, man that guy is so hardcore, there is a video out there of him flinging his poop at a crowd at one of his concerts.

Anyone out there making their own christmas album? My band is doing a compilation of local indie bands doing some classics and christmas originals too.

[MASSIVE Mastering]

South Park Christmas. Yes, I'm kidding, it's a bit over the top for "family" stuff.

But yeah, I can listen to the Vince Guaraldi forever. That album *IS* the holiday season for me.

[Interzone]

Blowfly Does XXXmas

[miamidevice]

There's a John Fahey one I like.
Can't remember it's name.

There are a few that seem to mostly be repacked versions of the same handful of songs. I have one called John Fahey Christmas Guitar and one called Christmas with John Fahey vol 2. I think there's a CD called The New Possibility that has most of it on the one CD. Really really good.

m.