Category: Music Box

Music Box: On The 8th Day Of (Jeffrey)Christ-mas…

…Jeffrey gave to you…Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s “The Power Of Love”.

Yeah, I’m cheating here, I know, because when the song was released on FGTHs debut WELCOME TO THE PLEASUREDOME album back in 1984, I’m not sure the birth of Jesus Christ was on the minds of the same songwriters whose first hit single from the album was the world-wide #1 (banned in the U.K.) gay sex anthem “Relax” (the anti-war “Two Tribes” was their second consecutive #1).

But, make no mistake, “The Power Of Love” is one of the great love songs of the 80s, and it became one of the great Christmas songs of all-time almost by fiat.  Master video pioneers Godley & Creme (whose classic “Cry” video immortalized the morphing technique later popularized by Michael Jackson’s “Black Or White”) shortened the original album track by two minutes, added a nativity theme to commemorate its December #1 status, and a Christmas classic was born.

The staggering sweep and scope of the song itself lends well to the ideal of the holiday, although lyrically, it’s a head-scratcher to juxtapose (but in the world of music video, how often is the text paralleled to the visual?)

Lead singer Holly Johnson’s opening lines of the song were cut from the video, yet are kept within the song (the hauntingly beautiful imagery of “I’ll protect you from the hooded claw, keep the vampires from your door…”). At times broad-voiced and nasal, his odd vibrato mixed with an unwavering passionate yearning – he propels the ballad into classic territory on aesthete alone.  His delivery is chill-inducing.

I can’t imagine that Frankie Goes To Hollywood ever resented “The Power of Love” becoming synonymous with Christmastime; while it was their third #1 smash in as many releases, it could have lived and died at that, to be scattered amongst the thousands of #1s throughout history as a fond memory (also, I’m not sure who else besides me elevate this to ‘classic love song’ status).  But, thanks to Godley & Creme, this near-perfect masterpiece is an annual seasonal staple.

Music Box: On The 7th Day Of (Jeffrey)Christ-mas…

The Pointer Sisters recorded “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” for the A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS charity album

…Jeffrey gave to you…“Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” by the Pointer Sisters, one of the most joyous versions of the song.

 And what a wonderful song it is to capture the holiday week and the buoyancy after New York’s first big snowfall…outside my window, kids are playing, snow plows are rumbling, dogs are scrambling. Some folks are grumbling and others are whining about the weather, as if the fact that it’s December never entered their stream of consciousness mumblings.

I’d say it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but it hasn’t snowed in NY on Christmas in years.  But it definitely feels like an old-fashioned kind, the Christmases that they wrote about in songs, though rarely seen here in New York nowadays.

“Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” is a grand ol’ tune, of course, and everyone young and old can sing the hook.  Overplayed and over-covered by hundreds of performers, sure, but still a staple for any Christmas collection. My favorite renditions, though, are those not performed in the more traditional, original arrangement, but the funkier, more soulful approach that adds more to the fundamental bliss of the lyrics.  The Pointer Sisters version, from the first – and still best – volume of the A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS series of charity releases benefiting the Special Olympics, is possibly the most jubilant of versions and probably my favorite.

Their arrangement is pretty much a cover version of the Crystals reading from the classic A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOU FROM PHIL SPECTOR (look for a special posting about this soon), the greatest Christmas CD of all time.  Other artists reinterpreting the Crystals classic include the awesome Jackson 5 cover from their classic THE JACKSON 5 CHRISTMAS ALBUM, and the great Bruce Springsteen live track so often played during the holidays.

But it’s the Pointer Sisters, and A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS as a whole, that’s put into heavy rotation at my home every holiday.

 

The Pointer Sisters peformed the song live on the Johnny Carson show to promote the album~

Music Box: On The 6th Day Of (Jeffrey)Christ-mas…

We can forgive Talyor Momsen (pictured here as Cindy Lou Who) for HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS. But GOSSIP GIRL? Not so much.

…Jeffrey gave to you… “Where Are You Christmas” by (gads!) Faith Hill.

