Review rated by 11 Ciao members on average: very helpful
Wrapping up your christmas presents! Putting up the decorations! What else could make you feel any more merrier than singing along to past and xmas tunes.
This album seems to always be on sale in shops as soon as December starts to creep in. I'll give them credit though, once in a while I've taken a look on the back cover, yes despite the fact that I already own it, to find that two more songs have been added which I particularily enjoy. Making it exceedingly difficult for me to not buy it again.
CD 1 has all the memorable tracks. Songs which I remember always being played at the end of term school christmas party. Sadly the edition I have does not inclue Whams' Last Christmas. Which I distinctively remember being a favourite at the time!
Happy Xmas (War is Over), Do They Know It's Christmas?, Merry Xmas Everybody, I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, Step Into Christmas, Wonderful Christmas Time, A Spaceman Came Travelling, Stop The Cavalry, The Power Of Love.
All of which are sung by the original bands and singers. Sadly, this doesn't account for all of the 21 songs on CD 1 or of the 23 on CD 2. I don't particularily want to hear Ronan Keating and Maire Brennan (whoever she is) singing Fairy Tale Of New York, I want to hear The Pogues. Neither do I want to listen to Samantha Mumba doing a rendition of All I Want For Christmas. Or Kylie Minogue...or Robbie Williams...Call me a bit miserable if you wish to!!
Obviously on all compilation albums you're going to come across some songs which make you want to pull your ears off. For me on CD 1 it would be The Jackson 5 - Frosty The Snowman, Stevie Wonder - What Christmas Means To Me and Kylie Minogue - Santa Baby. But hey, that's what the skip buttons are for!
CD 2 is a lot more low key so to say. No christmas album would be complete without a bit of Cliff Richard and he starts and finishes off the second disc, with his very candy coated Mistletoe And Wine and The Millennium Prayer.
There's still some classics rooted in there. Aled Jones - Walking In The Air, Bing Crosby/David Bowie - Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy, Dean Martin - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!, Bing Crosby - White Christmas.
My personal favourite to sing along to is The Spinners - Twelve Days Of Christmas. A live version!! So it's much more easier to get the words right because they're telling the audience the lines so they can sing along as well.
Stacie Orrico - O Come All Ye Faithful is one it could do without as well as Norah Jones - Peace.
We also have Michael Andrews & Gary Jules - Mad World. So if anybody out there is feeling miserable or down this year, might be wise to skip past this downright depressing song before the piano does its tinkling introduction.
'And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad. The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had'
Don't get me wrong I do like the song, but just because it was a christmas number 1 doesn't mean you need to stick it on an album which has so far managed to be reasonably up beat. You wouldn't put Bob the Builders Can we Fix it? or Girls Alouds Sound of the Underground on a christmas album, (well I hope not anyway) so why put on a track which could make you want to put your head in a gas oven?
Overall I do love this album. Yes I did say love!! I've had it for a couple of years now and I'm not at all sick of it. I only wish it would of had Last Christmas or The Darkness-Christmas time (don't let the bells end) on it as well. Just to finish it off!!
by (9%):
10.12.2008 23:42
How can Ronan keating do fairy tale of new York. he's too safe??