Best Christmas albums (favorite 3)

2

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  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,077
    edited November 2009
    Clay Aiken?

    Your man card, please.....(standing with arm extended and palm up)

    BDT
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
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  • shack
    shack Posts: 11,154
    edited November 2009
    TroyD wrote: »
    Clay Aiken?

    Your man card, please.....(standing with arm extended and palm up)

    BDT

    Ahem...I've seen your music "collection" and won't embarrass and out you with the titile/artists (you will just claim they belong to TLW anyway). :rolleyes:

    Besides...anyone who drinks moonshine straight from a real mason jar has lifetime man card revocation immunity. :D

    shack...happily listening to John Mayer as I type......
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  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,077
    edited November 2009
    EVERYTHING belongs to the TLW....so, technically it would be true....or I would say Tour left it.

    Good point on the moonshine.

    BDT
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
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  • binarycool
    binarycool Posts: 51
    edited November 2009
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  • janmike
    janmike Posts: 6,146
    edited November 2009
    Just order this one (Cantate Domino) in SACD. This will be good and a different variety of wordly Christmas music.
    Michael ;)
    In the beginning, all knowledge was new!
    NORTH of 60°
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  • fatchowmein
    fatchowmein Posts: 2,637
    edited November 2010
    Now That's What I Call Christmas!
    60508307.jpg


    Diana Krall Christmas Songs
    51q2uXBRUuL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

    The third has already been mentioned: "A Charlie Brown Christmas".
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  • AudioGenics
    AudioGenics Posts: 2,567
    edited November 2010
    fav 3 for Xmas....

    A Christmas Festival - Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops

    The Glorious Sound of Christmas - Eugene Ormandy & the Philadelphia Orchestra

    Windham Hill Holiday Guitar Collection
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  • geoffr
    geoffr Posts: 22
    edited November 2010
    Leon Redbone - "Christmas Island" fantastic
    Booker T & the MG's Christmas album - funky organ carols
    I have so many, I can't think of a 3rd
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  • toucanet
    toucanet Posts: 580
    edited November 2010
    Fats Domino - Christmas Gumbo
    Fats_Domino_-_Christmas_Gumbo_-_Front.jpg

    Has a cool New Orleans flair to it.
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  • toucanet
    toucanet Posts: 580
    edited November 2010
    48f31363ada0de5f4c94f010.L.jpg
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  • toucanet
    toucanet Posts: 580
    edited November 2010
    img.php?image=22429_Boney_James-Christmas_Present_122_128lo.jpg
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  • toucanet
    toucanet Posts: 580
    edited November 2010
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  • Jstas
    Jstas Posts: 14,842
    edited November 2010
    Well, aside from the usual suspects like Bing Crosby, Tony Bennett, Eartha Kitt, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and so on, I have a few that usually hit the CD player as well.

    This album is better than it seems. "The Ultimate Christmas Album" from a local radio station WOGL -FM "Oldies 98". It was a nice surprise because the only reason I have it is because it was the only album I could find at the time that was still in print and had Mavis Staples - "Christmas Vacation" on it. It also has stuff like "Feliz Navidad" sung by Jose Feliciano but also has Bobby Vinton, The Supremes, Larry Chance and The Earls, Andy Williams, Percy Faith and Lou Christie. Worth owning. Production quality is pretty good too.

    51ZXDFFBC1L._SL500_AA300_.jpg
    http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Christmas-Album-Vol-Philadelphia/dp/B00000089M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290801080&sr=1-1

    Mavis Staples - "Christmas Vacation"
    <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/j9R9lztJaoA?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/j9R9lztJaoA?fs=1&hl=en_US&quot; type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

    This one is one of my favorites. It's pretty well done too. It's called "The Beauty of Christmas" and it involves The London Festival Orchestra and The Ambrosian Singers. I grabbed it out of a $5 discount bin like 15 years ago now most likely. It ended up being a pearl among pebbles. Especially since it has sone nice tracks you don't often find done well if done at all. Oh, yeah, and if you are going to crank the volume on this one, better have some power behind your setup. A few tracks have a battery of un-muted French horns. It makes the Silver Seven t's I have hooked up to the Amazings dim the lights pretty drastically if I'm not careful.

