This "supergroup" is the brainchild of Jon Oliva and Paul O'Neill (respectively the leader-keyboardist and the producer of Savatage). What would happen if members of Savatage decided to write some Christmas songs? Easy: Trans-Siberian Orchestra. #27 - Christmas Eve and Other Stories - Trans-Siberian Orchestra Although the set leans primarily on seasonal chestnuts like "Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer," "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," and "Silver Bells." Ultimately, that means it's difficult to spot the sources if you're just listening casually, and that's for the best, since it results in a charming, thoroughly entertaining Christmas record, highlighted by fine versions of "White Christmas," "Jingle Bells," "Silver Bells," "Let It Snow! Let it Snow! Let It Snow!," "Winter Wonderland," "Baby, It's Cold Outside," "I'll Be Home for Christmas," "The Christmas Blues," "Marshmallow World" and "Silent Night."Ī Motown Christmas is an outstanding 12-track sampler of highlights from holiday efforts like the Jackson 5's Christmas Album, Stevie Wonder's Someday at Christmas, and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' The Season of Miracles, all recorded during the label's late-'60s peak and infused with the same beautifully soulful vibe which defined the Sound of Young America at its best. Theoretically, this could make for problems - the deceptively casual, actually precise Capitol recordings would make the clearly casual Reprise songs sound lax - but the compilers are sharp, picking the best of both eras. As his recording career progressed, Dean became less concerned with perfect performances (not that he ever was too concerned in the first place), eventually winding up with really relaxed performances by the end of his stint with Reprise. #29 - Making Spirits Bright - Dean Martinĭrawing from both the Capitol and Reprise vaults, The Christmas Collection: Making Spirits Bright comes close to being the definitive Dean Martin holiday record. "Boun Natale," "O Little Town of Bethlehem," and "Santa's Coming in a Whirlybird" are all particularly inspired tunes on the set and the overall feel of the album is classic holiday fodder before later artists tried so hard and awkwardly integrated new styles into the songs.
Gene Autry Sings Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is a charming Christmas recording of Gene Autry running through some of the season's favorites, some obscure seasonal tunes, as well as a couple penned by Autry himself, including the immensely popular "Here Comes Santa Claus." The arrangements are very inspired classic pop stuff where sweeping strings, woodwind trills, and a chorus of backing vocalists mingling with Autry's rich voice and plenty of ringing percussion. #30 - Gene Autry Sings Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town - Gene Autry Unwrap these albums early and get ready for the Yuletide season. Here's AllMusic's countdown of the 30 most essential Christmas albums, from Ray Charles to Bing Crosby to James Brown and even Charlie Brown. There's a deep sense of comfort that comes from a well-curated Christmas playlist, with finely-aged classics following one after the other and invoking all the cozy holiday memories of the past.
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