Initially released in 1979, this album built on the success of the legendary Carols for Choirs volumes in establishing John Rutter's name with the wider public, and it gave a strong hint that he was more than just a talented composer-arranger. As the many subsequent releases on the Collegium label have also shown, Rutter is a deeply sensitive and musical conductor, alive to the color of words, always allowing phrases to breathe naturally. The accomplished Clare College Choir features male and female voices, the latter providing a more rounded alternative to those world-famous neighbors in Cambridge. Included are many of Rutter's own easy-listening carol arrangements ("King Jesus Hath a Garden" and "Wexford Carol," for example), plus others by the likes of Vaughan Williams and David Willcocks, while "Donkey Carol" and "Mary's Lullaby" are quintessential Rutter originals. Only a few numbers can be classed (statistically) as all-time Christmas faves--the likes of "The Holly and the Ivy" and "Ding Dong Merrily on High"--but this needn't deter anyone from snapping up what is the perfect album to accompany Christmas pud mixing (preferably by candlelight, imagining the twilight scene in Ely Cathedral's Lady Chapel, whose glorious acoustic graces the sound). --Andrew Green Read more
In the 50's, former big band trombonist-turned-arrange Ray Coniff experimented with replacing solo instrumental parts with often wordless vocal choruses and concocted the wildly successful easy listening ethos that came to symbolize pre-rock pop. This 1965 collection of Christmas favorites is a testament to the staying power of Coniff's milieu, even at the height of Beatlemania (which bizarrely inspired the arranger to set "Joy to the World" to a Liverpool beat). Backed by Coniff's typically bubbly arrangements, the impossibly joyful, pristine voices here seem to be caroling at some timeless, unlikely crossroads of hipster kitsch and nostalgic Americana. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" even evokes the Hollywood Western ethos of former Conniff colleague Frankie Laine so convincingly that one almost expects to hear Santa cracking a whip over Rudolph's head on the fade-out. --Jerry McCulley Read more
Volume 2 of a collection of holiday episodes from popular Cartoon Network properties. Episodes include Johnny Bravo: Twas the Night Courage: The Snowman Cometh Dexter: Dexter vs. Santa's Claws I AM WEASEL: Happy Baboon Holidays Ed Edd n Eddy: Jingle Jingle Jangle Powerpuff Girls: Mime for a Change Billy & Mandy: Battle of the Bands and Codename: Kids Next Door Operation P.I.A.N.O.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY UPC: 053939736229 Read more
The Grinch is the Darth Vader of our sugarplum visions. With Boris Karloff reading the beloved fable, generations of kids have been enthralled to hear the tale of how the Grinch almost ripped off the odd folks of Whoville by taking their presents and plundering their decorative booty with help from his hapless dog. And yet he can't dash Whoville's spirit. With songs from the show, including that timeless ode to nastiness "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," this colorful compact version of the story belongs in every seasonal collection. --Martin Keller Read more
