Thursday, November 26, 2020

Christmas Music -- A MindSpace Discussion

 NEW STANDARDS -- CHRISTMAS SONGS OF THE 1970S TO TODAY 


CHRISTMAS PLAYLISTS 

Follow me on Spotify! 

Christmas Traditional 1 

Christmas Pop 1

Christmas Hip 1

Christmas Traditional 2 

Christmas Pop 2 

Christmas Hip 2

Christmas Traditional 3 

Christmas Pop 3 

Christmas Hip 3  

Christmas Traditional 4

Christmas Hip 4

Elvis Presley/Frank Sinatra's Jolly Christmas Album


THE ESSENTIAL CHRISTMAS ALBUM LIBRARY 


Herb Alpert -- Christmas Album (1968)

Bing Crosby -- Merry Christmas aka White Christmas (many editions) 

Bing Crosby -- Sings Christmas Songs 

Ella Fitzgerald -- Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas (Just the first 12 songs, please; skip the rest) 

Vince Guaraldi -- A Charlie Brown Christmas

Emmylou Harris -- Light Of The Stable

Mahalia Jackson -- Silent Night: Songs For Christmas 

The Living Sisters -- Harmony Is Real: Songs For A Happy Holiday

Los Lobos -- Llegó Navidad 

Aimee Mann -- One More Drifter In The Snow

Wynton Marsalis -- Crescent City Christmas Card

Johnny Mathis -- Merry Christmas 

Liam Neeson -- The Polar Express (narrator) (out of print)

Willie Nelson -- Pretty Paper 

Odetta -- Christmas Spirituals (1960) or Christmas Spirituals (1987) (sometimes but not always repackaged as Beautiful Star)  


Elvis Presley -- Elvis' Christmas Album side one **** (side two is mostly not Christmas!) pair it with Sinatra side one from Jolly 


Lou Rawls -- Merry Christmas Ho! Ho! Ho! (1967) pulled from compilation and sequenced properly





Frank Sinatra -- A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra (1957) *** (first side ****, second **) pair it with Elvis side one


Sufjan Stevens -- Songs For Christmas Vol 1-5 and Silver & Gold Vol. 6-10 




Marion Williams -- O Holy Night  (not on Spotify but you can buy the CD)




VARIOUS ARTISTS, SOUNDTRACKS, COMPILATIONS 

A Big Band Christmas (Columbia, 1988) 


Hipster's Holiday (Rhino, 1989) (album not on Spotify, partial playlist)

I'll Be Home For Christmas: Songs That Won The War (does it exist?) 

The Original Soul Christmas (Atlantic, 1968) *** 1/2 

Where Will You Be Christmas Day (Dust To Digital, 2004) (partial playlist; album not on Spotify)




A MINDSPACE ROUNDTABLE ON CHRISTMAS MUSIC 


Great Songs/Standards  Since 1970 


Jose Feliciano -- "Feliz Navidad" (Nov 1970)

Donny Hathaway -- "This Christmas" (Dec, 1970) 

Joni Mitchell -- "River" (June 1971) 

The Pretenders -- "2000 Miles" (single from Learning To Crawl, for o.d. James Honeyman Scott) 

Ron Sexsmith -- "Maybe This Christmas" 

Wham -- "Last Christmas" 

Stevie Wonder -- "Someday at Christmas" (1967)



Great Records Since 1970


Band Aid -- "Do They Know It's Christmas" 

The Bangles -- "Hazy Shade of Winter" (cover of 1966 S&G) (Less Than Zero) 

Barenaked Ladies -- "Deck The Stills" 

Mariah Carey -- "All I Want For Christmas Is You" 

Bing Crosby and David Bowie -- "Peace on Earth/The Little Drummer Boy" (1977 special)

Everything But The Girl -- "Come On Home" 

Aled Jones -- "Walking In The Air" from 1982's The Snowman TV special Raymond Briggs 

The Kinks -- "Father Christmas" 

John Lennon & Yoko Ono -- "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" 

The Pogues w Kristy MacColl -- "Fairytale Of New York" 

Queen -- "Thank God It's Christmas" 

Chris Rea -- "Driving Home For Christmas" (1988, Top 40 since 2008) 

