{"id":9199,"date":"2011-12-21T06:20:35","date_gmt":"2011-12-21T11:20:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/?p=9199"},"modified":"2011-12-21T17:12:25","modified_gmt":"2011-12-21T22:12:25","slug":"a-quirky-eclectic-christmas-mix-2011-ed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/johnesimpson.com\/blog\/2011\/12\/a-quirky-eclectic-christmas-mix-2011-ed\/","title":{"rendered":"A Quirky<\/del> Eclectic Christmas Mix (2011 ed.)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

[Image (click to enlarge) from <\/em>xkcd<\/a>, where its little pop-up title reads, “An ‘American tradition’ is anything that happened to a baby boomer twice” — ha!]<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"Today’s mid-week music break continues\u00a0an annual series<\/a>, with a couple of twists…<\/p>\n

Once again, I’ve added ten songs to the bottom of the previous years’ entries. (And I continue to worry, probably needlessly, about the robustness of the little WordPress audio-player gadget I use.)<\/p>\n

As before, these artists and numbers appear, back-to-back, in the following playlist:<\/p>\n

— 2008: —<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Peter Robbins et al.: dialogue from A Charlie Brown Christmas<\/em><\/li>\n
  2. Anonymous 4: Hodie Christus Natus Est<\/em><\/li>\n
  3. Waverly Consort: Three Spanish Villancicos – Dadme Albcrecias<\/em><\/li>\n
  4. Perry Como: Home for the Holidays<\/li>\n
  5. Mannheim Steamroller: Joy to the World<\/li>\n
  6. George Winston: The Holly and the Ivy<\/li>\n
  7. Celtic Woman: O Holy Night<\/li>\n
  8. John Denver and the Muppets: The Twelve Days of Christmas<\/li>\n
  9. Al Hirt: Nutty Jingle Bells<\/li>\n
  10. The Roches: Deck the Halls
    \n— 2009: —<\/strong><\/li>\n
  11. Charlotte Church: Mary’s Boy Child<\/li>\n
  12. Madeleine Peyroux\/k.d. lang: River<\/li>\n
  13. George Winston: Variations on the Kanon<\/li>\n
  14. Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops: The Toy Trumpet<\/li>\n
  15. Eartha Kitt: Santa Baby<\/li>\n
  16. Mannheim Steamroller: Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer<\/li>\n
  17. Celtic Woman: The Wexford Carol<\/li>\n
  18. The Brian Setzer Orchestra: Jingle Bells<\/li>\n
  19. Jimmy Boyd: I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus<\/li>\n
  20. Cumberland Gap Reunion: Silent Night
    \n— 2010: —<\/strong><\/li>\n
  21. Sam Phillips: Cold Dark Night (lyrics<\/a>)<\/em><\/li>\n
  22. Elvis Presley: Blue Christmas<\/li>\n
  23. Loreena McKennitt: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (may be my favorite addition to this year’s list…)<\/li>\n
  24. The Chipmunks: The Chipmunk Song<\/li>\n
  25. Frank Sinatra: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas<\/li>\n
  26. London Philharmonic Orchestra: It Came Upon a Midnight Clear<\/li>\n
  27. Tony Elman: Winter Creek<\/li>\n
  28. Sara Groves: Toy Packaging (lyrics<\/a>)<\/em> (…and this may be my favorite for grins)<\/li>\n
  29. <\/em>Harry Belafonte: Mary’s Boy Child<\/li>\n
  30. Ray Conniff Singers: Ring Christmas Bells
    \n— 2011: —<\/strong><\/li>\n
  31. Ralph Marterie and His Band: Dig That Crazy Santa \u00a0Claus<\/li>\n
  32. Nat King Cole: The Christmas Song<\/li>\n
  33. The Indigo Girls: It Really Is (A Wonderful Life) (lyrics<\/a>)<\/em><\/li>\n
  34. Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers: Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town<\/li>\n
  35. Dean Martin: Baby It’s Cold Outside (also see the wonderful\u00a0American Songwriter\u00a0<\/em><\/a>writeup<\/a>\u00a0on the story of this song’s composition\u00a0[thanks, Jules!]<\/em>)<\/li>\n
  36. Ferrante and Teicher: Sleigh Ride<\/li>\n
  37. Bo Dollis & Wild Magnolias<\/a>:\u00a0Shakana Santa Shake It<\/li>\n
  38. Neil Diamond: Silver Bells<\/li>\n
  39. Taverner Consort, Choir, & Players (Andrew Parrott, conductor):\u00a0Branle de l’Officiel<\/em>\u00a0(Ding! Dong! Merrily on High)<\/li>\n
  40. George Winston: Carol of the Bells<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    (Note:<\/strong> The playlist goes automatically from start to finish, once you click the little Play button. To fast-forward to the next number, once a song is playing you’ll find a little fast-forward button to the right of its progress meter. And a fast-rewind to the left, for that matter.)<\/em><\/p>\n