Now, I realize I just might be losing any musical credibility and trust I’ve gained over the years; I mean, I expect and accept the snickering, but I stand my ground with this one. Who could have imagined that the grimy, dank big-budget Jim Carey version of Dr. Seuss’ eternal HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS would beget a modern Christmas treasure, sung by likes of the bland, Country- politan Faith Hill no less?

Well, that’s exactly what schlock-meister composer James Horner gave us, because what ordinarily serves as an irritant in a standard epic blockbuster (say, “My Heart Will Go On” nearly sinking the great TITANIC) is the norm in a Christmas song – schmaltzy, tingling feelings, swelled with copious emotion is the benchmark of most holiday tunes, and on that point Horner delivers here tenfold.  Hill’s natural flair for over-emoting to masquerade a competent-yet-flimsy voice (even here she’s wobbly on the lows and strains on the crescendos) was a good 2nd choice performer (Co-writer Mariah Carey’s version never appeared anywhere, because of some legalities with her ex-husband, and while her 1994 holiday collection is a miraculous anomaly – read about it HERE – I’m not sure the post-divorced Carey, seeped in her Hip Hop harlot insurrection, would have done “Where Are You Christmas” any favors – I can’t imagine it with porn-lite breathiness. So, thanks Tommy Motolla!)

The most magical thing about “Where Are You Christmas” is its universality.  It doesn’t belong to Hill; I can imagine a great vocalist doing wonders with the sentimentality of the lyric, the mush of the arrangement, the overt histrionics of the bridge, just as I can envision a neophyte understanding its poignancy.  It’s what Christmas songs are made for.  And “Where Are You Christmas” is what Christmas songs are made of.

Faith Hill’s original theme from the film…

Music Box: On The 5th Day Of (Jeffrey)Christ-mas…

…Jeffrey gives to you…FIVE…TORI…VIDS!!!!  (In case you didn’t get it, that should be sung out like Day 5 of the original “12 Days Of Christmas“. I’m telling you, Christmastime brings out the sap in me!)

I can hear the distant wails of the my fanatical Tori-lovin’ friends from afar, who have pointlessly attempted and failed to convert my early Amos detachment, howling at the moon in disbelief.

You see, I’m not one of those who bow at the altar of Amos.  After a stunning solo debut, LITTLE EARTHQUAKES (the genesis of the often accused Kate Bush artifice she can’t seem to live down), followed by the unjustified critical drubbing of the CRUCIFY EP (which consisted of startling, gorgeous takes on the Stones’ “Angie”, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, and a heart-rendering reading of Zeppelin’s “Thank You”; ironically, her next semi-solid album came a decade later with the 2001 release of another covers assemblage, STRANGE LITTLE GIRLS CD), Tori proceeded to release one cockamamie, nonsensical piece of mooncalf pie after another, each one more ridiculously esoteric then the last.  The empress had no clothes. You can’t convince the cavalcade of Toriphiles of this, though, as they will fight you to the edge of Venus for their Queen.  Me? I can’t relate to the gobbledygook of her pen.

But leave it to the kooky Queen of Cornflakes to release her only wholly listenable collection since LITTLE EARTHQUAKES as a holiday album! On the elegantly titled MIDWINTER GRACES, Tori reworks seasonal standards by incorporating her own baroque touches, harkening back musically to the sweep of her earlier work, and singing solidly for the first time in as many years. Also, she authored some pretty gorgeous yuletide pieces of her own, including the poignant “Snow Angel”, the pagan Yule “Winter’s Carol”, and the delightfully accessible “A Silent Night With You”, one of the most luxurious original holiday songs in years and one, I’ll bet, that will be covered innumerable times.  It’s a new seasonal classic, and it’s the one I wanted to feature for its splendor:

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The collection as a whole is such an ethereal piece of work  that I wanted to post 4 other tracks and decided on fan-made vids I found on YouTube (“4” others because of that whole quirky “FIVE TORI VIDS!!” refrain at the start of this post. Did I already mention that Christmastime brings out the sap in me?). These vids showcase how far a fan will go to visualize a Tori Amos work.  Marrying image to song could be tricky and more-often-than-not rarely work (just watch the bulk of professionally made music videos to see what I mean) but a few of these are enchanting to watch, even at their most artlessness.

