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Post by Rick Bartlett on Nov 9, 2021 22:06:32 GMT -5
Perusing online, and found a site that seems to have cheap copies on vinyl of Brian's 2005 Christmas album. Copies of this are hard to come by and float around the 200 plus dollar range when you find them.
This site is offering a copy or copies? at $33.00 each! I don't know this website, and have never used them, but if they are genuine, it's a neat way to pick up a neat album at a neat price.
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Post by monolithic on Nov 13, 2021 4:08:52 GMT -5
On a semi-related note, does anyone know where Brian's solo versions of The Christmas Song and White Christmas (the latter with Styx) can be found? They used to be free downloads on his website, but I couldn't see them there anymore.
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Post by Rick Bartlett on Nov 15, 2021 9:50:21 GMT -5
Somebody has put up 'The Christmas Song' on YouTube.
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Post by E on Nov 16, 2021 8:36:30 GMT -5
Wish he'd recorded this for the album instead of as a Disney album bonus:
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Post by boogieboarder on Dec 17, 2021 13:18:11 GMT -5
When I first read that Brian Wilson was putting out a Christmas LP with the same basic band that recorded and/or toured with Brian Wilson Presents Smile, I was really excited. I guess I was expecting "Christmas Smile." It turned out it wasn't quite Smile. However, listening to it yesterday, it's actually one of my favorite Christmas albums. I'd have preferred more original material, but the harmonies and arrangements on every song are pretty magical, in a way only Brian does.
In fact, my three favorite Christmas albums are probably The Beach Boys Christmas Album, the unreleased Merry Christmas from The Beach Boys, and What I Really Want for Christmas. I also like the Beatles sound-alike band Christmas albums, of which there are a few. Otherwise, I tend to not enjoy Christmas albums very much. Maybe it's because when playing cello in school orchestras for years, we'd start rehearsing the Christmas songs a month or two before Christmas, and play them over and over again, both in rehearsals and multiple performances. You can get sick of them that way!
What other Christmas albums do people like this time of year?
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Post by Rick Bartlett on Dec 17, 2021 22:18:29 GMT -5
When I first read that Brian Wilson was putting out a Christmas LP with the same basic band that recorded and/or toured with Brian Wilson Presents Smile, I was really excited. I guess I was expecting "Christmas Smile." It turned out it wasn't quite Smile. However, listening to it yesterday, it's actually one of my favorite Christmas albums. I'd have preferred more original material, but the harmonies and arrangements on every song are pretty magical, in a way only Brian does. In fact, my three favorite Christmas albums are probably The Beach Boys Christmas Album, the unreleased Merry Christmas from The Beach Boys, and What I Really Want for Christmas. I also like the Beatles sound-alike band Christmas albums, of which there are a few. Otherwise, I tend to not enjoy Christmas albums very much. Maybe it's because when playing cello in school orchestras for years, we'd start rehearsing the Christmas songs a month or two before Christmas, and play them over and over again, both in rehearsals and multiple performances. You can get sick of them that way! What other Christmas albums do people like this time of year? I think it is deserves more credit than it receives. The tricky thing with Christmas albums, most of them you might play a few times, and then they might get spin every 10 years or something.... Brian and the band are right on here, I think Brian's vocals are tops! and it includes the what we now know as the 'Classic' Brian Wilson band with all key members intact. As you say, the lack of 'original' material pulls it down in favor of the 'usual' Chrissy tunes. Still, from a recording and performing point of view, if you can put aside the material for a little bit, and listen to how good these guys are, they are tight as a fishes @ss. These few years either side of 2005 are pretty 'Golden' anyway for Brian and the group. I'm not really a Christmas album person these days, and apart from the Beach Boys 64' album, there's really only one I thoroughly enjoy, not just as Christmas, but anytime of the year. The original Elvis Christmas album. Best Chrissy album ever made. |
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Post by Awesoman on Dec 28, 2021 9:54:57 GMT -5
Brian's Christmas album is by all means passable, if inessential listening. His modern-day voice is not always well-suited for some of the material he covers, especially "O Holy Night". On the other hand I liked his updated versions of "The Man With All The Toys" and "Little Saint Nick" among other things. And the title track isn't bad either.
I have always secretly wished that he took his song "Live Let Live" and repurposed it into a Christmas song. Call it something like "Christmas Time" as the infectious melody would have been much better suited for the holiday season than a song about climate change or whales (depending on which version you're listening to).
♪♫ Christ-mas Christ-mas tiiiiiime ♪♫
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Post by gigantiskpyjamas on Dec 28, 2021 10:16:26 GMT -5
I came across a sealed copy of What I Really Want For Christmas on vinyl a few months ago for a mere $18. I might lose my fanboy credentials now but I had never heard that album before dropping the needle on the record back in September. I’m not a huge fan of Christmas music (apart from Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas which I play almost non-stop all year round) so expectations were low but I was pleasantly surprised, both by a lot of the music and the pressing itself. It was well worth the money! That cover, though… Ugh! I’ll give it a 6 out of 10.
Edit: PS. I played the record the other day and my girlfriend thought it was Ozzy Osbourne singing!
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Post by lonelysummer on Jan 15, 2022 16:06:19 GMT -5
I'm glad we have this album - partially as a reminder of a time when Brian seemed healthy and somewhat happy. I played it a lot that Christmas of 05. The title song became a favorite - I still love it, think it's one of the best songs Brian's written in his solo career.
Surprised no one here's mentioned A Christmas Gift For You. That must be on Brian's turntable all year 'round.
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