    [audio:00_dialoguefromacharliebrownchristmas.mp3, 01_hodiechristusnatusest_anonymous4.mp3, 02_threespanishvillancicos_dadme_albricias_waverlyconsort.mp3, 03_homefortheholidays_perrycomo.mp3, 04_joytotheworld_mannheimsteamroller.mp3, 05_thehollyandtheivy_georgewinston.mp3, 06_oholynight_celticwoman.mp3, 07_12daysofchristmas_denvermuppets.mp3, 08_nuttyjinglebells_alhirt.mp3, 09_deckthehalls_theroches.mp3, 11_marysboychild_charlottechurch.mp3, 12_river_peyrouxlang.mp3, 13_variationsonthekanonbypachelbel_georgewinston.mp3, 14_thetoytrumpet_fiedler.mp3, 15_santababy_earthakitt.mp3,
    \n16_rudolphtherednosedreindeer_mannheimsteamroller.mp3, 17_thewexfordcarol_celticwoman.mp3, 18_jinglebells_briansetzerorchestra.mp3, 19_isawmommykissingsantaclaus_jimmyboyd.mp3, 20_silentnight_cumberlandgapreunion.mp3, 21_colddarknight_samphillips.mp3, 22_bluechristmas_elvispresley.mp3, 23_godrestyemerrygentlemen_loreenamckennitt.mp3, 24_thechipmunksong_thechipmunks.mp3, 25_haveyourselfamerrylittlechristmas_franksinatra.mp3, 26_itcameuponamidnightclear_londonphilharmonicorchestra.mp3, 27_wintercreek_tonyelman.mp3, 28_toypackaging_saragroves.mp3, 29_marysboychild_harrybelafonte.mp3, 30_ringchristmasbells_rayconniffsingers.mp3, 31_digthatcrazysantaclaus_ralphmarterie.mp3, 32_thechristmassong_natkingcole.mp3, 33_itreallyis_indigogirls.mp3, 34_santaclausiscomintotown_johnnymercer.mp3, 35_babyitscoldoutside_deanmartin.mp3, 36_sleighride_ferranteandteicher.mp3, 37_shakanasantashakeit_bodolliswildmagnolias.mp3, 38_silverbells_neildiamond.mp3, 39_branledelofficiel_tavernerconsort.mp3, 40_carolofthebells_georgewinston.mp3|titles=’A Quirky\/Eclectic Christmas Music Playlist’|artists=Various Artists]<\/div>\n

    This year, I thought I’d also give you the option of just listening to the current ten-song list, without having to fast-forward to it. And while I was at it, why not provide\u00a0RAMH<\/em> regulars the chance to use their secret right-bracket decoder rings, so they could listen to the playlist later without even visiting here? (Yeah, I know — this isn’t exactly the sort of thinking to encourage return visits…)<\/p>\n

    [2011 only]<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    [audio:31_digthatcrazysantaclaus_ralphmarterie.mp3, 32_thechristmassong_natkingcole.mp3, 33_itreallyis_indigogirls.mp3, 34_santaclausiscomintotown_johnnymercer.mp3, 35_babyitscoldoutside_deanmartin.mp3, 36_sleighride_ferranteandteicher.mp3, 37_shakanasantashakeit_bodolliswildmagnolias.mp3, 38_silverbells_neildiamond.mp3, 39_branledelofficiel_tavernerconsort.mp3, 40_carolofthebells_georgewinston.mp3|titles=’A Quirky\/Eclectic Christmas Music Playlist’|artists=Various Artists]<\/div>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Whew.<\/em> I don’t know about you, but after that last triplet of songs I’ve got bells on the brain. Maybe I can drive them out by overloading the senses a little further… The video below shows what my source<\/a> dubbed “the busiest handbell choir you’ve ever seen”; they’re here performing Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” — maybe the most popular Christmas-song-which-technically-isn’t-a-Christmas-song:<\/p>\n