Miracle
A mix by Laurel Krahn for Christmas 2002.
1) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings - Barenaked Ladies with Sarah McLachlan
I stumbled on this when downloading Christmas music off of the net last year. And then I found the track on the excellent holiday CD from Nettwerk called Christmas Songs. I bought that compilation after Christmas last year and stumbled on it during the year and then couldn't find it this Christmas. Grrrr. Argh. This track also appeared on a compilation released this year (also by Nettwerk) called Maybe This Christmas. It caught my eye 'cuz of the Paul Frank art on the cover. And then I was tickled 'cuz it's got tracks by Neil Finn, Dan Wilson, Ben Folds, Ron Sexsmith, and other cool people. Anyway. I love the Barenaked Ladies and Ms. McLachlan and this track is nice and bouncy and a good start for the mix.
2) Rudolph The Manic Reindeer - Los Lobos
More peppy music. This time from Los Lobos. From the compilation New Wave Xmas - Just Can't Get Enough.
3) Deck The Halls - Holly Cole with Jane Siberry, Victoria Williams, Rebecca Jenkins, Mary Margaret O'Hara
This is from the cool holiday concert recording known as Count Your Blessings. I think Jane Siberry was the ringleader of this concert. Featured all of the above artists performing with each other. So very good, one of my favorite Christmas albums. Holly Cole has since released a Christmas EP and a Christmas album of her own. Jane Siberry released a two disc recording of one of her holiday concerts, and Mary Margaret O'Hara released a holiday EP, too.
4) "I Hate Christmas" dialogue from the "All Through The House" episode of Homicide: Life on the Street.
Featuring Richard Belzer as Detective John Munch: "I hate Christmas because you're supposed to feel happy at Christmas, and if you don't feel happy then you think something's wrong with you, which makes you even unhappier!" I found the soundfile on schlock's excellent Homicide sounds page.
5) Christmas Carol - Nerissa & Katryna Nields
From an outstanding new holiday CD from Signature Records called Wonderland - A Winter Solstice Celebration. I didn't realize until I was writing these notes that I used five songs from this record. Yikes. Proof that it's a great album? There are still more great songs on it that I didn't use and was tempted to use. It seems like each year I have a favorite album and end up using a lot from it, guess this was this year's fave.
Some of my friends hate the Nields (I think they find them too bouncy), but I can't help but like them 'cuz I like the songs they write. And this song is another great one.
6) Winter Wonderland - Rosemary Clooney
I'm probably least satisfied with this song because it was the last thing I added to the mix. Not that it's not a fine version of a fine song, but I really wanted something recorded later in Ms. Clooney's career. I don't own any of her Christmas albums and so I resorted to searching online for mp3s and the pickings were rather slim. And last year I used stuff of hers from the film White Christmas so I didn't want to repeat that. But I wanted to include a song by Rosemary Clooney because somewhere along the line it turned out I found that I'd put recordings by a lot of folks who died within the last year on here. Kevin keeps joking that my mix should be called "Dead or Canadian" given how many of the tracks are by Canadians or, um, dead people. Anyway. I love Ms. Clooney, her phrasing is divine. I've got a DVD of White Christmas (one of my all-time favorite movies) and it has a cool commentary track by her. When I listen to it, it's like she's watching the movie with me.
7) Christmas in Hollis - Run-D.M.C.
I remember buying the first Very Special Christmas album on vinyl and listening to it constantly. It was the first Christmas album I bought and the start of my massive holiday music collection. I've always loved this song. Rest in peace, Jam Master Jay (full coverage of his murder, the investigation, his funeral, etc. here).
8) Children Go Where I Send Thee - Natalie Merchant
I've always loved this song. From A Very Special Christmas 3.
9) "You're Just Being Contrary" - more dialogue from the "All Through The House" episode of Homicide.
Munch: "I hate Christmas."
Bolander: "You're just being contrary. You're trying to get attention. I know you, Munch, I wish I didn't but I do."
Lewis: "What's this, a Christmas tree?"
Bolander: "No no no, that's a palm tree. What's wrong with you people?"Richard Belzer as Detective John Munch, Ned Beatty as Detective Stanley Bolander, Clark Johnson as Detective Meldrick Lewis. Episode was written by Henry Bromell.
