Monday, December 1, 1986
Supplement to the Daily Nebraskan
Page 13
Setting the holiday mood
Discs that will get
""v im t'iv it'u itiiitiif i 1.
r no day it s Going to liannen
U You're Rome to buy Christmas
albums. Sure you think you'll
always be able to tfo home for
Christmas and listen to whatever
schmaltzy artifact your parents might
have cranked up on the Master's
Voice, but as any good life insurance
Charles Lieurance
salesman will tell you: "Here today,
gone tomorrow."
Well, when it comes to be your
turn to purchase your own Yuletide
vinyl, you have several choices, you
could just play the folks' classics
but, as you found out in high school
when you thought Led Zeppelin's
"Communicatons Breakdown" was
more appropriate for Christmas
dinners than Anita Bryant singing
"What Child is This?" your folks
don't have the musical taste of your
average Shriner.
You could just trudge out through
the black ice to your local record
store and pick up the year's run of
X-masploitation LPs like "John
Schneider Sleigh ride" or Billy Odol
reads "The Night Before Christmas."
This is basically making the same
mistake your parents made, your
children will be trying to sneak the
Beastie Boys' "Cookie Puss" onto
the turntable most of Christmas
Day.
So let's get some taste. Make it
apparent that you don't just pick up
any plastic shrink-wrapped square
with "Christmas" stamped on it.
Here's some alternatives:
1. "A Charlie Brown Christ
mas", Vince Guaraldi Trio
To my mind the most tasteful and
energetic Christmas LP around.
Guaraldi, a noted jazz pianist com
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you in the spirit
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bines traditional Christmas music
with perfect mood pieces and brings
to both his own special vision of jazz
composition. Though the com posit
ons seem simple, as they should,
each weaves a complex web of mel
ody and mood. There is a slight edge
of melancholy to the work that adds
an amazing depth to diaries Schultz's
Peanut characters.
This melancholy edge makes the
album perfect for holiday evenings,
sentimental chit-chat and nostalgia.
2. "Elvis Sings the Wonderful
World of Christmas", Elvis
Presley Despite the sort of
Vegas schmaltz that immediately
comes to mind when one hears the
title of this album, it's really a clas
sic. "Elvis Sings. . ."contains some
pared-down traditional Christmas
songs that showcase his really
amazing voice and several deep
bluesy rarities.
3. "December", George Win
ston Sure, it's New Age Music,
Zen Muzak, or whatever you call this
kind of yuppie soma, but it's the
best of the lot. Winston is a boring
rather uninspired pianist who has
the melodic sense of Keith Jarrett
but none of Jarrett's ear for ad
venture. The album is gorgeously produced
as is the case with most Windham
Hill music and unobtrusive in a
gals
of the season
i .
good way. Ideal background music
for any holiday gathering or for
being lonely and contemplat ing the
meaning of life.
Nice and loads less pretentious
than Winston's other efforts.
4. "Light of the Stable", Emmy
lou Harris Harris has the most
beautiful voice in country western
music. Not too much twang or hic
cup and an unparalleled ear for
dynamics. Her whisper-singing is
especially effective.
This collection of incredibly
expressive Christmas songs is com
pletely devoid of the usual cliches
that litter much seasonal music.
5. Handel's "Messiah" There
are so many great versions of this
that it's hard to recommend the
right one to buy. Avoid the Mormon
Tabernacle choir's version which is
all bombast and no subtlety. The
Messiah is magnificant madness, so
complex and adorned that it comes
close to menacing the listener.
The sort of divine inspiration that
must have been granted to Handel
would strengthen anyone's belief in
higher powers. This is definetly not
unobtrusive. In fact, if you play it
loud (the best volume for the work)
it has the same effect as something
by Sonic Youth or Black Flag. Don't
even try to play it as background
music, it's an insult to Handel and
to the spirit of music.
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