Monday, December 16, 2019

Various Artists - Now That's What I Call Christmas (2015 Edition) (3-Disc set)


Picked this one up a couple of years ago, one of the Now! Christmas series released in England...

I don't think I need to elaborate much regarding this offering; you pretty much know what you're getting here - a mixture of modern and classic renditions of traditional Christmas songs by popular current and past artists, along with some most recent holiday-related tunes. In this set, there's some great stuff (like Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" and Ella Fitzgerald's "The Christmas Song"), some good stuff (such as The Waitresses' "Christmas Wrapping" and Burl Ives' "Holly Jolly Christmas")... and some utter crap, including Band Aid's cringe-inducing "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (featuring what is possibly the all-time most reprehensible lyric in holiday song history - Bono belting out "Well tonight, thank God it's them instead of youuuuuu!") and Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You", one of the most universally despised Christmas songs ever.
[This set also includes the most brutal, tear-inducing, Christmas-buzz-killing song of all time, in my opinion: Nat King Cole's "The Little Boy Who Santa Claus Forget" - I listened to this all the way through ONCE many Christmases ago, and I was depressed for the rest of the day! I fervently recommend you skip over that one, for your own sake.]
Here's the lineup, in case you're interested:

Disc 1:
  1. All I Want for Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey
  2. Last Christmas - Wham!
  3. Fairytale of New York - the Pogues Feat. Kirsty MacColl
  4. Driving Home for Christmas - Chris Rea
  5. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Roy Wood & Wizzard
  6. Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade
  7. Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord - Boney M
  8. Step Into Christmas - Elton John
  9. Wonderful Christmastime - Paul McCartney
  10. Christmas Lights - Coldplay
  11. 2000 Miles - the Pretenders
  12. Stop the Cavalry - Jona Lewie
  13. Santa Baby - Kylie Minogue
  14. Lonely This Christmas - Mud
  15. Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin' Stevens
  16. Underneath the Tree - Kelly Clarkson
  17. Christmas Wrapping - the Waitresses
  18. One More Sleep - Leona Lewis
  19. December Song (I Dreamed of Christmas) - George Michael
  20. Do You Hear What I Hear? - Whitney Houston
  21. Do You Want to Build a Snowman? - Kristen Bell, Agatha Lee Mon & Katie Lopez

Disc 2:
  1. White Christmas - Bing Crosby with the Ken Darby Singers & John Scott Trotter & His Orchestra
  2. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Frank Sinatra
  3. Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley
  4. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Dean Martin
  5. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
  6. Frosty the Snowman - the Ronettes
  7. Winter Wonderland - Doris Day
  8. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - the Crystals
  9. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - the Ronettes
  10. The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot - Nat King Cole
  11. Sleigh Ride - Ella Fitzgerald
  12. Merry Christmas Baby - James Brown
  13. What Christmas Means to Me - Stevie Wonder
  14. Someday at Christmas - the Jackson 5
  15. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams
  16. Senor Santa Claus - Jim Reeves
  17. Marshmallow World - Darlene Love
  18. Here Comes Santa Claus - Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans
  19. Never Do a Tango with An Eskimo - Alma Cogan
  20. Lonely Pup (In a Christmas Shop) - Adam Faith
  21. Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt
  22. Baby, It's Cold Outside - Ella Fitzgerald with Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
  23. I'll Be Home for Christmas - Perry Como with Russ Case & His Orchestra
  24. Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives
  25. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - the Crystals
  26. Little Saint Nick - the Beach Boys
  27. The Bells of St. Mary - Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans
  28. The Christmas Song - Ella Fitzgerald

Disc 3:
  1. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir
  2. Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid
  3. The Power of Love - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
  4. When a Child Is Born - Johnny Mathis
  5. O Holy Night - Il Divo
  6. Walking in the Air - Aled Jones
  7. Silent Night - Nat King Cole
  8. O Come All Ye Faithful - Perry Como
  9. Silver Bells - Jim Reeves
  10. O Little Town of Bethlehem - Burl Ives
  11. Peace on Earth / Little Drummer Boy - Bing Crosby & David Bowie
  12. A Winter's Tale - David Essex
  13. In Dulci Jubilo - Mike Oldfield
  14. A Spaceman Came Travelling - Chris de Burgh
  15. In the Bleak Midwinter - Bert Jansch
  16. Ring Out Solstice Bells - Jethro Tull
  17. Gaudete - Steeleye Span
  18. We Wish You a Merry Christmas - the Weavers
  19. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Blue Blood
  20. The Twelve Days of Christmas - the Spinners
  21. Auld Lang Syne - Susan Boyle
  22. Happy New Year - ABBA

As you can see, overall there's more good music than bad here... and with three discs worth of music to choose from, everyone in your household will find SOMETHING here that they like. Just fire up this set as your Christmas Day background music, and tune out what doesn't float your particular holiday boat at that moment. I know that's not a completely ringing endorsement of the album... but as far as Xmas sets go, you could do a lot worse.

I offer for your enjoyment this holiday season the 2015 edition of Now That's What I Call Christmas, a three-disc set released by Universal Music Group on November 15th, 2015, and distributed by Sony Music Entertainment. Enjoy, and as always, let me know what you think.

A Merry Christmas to you all!

Please use the email link below to contact me, and I will reply with the download link(s) ASAP:

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5 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for sharing this before the actual holiday!

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  2. Seasons greetings to you & yours! Thanks.

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  3. Thanks again, Mr. H - very much appreciated!

    S.

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  4. Thanks for this! It's definitely one of my all-time favorite Christmas albums.

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