Tuesday, July 29, 2008

16 more former candidates....

16 down, oodles to go. I've already blogged about my 12 days problem, it ituns out I've somehow missed finding the perfect "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" as well. The search continues.

Quite a few favorites here but they're either the second most perfect version of a song (Bing's "And the Bells Rang") or just not quite right for this type pf compilation (the Line Material stuff). Every cut will end up on a supplemental volume though so, please, no hate mail from rabid Ray Conniff fans. (Or "Conniffreaks" as they like to call theselves)
  1. The Twelve Days Of Christmas - Mantovani
  2. The Twelve Days Of Christmas - Ray Conniff & Singers
  3. Jing Jing A Ling - Honey And The Bees
  4. Caroling Caroling - Lisa Ono
  5. And The Bells Rang - Bing Crosby
  6. Christmas Is - Percy Faith
  7. Do You Hear What I Hear - The Gamble Folk
  8. Jingle Jangle - The Penguins
  9. O' Bambino - Harry Simeone Chorale
  10. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen - The Glad Singers
  11. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - The Mike Sammes Singers
  12. Winter Wonderland - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
  13. Welcome Christmas - The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
  14. The Kinds of Christmas - Line Material
  15. Let's Trim the Christmas Tree - Line Material
  16. Christmas Collage - Kathy Mattea

Monday, July 21, 2008

The Twleve Days of Christmas



Today I pit the three remaining versions of The Twelve Days of Christmas against each other and, much to my surprise, none of them seemed quite "perfect". I don't know how I overlooked better versions from other artists - perhaps it was the length and repetition inherent in the song that I unconsciously steered away from, maybe I was burned out from a surfeit of jolliness. I don't know but I've decided to keep Bing and the Andrew Sisters for now and move Mantovani and Ray Conniff to the supplemental volumes.

I even considered the Sesame Street version, featuring a stirring lead vocal from Cookie Monster, already destined for a kiddie themed mix but couldn't quite being myself to add it.

Do you have a favorite version of The Twelve Days of Christtmas you think I should consider? Let me know in the comments!

Monday, July 7, 2008

Perfect Candidates List - July Update

Update: Looks like I forgot to add a week's worth of new candidates a couple of months ago! New total is now 162 - I've updated the Master list (below) with the missing tunes...

Here's the most recent Master List. 162 top tinsel tunes. Time to get to work paring it down to something in the low double digits....

