Holiday Music Thread

2

Comments

  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,925
    edited December 2008
    Yes I have one of their CDs, which I found at the dump but is actually quite entertaining :-)

    (Sounds of Marky scurrying to the living room to find it)

    The one I have is A Canadian Brass Christmas

    0965b340dca05a45f0353010._AA240_.L.jpg
  • manman
    manman Posts: 256
    edited December 2008
    strider wrote: »
    A Charlie Brown Christmas by the Vince Gauraldi Trio

    Available on SACD and 45 rpm vinyl for the true audiophile Christmas experience.

    Thanks for the link, "Christmas Time is Here" (both the instrumental and vocal) is my very favorite christmas song ever!

    I also like "Baby it's Cold Outside" by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan, and "Let it Snow" by Boyz II Men
  • ND13
    ND13 Posts: 7,601
    edited December 2008
    Sabbath , dudes!!!
    "SOME PEOPLE CALL ME MAURICE,
    CAUSE I SPEAK OF THE POMPITIOUS OF LOVE"
  • davidcity
    davidcity Posts: 31
    edited December 2008
    Josh Groban Christmas is terrific...and was the no 1 seller last year.
  • jgido759
    jgido759 Posts: 572
    edited December 2008
    Current favorite this year:

    61-O53Z4JlL._SL500_AA240_.jpg
    Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support
    group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar.
    -Drew Carey

    There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
    -Unknown

    My DVD Collection
  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,330
    edited December 2011
    'Tis the season to resurrect the holiday music thread....

    Last year one of my favorite Christmas finds were: Berl Ives, "Holly Jolly Christmas" and Aimee Mann, "Another Drifter in the Snow". This year I went with Shack's advice and picked up The Carpenters, "Christmas Portrait".

    Stan
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
  • rromeo923
    rromeo923 Posts: 1,513
    edited December 2011
    http://top40.about.com/od/top10lists/tp/christmasalbums.htm

    I am a fan of #8 and #9 which I would have #1 and #2
    I got static in my head
    The reflected sound of everything
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,925
    edited December 2011
    skrol wrote: »
    'Tis the season to resurrect the holiday music thread....

    Last year one of my favorite Christmas finds were: Berl Ives, "Holly Jolly Christmas" and Aimee Mann, "Another Drifter in the Snow". This year I went with Shack's advice and picked up The Carpenters, "Christmas Portrait".

    Stan
    Aimee Mann has a "Christmas" album?!?
  • deronb1
    deronb1 Posts: 5,021
    edited December 2011
    This is a tradition in our house. We have listened to this while putting the tree up for over 20 years.
  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,521
    edited December 2011
    Carpenters Christmas Portrait
    Kenny G Wishes
    Nat King Cole Christmas Song
    Bing Crosby White Christmas
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
  • Toolfan66
    Toolfan66 Posts: 16,834
    edited December 2011
    Michael Buble Christmas is where it's at for me this year...
  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited December 2011
    steveinaz wrote: »
    Nat King Cole (The) Christmas Song
    You betcha... There are multiple releases of this classic from 1960.

    h02419psg7m.jpg


    Also have a soft spot for this 1992 Telarc release, by none other than the co-writer of The Christmas Song...

    d82955tr4c9.jpg
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner

    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,925
    edited December 2011
    since I've been guilty of much thread pollution on this topic already... might as well pollute some more :-)

    The preferred mode of holiday reproduction at my house - decades' worth of solstice vinyl dubbed to VHS HiFi Audio tape!
    Actual, unretouched photo of a December dubbing session from a few years back. The side-load Zenith VCR was a Stereo Discounters' "HiFi show and sale" buy ca. 1986 - still going strong. This one was designed to be used for both audio and video recording (i.e., it has variable record level, peak hold display rec level meters, headphone monitor jack and output level... stuff like that). I've actually used it for live recording (with reel to reel in parallel for a "safety" copy) with good results.

    holidaydubbing121209.jpg
  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,521
    edited December 2011
    I used to do a lot of transfers to a Panasonic H-fi VHS in the mid/late 80's. Excellent sound, minimal background hiss. because of the head speed/high tape speed; freq response and S/N were very, very good. I also did party mixes via CD, and hi-fi VHS--it did a great job of giving the CD music a more analog sound.
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,925
    edited December 2011
    90-plus dB dynamic range (even at "LP" speed - 6 hours of high-quality audio on a cheap T-120 tape!). No NR needed, as the audio is recorded as an FM signal (and the hiss and most other noise on the tape is AM). Beta HiFi (the originator) and VHS HiFi were the last great analog recording formats to be developed. :-)

    The only real drawback is the potential for occasional dropouts - esp. at low tape speeds. Using very high quality tape helps considerably. We have 20-plus year old tapes that still sound excellent.
  • Ern Dog
    Ern Dog Posts: 2,237
    edited December 2011
    If you are a Sarah McLachlan fan then you'll love this cd. It's called Wintersong and was released in 2006.

