Nearly Perfect? Top 100 Christmas Songs (V.A.)

Here's a new series of posts to try and rekindle my enthusiasm for (Dinsdale) Kringle's Folly. I'll grab tracklists from various commercially available Christmas compilations and give them a quick once over to see if there's really been any point at all in trying to make a Perfect Mix. Has my Perfect Compilation been out there all along? We'll see...

I've seen this set on a few blogs but couldn't find an official link to it. I'm not sure if it's a commercial release of an unofficial compilation but here goes...

Top 100 Christmas Songs

CD1
01. Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas 03:47
02. Boyz II Men - Let it Snow 04:09
03. Michael Mcdonald - Every Time Christmas Comes Around 03:33
04. Marvin Gaye - I Want to Come Home for Christmas 03:23
05. Ashanti - Hey Santa 01:54
06. David Essex - A Winter's Tale 04:13
07. Aaron Neville - Such A Night 03:24
08. Olivia Newton-John - Christmas Never Felt Like This Before 03:51
09. Jackson 5 - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus 02:57
10. Freddy Fender - Christmas Time in the Valley 02:24
11. Michael Ball - Driving Home for Christmas 03:57
12. Laura Fygi - the Very Best Time of Year 02:47
13. Gladys Knight - It Came Upon A Midnight Clear 04:36
14. Diana Ross - Little Bright Star 02:28
15. Patti Page - Where Did My Snowman Go 02:32
16. Ringo Starr - Dear Santa 05:11
17. Wes Montgomery & Jimmy Smith - Baby It's Cold Outside 05:58
18. Vanessa Williams - Go Tell it to the Mountain 05:47
19. The Temptations - Little Drummer Boy 03:21
20. The Moody Blues - Happy X Mas (War is Over) 02:35

Not a bad disc but only 8/20 are in my rotation with none that are making the Perfect list.

CD2
01. Bing Crosby - White Christmas 03:00
02. Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock 02:11
03. Brenda Lee - Winter Wonderland 02:22
04. Chante Moore - Christmas Morning 05:20
05. The Platters - Blue Christmas 02:00
06. Diana Ross & the Supremes - My Favourite Things 02:53
07. George Strait - Santa's on His Way 02:07
08. B.B. King - Christmas Celebration 03:38
09. Ella Fitzgerald - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 02:53
10. Will Downing - the First Noel 04:58
11. Chris De Burgh - A Spaceman Came Travelling 04:04
12. Patti Labelle - That's What Christmas Means to Me 03:27
13. Jack Jones - Lullaby for Christmas Eve 04:13
14. New Edition - the Joy of Christmas 02:59
15. Shawn Philips - A Christmas Song 03:28
16. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - Christmas Lullaby 04:08
17. Singers Unlimited - Caroling, Caroling 01:15
18. The Statler Brothers - Away in A Manger 02:51
19. Dinah Washington - Ole Santa 02:44
20. Roger Whittaker - Little Shepard 02:52

9/20 this time with three crackers to lead the disc off. Again, a pretty good selection.

CD3
01. Mel Torme - the Christmas Song 02:46
02. Andrews Sisters & Bing Crosby - the First Snowfall 03:08
03. Pat Boone - I'll Be Home for Christmas 01:51
04. James Brown - Please Come Home for Christmas 03:22
05. Kid Creole & the Coconuts - Christmas on Riverside Drive 03:46
06. Free the Spirit - Last Christmas 03:52
07. Slade - Merry Christmas Everybody 03:43
08. Stephanie Mills - Christmas with You 04:56
09. Michael Jackson - Little Christmas Tree 03:38
10. Hanson - What Christmas Means to Me 03:40
11. Lionel Hampton - Boogie Woogie Santa Claus 02:45
12. Connie Francis - Baby's First Christmas 02:27
13. Billy Eckstine - Christmas Eve 03:05
14. Betty Carter - Home for the Holidays 04:31
15. BZN - Once Upon A Christmas 05:28
16. Nana Mouskouri - Deck the Hall Boughs of Holly 01:34
17. Rita Reys - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 04:21
18. Kim Weston - Wish You A Merry Christmas 02:37
19. Supremes - Joy the World 02:11
20. Gheorghe Zamfir - Little Drummer Boy 02:17

9/20. A bit dodgy here and there but not too bad. Once again the disc starts out really well and has a swell path in the middle.

CD4
01. 98 Degrees - this Gift 04:12
02. K - Ci & Jojo - Merry Christmas Baby 03:02
03. Steve Winwood - Christmas in Now Drawing 02:35
04. Shanice & Johnny Gil - Silent Prayer 04:58
05. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - Jingle Bells 02:48
06. Oliva Newton John - There's No Place Like Home For The Holidays 04:09
07. The Moody Blues - December Snow 05:14
08. Brenda Lee - A Marshmallow World 02:34
09. Jackson 5 - Santa Claus is Coming to Town 02:24
10. Marvin Gaye - Purple Snowflakes 02:53
11. Laura Fygi - A Song for Christmas 02:59
12. Ella Fitzgerald - Sleigh Ride 03:01
13. Louis Armstrong - Yule Cool 02:59
14. Commodors - Jesus is Love 04:58
15. Blue Diamonds - Christmas Day is Coming 02:48
16. Kurtis Blow - Christmas Rapping 04:00
17. Chuck Berry - Run Rudolph Run 02:43
18. James Brown - Signs of Christmas 04:40
19. Michael Ball - When A Child is Born 03:37
20. Venessa Williams - Hark the Herald Angels Sing 05:28

6/20. A few classic amidst a fairly ordinary selection.

CD5
01. Will Downing - All I Want for Christmas is You 04:04
02. Love Unlimited - it May Be Winter Outside 04:14
03. Boys II Men - Cold December Nights 04:10
04. 98 Degrees - Ave Maria 01:55
05. A-Teens - Happy New Year 04:24
06. The Kelly Family - Who'll Come with Me 03:10
07. Engelbert Humperdinck - Winter World of Love 03:22
08. Patti Labelle - O Holy Night 04:40
09. Michael Mcdonald - White Chistmas/winter Wonderland 03:29
10. Aaron Neville - the Star Carol 02:13
11. Marvin Sease - Funky Christmas 06:17
12. The Temptations - Silent Night 02:24
13. The Platters - All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth 02:14
14. Samatha Mumba - All I Want for Christmas 04:01
15. Connie Francis - O Little Town of Bethlehem 03:01
16. Rahsaan Patterson - Christmas at My House 04:56
17. The Supremes - Twinkle Twinkle Little Me 03:04
18. Stephanie Mills - it Doenst Feel Like Christmas 04:12
19. Larry Carlton - Ringing the Bells of Christmas 04:42
20. B.B. King - Auld Lang Syne 02:21

Oh dear. 2/20. That's not to say there are 18 bad songs on the disc - none of them are "bad", but almost none of them are really good either. Not a great showing for a compilation that bills itself as Top 100 songs.