Run-D.M.C. -- "Christmas In Hollis" 

Bruce Springsteen -- "Santa Claus is Coming To Town" 

U2 -- "New Year's Day" 

Kate Bush -- "December Will Be Magic Again" and "Home For Christmas" 


Most Emotional 

Band Aid -- "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (Bono) 

Darlene Love -- "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" On Letterman/The View 

John & Yoko -- "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" 


Terrible Records By Great Artists 

Elton John -- "Step Into Christmas" 

Paul McCartney -- "Wonderful Christmastime" 


Under-appreciated 

Extreme -- "Christmas Time Again" 

Stevie Wonder -- "One Little Christmas Tree"  



Greatest Christmas Songwriter?

Johnny Marks -- Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, A Holly Jolly Christmas, Silver and Gold, I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day AND Run Rudolph Run for Chuck Berry! Plus all the songs on the Rankin-Bass TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  Like "We're A Couple Of Misfits"




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Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Rolling Stone 500 Best Albums of All Time 2003/2012/2020/?

  • Albums Returning To 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time List 2020 Edition


  • Boogie Down Productions' Criminal Minded (2003: #444; 2012: Not on list; 2020: #239)
  • Creedence Clearwater Revival's Cosmo's Factor (2003: #265; 2012: Not on list; 2020: #413)
  • Massive Attack's Mezzanine (2003: #412; 2012: Not on list; 2020: #383)
  • Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill (2003: #327; 2012: Not on list; 2020: #69)
  • Linda Ronstadt's Heart Like A Wheel (2003: #164; 2012: Not on list; 2020: #490)
  • Roxy Music's Avalon (2003: 307; 2012: Not on list; 2020: #336)


Albums No Longer On 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time List 2020 Edition


