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Any Major Christmas Carols

December 11th, 2014 Leave a comment Go to comments

Any Major Christmas Carols

This year a new Christmas mix: pop artists (using the term broadly) doing traditional Christmas carols. There’s not much by way of irony going on here, though the levels of sincere religious sentiment obviously vary. I suppose the Staple Singers, who were primarily a gospel act, are more sincere than the Crash Test Dummies, whose vocals might startle grandmother a little.

Many of the artists, of course, give the carols some interpretation that relate to their genre. I have avoided the insufferable wispy songbirds who breathe through their sensitive versions of Silent Night. What songbirds are featured here do not breathe their carols, and Silent Night is covered by The Temptations, who are not wispy at all. As far as interpretative chops go, I particularly love The Gaylads’ delightful soul version of We Three Kings from 1970.

One might be pedantic and question whether Go Tell It On The Mountain is really a Christmas carol, in the traditional sense of the word. It is really a spiritual, but I see no reason why these should not also form part of the canon of carols. So should Mary’s Boy Child, written in the 1950s, What Child Is This, from 1962, and arguably even When A Child Is Born, from the 1970s. If it refers to the religious element of the feast of the Nativity, then it’s a Christmas carol. If it doesn’t, then it isn’t. But where would that rule leave the traditional English carol from 1850, Here We Come A-Wassailing, which makes no reference to the birth of Christ?

As always, this mix is timed to fit on a standard CD-R and includes home-baked covers. Password in comments. Feel free to add to the comments! Next Thursday: a Christmas pop mix.

1. The Bird And The Bee – Carol Of The Bells (2007)
2. Musiq Soulchild – Deck The Halls (2008)
3. Earth, Wind & Fire – Away In A Manger (2014)
4. Luther Vandross – O Come All Ye Faithful (1995)
5. Aaron Neville – O Little Town of Bethlehem (1993)
6. Harry Belafonte – The Son Of Mary (What Child Is This) (1958)
7. Ella Fitzgerald – The First Noel (1967)
8. Nat King Cole – O Holy Night (1963)
9. Bobby Darin – While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks (1960)
10. Johnny Cash – It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (1980)
11. Jewel – Hark, The Herald Angels Sing (1999)
12. Etta James – Joy To The World (1998)
13. Mel Tormé – Good King Wenceslas (1992)
14. Crash Test Dummies – God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen (2002)
15. Don Grusin – Angels We Have Heard On High (2005)
16. Nils Landgren – Ding Dong Merrily On High (2012)
17. Vanessa Williams – The Holly And The Ivy (2004)
18. Kate Rusby – Here We Come A-Wassailing (2008)
19. Sufjan Stevens – Lo How A Rose E’er Blooming (2002)
20. Robin Gibb – Once In Royal David’s City (2007)
21. The Gaylads – We Three Kings (1970)
22. The Staple Singers – Go Tell It On The Mountain (1962)
23. The Temptations – Silent Night (1980)

GET IT!

More Christmas Mixes
Any Major Christmas Favourites
Any Major 1980s Christmas
Any Major 1970s Christmas
Any Major 1960s Christmas
Any Major 1950s Christmas
Christmas Mix, Not For Mother
Any Major X-Mas Mix
Any Major Christmas Pop Vol. 1
Any Major Christmas Pop Vol. 2
Any Major Christmas Carols (in pop)
Any Major Christmas Bells
Any Major Smooth Christmas Vol. 1
Any Major Smooth Christmas Vol. 2
Any Major Christmas Soul Vol. 1
Any Major Christmas Soul Vol. 2
Any Major Christmas Soul Vol. 3
Any Major Doop Wop Christmas
Any Major Rhythm & Blues Christmas
Any Major Country Christmas Vol. 1
Any Major Country Christmas Vol. 2
Any Major Acoustic Christmas
Christmas In Black & White Vol. 1
Christmas In Black & White Vol. 2
Christmas In Black & White Vol. 3
Song Swarm: Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

Or all in one place

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  1. halfhearteddude
    December 11th, 2014 at 07:07 | #1

    PW = amdwhah

  2. Guy
    December 11th, 2014 at 09:59 | #2

    Thank you once again Half Hearted Dude!

  3. pretentiousgirl
    December 11th, 2014 at 10:39 | #3

    thanks halfhearteddude! one of the mixes you mention with working links (Any Major X-Mas Mix) isn’t working at the links listed. is it possible it could be fixed? love your mixes!

  4. dogbreath
    December 11th, 2014 at 11:44 | #4

    Big fan of your annual Christmas mixes. Many thanks for this one which I’m sure will go down well with the “congregation”! Have a cool Yule! Cheers………

  5. JohnnyDiego
    December 11th, 2014 at 12:48 | #5

    From 1962 – 1965 I was a member of my high school’s concert choir. I’m going to puff up my chest and say that we were the best in choir in San Diego. We traveled southern California and made three record albums for sale to family and friends. “Go Tell It On The Mountain” was a staple of our Christmas performances. However, we did funk it up a bit if you can call 25 white teenagers in white shirts, polished black shoes, and long maroon robes funky. Of the 23 songs on ‘Any Major Christmas Carols’ we recorded 20 of them.
    I was also in the choir my first year of college and we also did “Go Tell It On The Mountain” that Christmas. So, yeah, that’s a Christmas song in my hymnal.
    Your previous Christmas mixes have been a hit with friends and I’ve given them out as pre-Christmas gifts. Especially the Christmas In Black & White series which I highly recommend to all. Thanks, Dude.

  6. halfhearteddude
    December 11th, 2014 at 12:56 | #6

    Oh, that one is shouldn’t be in the list. Good neews is that next week’s pop mix wil be very similar, with about half of the same songs.

  7. halfhearteddude
    December 11th, 2014 at 12:57 | #7

    Fantastic, JohnnyDiego. I’m glad the mixes work as popular gifts.

  8. Freddie Jaye
    December 11th, 2014 at 15:49 | #8

    Your *name* may be “half-hearted” but your efforts certainly are not! Thanks for this one. And i agree with Johnny Diego — the “B&W” series is terrific.

  9. December 11th, 2014 at 23:47 | #9

    Yes the The Gaylads… Super!

  10. December 14th, 2014 at 01:51 | #10

    your christmas mixes are some of my faves. thanks so much for putting so much into them!

  11. Caroline
    December 24th, 2014 at 20:09 | #11

    Darn! looks like I may have missed it this year, as it says file not found on server – any plans to put it back up for a bit?? Thanks for all of your great mixes! I really enjoy them every year!

  12. Lulu
    December 26th, 2014 at 14:50 | #12

    Could You re-up this extra mix, please :)))

  13. halfhearteddude
    January 1st, 2015 at 13:44 | #13

    A bit late, but it’s up again.

  14. Caroline
    January 13th, 2015 at 17:00 | #14

    Thank you & Mele Kalikimaka! :)

  1. October 26th, 2016 at 23:30 | #1