From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V7 #363 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Friday, December 21 2001 Volume 07 : Number 363 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: ecto-digest V7 #362 [Dennis G Parslow ] Re: Christmas music [betcey ventrella ] Christmas music, etc. ["Joanna M. Phillips" ] christmas music [dave ] Favorite Christmas Music [jjhanson@att.net] Holly Cole Christmas Music--an opposite view [JoAnn Whetsell ] Re: Holly Cole Christmas Music--an opposite view ["Cheri Villines" Subject: Re: ecto-digest V7 #362 In response to the "new Enya" thing, yeah, I knew it was out a year earlier, but my wife hadn't known, since the stations she listens to and the places she goes didn't play/hype it at all. It was the "She has a new album? shocked response (compared to my yeah... answer) that clued me to it making a good gift choice. In response to seeing a movie because the book was good, it depends on the movie. I think my enjoyment of Harry Potter was greatly enhanced by my previous enjoyment of the book. I understand that this reaction is relatively unusual, but I am hoping (and from what I have read and heard) that in this case it will not be a disappointment. In response to fantasy series, the Xanth "trilogy" is the one that killed me the worst. As I realized "Why am I reading this?" However, I find that many of the newer writers are much more readable than some of the older stuff (never liked Dune, for example, and after finishing Gene Wolfe, completely repressed the entire series.) For example, I like Susan Dexter, Stephen Brust, Lawrence Watt-Evans, Harry Turtledove, etc. Even though I like a writer and/or a series, I am still willing to poke fun (as in David Gerrold's aliterative series, which I titled "A Taste for Tedium", or Sue Grafton's "X is for Xenocide") In response to Christmas music Messiah is a must Roches "Three Kings" is a must. I can be unconcious during surgery, and will still sing along with "She rules the world..." I just picked up the Peanuts Christmas album...after playing the video recording of the special twice more just as background music, I realized that I could just buy the album I have a fun 80's complilation (title unremembered) with stuff like The Waitresses "Christmas Wrapping", The Pretenders, etc. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2001 00:36:32 -0700 From: betcey ventrella Subject: Re: Christmas music I'm a huge fan of Christmas music, the day after Thanksgiving I get out my Christmas collection (somewhere in the vicinity of 50 CDs) and play them daily. Comes from having a couple of retail stores years ago, when you want to get customers in a buying mood early! I also love Bruce Cockburn's _Christmas_! Happy's version of "O Holy Night" on _The Keep_ is haunting and exquisite . . . If she ever put out a Christmas album, I'd have to buy 6 or 7 copies just so I'd have one for the rest of my life! Also, Chris Smither has a Holiday EP with a lovely version of "Coventry Carol". Some other favorites: Jorma Kaukonen's _Christmas Music_ - classic Kaukonen finger-picking with instrumentals, a great Santa Claus storysong and a couple of raucous singalongs. _The Nutcracker Suite_ by the Modern Mandolin Quartet I like the compilation disks (yeah, ok, I have a short attention span)- _Sugar Plums_ and _Tinsel Tunes_ - both old-timey newgrassy compilations from the folks at Sugar Hill Records _The Alligator Christmas Collection_ from Alligator Records _An Austin Christmas_ (??? I think that's the name of it) _Christmas Blues and Shout_ _Have Yourself a Jazzy Little Christmas_ _Bummed-Out Christmas_ - I love this one! "Somebody Stole my Santa Claus Suit", "Christmas in Prison", "Santa Got a D.W.I" , "Christmas in Jail", "Christmas in Viet Nam", more silly doo-wop, bluesy stuff. I'm not much of a New Age aficianado, but I do love Windham Hill's _A Winter's Solstice_ and _Celtic Christmas_ series. And, OK, I admit to having Spike Jones' and Dr. Demento's Christmas albums, too . . but don't tell anyone! OK, so most of these hardly fall into the "Ecto" category - oh well. Let me know if you know any that DO! Hmmm. I've got to get myself a couple of "classic" Christmas albums! n.p. Tom Waits, Blue Valentines ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* iMac . . . . therefore, iAm ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Betcey from Beyond http://www.beyondbeadery.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2001 06:58:39 -0500 From: "Joanna M. Phillips" Subject: Christmas music, etc. What's in my Hello Kitty CD wallet/case *today* (this changes almost daily now, since I do have a lot of Christmas/holiday CDs!): "State of Grace" - this is not a holiday CD, but has been in the case since I bought it a few weeks ago (I never had occasion to use a CD case before; but since Cat'r, who is taking me to and from my radiation treatments daily, has a Really Nice CD player/system in his car, I suddenly have been listening to a LOT more of my music! ::grin::) "Celtic Spirit" (Narada compilation CD) - really lovely peaceful stuff, also not holiday "Sailing to Philadelphia" - Mark Knopfler (I just GOT this--so cool!) "The Edge of Christmas" - Cocteau Twins, Kate Bush, The Waitresses (this is the one Dennis Parslow mentioned in his listing), etc. "The Coolest Christmas" - Cocteau Twins, David Bowie & Bing Crosby, Eartha Kitt, Roy Orbison, etc. "Hymns of Christmas" - part of a 5-CD set called "Joy to the World" "A Gift of Song" - Mason Williams (really good variety of music--including some lovely Hawaiian slack-key guitar music--with that gifted