  • AC/DC's Highway To Hell (2003: #199; 2012: #180)
  • Aerosmith's Toys In The Attic (2003: #228; 2012: #229)
  • Arctic Monkeys' Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2003: Unreleased; 2012: #371)
  • The Beach Boys' The Smile Sessions (2002: Unreleased; 2012: #381)
  • The Beach Boys' Sunflower (2003: #380; 2012: Not on list)
  • The Beatles' Please Please Me (2003: #39; 2012: #39)
  • The Beatles' With The Beatles (2003: #420; 2012: Not on list)
  • Beck's Sea Change (2003: #440; 2012: #436)
  • Blood, Sweat & Tears' Child Is Father To The Man (2003: #264; 2012: #266)
  • Bobby Bland's Two Steps From The Blues (2003: #215; 2012: #217)
  • Bob Marley's Burnin’ (2003: #319; 2012: #319)
  • Bob Marley's Natty Dread (2003: #182; 2012: #181)
  • David Bowie's Aladdin Sane (2003: #277; 2012: #279)
  • David Bowie's Changesone (2003: #425; 2012: Not on list)
  • James Brown's Greatest Hits (2003: #414; 2012: Not on list)
  • James Brown's In The Jungle Groove (2003: #330; 2012: #329)
  • Jackson Browne's For Everyman (2003: #457; 2012: #450)
  • Jackson Browne's Late For The Sky (2003: #372; 2012: #375)
  • Jackson Browne's The Pretender (2003: #391; 2012: #391)
  • Buena Vista Social Club's Buena Vista Social Club (2003: #360; 2012: Not on list)
  • Buffalo Springfield's Buffalo Springfield Again (2003: #188; 2012: #188)
  • The Paul Butterfield Blues Band's The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (2003: #476; 2012: #468)
  • The Byrds's Greatest Hits (2003: #178; 2012: Not on list)
  • The Byrds' The Notorious Byrd Brothers (2003: #171; 2012: #171)
  • The Byrds'Younger Than Yesterday (2003: #124; 2012: #127)
  • Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band's Trout Mask Replica (2003: #58; 2012: #60)
  • The Carpenters' Close To You (2003: #174; 2012: #174)
  • Johnny Cash's American Recordings (2003: #364; 2012: #366)
  • Manu Chao's Proxima Estacion: Esperanza (2003: Not on list; 2012: #474)
  • Ray Charles' The Genius Of Ray Charles (2003: #263; 2012: #265)
  • Cheap Trick's At Budokan (2003: #430; 2012: #426)
  • Cheap Trick's In Color (2003: #448; 2012: #443)
  • Eric Clapton's 461 Ocean Boulevard (2003: #409; 2012: #411)
  • Eric Clapton's Slowhand (2003: #312; 2012: #325)
  • Leonard Cohen's Songs Of Love and Hate (2003: Not on list; 2012: #295)
  • Alice Cooper's Love It To Death (2003: #460; 2012: #454)
  • Elvis Costello's Armed Forces (2003: #482; 2012: #475)
  • Elvis Costello's Imperial Bedroom (2003: #166; 2012: #166)
  • Cream's Fresh Cream (2003: #101; 2012: #102)
  • Cream's Wheels Of Fire (2003: #203; 2012: #205)
  • Creedence Clearwater Revival's Chronicle, Vol. 1 (2003: Not on list; 2012: #59)
  • Creedence Clearwater Revival's Green River (2003: #95; 2012: Not on list)
  • The Cure's Boys Don’t Cry (2003: #442; 2012: #438)
  • Miles Davis's Sketches Of Spain (2003: #356; 2012: #358)
  • Def Leppard's Hysteria (2003: #472; 2012: #464)
  • Def Leppard's Pyromania (2003: #384; 2012: Not on list)
  • Neil Diamond's The Neil Diamond Collection (2003: #222; 2012: #224)
  • The Doors' L.A. Woman (2003: #362; 2012: #364)
  • The Doors' Strange Days (2003: #407; 2012: #409)
  • Nick Drake's Five Leaves Left (2003: #283; 2012: Not on list)
  • Nick Drake's Bryter Layter (2003: #245; 2012: Not on list)
  • The Drifters' Golden Hits (2003: #465; 2012: #459)
  • Bob Dylan's Desire (2003: #174; 2012: #174)
  • Bob Dylan's Modern Times (2003: Unreleased; 2012: #204)
  • Bob Dylan's Time Out Of Mind (2003: #408; 2012: #410)
  • Steve Earle's Guitar Town (2003: #489; 2012: #482)
  • Echo and the Bunnymen's Heaven Up Here (2003: #471; 2012: #463)
  • EPMD's Strictly Business (2003: #459; 2012: #453)
  • Eurythmics' Touch (2003: #500; 2012: #492)
  • Fleetwood Mac's Fleetwood Mac (2003: #183; 2012: #182)
  • Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto featuring Antonio Carlos Jobim's Getz/Gilberto (2003: #454; 2012: #447)
  • Grateful Dead's Anthem Of The Sun (2003: #287; 2012: #288)
