Atop my prior list of hidden-gem seasonal music for December comes this list of definitive versions of holiday classics.
Enjoy, and Merry Christmas to all.
Carol of the Bells - Danny Wright
This song can get awfully frantic and busy. But this all-instrumental version retains the vigor and verve that the carol calls for without going crazy.
Christmas Time Is Here - Vince Guaraldi Trio
No better version exists than the original. I love the slightly off-key singing (which had to be coached, as the original call for kid choir singers brought well-rehearsed groups who sang as if they were at Carnegie Hall!). And the piano, which sounds "well seasoned" is perfect for an upbeat song with a tinge of melancholy.
Ding Dong Merrily On High - Roger Whittaker
The synth accompaniment is a little dated here, but I love the opening peal of bells. And the reflective tempo (rather than the usual vigorous 2/2) is a welcome change from the usual.
12 Days (Gifts) of Christmas - Allan Sherman
There's a deserved love-hate relationship with The 12 Days of Christmas that understandably has listeners checking out somewhere around the maids-a-milking (day eight, btw). Sherman not only cuts the length but does so hilariously. I also love that the background choir, against Sherman's ridiculous lyrics, takes its harmonies absolutely seriously. The dichotomy is brilliant.
Good King Wenceslas - The Ames Brothers
Listen to this with earbuds: I love how the brass intro starts in mono and then travels to stereo-land before the vocal. This weird carol gets a zippy interpretation here that makes me smile, even down to the fourth beat "ding" that occurs pretty much throughout.
Hallelujah - The Harry Simeone Chorale
Okay, so the Hallelujah Chorus is really for Easter. But it often appears as part of Christmas-music season. This re-arranged version (brilliant brass parts!) is energetically upbeat and fun and full of appropriate praise.
Can't embed this one for some reason, but here's the well-worth-clicking link.
Here We Come A-Caroling - The New Christy Minstrels
The Minstrels aren't so 'new' anymore, in fact, they're all but forgotten. But in the early 1960s, they were a big deal in the folk scene. Their version of "Here We Come A-Caroling" is full of intricate rhythms and harmonies, backed by a bright banjo and string bass.
Let It Snow - Les Brown
Jazzy and fun and hard to keep your fingers from snapping to.
Silent Night - Linda Eder
This familiar carol starts simply and quietly, where Eder's pure tones shine. Verse two gives her a charming countermelody. Verse three sends her into a goosebump-inducing octave version of the melody that sends her to the top of her impressive range.
Silver Bells - Johnny Mathis
Full disclosure: This one makes me cry, especially when I first bring out my Christmas playlist in the post-Thanksgiving time frame. I grew up with it on a compilation sold by WT Grant (the Walmart of its day), and hearing it now reminds me of hearing it as a kid, with the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking and the hustle-bustle of decorating etc. The feelings of family it evokes are very powerful for me, especially given the losses over the years.
All that emotional muck aside, I adore Mathis' vocal, the choral backing, and especially the bells (various versions of them) subtly in the accompaniment.
