I am currently spinning the TJB Christmas Album.
I have always wondered if this album was recorded at the same bunch of sessions that produced the Warm album, considering that the choir that's all over the Christmas record seems to show up (buried in the mix) on "The Sea is My Soil" and maybe some of those folks joined in on "Zazueira" too, who knows? Also some of the tracks from both albums have orchestrations too. And of course they were released relatively close together.
Right ahead of the TJB album, I played Herb's newer "A Christmas Wish." It's enjoyable top to bottom too, although it might have benefited from being maybe one or two tracks shorter. But it's really one of those records that puts you in the Christmas mood. The first half of the album especially. I've always been a big fan of medleys and I love the medleys here. I wish he'd done more of those. Maybe for the next one!
I will have to say that I really do like the old album better than the new one (because you really can't replace the TJB) but the newer one is one of the few Christmas albums to come out in the past 20 years that I'll ever play annually. I don't really even spin Mannheim Steamroller much anymore -- most of that music, with its synths and electro-drums, is just too dated-sounding for me these days. That's one thing about Herb's music -- it's timeless, no matter when it was recorded. You can listen to that first Christmas LP and nobody would ever guess it was from the '60s.
I have always wondered if this album was recorded at the same bunch of sessions that produced the Warm album, considering that the choir that's all over the Christmas record seems to show up (buried in the mix) on "The Sea is My Soil" and maybe some of those folks joined in on "Zazueira" too, who knows? Also some of the tracks from both albums have orchestrations too. And of course they were released relatively close together.
Right ahead of the TJB album, I played Herb's newer "A Christmas Wish." It's enjoyable top to bottom too, although it might have benefited from being maybe one or two tracks shorter. But it's really one of those records that puts you in the Christmas mood. The first half of the album especially. I've always been a big fan of medleys and I love the medleys here. I wish he'd done more of those. Maybe for the next one!
I will have to say that I really do like the old album better than the new one (because you really can't replace the TJB) but the newer one is one of the few Christmas albums to come out in the past 20 years that I'll ever play annually. I don't really even spin Mannheim Steamroller much anymore -- most of that music, with its synths and electro-drums, is just too dated-sounding for me these days. That's one thing about Herb's music -- it's timeless, no matter when it was recorded. You can listen to that first Christmas LP and nobody would ever guess it was from the '60s.