Two musicians I know were commissioned to record a Christmas album. They play guitar and hammered dulcimer. The producer had done some research and determined the 12 or so most popular Christmas carols. He gave them a list of the tunes he wanted, and paid them a flat fee to record them. Although this went against all their artistic principles, the money was right, so they did it.

About 3 years later, I saw the CD in a bin of miscellaneous Christmas albums at a grocery store, priced at $2. Again, the price was right, so I bought it. The album as a whole is, well, mediocre, but one cut stands out as absolutely awful. The tune is "O Holy Night" done as a solo on hammered dulcimer. It is a slow tune that calls for long sustained notes, but there is no way to sustain notes on a hammered dulcimer.

"Plink……….plink……….plink-plink……….."

I suspect the musicians knew this was awful, but they decided to take the money and run.

There are virtually no liner notes. The cover tells the name of the duo, but it doesn't give their individual names, or give any indication of how to contact them. It doesn't even say what part of the world they live in. It's probably just as well.