“What Child, Nowell”

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“Winter’s Carol” (Visually, merely a still of her album cover. Sonically, one of the most divine tracks on the CD)

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“Snow Angel” (Like a video version of a beloved snow globe…)

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“A Silent Night With You” (I’m cheating here, I know, because I’m repeating myself.  This is not really a “4th other” song from the album.  But, it’s my favorite on the collection, and it’s also my favorite fan-made vid. I didn’t post this above because I didn’t want to distract from the actual song, but now that you’ve heard it, this is a magical amalgamation of Amos’ ballad with clips of Tim Burton’s marvelous “The Nightmare Before Christmas”…

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Clichés are cliché for a reason – because they’re borne of truth, and believe this cliché – MIDWINTER GRACES is a must-have collection that you will replay every holiday for years to come.

Somewhere, Scott Batchelor is smiling.

Music Box: On the 4th Day Of (Jeffrey)Christ-mas…

Dr. Andrea Morris Accompanies The 1984-1985 F.D.R. Chorus On "Carol of the Bells"

…Jeffrey gives to you… “Carol of the Bells”!

One of my fondest memories of High School was our annual winter concert. As the lead tenor in the Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School Chorus, in Brooklyn NY, the most exciting night of my winter was our annual seasonal concert.  Led by the glorious Dr. Andrea Morris, the head of the music department and our fearless choral leader, we were quite…well, mediocre. There was little interest in performing live for most of the miscreants of the class, but the few of us who thrived live bandied together and made sure that it felt like it was the night of all of our lives. And it was.

One of the songs we sang was Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych’s “Shchedryk”, which was later adapted to English as “Carol Of The Bells”. Or as some people know it, “Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells…”

It’s an exhilarating emotion to sing a cappella, but due to the limits of the actual vocal finesse of the majority of our choral members, who couldn’t differentiate harmony from melody, Dr. Morris wisely decided to accompany us on piano for most of the numbers, including the wondrous “Carol…”, to masquerade any musical infidelity we (they) might have proposed.

Just to remind you, this was 1985 and school shows were rarely, if ever, videotaped for prosperity. Part of me would be awestruck to be able to relive such momentous heartprints of our youths, to watch part of the very thing that helped mold us into the grown-ups so many of us still strive to be.  So, sadly, there is no 1984-1985 F.D.R. Chorus recording.

There have been popular readings of this (most notably by the overblown, pretentious Manheim Steamroller, not to be confused with the equally atrophying Trans-Siberian Orchestra, or the soul-free, droning Celtic Women) but my favorite by far is by the successful, enchanting a cappella group called Straight No Chaser.  Weaving in and out of the intricate melody are their voices in majestic harmony, simultaneously lilting and haunting, powerful and prodigious. No other interpretation is more sweepingly simplistic.

Here’s a live performance, recorded by an audience member, from a concert from a few weeks ago:

Or you can listen to the track here, from their wonderful holiday collection HOLIDAY SPIRITS:

Music Box: On The 3rd Day Of (Jeffrey)Christ-mas…

…Jeffrey gives to you…Bob Dylan’s “Must Be Santa”! BOB DYLAN?!?! Yep.  Dylan. The bard of ages. The poet laureate of the past 4 decades. Yes. That Dylan.

At first listen, Dylan’s first venture into seasonal music might appear disconcerting, as if you’re not sure his interpretation of hymnals as disparate (for him) as “Little Drummer Boy”, “Oh, Little Town Of Bethlehem” and the ilk is a middle finger-in-cheek to the traditionalists who he had to know he’d piss off for the sheer audacity.  But spelunking the negative reviews online, one has to laugh – it’s as if this is the first time they heard Dylan sing.  Non-Dylan fans have always disparaged his voice; CHRISTMAS IN THE HEART is perfect fodder for them.  For the rest of us who love Dylan, it’s as cozy, comfortable and warm as roasting chestnuts on an open fire with your favorite grandpa…snockered on too much eggnog, but endearing and heartfelt enough.

