It's that time of year again, one month to Christmas. We get so saturated with commercialism during the holiday season, it almost works exactly the opposite of the intentions, for me at least. To put in musical terms, we hear the same ol' stuff in the stores, parking lots, radio ads, TV ads... until we're about ready to scream. And it's a pretty good bet that your favorite artist has created their own album of holiday music, because it's a very lucrative thing to do. So, of course, I've purchased even more holiday music so I can make my own selections. And there is some really good stuff, and some... errrr... not so much. Some new renditions of old classics, and some new songs altogether.
Some of my old favorites from rock/pop artists include:
- John Lennon, 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)'
- The Beach Boys, 'Little Saint Nick'
- David Bowie & Bing Crosby, 'Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy'
- Elvis Presley, 'Blue Christmas'
- Jose Feliciano, 'Feliz Navidad'
Being a "guitar guy" I must include some of my other favorites including the great guitar work of The Brian Setzer Orchestra, 'Boogie Woogie Christmas' and 'Dig That Crazy Christmas' or Gary Hoey, 'Ho Ho Hoey'. There is the more traditional albums by Gloria Estefan, 'Christmas Through Your Eyes' and Jewel, 'Joy, A Holiday Collection'. Los Lonely Boys, Sugarland, and others have also made some worthwhile contributions. I do really enjoy the new age styling of Mannheim Steamroller and the symphonic rock of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. If you haven't heard these last two you really need to look them up.
I'm working on this year's video, meanwhile here is a link to the past four years.
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