10) Mele Kalikimaka - Poi Dog Pondering (with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band)
From Poi Dog Pondering's "Jack Ass Ginger" EP. I'm sure it's on some Christmas compilations, too, but I don't recall which ones just now.
11) X-mas in Tinseltown - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
So maybe I can't remember what compilation I got this from. It's the perils of making mp3s out of stuff and not including all the data you should. I just know it's a fun song!
12) "Name one miracle . . . " - More dialogue from that Christmas Homicide episode.
Bolander: "Christmas is when Jesus was born. That was a miracle. That's why we remember him, celebrate it."
Munch: "Why."
Bolander: "Because we have to celebrate miracles, that's why."
Munch: "How come all the miracles that ever happened, happened in the past?"
Bolander: "What?"
Munch: "Name one miracle that happened in your lifetime."
Bolander: "How about the fact that I haven't killed you yet!"Ned Beatty as Bolander, Richard Belzer as Munch. Love them.
13) Jesus Christ - Big Star
From Third/Sister Lovers.
14) I Wonder As I Wander - Brooks Williams
I loved singing this song for a Christmas pageant one year. Maybe because it wasn't a song that'd been done to death, maybe 'cuz it's such a pretty song. This is another track from Wonderland.
15) Would You Like To Swing On A Star? - Dave Van Ronk
I know it's not a Christmas song, but it just seems to fit anyway. I wanted to put it on here and it was after I did that I realized maybe it was because Van Ronk died this past year and I miss having him in the world. I got to see him play a couple of times and also got to hear him tell some great stories. This is one of my favorite songs and his version is one of my favorite versions of it. It just makes me happy. From his great Sunday Street album.
16) At The Christmas Ball - Erin McKeown
I saw Erin McKeown a couple of years ago at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Loved her, bought one of her CDs and I love it. Figures this would be a cool track. Also from Wonderland.
17) We Wanna See Santa Do The Mambo - Big John Greer
Great version of a great song. From Hipsters' Holiday: Vocal Jazz & R&B Classics. Which is one cool Christmas record.
18) The Tree - Jim Henry
Another track from Wonderland. Nifty new song.
19) Adeste Fidelis - Bruce Cockburn
Really short, but cool. From Cockburn's great Christmas CD (title of it is Christmas. Seems to be out of print, alas). I suspect I'll be putting a longer song from that CD on next year's mix. Canadian!
20) Christmas Time Is Here - Holly Cole Trio
I (heart) Holly Cole, in case you haven't figured that out. From her holiday CD Baby, It's Cold Outside. It's a Canadian release, not yet available in the U.S. (except as an import, that is). And of course the song itself is from the Peanuts Christmas special.
21) I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - John Wesley Harding
John Wesley Harding is one of my favorite songwriters and performers. He recorded this song for his fan club holiday single one year. A year or two ago he released the track as an mp3 on his website as a little holiday gift.
22) Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses
One of the best new Christmas songs ever recorded by a rock band. Yeah, it's been on a zillion compilations by now. I figured I had to put it on my holiday mix some year, why not this year?
23) Winter Weather - Squirrel Nut Zippers
I got the track from a CD called Christmas With A Kick which I think was a release from Restoration Hardware or Pottery Barn or somebody a year or two ago. The track was originally released on the Squirrel Nut Zippers own Christmas album called Christmas Caravan (which I just added to my wishlist).
24) American Noel - Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer
I love this song. I'm so very sad that Dave Carter died this year as he's just brilliant and hadn't been making music for very long. But at least he found love and music before the end, you know? And left behind some fabulous songs and recordings. Like this one. Also from Wonderland.
25) O Holy Night - Tracy Chapman
From A Very Special Christmas 3. Nifty simple version of a great song.
26) Calling All Angels (Millennium version) - Jane Siberry
Jane Siberry is a goddess. And this song is one of the most beautiful songs ever, in my humble opinion. This is a new version of the song that was recorded for a single released in 2000 (still available on Jane's website). The original version is on two of my favorite albums of all time: the soundtrack for Until The End of The World and Jane Siberry's When I Was A Boy.