Even for Dylan’s worshippers, initially hearing the CD was uneasy. As a carol lover, I couldn’t imagine hearing Dylan’s aged croak (which of course is superlative within his own work) singing some of my favorite holiday tunes. But then something happened. I listened to it again. Then again.  And I realized that there wasn’t a smidgen of cheekiness, not a dash of a smirk, nor a soupcon of irony.  Here was a man who appeared passionate about this latest endeavor – whether it’s the yearning of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” or the jocular “Christmas Island”, I can’t recall the last time his reading of others’ work were sung with such honesty, wit and melancholia juxtaposed with shameless joviality. CHRISTMAS IN THE HEART is not for everyone. Some will hate it, and it’s definitely not the tool to convert a non-practicing Dylanite. You can consider it a sorta 30-year happy conclusion to his artistically sterile “born-again Christian” albums SLOW TRAIN COMING, SAVED and the dreadful SHOT OF LOVE .

Also, kudos to Dylan for his charity – all proceeds from the sale of the CHRISTMAS IN THE HEART go to the Feeding America foundation to end hunger.  So, Merry Christmas, indeed…

I admit I’ve never heard “Must Be Santa” before Dylan’s cover, but already it’s becoming one of my favorite seasonal jams, my life-long antipathy for Polka notwithstanding.  Watching the frenzied, exuberant nonsensical video, which could be an unknowing homage to Albert Finney’s “Thank You Very Much” from the musical “Scrooge”, only enhances the sonic pleasures of the track.

Music Box: On The 2nd Day Of (Jeffrey)Christ-mas…

The Christian ~ D’Onofrio Residence, December 2008

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…Jeffrey gives to you…something he, himself, is totally bamboozled by – Mariah Carey’s “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)”.

It’s a personal opinion, of course (and for years I was in the minority, though not so much anymore), but there hasn’t been a listenable album in the whole of Mariah Carey’s archives – she morphed from Mrs. Tommy Motolla’s conservatively-clad fembot with a piercing, wheezing voice millions mistook for a prodigious range, to a scantily clad hip-hip earwig, selling her breast implants and porn tics to the masses with nary a memorable hook in earshot (I re-christened her curiously heralded “comeback” THE EMANCIPATION OF MIMI as THE ATTACK OF THE SCREAMING MIMI).

It’s actually no real surprise that the only memorable CD in her catalogue is her wonderful MERRY CHRISTMAS anthology, released back in 1994 while still under the influence of her Svengali husband.  If nothing else, Motolla kept Carey’s public image thwarted of the overt sexual histrionics (not that sexuality is a negative, of course) that would plague her post-divorce output.  MERRY CHRISTMAS is chock full of exhilarating holiday staples and wondrous originals; her composition “All I Want For Christmas Is You” stands tall with the most ineradicable holiday classics and was going to be my (Jeffrey)Christ-mas Day 2 selection.

But the one track I am continually drawn back to – hence its inclusion here – is her interpretation of “Hark!” which is, in a word, magnificent. She doesn’t allow the self-infatuation with her own voice to negate the beauty of the arrangement, instead allowing it to be the vessel for the song’s exquisite simplicity.  The song ends when it should, with no typical Careyisms, no vocal acrobatics, no diversion from the melody to belabor her usual solipsism.  MERRY CHRISTMAS is a treasure trove, and “Hark…” one of its most shimmering pieces.

Music Box: The 12 Days Of (Jeffrey)Christ-mas

Another year, another Christmas.  My feeling about the holidays always border on mercurial. Mostly, I bask in the beauty of the spirit, but there are those moments in time when I could feel the soul of Ebenezer creep in. Such is human nature, I surmise, but more often than not, I love the spirit that  ’tis the season and find myself bathed in  its emotional pull.

Okay, I’ll admit it.  When it comes to the holiday and holiday music, I’m a big fat sap.

Which, as a logician, and thus a non-believer, puts me in an odd situation.  Some decry or belittle my passion for Christmas and its seasonal tunes – I’m often accused of hypocrisy; “How? You’re an atheist – a non believer!! Blah blah blah!!!” Fair enough (those same town criers say the same because of my love of gospel), but as I alluded earlier, it’s the spirit (yes) but also the ideal of the holiday, and what it should bring out in mankind. It often fails, apparently, but there’s no harm in the yearning. So, I love religious carols too, despite the doctrine. Oh well, it is what it is.