  • Grateful Dead's Live Dead (2003: #244; 2012: #247)
  • Merle Haggard's Branded Man (2003: #484; 2012: Not on list)
  • PJ Harvey's To Bring You My Love (2003: #435; 2012: Not on list)
  • Don Henley's The End Of The Innocence (2003: #389; 2012: #389)
  • Buddy Holly's The “Chirping” Crickets (2003: #421; 2012: #420)
  • John Lee Hooker's Ultimate Collection 1948-1990 (2003: #375; 2012: #377)
  • Jane’s Addiction's Nothing’s Shocking (2003: #309; 2012: #312)
  • Jane’s Addiction's Ritual De Lo Habitual (2003: #453; 2012: Not on list)
  • Jefferson Airplane's Volunteers (2003: #370; 2012: #373)
  • The Jesus and Mary Chain's Psycho Candy (2003: #268; 2012: #269)
  • Jethro Tull's Aqualung (2003: #337; 2012: #337)
  • Billy Joel's 52nd Street (2003: #352; 2012: #354)
  • Dr. John's Dr. John’s Gumbo (2003: #402; 2012: #404)
  • Elton John's Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (2003: #158; 2012: #158)
  • Elton John's Elton John (2003: #468; 2012: Not on list)
  • Elton John's Greatest Hits (2003: #135; 2012: #136)
  • Elton John's Tumbleweed Connection (2003: #463; 2012: #458)
  • Joy Division's Substance (1988)(2003: #361; 2012: Not on list)
  • Albert King's Born Under A Bad Sign (2003: #499; 2012: #491)
  • B.B. King's Live In Cook County Jail (2003: Not on list; 2012: #499)
  • The Kinks' The Kink Kronikles (2003: #231; 2012: #232)
  • Kiss' Destroyer (2003: #496; 2012: #489)
  • Labelle's Nightbirds (2003: #272; 2012: #274)
  • Little Walter's The Best Of (2003: #198; 2012: #198)
  • LL Cool J's Radio (2003: #478; 2012: #470)
  • Loretta Lynn's All Time Greatest Hits (2003: #485; 2012: #478)
  • Madonna's Music (2003: #452; 2012: Not on list)
  • The Mamas and the Papas' Greatest Hits (2003: #423; 2012: Not on list)
  • The Mamas and the Papas' If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (2003: #127; 2012: #112)
  • John Mayall's Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton (2003: #195; 2012: #195)
  • Curtis Mayfield's The Anthology 1961-1977 (2003: #179; 2012: #178)
  • Paul McCartney and Wings' Band On The Run (2003: #418; 2012: #418)
  • MC5's Back In The USA (2003: #451; 2012: #450)
  • Meat Loaf's Bat Out Of Hell (2003: #343; 2012: #343)
  • The Meters' Rejuvenation (2003: #138; 2012: #139)
  • MGMT's Oracular Spectacular (2003: Unreleased; 2012: #494)
  • M.I.A.'s Kala (2003: Unreleased; 2012: #393)
  • Steve Miller Band's Fly Like An Eagle (2003: #450; 2012: #445)
  • Moby's Play (2003: #341; 2012: #341)
  • Moby Grape's Moby Grape (2003: #121; 2012: #124)
  • The Mothers Of Invention's Freak Out! (2003: #243; 2012: #246)
  • The Mothers Of Invention's We’re Only In It For The Money (2003: #243; 2012: #246)
  • Mott The Hoople's All The Young Dudes (2003: #491; 2012: #484)
  • Mott The Hoople's Mott (2003: #366; 2012: #370)
  • My Morning Jacket's Z (2003: Unreleased; 2012: #457)
  • Willie Nelson's Stardust (2003: #257; 2012: #260)
  • Randy Newman's Good Old Boys (2003: #393; 2012: #394)
  • Randy Newman's 12 Songs (2003: #354; 2012: #356)
  • New Order's Substance (1987) (2003: Not on list; 2012: #363)
  • No Doubt's Rock Steady (2003: #316; 2012: Not on list)
  • No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom (2003: #441; 2012: Not on list)
  • The O’Jays' Back Stabbers (2003: #318; 2012: #318)
  • Graham Parker's Squeezing Out Sparks (2003: #335; 2012: #334)
  • Gram Parsons' Grievous Angel (2003: #429; 2012: #425)
  • Pearl Jam's Vitalogy (2003: #492; 2012: #485)
  • The Pogues' Rum, Sodomy and the Lash (2003: #445; 2012: #440)
  • The Police's Ghost In The Machine (2003: #322; 2012: #323)
  • The Police's Outlandos D’Amour (2003: #434; 2012: #428)
  • The Police's Regatta De Blanc (2003: #369; 2012: #372)
  • Professor Longhair's New Orleans Piano (2003: #220; 2012: #222)
  • Public Enemy's Yo! Bum Rush The Show (2003: #497; 2012: Not on list)
  • Public Image Ltd.'s Metal Box (2003: #469; 2012: #461)
  • Quicksilver Messenger Service's Happy Trails (2003: #189; 2012: #189)