  1. (There's No Place Like) Home For the Holidays - Perry Como
  2. A Christmas Medley - Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops
  3. A Christmas Toast - Bing Crosby
  4. A Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives
  5. A Marshmallow World - Johnny Mathis
  6. A Merry Christmas At Grandmother's - The Andrew Sisters with Danny Kaye
  7. A Merry Christmas Song - Living Strings & Living Voices
  8. A Song And A Christmas Tree (The Twelve Days Of Christmas) - Andy Williams
  9. A Time To Be Jolly - Bing Crosby
  10. A Very Merry Christmas - Cliff Edwards
  11. All I Want for Christmas (is my Two Front Teeth) - Nat King Cole
  12. And The Bells Rang - Bing Crosby
  13. And The Bells Rang - The Modernaires
  14. Angels We Have Heard on High - The Roches
  15. Baby, It's Cold Outside - Carmen McRae & Sammy Davis Jr.
  16. Baby, It's Cold Outside - Dean Martin
  17. Blue Christmas - Johnny Mathis
  18. Buon Natale (Means Merry Christmas To You) - Nat King Cole
  19. Buon Natale - Al Caiola and Riz Ortolani
  20. Caroling, Caroling - Nat King Cole
  21. Caroling Caroling - Lisa Ono
  22. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Darlene Love
  23. Christmas Can't Be Far Away - Burl Ives
  24. Christmas Carols - Lawrence Welk & His Champagne Music
  25. Christmas Chimes - Andre Kostelanetz
  26. Christmas Chopsticks--Bobby Vinton
  27. Christmas Chopsticks - Andre Kostelanetz And His Orchestra
  28. Christmas Collage - Kathy Mattea
  29. Christmas Is - Lou Rawls
  30. Christmas Is - Percy Faith
  31. Christmas Is A-Comin'- Bing Crosby
  32. Christmas Rush - Vincent Lopez
  33. Christmas Time All Over The World - Sammy Davis, Jr
  34. Christmas Time Is Here (Vocal) - Vince Guaraldi Trio
  35. Christmas in Killarney - Bing Crosby
  36. Comfort And Joy - Simon & Garfunkel
  37. Cool Yule - Louis Armstrong
  38. Deck the Halls - Nat King Cole
  39. Ding Dong! Merrily on High - The King's Singers
  40. Do You Hear What I Hear - Andy Williams
  41. Do You Hear What I Hear - Bing Crosby
  42. Do You Hear What I Hear - Johnny Mathis
  43. Do You Hear What I Hear - The Gamble Folk
  44. Feliz Navidad - Jose Feliciano
  45. First Snowfall Medley - The Carpenters
  46. Frosty The Snowman - Jimmy Durante
  47. Frosty the Snowman/Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer - Henry Mancini
  48. Give Love on Christmas Day - The Temptations
  49. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen - Ray Conniff
  50. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen - The Glad Singers
  51. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - The Mike Sammes Singers
  52. Happy Sleigh Ride - Ferrante And Teicher
  53. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Julie Andrews
  54. Hark the Herald Angels Sing - Andre Kostelanetz
  55. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - The Going Thing
  56. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland
  57. Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) - Elvis Presley
  58. Here Comes Santa Claus - Doris Day
  59. Here Comes Santa Claus - The Mills Brothers
  60. Here We Come A-Caroling - Ray Conniff Singers
  61. Holiday For Bells - Bert Kaempfert
  62. Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives
  63. I'll Be Home For Christmas - Doris Day
  64. I'll Be Home For Christmas - Joao Bosco
  65. I'll Be Home for Christmas - Frank Sinatra
  66. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm - Dean Martin
  67. I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You - Claudine Longet
  68. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day - Burl Ives
  69. I Saw Three Ships - Nat King Cole
  70. I Wouldn't Trade Christmas - The Sinatra Family
  71. It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas - Bing Crosby
  72. It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas - Perry Cuomo
  73. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year - Andy Williams
  74. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Johnny Mathis
  75. It Happened In Sun Valley - The Original Glenn Miller Singers
  76. Jing-A-Ling-A-Ling - Wayne King and His Orchestra
  77. Jing Jing A Ling - Honey And The Bees
  78. Jingle Bell Rock - Anita Kerr Singers
  79. Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms
  80. Jingle Bells - The Norman Luboff Choir
  81. Jingle Bells/Sleigh Ride - Henry Mancini
  82. Jingle Jangle - The Penguins
  83. Joy to the World - Percy Faith and His Orchestra
  84. Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells - Andy Williams
  85. Let's Trim the Christmas Tree - Line Material
  86. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Andre Kostelanetz
  87. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow - Dean Martin