Which brings me here. Because of my unabashed joy of the season, I decided to bring to you these next 2 weeks the 12 Days of (Jeffrey)Christ-mas…a fête, if you will, of some of my favorite carols and canticles, religious and secular, holly and jolly, happy and bittersweet.  Now, these selections are not always sung by the most obvious of artists, and not necessarily performed by household names, and a few might or might not be standards, while others have been played to death.

But all hold a special place in my soul – and that is the common denominator.

As a footnote, I will say this – I could easily have written the 20 Days of (Jeffrey)Christ-mas, or even the 30 Days of (Jeffrey)Christ-mas.  There are literally hundreds of other songs I could have posted and the aesthete would have been the same.

Happy holidays to you all, believers and non-believers alike.

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On the First Day of Christmas, Jeffrey gave to you…Darlene Love singing “Christmas Baby (Please Come Home)” live from last year’s David Letterman appearance.  It’s been a tradition for many years – Letterman invites Love on his show to perform this seminal seasonal classic from what is arguably (or inarguably, if you ask me) the greatest Christmas CD of them all,  A CHRISTMAS GIFT TO YOU FROM PHIL SPECTOR.  Forget U2s smarmy version (Bono? Smarmy? Noooo!!), the Love original – or any live performance thereof – are the only readings of this song you’ll ever need to hear.

Her canon is rich with some of the most indelible Rock and Roll classics, and her voice has held up better than most women half her age – the most amazing thing about Love is that year after year she never loses her innate joy in her recitals and you realize that the thrill isn’t only in our listening.  Like the song, Love remains eternal…

Music Box: Meet The Old Boss, Same As The, Errr, Old Boss…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRUCE!  Rock ‘N’ Roll Savior.  The Boss.  The “Future Of Rock And Roll”.  Senior Citizen?

I know.  As hard as it is to believe, Bruce Springsteen hit the BIG SIX-O, and to celebrate, he joined the elite list of Rock icons to have graced the cover of the senior citizen bible, AARP Magazine – the bi-monthly magazine that’s issued to every member of AARP.

Okay, to be fair, the AARP isn’t an organization directed only at senior citizens – it’s an organization for folks who hit the big FIVE-O and over.

But that’s not really the point.  One can say that to admit a legend or an icon’s aging is to ponder within your very own soul and realize the truths you sometimes don’t want to admit.

Or, we can accept those truths and be thrilled that by the grace within that aforementioned ‘own soul’, and by the power of those you love and who love you, embrace it.  As AARP editor Nancy Perry Graham said:

We put Bruce on the cover first and foremost because he was turning 60,” she said. “Like the rest of America, we found that to be inspiring. Looking at Bruce, he really personifies our message at AARP that attitude matters more than age.

Well-said, Nancy (click to read the Bruce AARP MAGAZINE article).

I’m 20 years behind Bruce and don’t think about old age often.  Or I try not to.

Music Box: Phoenix Rising?

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For all I know, French band Phoenix is the latest Hipster Band Of The Moment.  Of course, that’s speculative on my part because I’ve yet to hear their latest CD “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” (hey, a little self-aggrandizing album title never hurt anyone) and am only familiar with them by their rather wonky performances on “Saturday Night Live” a few months back.

But, browsing YouTube as I love to do on a lazy Saturday, I came across this rather cool fan-generated vid (via thepinkbismuth) that mashes their catchy-as-hell song “Lisztomania” with choreography courtesy John Hughes’ “The Breakfast Club”.  Upon further research (okay, I merely glanced at the  RELATED VIDEO box directly to the right of it after reading his video info) I soon learned that this particular clip was  a video response to the second clip below, another fan-generated juxtaposition, only in that case, YouTuber avoidantconsumer spliced scenes of various cheesy 80’s Brat Pack films for the BRAT PACK MASHUP.  Both made me happy.  Happy Sunday~