Christmas music gift guide

Recession or not, there’s no shortage of musical goodies in Santa’s sleigh this year.

Bob Dylan, Christmas in the Heart

There will be other holiday titles that will be bigger sellers this year, but none will be talked about more than this one. Yes, we’re talking classics like “Do You Hear What I Hear?” “Frosty the Snowman,” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” Dylan’s voice won’t take any first prizes at a Christmas karaoke contest, but Bob is donating his artist royalties worldwide to charity, including Feeding America in the United States. A hilarious music video of Bob’s rendition of “Must Be Santa” is on YouTube.

Neil Diamond, A Cherry Cherry Christmas

Here’s the third holiday release from Neil Diamond, whose previous Christmas albums were huge hits. Most of the tracks are compiled from the previous releases, along with a handful of new songs. However, one of those new tracks is Diamond’s rendition of Adam Sandler’s “Chanukah Song”-that itself is worth the price of admission.

Sting, If on a Winter’s Night

Here’s one that’s already racking up big sales numbers. Sting is backed by folk musicians on a collection that includes rarely heard carols like “Gabriel’s Message,” “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming,” and the “Cherry Tree Carol.”

Andrea Bocelli, My Christmas

Italian tenor superstar Andrea Bocelli must have noticed that Josh Groban’s 2007 album Noel became that year’s biggest selling album. Joining him on his first are Mary J. Blige, Natalie Cole, Reba McEntire, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir-and the Muppets! This will duke it out with Sting for biggest-selling 2009 Christmas album, especially with the TV special airing on PBS this month featuring this album.

Wynton Marsalis, Christmas Jazz Jam

This is my favorite new Christmas release this year. He’s backed by the illustrious Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra featuring Milwaukee’s Dan Nimmer on piano. Jazz from swing to Dixieland is all represented here and members of the orchestra give their chops a workout. Vocalist Roberta Gumbel provides lovely contributions. Available exclusively at Target, but well worth seeking out.

Various Artists, The Ultimate Motown Christmas Collection

When Motown marketing mogul Berry Gordy saw artists like Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Mathis enjoying huge success with their holiday recordings, he made sure all of his artists followed suit. Every major star in Motown’s 50-year history recorded a Christmas album. Leading off with the Jackson 5′s unforgettable rendition of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” this collection is a true gem. The set includes The Temptations’ “Silent Night,” Stevie Wonder’s “Someday at Christmas,” Marvin Gaye’s “Purple Snowflakes,” Smokey Robinson & the Miracles’ “A Child Is Waiting,” and Diana Ross’ great take on Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas.” This is that rare collection that truly lives up to its title.

Mannheim Steamroller, Christmas: The 25th Anniversary Collection

When producer/arranger Chip Davis and his ensemble released Christmas, he, along with George Winston, almost single-handedly revived the Christmas album. Davis celebrates the occasion with this two-disc, 25-song collection of his favorite tracks from all the Steamroller holiday albums.

Various Artists, Making Merry

For years now, Starbucks has released superb holiday compilations featuring exclusive new tracks with vintage Christmas classics. This year’s Making Merry includes tracks like Willie Nelson and Norah Jones’ take on “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” nestled alongside choice cuts from Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Barbra Streisand, Nat King Cole, the Beach Boys, even Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass! Steven Stolder’s liner notes provide great backstories on featured recordings, and acclaimed British rocker Richard Hawley’s great take on “Silent Night” is a special treat.

Chris Squire, Chris Squire’s Swiss Choir

In 1975, ELP bassist Greg Lake released “I Believe in Father Christmas,” which topped UK charts. In 2007, Chris Squire recorded an album of seasonal music, just released in the States. The focus is decidedly on English carols. Some like “Adam Lay Ybounden” and “Gaudete” may be unfamiliar to American audiences, but they make this collection a real standout. Squire combines the wonderful English Baroque Choir with a rock rhythm section, and it works beautifully! This is the perfect Christmas album for prog fans.

NOW HEAR THESE

^{Here’s a selection of great CD’s for Christmas gift-giving, many of which you might not have heard about. I’ve tried to include items to fit every budget.}

^{Various Artists, Atlantic Records Time Capsule}

^{We’ve previously reported on labels celebrating golden anniversaries Motown, Warner Bros., for example). One of the truly greatest labels, Atlantic, has done them one better with this collection celebrating 60 years of great music. From Laverne Baker and Ray Charles to Kid Rock and the Zac Brown Band, this set, unlike the Warner collection, doesn’t miss any of the great stars that have recorded for Atlantic family labels, even those (Rolling Stones, ABBA, Bee Gees, Aretha Franklin) no longer affiliated with the label. Comprising nine CD’s (with over 100 tracks) plus a DVD of the acclaimed PBS documentary Atlantic Records-the House Ahmet Built, it is rather pricey, but well worth it.}