    61Id2d%2BuwKL.jpg
    http://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Christmas-Various-Artists/dp/B00000DCEN/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1290801590&sr=1-1


    This album overall isn't bad but the only reason I have it is because of track #2, The Eurythmics "Winter Wonderland". Everything else is Meh.

    A Very Special Christmas - Vol 1
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    http://www.amazon.com/Very-Special-Christmas-Pretenders/dp/B000002GFJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290800960&sr=8-1


    Another VERY cool album would be "Ho Ho Ho Hoey" from Gary Hoey. Alot like The Ventures album it's all instrumental. But Gary Hoey doesn't do anything lightly.

    5199GVMZKTL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
    http://www.amazon.com/Ho-Hoey-Complete-Collection/dp/B0000CD5JU/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1290802228&sr=1-1

    A little sample of Hoey:
    <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1IpFs9DHM6k?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1IpFs9DHM6k?fs=1&hl=en_US&quot; type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

    There's also "Dr. Demento Presents: Greatest Christmas Novelty CD". This has lotsa fun stuff on it including Weird Al's "Christmas At Ground Zero". Unfortunately, it is misisng his song "The Night Santa Went Crazy". But it does have Allen Sherman's "12 Gifts of Christmas" and "I Yust Go Nuts At Christmas" and "I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus"! There's lotsa fun stuff on this album, especially for Dr. D fans!

    51K4F9427JL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
    http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Demento-Presents-Greatest-Christmas/dp/B00000348G/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1290802662&sr=1-6

    Lastly, I have this one to annoy others! That is, until they realize that those bass notes are actually "Frosty The Snow Man" or "Jingle Bells"!

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    http://www.amazon.com/Have-Very-Christmas-Various-Artists/dp/B0000037R3/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290801928&sr=1-1


    I know I have a few more good ones but all my albums are packed up right now while I'm working on the library. I'm going on memory here.

    Oh yeah and another vote for the Phil Spector album. My dad has it on vinyl and dubbed it to tape. It's usually played while tree decoration goes on.
    Expert Moron Extraordinaire

    You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you!
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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,387
    edited December 2010
    I just picked up Berl Ives "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" for $3.99. It is not the best recording quality by far but that doesn't prevent one form enjoying this wonderful collection of Christmas music. This CD really captures the season of Christmas in a very simple, pleasant manner.

    For a more modern listen, I also recommend Aimee Mann's "Another Drifter In The Snow".
    Stan

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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,918
    edited December 2010
    There's an Aimee Mann holiday album?! Is it still in print? That sounds pretty cool.
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  • bobman1235
    bobman1235 Posts: 10,822
    edited December 2010
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    There's an Aimee Mann holiday album?! Is it still in print? That sounds pretty cool.

    Still in print. I'ts actually pretty new.

    http://www.amazon.com/More-Drifter-Snow-Aimee-Mann/dp/B000IMUYEC
    If you will it, dude, it is no dream.
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  • fatchowmein
    fatchowmein Posts: 2,637
    edited December 2010
    You may not agree with the link below, I did not, but it includes album art and most of the songs have an embedded full length audio sample that I found useful.

    http://www.aolradioblog.com/2010/11/06/top-100-christmas-songs
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  • Pauly
    Pauly Posts: 4,519
    edited December 2010
    Ive enjoyed A Very Special Christmas albums. There are a few. Good stuff


    Pauly
    Life without music would♭
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  • jayman_1975
    jayman_1975 Posts: 672
    edited December 2010
    I can't believe neither of these 2 have come up on this list yet.


