Christmas CD rotation

The leftover turkey and stuffing have been packed away in the refrigerator after another excellent Thanksgiving, which marks the beginning of the second most wonderful time of the year: Christmas. (Yes, I think Thanksgiving is better. But that's for another post.)

In the spirit of the season, I present to you, the discerning reader, a list of my favorite Christmas albums:


Various Artists: Happy Christmas, Volume 2
This is a surprise addition to this year's Christmas rotation. I purchased it last year at the 90% off sale at a Family Christian Store that was moving to a new location. I think I paid 47 cents, but it was a well spent 47 cents. The cover art evokes that of Larry Norman's seminal "Upon this Rock", only it features Santa Claus flying through the air instead of Mr. Norman. The standout track from this collection is Sixpence None the Richer's version of "You're A Mean One Mr. Grintch" followed closely by All Star United's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday". I could do without the opening MxPx track, since it sounds just like everything else they have ever recorded, but most of the rest of the album is worth a listen. I don't recommend paying full price, but for 47 cents this diamond in the rough is good enough for anyone's Christmas rotation.


Bing Crosby: White Christmas
I purchased this album during one of my many and frequent memberships in the Columbia House Record and Tape Club. I'm not into the crooners like my brother, Ensign Genius, but this album was almost enough to convert me. What is most impressive about this collection is the songs that are featured. Besides the Bing Crosby standard "White Christmas", consider "Faith of Our Fathers"--a song rarely heard in church anymore, much less on a Christmas album. And this was a pop record! Nowadays even Christian singers seem more comfortable singing the "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" styled songs. Unfortunately, my copy was stolen along with the rest of the contents of a bag that my wife left lying on a sidewalk outside our home in Springfield, OH. Considering we lived in a crack neighborhood, this is understandable, but it's funny to think of the thieves getting that excited about finding this inside.


Various Artists: Christmas
This takes me back to my freshman year of college. The gentlemen with whom I roomed in Dorm 10 at Liberty University and I strung up Christmas lights and enjoyed canned egg nog as we played this album over and over. Notable mostly because of Steve Taylor's mariachi-inspired "Winter Wonderland", this album can be found in the discount bins of Christmas music at most Christian retailers.


Nat King Cole: The Christmas Song
My dad passed his love of music on to me. One of the best things about his record collection was the fact that it was so eclectic. The Christmas music he owned, though, was fairly selective. This is one of those gems. I can't think of a guy with a smoother voice than the late Mr. Cole, and the orchestration arranged by Ralph Carmichael is perfect. The music dances, capturing the grandeur and joy that Christmas represents. From the opening strains of the familiar "Christmas Song" (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...) to the beautiful "Silent Night", this album will remain in the canon of classic Christmas albums for a very long time to come.


John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together
I hear you tittering out there, but this is my favorite Christmas album of all time. No joke. Like many people my age, I grew up in a home where John Denver was played constantly and my parents went to see his shows every year at Wolf Trap. As a result, anytime he was on TV we watched him. One year, he was in this Christmas special with the Muppets, and this album is the music from the special. I remember the Christmas morning sometime after that (I think it was 1981 or 1982) when my mom opened this record and she played it all day. And then, every year after that, we played it all season. It was the tree-decorating music. About 7 or 8 years ago, my mom purchased a copy of the CD for me and each of my siblings, and it's now a staple in my house for the season. Yes, it's corny and childish, but it also contains some of the most beautiful original Christmas compositions ever written by a contemporary artist. And besides, isn't Christmas supposed to be a little childish and fun?

The reason for the season?

If this story offends you because you feel that the Marine Corps or Toys for Tots is somehow discriminating against Christians, you aren’t looking at it properly. Shouldn’t we rather be asking whether it’s appropriate to market an action figure modeled after the Holy Son of God?

Then again, it does have that cool kung fu action grip…

The power of black

I thought the video for Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down" could be interesting with the all-star cast of Kris Kristofferson, Bono, Dennis Hopper, Chris Rock, Kanye West, Iggy Pop, and others, but I had no idea how powerful it could be. See for yourself...

One more sign of the apocalypse

My brother-in-law is a fan of Billy Idol. Yes, that Billy Idol. When I first met him about 3 years ago, I thought this was a little peculiar. No, not because I didn't enjoy some Idol's songs--I mean, what's not to love about such toe-tappers as "White Wedding", "Rebel Yell", "Cradle of Love", and my personal favorite, "Dancing with Myself". What makes that last one so great is the fade out, where Billy starts chanting "Sweat! Sweat! Sweat!" Ah yes, what a wordsmith.

So, like I was saying, my brother-in-law is a big fan. By big fan, I don't mean that he will pause when scanning the radio for a good tune and finds out it's 80s weekend on the top 40 station. By fan I mean that he owns all the albums. I don't think he has any posters or tour shirts, but I wouldn't put it past him. I only ever knew one other person ever that was that big a fan, and that person was a girl...back in 10th grade. So, now I know two.

So, I'm chatting with my sister, who found my brother-in-law irresistable despite this strange obsession with Mr. Idol. Don't get me wrong, I think she picked herself a mighty swell guy. He's a good American and one that I quite like having as part of our family. Anyway, she and I were talking about my kids, and I told her how after recently scanning the radio for a good tune, I found that the 80s station was playing a Billy Idol song. As a bonus, it just happened to be my favorite Idol tune, "Dancing with Myself". I told my beloved sister how much I enjoyed laughing with my kids about the way he started the "Sweat" portion of the song. Good times.

Thanks to the miracle of modern technology, we were both able to surf the Internet as we talked, and we both ended up on Idol's site. And what is Mr. Idol up to these days? Why, doing what all former punk rockers do...recording a holiday album!

Yes, that's right kids, Billy Idol is now in his 50s and has mellowed a bit. He's at that age where he's ready to be the modern equivalent to Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and David Bowie...well, he only did that one thing with Bing, but we'll leave him on the list anyway.

Wanna judge for yourself? Ladies and gentlemen, I present you with White Christmas! If that's too much, start with Jingle Bell Rock. Be prepared to start dancing with yourself.

As shocking as it was to discover this latest album, these selections aren't all that bad. I might purchase a copy after all.