Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Christmas Canon

Christmas Mood I

11 comments:

BlogDog said...

I think it's marvelous that the TSO and Mannheim Steamroller exist because of Christmas music. And that each has done a sort of re-invention of traditional music (as well as adding to the canon) that is both modern and beautiful.
And if anyone is sleeping on the Christmas music put out by the late, great Marylander John Fahey, you are *really* missing something. His disc of "guitar soli" "The New Possibility" (taken from a German philosopher's description of Christ) is certainly in the top 5 of Christmas music of all time.

gregor said...

Mark Wood, the violinist with TSO, invented the Viper Electric Violin, one incredible instrument.
http://www.woodviolins.com/html/about.html

Anonymous said...

Amen to BlogDog on John Fahey. Below is a link to John's "Fare Forward Voyagers" recorded in Portland Oregon a while back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K4BeLRBEmg&fmt=18

Anonymous said...

I love Mannheim Steamroller's earliest work, C.W. McCall. Well, Chip Davis really.
Tim

SoylentGreen said...

That was prolly the ONLY way to get me to actually listen to Pachelbel's Cannon - again. Enjoyed it TRKOF. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the reminder there, Rodg, you are truly an all-purpose blogger. The annual TSO show is about the only Christmas special I especially look forward to, and I'm gonna go Tivo it now.

PS: A while ago you posted the coupon from Oprah for the Kindle. I pulled the trigger on that, and after having used it for some weeks now, I can state that it's truly marvelous, a real game changer. Thanks.

Rodger the Real King of France said...

Good for you ... it looks like a good deal. BTW, if you tried to use that coupon one minute after its expiration .. SOL. I know. :((

David said...

Blogdog, Mannheim Steamroller was around for 15 years before their Christmas album. But it was that album that introduced them to the mainstream fan.

My family owns over 60 Christmas albums on CD, even more on records and we have frequent arguments about which is our favorite, Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas Album, Trans-Siberian Orchestra's or Chicago 25: The Christmas Album, are always the top three choices. The order just seems to change around a lot.

Anonymous said...

Naah, I hit the expiration date, Nov 1 I think, with hours to spare. Bought at $309.

BlogDog said...

David,
Point well taken. My equating Mannheim Steamroller w/ TSO in regard to Christmas was wrong. I suppose I think of MS that way as the Christmas oeuvre is what made me aware of them/him.
Yes, that does make me a mainstream fan and thanks (srsly) for pointing out my mistake.

David said...

Blogdog, the only reason I knew about Mannheim Steamroller before their Christmas album is that I have a lot of friends who remained band geeks after high school. They were always playing their stuff.

I too am a mainstream Steamroller fan. I just happen to have eclectic friends.

(eclectic = weird in a harmless way)

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