    album-alabama-christmas.jpg


    boney m.jpg
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  • George Grand
    George Grand Posts: 12,258
    edited December 2010
    I can.
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  • Polkie2009
    Polkie2009 Posts: 3,834
    edited December 2010
    Celtic Woman have a really nice Christmas DVD and CD that sounds and looks great:)
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  • Polkersince85
    Polkersince85 Posts: 2,883
    edited December 2010
    I can't believe noboby has not pulled this all time favorite out. With the SDA's, it's like Alvin is singing behind you.
    >
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    >This message has been scanned by the NSA and found to be free of harmful intent.<
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  • strider
    strider Posts: 2,568
    edited December 2013
    Seems like a good time of the year to revive a thread like this...

    Bela Fleck & The Flecktones - Jingle All The Way

    Squirrel Nut Zippers - Christmas Caravan

    Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas
    Wristwatch--->Crisco
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  • bmbguy
    bmbguy Posts: 416
    edited December 2013
    Jon Anderson (of Yes) -- 3 Ships
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  • headrott
    headrott Posts: 5,496
    edited December 2013
    What makes you say that Ben? :razz:

    I wll re-recommend the Chris Squire CD "Swiss Choir". Great disc!
    Relayer-Big-O-Poster.jpg
    Taken from a recent Audioholics reply regarding "Club Polk" and Polk speakers:
    "I'm yet to hear a Polk speaker that merits more than a sentence and 60 seconds discussion." :\
    My response is: If you need 60 seconds to respond in one sentence, you probably should't be evaluating Polk speakers.....

    "Green leaves reveal the heart spoken Khatru"- Jon Anderson

    "Have A Little Faith! And Everything You'll Face, Will Jump From Out Right On Into Place! Yeah! Take A Little Time! And Everything You'll Find, Will Move From Gloom Right On Into Shine!"- Arthur Lee
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  • Polkie2009
    Polkie2009 Posts: 3,834
    edited December 2013
    Perry Como had a great__ Christmas album years ago, I think it was just called "Season's Greeting" or something like that. There's probably not many members here who even remember Perry Como, but he had a great, smooth voice and was very popular back in the day. Another Christmas album I always enjoyed was one done by The Ray Conniff Singers, "Christmas With Conniff".
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  • headrott
    headrott Posts: 5,496
    edited December 2013
    I also like 3 Ships by Jon Anderson, as bmbguy recommended. After all, I am absolutely a YES fan. Mavis Staples sings on "Oh Holy Night" and does a "kick a$$" job on it!
    Relayer-Big-O-Poster.jpg
    Taken from a recent Audioholics reply regarding "Club Polk" and Polk speakers:
    "I'm yet to hear a Polk speaker that merits more than a sentence and 60 seconds discussion." :\
    My response is: If you need 60 seconds to respond in one sentence, you probably should't be evaluating Polk speakers.....

    "Green leaves reveal the heart spoken Khatru"- Jon Anderson

    "Have A Little Faith! And Everything You'll Face, Will Jump From Out Right On Into Place! Yeah! Take A Little Time! And Everything You'll Find, Will Move From Gloom Right On Into Shine!"- Arthur Lee
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  • bmbguy
    bmbguy Posts: 416
    edited December 2013
    Agreed headrott. I have the vinyl from back in the 80s when the album first came out -- from what I understand they mucked up the CD by inserting songs between some of the ones from the original vinyl. Adding songs is one thing, but changing the original 'feel' of the album isn't a great idea, IMO.
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  • Mikey081057
    Mikey081057 Posts: 7,127
    edited December 2013
    Try These


    Squirrel Nut Zippers Christmas Caravan

    John Valby Herniated Jingle Balls

    The Perry Como Christmas Album
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  • ken brydson
    ken brydson Posts: 8,774
    edited December 2013
    Mikey081057 wrote: »
    Try These


    Squirrel Nut Zippers Christmas Caravan

    John Valby Herniated Jingle Balls

    The Perry Como Christmas Album

    I'll avoid anything "Nut Zippers" thank you. Brings back bad memories...
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