  • Radiohead's Amnesiac 2003: Not on list; 2012: #320)
  • Rage Against The Machine's The Battle Of Los Angeles (2003: #426; 2012: Not on list)
  • Bonnie Raitt's Give It Up (2003: Not on list; 2012: #495)
  • Otis Redding's Dock Of The Bay (2003: #161; 2012: #161)
  • Otis Redding's Live In Europe (2003: #474; 2012: Not on list)
  • Lou Reed's Berlin (2003: #344; 2012: #344)
  • R.E.M.'s Document (2003: #470; 2012: #462)
  • The Replacements' Tim (2003: #136; 2012: #137)
  • The Rolling Stones' Between The Buttons (2003: #355; 2012: #357)
  • The Rolling Stones' Now! (2003: #181; 2012: #180)
  • The Rolling Stones' Out Of Our Heads (2003: #114; 2012: #116)
  • The Rolling Stones' Tattoo You (2003: #211; 2012: #213)
  • Linda Ronstadt's The Very Best Of Linda Ronstadt (2003: #324; 2012: #164)
  • Roxy Music's Country Life (2003: #387; 2012: Not on list)
  • Roxy Music's Siren (2003: #371; 2012: #374)
  • Santana's Santana (2003: #150; 2012: #149)
  • Boz Scaggs' Boz Scaggs (2003: Not on list; 2012: #496)
  • Simon & Garfunkel's Bookends (2003: #233; 2012: #234)
  • Simon & Garfunkel's Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (2003: #201; 2012: #202)
  • Frank Sinatra's Songs For Swingin’ Lovers (2003: #306; 2012: #308)
  • Sly and The Family Stone's Fresh (2003: #186; 2012: #186)
  • Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (2003: #487; 2012: Not on list)
  • The Smiths' Louder Than Bombs (2003: #365; 2012: #369)
  • The Smiths' Meat Is Murder (2003: #295; 2012: #296)
  • The Smiths' The Smiths (2003: #481; 2012: #473)
  • Soundgarden's Superunknown (2003: #336; 2012: #335)
  • Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift For You (2003: #142; 2012: #142)
  • Bruce Springsteen's Greetings From Asbury Park (2003: #379; 2012: Not on list)
  • Bruce Springsteen's The Rising (2003: Not on list; 2012: #424)
  • Bruce Springsteen's Tunnel Of Love (2003: #475; 2012: #467)
  • Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic (2003: #385; 2012: #386)
  • The Stooges' Raw Power (2003: #125; 2012: #128)
  • Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense (2003: #345; 2012: #345)
  • Talking Heads' Talking Heads: 77 (2003: #290; 2012: #291)
  • Richard & Linda Thompson's Shoot Out The Lights (2003: #333; 2012: #332)
  • U2's All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2003: #139; 2012: #280)
  • U2's Boy (2003: #417; 2012: #417)
  • U2's War (2003: #221; 2012: #223)
  • Vampire Weekend's Vampire Weekend (2003: Unreleased; 2012: #430)
  • Tom Waits' The Heart Of Saturday Night (2003: #339; 2012: #339)
  • Tom Waits' Mule Variations (2003: #416; 2012: #416)
  • War's The World Is A Ghetto (2003: #449; 2012: #444)
  • Muddy Waters' At Newport 1960 (2003: #348; 2012: #348)
  • Muddy Waters' Folk Singer (2003: #280; 2012: #282)
  • Barry White's Can’t Get Enough (2003: #281; 2012: #283)
  • The White Stripes' White Blood Cells (2003: Not on list; 2012: #497)
  • The Who's A Quick One (Happy Jack) (2003: #383; 2012: #384)
  • The Who's Quadrophenia (2003: #266; 2012: #267)
  • The Who's The Who Sing My Generation (2003: #236; 2012: #237)
  • Hank Williams' The Complete Hank Williams (2003: #225; 2012: Not on list)
  • Jackie Wilson's Mr. Excitement! (2003: #235; 2012: #236)
  • Wings see Paul McCartney
  • Howlin’ Wolf's Howlin’ Wolf (2003: #223; 2012: #238)
  • Peter Wolf's Sleepless (2003: #432; 2012: #427)
  • X's Wild Gift (2003: #334; 2012: #333)
  • The Yardbirds' Having A Rave Up With The Yardbirds (2003: #353; 2012: #355)
  • The Yardbirds' Roger The Engineer (2003: #349; 2012: #350)
  • ZZ Top's Eliminator (2003: #396; 2012: #398)
  • ZZ Top's Tres Hombres (2003: #498; 2012: #490)
  • Various Artists' Anthology Of American Folk Music (2003: #276; 2012: #278)
  • Various Artists' Best Of The Girl Groups Vol 1 and 2 (2003: #422; 2012: #421)
  • Various Artists' The Sun Records Collection (2003: #308; 2102: #311)


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