^{Various Artists, Deutsche Grammophon 111th Anniversary Collectors Edition}

^{For classical music fans and for those money where no object, I offer a real gem. Deutsche Grammophon, arguably the world’s greatest classical label, celebrates its 111th anniversary (it has something to do with Beethoven’s final opus) with this amazing box containing dozens of the label’s greatest albums on a whopping 55 CD collection, housed in replica LP sleeves in a functional flip box. Everything from Helmut Walcha’s recordings of Bach keyboard works to Karajan’s great Berlin Philharmonic recording of Beethoven’s 9th from 1962 to Chinese piano phenom Lang Lang’s Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto with Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony recorded earlier this decade, it’s an instant classical collection of some of the greatest recordings ever. And considering what you’d pay to get these albums separately, the price of the set is actually one of the year’s best music bargains!}

^{Various Artists, Deutsche Grammophon: 111 Tracks From 111 Years}

^{For classical music fans and money is an object, here’s the “junior edition” of the above set: Excerpts from each of that set’s 55 albums, plus 60 more tracks from DG artists not featured in the mega-box. It’s all on six CD’s and it goes for around $25. If you’re really feeling generous, both sets complement each other quite nicely as less than half the tracks here are in the Big Box.}

^{Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, The Live Anthology}

^{Next time Bruce Springsteen wants to put out a live compilation, he’d do well to study the blueprint on this remarkable collection. Compiled from 30 years of concert tapes, this great sounding set not only features incendiary versions of Petty classics, but plenty of great covers never before released on album (Goldfinger, anyone?). This set makes a convincing case that the Heartbreakers are one of the truly greatest rock bands ever. And the set comes in several configurations, ranging from a very reasonably priced four-CD edition to the Super Deluxe box with a bonus CD, two DVD’s and other goodies. The deluxe edition is available only at Best Buy.}

^{The Beatles, The Beatles in Stereo}

^{The Beatles, The Beatles in Mono}

^{I discussed these sets at length a few months back, but Capitol/EMI were caught totally unprepared for the public’s demand for these boxed sets, and none were to be had for months. The good news is that new shipments of both have now arrived and are readily available at all music outlets now, just in time for holiday gift-giving.}

^{Paul McCartney, Good Evening New York City}

^{Speaking of the Beatles, here’s a brand-new release for more budget-minded Santas. Since 1976′s Wings Over America, Paul McCartney has released scores of live albums and videos, but all of them had shortcomings of one kind or another. This set, recorded last summer at New York’s new Citi Field, may have finally gotten it right. Not only is the set list itself totally fab, including lots of Beatles tunes, but the mix engineer is one Geoff Emerick, who worked on Fab Four classics like Revolver, Sgt. Pepper and Abbey Road. In addition to two CD’s, you get a DVD of the entire concert minus Paul’s stage banter on the CD’s. However, you’ll have to go to Best Buy to get an additional bonus DVD that includes Macca’s full seven-song performance, while standing on top of the marquee of New York’s Ed Sullivan Theatre last summer, filmed for Late Night With David Letterman. Viewers at home only got to see 2 songs of this set.}

^{King Crimson, In The Court of the Crimson King (40th Anniversary Edition)}

^{One of the great prog masterpieces just got better. Disc One of this two-CD set includes a spectacular 2009 mix of the entire album, along with bonus tracks of session outtakes, including an acoustic version of “I Talk to the Wind.” Disc Two is a DVD-audio take of the entire album, both in stereo and in a 5.1 Surround Sound mix, along with the bonus tracks as well as a video of the band performing “21st Century Schizoid Man” at their legendary Hyde Park performance in July 1969, as opening act for the Rolling Stones. The sound on this reissue just blew me away.}

^{Dolly Parton, Dolly}

^{Everybody knows Dolly Parton, the iconic country music entertainer, but not as many realize Dolly is one of the great songwriters of country music. Both facets are on vivid display on this new four-CD box, the first to cover her entire career up through the 90′s. Unfortunately, the set does not feature her great recent bluegrass music albums. However, Sugar Hill has collected those albums on their own Dolly boxset, which also features a DVD of great Dolly video performances. Taken together, these sets provide a great overview of her Hall of Fame career.}

^{Frank Sinatra, Sinatra New York}

^{Continuing their series of box sets that began with Sinatra in Hollywood and Sinatra Vegas, Rhino now releases this four-CD/one-DVD set that features Ol’ Blue Eyes performing on his home turf from various stages of his legendary career. It’s Sinatra at his best, which in other words, is the best there is.}

^{Andy Williams, Moon River-The Very Best of Andy Williams}

^{To coincide with his just-published autobiography Moon River and Me, Andy Williams has compiled this compilation of his greatest tracks. And he’s customized the album for various markets. The U.S. version contains 18 tracks, including the first album appearance of his moving rendition of “Battle Hymn of the Republic” performed at Robert Kennedy’s funeral in 1968. The UK edition, on the other hand features a whopping 24 tracks. Though “Battle Hymn” is absent, this edition includes his holiday chestnut, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” as a bonus track. (That song is even more revered as a Christmastime standard in the UK than it is here.) Indeed, UK loyalty to the 82-year old crooner is justified by the fact that he’s been booked to appear at next summer’s edition of the legendary Glastonbury Festival, which is being headlined by U2.}

^{Merry Listening!}

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