    Check it: http://www.amazon.com/Wintersong-Sarah-Mclachlan/dp/B000HBKCDC/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_1
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,925
    edited December 2011
    Ern Dog wrote: »
    If you are a Sarah McLachlan fan then you'll love this cd. It's called Wintersong and was released in 2006.

    Check it: http://www.amazon.com/Wintersong-Sarah-Mclachlan/dp/B000HBKCDC/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_1

    Yeah it is pretty good - the medley The First Noel/Mary Had a Little Baby thereupon is stunning in all respects; a favorite latter-day holiday track.
  • Tbone289
    Tbone289 Posts: 661
    edited December 2011
    It's not all traditional tunes, but I really like The Jethro Tull Christmas Album and Jingle all the Way from Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. If you want something harder, check out Gary Hoey's Christmas stuff (Ho Ho Hoey).
    2.1: PC>Schiit Gungnir MB>Schiit Freya Noval>NAD C-270>Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1, HSU STF-2 5.1: HDMI Bitstream>Denon AVR-1910>polkaudio RTE55, CS350-LS, RT3, HSU STF-2, Visio M55-F0
  • jgido759
    jgido759 Posts: 572
    edited December 2011
    Current favorite...

    51SEjUb8P2L__SL500_AA300_.jpg
    Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support
    group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar.
    -Drew Carey

    There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
    -Unknown

    My DVD Collection
  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,330
    edited December 2011
    The Jethro Tull Christmas Album, now that is one I gotta hear. The lyrics are pretty interesting.

    The Carpenter's Christmas Portrait is truly worth having. It puts me in mind of a Christmas musical. "Little Alter Boy" touches my heart. Is/was there a high-res version of this album available?
    Stan
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
  • Tbone289
    Tbone289 Posts: 661
    edited November 2012
    I'll revive this one and add Squirrel Nut Zippers - Christmas Caravan to my previously mentioned selections.
    2.1: PC>Schiit Gungnir MB>Schiit Freya Noval>NAD C-270>Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1, HSU STF-2 5.1: HDMI Bitstream>Denon AVR-1910>polkaudio RTE55, CS350-LS, RT3, HSU STF-2, Visio M55-F0
  • Danny Tse
    Danny Tse Posts: 5,206
    edited November 2012
    Holiday music on SACD....

    5282485480_0e91382557.jpg
  • dkr919
    dkr919 Posts: 379
    edited November 2012
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,925
    edited December 2017
    OK -- I went diggin' around for a "holiday music" thread and found this one :)
    Untouched by human -- umm -- bytes since 2012.

    Why dare you disturb its slumber? I hear you ask.

    :)

    Back in September, Mrs. H & I attended an open house to visit the new studios of Vermont Public Radio (VPR) in Colchester, VT. One of the unexpected bonuses of that visit was a 'freebie' pile of CDs that their music library was getting rid of :)

    I picked up a few (imagine that?!) -- one of them was a "holiday" themed album called Enchanted Winter by one Jillian LaDage. As it happens, we have a proscription at our house against playing "holiday music" out of season. Well, the "holiday season" is here, and I am just now listening to this disc.

    It consists of Celtic-style takes on some well known (and unknown, at least to me) winter/Christmas music, and I'd opine (so far) that it's pretty darned good (if, of course, one likes that sort of thing). Think Loreena Mckennit, that sort of stuff. I don't know if any of y'all are fans of such, but it's a guilty pleasure for me, so I thought it worthy of mention.

    Found it on YT, too, if you'd care to give a listen :)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qmCKwFwLP0&list=PLEg_MVM-GHO9r-TNvynyXD1qdcYEYa5zt

    Moody and atmospheric as all get out, it is. :)

    Happy Holidays, y'all!
  • marvda1
    marvda1 Posts: 4,862
    can't believe this was not mentioned

    hymoiiy1hh44.png
    Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
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    Transport: Jay's Audio CDT2 mk2, Lumin U1 mini
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    Puritan PSM156
  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 32,925
    what year was it released? This really is an old thread! ;)
  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 6,646
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    Back in September, Mrs. H & I attended an open house to visit the new studios of Vermont Public Radio (VPR) in Colchester, VT.

    Eye is uhmembah dat! :p
  • Viking64
    Viking64 Posts: 6,646
    edited December 2017
    Here's a good one. :) "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPekHW5ollE
  • txcoastal1
    txcoastal1 Posts: 13,124
    NO
    2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
    Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
    Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
    Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC

    erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a
  • FestYboy
    FestYboy Posts: 3,861
    sa96zdl36syu.jpg
    Caety's favorite Christmas album. I just happen to like near everything he puts out, so...