Fantastica #39
Christ... what a mess! 2
 Johan

 
 
  1. LEITMOTIV: The Walt Disney Players: "Scrooge tells a spooky Christmas story"
    • album "An adaptation of Dickens' Christmas Carol"
    • LP, Disneyland stereo 3811, USA, 1974 | ++
  2. Film fragment: "Merry fucking Christmas!"
    • home-recording "Dark angel"
    • recorded from TV | not rated
  3. Jimmy Smith: "God rest ye merry gentlemen"
    • album "Christmas Cookin'"
    • CD, Verve 314 513 711-2, USA, 1992 | +++++
    • info: Jimmy really get things cookin' here, one of the grooviest Xmas albums I know.
  4. Marcy Tigner: "Silver bells"
    • album "Christmas with Marcy, sing with Marcy"
    • LP, Corner Stone SLP 471, USA | +++
    • info: Weird, funny, spooky.
  5. Three Suns: "Santa Claus is coming to town"
    • album "A Ding Dong Dandy Christmas"
    • LP, LSP 2054 stereo, USA, 1959 | ++++
    • info: Very hip and inspired and fun arrangements! If you're a Three Suns fan, you'll love this LP.
  6. Herman Apple, ses carillons et ses percussions: "Le Père Noël s'en vient"
    • album "Stereo Percussion de Noel"
    • LP, Trans-Canada tc ST 87071 stereo, Canada | ++++
    • info: Very very Enoch Light-esque percussion maddness.
  7. U.S. Arm Band: "Rudolph the red nose reindeer"
    • compilation "Off-the-wall christmas 1991"
    • cassette, home-recorded by Timothy Sewell | +++
    • info: Contact: [email protected]
  8. Miss Sza'vee: "Jingle bells"
    • compilation "Awfully painful Christmas records"
    • cassette, home-recorded by Timothy Sewell | +++
  9. The Chipmunks featuring David Seville: "The night before Christmas"
    • album "Christmas with the Chipmunks vol. 2"
    • LP, Liberty LST-7334, USA, 1963 | +++
  10. Recyclophonics featuring the 3 Barbra's (Barbra Streisand): "Streisand night MIX"
    • album "A Christmas album"
    • LP, CBS 31850 | not rated
  11. Sam Ulano: "The story of Santa Claus"
    • compilation "Off-the-wall christmas 1995"
    • cassette, home-recorded by Timothy Sewell | +++
  12. The Sonics: "The village idiot"
    • compilation "Merry Christmas from The Sonics, The Wailers, The Galaxies"
    • LP, Etiquette ETALB 025, USA, 1984 | +
  13. The Blue Hawaiians: "Have yourself a quiet little Christmas"
    • album "Christmas On Big Island"
    • CD, Restless 7 72921-2, USA, 1995 | +++
  14. The Bonnie Sisters: "I saw mommy cha cha cha with you know who?"
    • compilation "Christmas for the kid in us all 3"
    • cassette, home-recorded by Timothy Sewell | +++
  15. The Jethros: "Silent night"
    • compilation "The dark side of the Christmas tree"
    • CD, Performance 393, distrib. Arf! Arf!, USA, 1990 | +++++
    • info: Still (or again?) available from Arf! Arf! Get it, if you like really demented wacky novelty music.
  16. Trio Schmeed: "Winter time"
    • album "Trio Shmeed"
    • LP, ABC 103, USA | ++++
  17. Kärin et Rébecca: "Petit Papa Noël"
    • album "Petit papa noël"
    • LP, Hebra, France or Belgium | ++
  18. Tiny Tim: "I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus"
    • album "Tiny Tim's Christmas Album"
    • CD, Durtro 29, distributed by World Serpent, UK, 1995 | ++++
    • info: One of his last - if not his very last - albums.
  19. The mammoth Radio City Music Hall Organ played by Richard Leiber: "The first Noël"
    • compilation "Bob & Ray Throw a Stereo Spectacular"
    • CD, RCA Living Stereo 35749 2, Germany, 1996 | ++++ Review
  20. The Jingle Cats: "Little drummer boy"
    • album "Here comes Santa Claws"
    • CD, JCM 41229, US, 1994 | +++
    • info: Modern MIDI singing cats equivalent of the Singing Dogs
  21. John Klein: "Jingle bells"
    • album "A Christmas Sound Spectacular" (at the carillon Americana)
    • LP, RCA LSP 2023, USA | +++
  22. Sy Mann & Jean Jacques Perry: "Rudolph, the red nosed reindeer"
    • album "Switched On Santa!"
    • LP, Pickwick SPCX 1007, USA, 196? | ++++
    • info: Ten times better than The Moog Machine's "Christmas Becomes Electric"!
  23. Arthur Lyman: "Auld lang syne"
    • album "With A Christmas Vibe"
    • CD, Rykodisc RCD 30363, USA, 1996 | ++++
    • info: Superb, heavenly beautiful Xmas exotica! But! I compared the sound of this CD with the original "Mele Kalikimaka"LP, and I SWEAR the LP sounds far better: most of the high frequencies were lost in the CD remastering! The only good thing of the CD is the warmer sound, but then again, you can easily achieve that with the LP by increasing the bass and middle frequencies. Too bad, the music deserves 5 stars!
  24. Combustible Edison: "Sleigh ride"
    • album "Happy Holidays from Sub Pop"
    • CD, Sub Pop promo | +++
    • info: Only 2 songs, but really nice ones!


 
ratings: +++++outstanding, ++++very good, +++good, ++not bad, +so-so, -yuk