Fa La La La La, part 1

I can’t help it.

This has been going on for years.

There is apparently not a cure.

I’m hopelessly attracted to holiday music. Not just singles, but entire albums. This isn’t new – I started with LPs (which I still have) and progressed to 8-track tapes and cassettes (no longer in the collection) and have countless CDs which have been picked up over the years. I'm going to guess I've amassed nearly 100 albums in all, but has that stopped me? No...every year I scour the holiday rack at Half Price Books and search new releases online. If I end up in a Virgin Record store (do those even still exist?) just go get coffee -- I’ll be awhile.

Rosemary Clooney. Johnny Mathis. Ella Fitzgerald. Percy Faith. Hampton String Quartet. Judy Garland. Frank Sinatra. The Carpenters. The Vocal Majority. Andy Williams. Steve Tyrell. Barry Manilow. The Chipmunks. Brian Setzer. Paul Anka. Mannheim Steamroller. Louis Armstrong. Dean Martin. Mel Torme. Elvis Presley. Glenn Miller. Harry Connick Jr. I've even got Christmas with the Rat Pack. (If any of those names sent you to Google, well, you're a lot younger than I am.) Everyone has recorded a Christmas album!

Never mind that, for the most part, there are like 14 songs that get re-recorded over and over and over on Christmas albums. And disregard the fact that a few of these albums should never have been released because they include ALL of the common 14 songs with unimaginative arrangements. (Back in the old days you just bought albums…there were no previews to listen to or reviews to read first on Amazon – you read the jacket, bought an album and took your chances...and I still do that.)

Of all the albums in my jukebox, a few do stand out as favorites. They’re the ones my husband and I scramble for each year, so they’re in our cars for the season. If you’re looking for some fresh music for your own car, you might consider these:

• Pink Martini – Joy to the World (2010) -– definitely not traditional, but it still sounds Christmassy in a world-traveler multi-cultural kind of way. Plus the CD cover is super-cool.
• Straight No Chaser – Holiday Spirits (2008) -– these guys really have their act together, and by that I mean they’re in perfect 10-part harmony. All their holiday albums are fun, but this one includes their version of “12 Days of Christmas” which is just priceless, and anything but dull and repetitive.
• Bette Midler – Cool Yule (2006) -– top to bottom, I love this one. It’s fun! And one that (for whatever reason) I don’t get tired of. My boys even ask for the record with the “red-haired lady” on the cover.

(skipping a few decades here...)

• Vince Guaraldi Trio - A Charlie Brown Christmas (soundtrack to the television show, 1965) -- a must-have album if you grew up in the era when we scoured the weekly TV schedule delivered in the newspaper to find out when all the holiday specials were playing. Without VHS or DVD copies, we had to stop everything and watch when our favorites were on.
• Steve & Eydie – That Holiday Feeling! (1964) – May your days be perky and bright! I love Steve & Eydie; you just know they’re singing with big smiles on their faces. The music is great but even better is this “personal” message printed on the liner notes. So 60’s!

 

• Bing Crosby – Merry Christmas/White Christmas (1945) – The ultimate classic.  You get more than Bing -- the Andrews Sisters are here too. Mele Kelikimaka is certainly not on every album; beware, it will stick with you for days! And I love this version of Jingle Bells.

So if you’re looking for some new old tunes to get your holiday spirit going, you might give one of these a try. They’re all on Amazon (where the links will take you) but I find great bargains at Half Price Books and online at hbpmarketplace.com all the time. Or maybe your parents or your favorite festive aunt -– you know, the one with the collection of holiday aprons –- has one of these tucked away that you can borrow. Ray Conniff, anyone? That says “get out the eggnog” to me!