5. the sinatra christmas album -
this is a strange choice for me for a few reasons. first of all there are four songs on this that i really don't like. secondly, this is not my favorite period in sinatra's career. that being said, this album has a few of my favorite arrangements and versions of christmas classics ever. have yourself a merry little christmas (which is my favorite christmas song) has never sounded better. this was also an album i remember listening to a lot growing up. lots of christmas memories here.
best part of the album: the song christmas memories. it's about....well....christmas memories. he sings about typical christmasey stuff like cookies baking, decorating the tree and so on and so forth. than he sings this line:
i close my eyes and see shining faces
of all the children who now have children of their own
funny, but comes december, and i remember every christmas i've known.
right now the computer is blurred out because I can't hear that line without the tears. It's a song about christmas memories, and i love christmas memories.
4. tony bennett - snowfall -
typical brassy sounding arrangements and tony's smooth as rhubarb pitch perfect vocals make this one my number four choice. the album starts with my favorite things... not mine...the song from sound of music. I have never really considered it a christmas song, but it really works.
best part of the album: snowfall. it's haunting. it's beautiful. it's magic. p.s. i have never held rhubarb in my hand, so that analogy might be worthless. sorry.
3. the beach boys - the beach boys' christmas album -
this was the last of three albums that the beach boys released in '64. little saint nick kicks off the album, and is the first of five original tracks. frosty the snowman is the first of seven songs not written by the boys, but i am instantly excited to hear that brian wilson is capable of making unique arrangements here just like most beach boys albums from this period.
best part of the album: we three kings of orient are is a song that i'm really not into, but the vocals are so powerful and beautiful here. is that a tear i see? i also really dig how whimsical santa claus is comin' to town sounds.
2. ella fitzgerald - ella wishes you a swinging christmas -
not only a great christmas album, i really believe this is one of ella's finest moments in her carrier (and i love this woman so very much). arranger frank devol (who composed music for dirty dozen, guess who's comming to dinner, and the brady bunch to name a few), gives us some really fresh and beautiful arrangements here. i have always considered mrs. fitzgerrald's voice as my favorite from the fairer sex, and on this album she is perfect.
best part of the album: at the end of jingle bells, ella belts out that she is wild about horses. aren't we all ella? aren't we all.
1. vince guaraldi trio - a charlie brown christmas -
nostalgia hits me in the ears from the very first note of "o tannenbaum". i am taken back to the 1980's where december evenings in detroit were spent watching television christmas classics. vince guaraldi has completely put his signature on the classic tunes, and wrote some wonderful songs of his own. i ask you to show me a finer jazz christmas album. show me.
best part of the album: the two versions of christmas time is here. one is instrumental the other with a choir. both wonderful.
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