My favourite Christmas songs

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: cptsnapper
Date: 05 Dec 10 - 03:03 AM

Santa Claus Blues as sung by Banu Gibson

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: open mike
Date: 05 Dec 10 - 04:12 AM

I have been searching for christmad carols
and cowboy christmas songs...and found this
http://www.carolingcorner.com/
I like Wylie Gustafson's version of this song
formerly done by John Denver-it was written by Steve Weisberg
(even though credit is often given only to John)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3YgqVeHRBE&NR=1

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Dec 10 - 05:11 AM

Past Three O'clock, the old carol (George Ratcliff Woodward) is a good one. Anything with grinding poverty, bone chilling cold and the subversion of a rigid social order appeals. (Wenceslas et al)

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: GUEST,glueman
Date: 05 Dec 10 - 05:12 AM

That was me'sen sans cookie.

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: cptsnapper
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 08:53 AM

My favourite serious Christmas song is Gabriel's Message

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: Tim Chesterton
Date: 09 Dec 10 - 04:55 AM

I've just recorded my Christmas song for 2010 - it's 'While Shepherd's Watched' sung to the tune of 'The Homes of Donegal'. You can hear it on Reverbnation here .

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: Artful Codger
Date: 09 Dec 10 - 01:49 PM

My apologies, but it seems a bit gratuitous to set "While Shepherds" to such an overused and lackluster tune like "The Homes" (aka "Paddy West" aka "Trampers and Hawkers"...), particularly when there are already so many settings for this carol, many delightful and relatively obscure. Indeed, it is clearly the most often reset carol text; avoiding the familiar "Old Winchester" tune is as easy as fishing with dynamite. I listed over forty alternatives in a recently revived thread, and that only took a bit of Googling. There's nothing wrong with creating yet another setting, of course, but realize that the bar has already been set pretty high.

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: JohnB
Date: 09 Dec 10 - 02:39 PM

Sorry Artful Codger, for me it works as good or better than "Crimond" or "Amazing Grace" and it his own well presented version of the words, how many of us can say that?
I would agree, it's not quite "Cranbrook" or "Pentonville" but what is.
JohnB.

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: GUEST,Hilary
Date: 09 Dec 10 - 03:56 PM

"Christ Child's Lullaby" is my favorite too. I am rather fond of all of the old carols in the Christmas Revels Songbook. Although my second favorite is a German one, "Es ist ein Ros' Entsprungen." You probably know it as "Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming." I'm still trying to memorize the German words.

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: Artful Codger
Date: 09 Dec 10 - 04:08 PM

"What is" would include at least ten other existing variants, and the number of tunes that would make a more satisfying alliance is legion. But back to favourite Christmas songs...

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: Tim Chesterton
Date: 09 Dec 10 - 08:31 PM

I don't know where you live, AC. I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. No one I have played this song for so far has ever heard it sung to anything other than Old Winchester, and no one I've sung it for has ever heard 'the Homes of Donegal' before, either.

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: Ref
Date: 09 Dec 10 - 09:55 PM

Try iTunes. You can get it but you have to buy an album.

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: Bob Landry
Date: 10 Dec 10 - 01:43 AM

My favourite Christmas songs:
- The Rebel Jesus (Jackson Browne)
- The Innkeeper (Lennie Gallant)

Hi Tim Chesterton. We're practically neighbours. I'm in St-Albert.

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: Monique
Date: 10 Dec 10 - 05:39 AM

Does anybody know this one? Well, my actual question is "would anyone be interested in it?"

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: Tim Chesterton
Date: 11 Dec 10 - 10:58 AM

Hi Bob Landry! Are you enjoying this brisk Alberta morning?

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: Bob Landry
Date: 11 Dec 10 - 10:10 PM

Can't say I enjoyed the temperature today, Tim. Started this morning pushing snow around and spent the rest of the day helping my son and his family move to a new house. Best I can say is that I survived.

Subject: Lyr Add: CHRISTMAS TIME'S A-COMIN' (Tex Logan)
From: open mike
Date: 12 Dec 10 - 03:57 AM

CHRISTMAS TIME'S A-COMIN' by Tex Logan
Popularized by Bill Monroe

Holly's in the window home where the wind blows
Can't walk for running Christmas time is coming.

CHORUS: Can't you hear them bells ringin'
Bringin' joy to all Don't you hear them singin'
When it's snowing I'll be going back to my country home
Christmas times a' coming Christmas times a' coming
Christmas times a' coming and I know I'm going home.

Instrumental break

Home fires burning my heart's yearning
For the folks at home when Christmas time is coming
Snowflakes falling my old home is calling
Tall pines are humming Christmas time is coming

Holly's in the window home where the wind blows
Can't walk for running Christmas time is coming.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXfBYXElPII&feature=related

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: open mike
Date: 12 Dec 10 - 04:11 AM

robert-earl-keen's merry-christmas-from-the-family is here:

http://www.cmt.com/videos/robert-earl-keen/39118/merry-christmas-from-the-family.jhtml

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: GUEST,Banjiman
Date: 12 Dec 10 - 06:34 AM

Has to be The Pogues & Kirsty McColl. Fairytale of New York.

Beautifully cynical!

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 12 Dec 10 - 07:45 PM

Just Listened to Charlie Williams' "O Holy Night" (which I'd posted as being one of my favourites in 2007!)
Great voice, but agree with ClaireBear: the backing is a wee bit heavy,in danger of over-powering even such a strong voice as yours, but good luck Charlie.

Subject: RE: My favourite Christmas song
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 12 Dec 10 - 08:00 PM

Oops that was ambiguous: I meant that O Holy Night was one of my favourites: Charlie's version is new. My kids' High school choir did a pretty good version.
Not sure about Tim's setting of "While Shepherds Watched" especially after spending a whole workshop last summer on that one carol to many other lovely tunes. A friend of mine is the habit of writing songs, and then sayung "It would fit to Tramps and Hawkers", to which I say "leave T & H alone and write your own tune". Lots of songs fit to the same tune if they have the same number of syllables per line.