  88. Let It Snow, Let It Snow - Randy Van Horne Singers
  89. Little Drummer Boy-Peace On Earth -Bing Crosby & David Bowie
  90. Little Jack Frost, Get Lost - Bing Crosby (with Peggy Lee)
  91. Lullaby For Christmas Eve - Judith Durham
  92. Medley: Pine Cones And Holly Berries (with It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas), We Wish You A Merry Christmas - The Living Voices
  93. Medley: a. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, b. Deck the Halls, c. Hark! the Herald Angels Sing - Henry Mancini
  94. Mele Kalikimaka (Christmas in Hawaii) - KT Tunstall
  95. Merry Christmas Polka - Freddy Martin w. Merv Griffin
  96. Mistletoe & Holly - Jack Jones
  97. My Christmas Tree - The Going Thing
  98. My Favorite Things - Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass
  99. My Favorite Things - Living Strings & Living Voices
  100. O' Bambino - Harry Simeone Chorale
  101. O Holy Night - Andy Williams
  102. O Little Town Of Bethlehem - Domenico Savino And His Orchestra
  103. Oh Come, All ye Faithful - Elvis Presley
  104. Oiche Chiún (Silent Night) - Enya
  105. Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers - Dick Schory's Percussion Pops
  106. Pretty Snowflakes - Patti Page
  107. Ring Christmas Bells - We Wish You A Merry Christmas - Living Strings & Living Voices
  108. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
  109. Round and Round The Christmas Tree - Bing Crosby
  110. Rudolf, The Red Nosed Reindeer Mambo - Billy May
  111. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Tex Beneke, Ray Eberle And The Modernaires
  112. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
  113. Santa Claus Is Back In Town - Elvis Presley
  114. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Peppermint Kandy Kids
  115. Schlittenfahrt Zum Weihnachtma - James Last
  116. Silent Night - The Norman Luboff Choir
  117. Skating - Vince Guaraldi Trio
  118. Sleigh Ride - Al Cailoa & Riz Ortolani
  119. Sleigh Ride - Arthur Fiedler
  120. Sleigh Ride - Ella Fitzgerald
  121. Sleigh Ride - Johnny Mathis
  122. Sleigh Ride - KT Tunstall
  123. Snow - Claudine Longet
  124. Snowfall - Enoch Light
  125. Snowfall - The Manhattan Transfer
  126. Song of the Sleigh Bells - June Hutton
  127. The Bell That Couldn't Jingle - Anita Kerr Singers
  128. The Bell That Couldn't Jingle - Burt Bacharach
  129. The Bell That Couldn't Jingle - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
  130. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) - Johnny Mathis
  131. The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
  132. The Christmas Waltz - Frank Sinatra
  133. The Christmas Waltz - Peggy Lee
  134. The First Noel - Domenico Savino And His Orchestra
  135. The First Snowfall- Bing Crosby
  136. The Holly And The Ivy - The Norman Luboff Choir
  137. The Jolly Old Man In the Bright Red Suit - Vaughn Monroe
  138. The Kinds of Christmas - Line Material
  139. The Little Drummer Boy - Anita Kerr Singers
  140. The Little Drummer Boy - Harry Simeone Chorale
  141. The Little Drummer Boy - The Living Voices
  142. The Man with the Bag - Kay Starr
  143. The Merriest - June Christy
  144. The Secret of Christmas - Julie Andrews
  145. The Sounds Of Christmas - Catherine McKinnon
  146. The Sounds of Christmas - Johnny Mathis
  147. The Twelve Days Of Christmas - Andrews Sisters w/ Bing Crosby
  148. The Twelve Days Of Christmas - Mantovani
  149. The Twelve Days Of Christmas - Ray Conniff & Singers
  150. Twas The Night Before Christmas - Fred Waring
  151. Twas The Night Before Christmas - Jo Stafford
  152. Twas the Night Before Christmas - Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians
  153. Wassail Song O Christmas Tree I Saw Three Ships - Arthur Fiedler & the Boston
  154. We Wish You A Merry Christmas/Jingle Bells/Where Did My Snowman Go - Gunter Kallmann Choir
  155. We Wish You The Merriest - The Original Glenn Miller Singers
  156. Welcome Christmas - The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
  157. What Child is This - Vince Guaraldi Trio
  158. White Christmas - Bing Crosby
  159. Winter Weather - Jo Stafford
  160. Winter Wonderland - Bing Crosby
  161. Winter Wonderland - Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
  162. Winter Wonderland - Johnny Mathis

Perfect Candidates - July 7

Finally an update.

To tell the truth I've been a bit burnt out the last few weeks. It took half a year of non-stop Christmas music before I found myself actively avoiding the stuff but it did eventually happen. I think I'm coming out of it now though and hope to have posts up on at least a weekly basis from here on out. Famous last words...

Only one addition to report...