🎄 Holidays! Christmas Portrait SHM CD

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Hi all,

I just got hold of this. Haven't listened thoroughly yet, but I did some cursory sampling, and noticed that there is a quite prominent stringed instrument plucking sound on the left channel for Carol of the Bells, as the song ends and fades that I never really noticed before - I think it is right in the centre and much softer for the West German version of the CD which contained the album mix. (this stringed instrument plucking sound could have appeared on other mixes, like the double CD Christmas Collection, but I am only noticing it now) :)

Anyway, now is the time to really enjoy both their Christmas albums, as the season 'draweth nigh', so...enjoy!

best Calvin
 
Hi Calvin,

I just reviewed and yes I hear it centered and softer on the West German CD and the same on the Special Edition CD, but it is prominent on the left channel on the SHM CD, the Christmas Collection 2 CD Set and on the 35th anniv black box set. To me it sounds like a trumpet as it's building up sound, like short bursts, it's possible it could be a stringed instrument but it sounds more like a trumpet instrument, but it is noticable from sampling these cd's.

I always start the season with the Carpenters, I ended up putting up my tree and decorating a bit and it always makes me realize how much I love their Christmas music. I recently picked up Olivia and John's new Christmas CD called "This Christmas". I have mixed feelings about the CD, it's great that the profits raised will go to their favorite charities however I was not really blown away with the music, maybe I was expecting too much. It just doesnt' seem cohesive, Barbra Streisand guests and sings 2 verses on 1 track, that was kinda weird. It also seems like John has more singing than Olivia which I find also weird. I do like the John Farrar track I Think You Might Like It. I feel Olivia's "Christmas Wish" CD is a much better Christmas CD, I love how it has interluds mixed in between Olivia's tracks, much like Carpenters, I play it alot but "This Christmas" I don't see me playing it much.

...getting into the holiday season today...
 
Chris! We have something in common - I also HAVE to listen to CP when putting up my tree and decorations at home! I recently bought a portable record player (battery operated, but can use electricity) and an external Yamaha speaker for better sound, to use in the living room (I have a 'proper' one hooked up to a Bose system in one of my rooms) and so, this year when I decorate, it will to the actual record which I bought AFTER Christmas in 1978 - it was so popular in Singapore (even advertised in one of the local Christian magazines) that most copies were sold out...that made me a bit upset but a couple of days after Christmas, I found one unexpectedly at a mall I don't normally go to. Anyway, since Christmas is supposed to last for 12 days, no prizes for guessing what I was doing for the bulk of them back then in 1978! LOL! Honestly, their CP album is the best, and I am slowly beginning to see how much it influenced other artistes, even up to today. First of all, after CP, there was a spate of Christmas albums by popular artists. Anne Murray's 1981 Christmas Wishes had nearly the whole of side one linked by short musical interludes, and later, Amy Grant's had one song seguing into another. Michael W Smith, Mariah Carey, Hall and Oates and many others all began their albums with overtures. I may be quite biased, but I am quite convinced the idea started with CP!

I also bought the ONJ & JT album about 3 weeks ago and share the same views as you...I thought JT sounded quite bad in the earlier tracks although it got better. Somehow, it all sounded like a one take album instead of really spending time to refine until the product was perfect. "I Think You Might Like It" is fun. Yes, ONJ's Christmas Wishes was so much better - I just listened to it in the car recently after nearly a year and realised that it is quite a good album, with a variety of moods and themes.

If you haven't already done so, please get Donna Summer's Christmas Spirit...from start to finish, that is one really beautiful album and probably No.2 on my list, after CP.

Have a great festive/holiday season!
 
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