guitarist/writer/humorist/etc. and friends) "The Darkest Night of the Year" - Over The Rhine "Christmas For Kids" - Nat 'King' Cole "We Three Kings" - The Roches "Memorabilia Navidena" - Tish Hinojosa "The Carols of Christmas" - Windham Hill Collection, with George Winston, Jim Brickman, Will Ackerman, Ray Lynch, Liz Story, Nightnoise, etc. Tomorrow is Yule! And only 5 days until Christmas! Yay! :-) fleur ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2001 07:46:25 -0500 From: dave Subject: christmas music Lyle wrote: > Any favorite Passover, Winter Solstice, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, or other albums > out there? My Christmas collection is small, so I'm sure I missed all your > favorite albums I've only bought two Christmas CDs this year.. Jaci Velasquez - Christmas Jaci Velasquez - Navidad Same album, English and (mostly)Spanish versions, your basic Christmas songs done pretty much in the 50's-60's style that I grew up with. She does the Chipmunk song, except instead of wanting a hula-hoop, Alvin tries to hit on her in very poor Spanish.. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2001 16:53:22 +0000 From: jjhanson@att.net Subject: Favorite Christmas Music My favorite Christmas albums are probably: Jane Siberry's Child Jane Siberry/Holly Cole/Rebecca Jenkins/Mary Margaret O'Hara/Victoria Williams - Count Your Blessings Holly Cole - Baby It's Cold Outside Jewel - ? (I forget the title, but I like it--I seem to be in the minority here though) I also picked up a Christmas sampler from Starbucks this year that is quite a good collection--featuring Aimee Mann, Diana Krall, Nat King Cole, Billy Holiday, etc. It's called Ornamental Christmas (or somethign like that).' The new Holly Cole Christmas CD is great--featureus a duet with one of the guys from Barenaked Ladies, and is overall one of the better Christmas CDs I've heard (next to Count Your Blessings, which is my all-time favorite). Jeff ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2001 15:50:24 -0500 From: JoAnn Whetsell Subject: Holly Cole Christmas Music--an opposite view Funny, I was going to send a disclaimer on this album as I hadn't seen it mentioned on ecto yet. I like Holly Cole rather a lot. And I enjoy her participation on "Count Your Blessings" very much. But her new album, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a big disappointment. I think it's terrible. Which is sad. Holly is so great at taking songs and making them new, different, really making them her own. Maybe this album takes the songs too far away from their classic forms for my taste and that's why I don't like it. The songs I like are ones that are new (at least to me) such as "If We Make It Through December." "Zat You Santa Claus" is pretty fun and "Christmas Is" (both new to me) and "Wildwood Carol" are pretty good. Her version of "What Is This Fragrance" is lovely, and quite different from any other versions I've heard, adding a steady drumbeat under the song.The rendition of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is okay. But her version of "Sleigh Ride" is atrocious. I know that's not a critical reaction, just a visceral reaction to what I consider the worst recording I've ever heard of my favorite holiday song. But even the songs I like don't blow away; it's mostly that they're simply okay or not bad. I'll save them and make a decent ep out of it. And next I'll report on Christmas albums I do like. JoAnn - -----Original Message----- From: jjhanson@att.net [mailto:jjhanson@att.net] Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2001 11:53 AM To: ecto@smoe.org Subject: Favorite Christmas Music My favorite Christmas albums are probably: Jane Siberry's Child Jane Siberry/Holly Cole/Rebecca Jenkins/Mary Margaret O'Hara/Victoria Williams - Count Your Blessings Holly Cole - Baby It's Cold Outside Jewel - ? (I forget the title, but I like it--I seem to be in the minority here though) I also picked up a Christmas sampler from Starbucks this year that is quite a good collection--featuring Aimee Mann, Diana Krall, Nat King Cole, Billy Holiday, etc. It's called Ornamental Christmas (or somethign like that).' The new Holly Cole Christmas CD is great--featureus a duet with one of the guys from Barenaked Ladies, and is overall one of the better Christmas CDs I've heard (next to Count Your Blessings, which is my all-time favorite). Jeff ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2001 11:55:26 +1300 From: "Karen Hester" Subject: enya's 'new' album >On Wed, 19 Dec 2001, Jeffrey C. Burka wrote: > >> am I the only one confused by this whole "new Enya" thing? The album >> has been out for 13 months now. Is there some movie or tv show or >> commercial that made "Only Time" become such a big, sudden hit, or what? >just "one" word - LOTR :) >- -- Yngve Weirdly, the sales bump preceded LOTR and even the announcement that she'd be on the soundtrack. There was an article somewhere about the US renaissance of her album being due to Sept 11 - "Only time" or some other song was played on many networks over soothing montages of .. um, exploded stuff. Not sure if her sales have increased anywhere else. karen ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2001 17:13:23 -0600 (CST) From: "Cheri Villines" Subject: Re: Holly Cole Christmas Music--an opposite view > taste and that's why I don't like it. The songs I like are ones that > are new (at least to me) such as "If We Make It Through December." > > JoAnn Is this the same song I remember hearing Merle Haggard sing way back when I was a child? Cheri ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V7 #363 **************************