I felt guilty foisting someone else's content on you and calling it my Christmas entry. So here is my Christmas entry for this week, following up on my earlier entry about Christmas music. Last week I told you about four seasonal albums already in my CD collection. This week I will share with you the short list of CDs I am considering for this year's annual purchase.
The Brian Setzer Orchestra: Boogie Woogie Christmas
What's not to like about Brian Setzer? Always on the leading edge of trendiness, in the 80s he re-introduced us to rock-a-billy with The Stray Cats. In the 90s he was way ahead of everybody else, leading the way to the swing band revolution. Whatever music Brian Setzer is playing, it is always about fun. Boogie Woogie Christmas was originally released in 2002, but this year it has been re-released with several new tracks. And because I'm in Canada, I don't have to got to Target to get it.
Barenaked Ladies: Barenaked For The Holidays
A mix of original and traditional holiday songs arranged into familiar BNL harmonies. As usual with The Ladies, we are also treated to a mix of serious and more light-hearted melodies. This CD includes several Hanukkah themed songs, and the New Year's Eve standard Auld Lang Syne. Can anybody tell me what the heck that means?
Various Artists: A Canadian Christmas
I'm attracted to this one for two reasons: 1) It's Canadian. 2) A portion of the proceeds go to charity. A Canadian Christmas includes songs from Diana Krall, Holly Cole, Jann Arden, Bruce Cockburn, Anne Murray, The Rankin Sisters, Randy Bachman, and Spirit Of The West. As an added bonus, it features The 12 Days Of Christmas by Bob And Doug McKenzie.Take off, eh?
Verve Presents: The Very Best Of Christmas Jazz
What can I say. I like Jazz. And this album claims to be the very best of it. With Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson, Shirly Horn, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane, and Mel Torme, they just might be right. Wait, Mel Torme?
There you have it, folks. Barring some absolutely unforseen CD jumping off the rack at me, my annual Christmas Cd purchase will be one of the above albums. The choice is going to be a hard one. Any opinions?
7 comments:
Ummm... Meaning of Auld Lang Syne... Look here: http://people.howstuffworks.com/question279.htm..According to this page, a good translation of the words "auld lang syne" is "times gone by." So (incorporating a couple of other translations) when we sing this song, we are saying, "We'll drink a cup of kindness yet for times gone by.... Just trying to be helpful <eg>
http://journals.aol.com/astaryth/AdventuresofanEclecticMind
My mom told me decades ago that Auld Lang Syne meant "old time's sake," but at least one of the Google links translates it as "Old Long Ago." Here's an interesting critical history of the song, which Robert Burns had a hand in shaping:
http://www.tamoshanter.free-online.co.uk/Auldls.htm
Karen
woohoo Im 4000 I dont mind worth a deng. and I read your cowboy poetry one daily. SO Im safe!
I was only joking about the Auld Lang Syne thing. A (somewhat) direct translation would be 'Old Long Since.' It means "the past," and more specifically, the good times of the past that we wax nostalgic for. That's why it has come to be a standard on New Year's Eve in North America. In Scotland, it was sung at any gathering that included good old friends.
-Paul
4015- always a day late a dollar short! lol have a good one! rachel
You buy ONE holiday CD a year? You are the very model of restraint.
Thanks for stopping by my journal. (http://journals.aol.com/mlraminiak/ComingtotermswithMiddleAge/) Feel free to stop by and annoy me any time. Lisa :-]
What do you think about this one?
Joy - A Holiday Collection by Jewel
Jewel’s holiday album, playing it straight with a big orchestra and backing voices.
Btw- Awesome quote in your latest siggy…especially given that backasswards screenname’s post about vanity. Turkeys are flightless!
SC
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