Holy Happy Holidays, Batman! Do you hear what I hear? It's a bloody miracle! Presents under the tree from the exquisite and exquisitely talented Fleming and John? No offense to the (possibly evil) NOW empire, but THIS is what I call Christmas. Yes, they're back. And they're "Back In Red".
Got a note from one of our loyal readers this morning. "I'm sure you already know about this...." You know, I get that a lot and it simply isn't true. I miss a lot. I mean a lot. And I pretty much missed everything last year. Nor did I see these particular gifties mentioned by any in our circle of Festive Friends (though I could easily have missed that as well). Anyway, our reader pointed us to the Facebook page of Fleming & John.
Fleming & John are a husband and wife team based in Nashville. John Mark Painter plays more instruments than you knew existed and his genius mind has a conception of sound that far exceeds that of mortal men (or women). Fleming McWilliams has a voice from the gods and she knows how to use it. She whispers, she purrs, she growls, and she screams...and that's just on one note. Really, she has one of the best and most versatile singing voices I've ever heard. And these talents have not gone unnoticed. The pair are highly in demand for session work with others, they run the International House of Fleming studios and the DWEEB record label. And they do their own thing, when they can, as Fleming & John (it's actually a full band with other members, but Fleming and John are the heart of it).
Back when the Internet was young...well, younger at any rate...Fleming & John created one of the best Christmas song mashups ever. I don't know the actual original release date. Some time in the aughts, I suspect (2004, perhaps). "Winter Wonderland/Misty Mountain Hop" (that's "Winter Wonderland" done to the tune of Led Zeppelin's "Misty Mountain Hop") became an annual favorite of Christmas music obsessives, it's popularity peaking out between 2010 and 2012. And then I sorta lost track of them and it seemed like other Christmas collectors did as well.
Fleming & John are a husband and wife team based in Nashville. John Mark Painter plays more instruments than you knew existed and his genius mind has a conception of sound that far exceeds that of mortal men (or women). Fleming McWilliams has a voice from the gods and she knows how to use it. She whispers, she purrs, she growls, and she screams...and that's just on one note. Really, she has one of the best and most versatile singing voices I've ever heard. And these talents have not gone unnoticed. The pair are highly in demand for session work with others, they run the International House of Fleming studios and the DWEEB record label. And they do their own thing, when they can, as Fleming & John (it's actually a full band with other members, but Fleming and John are the heart of it).
Back when the Internet was young...well, younger at any rate...Fleming & John created one of the best Christmas song mashups ever. I don't know the actual original release date. Some time in the aughts, I suspect (2004, perhaps). "Winter Wonderland/Misty Mountain Hop" (that's "Winter Wonderland" done to the tune of Led Zeppelin's "Misty Mountain Hop") became an annual favorite of Christmas music obsessives, it's popularity peaking out between 2010 and 2012. And then I sorta lost track of them and it seemed like other Christmas collectors did as well.
So it was a true joy to have a Stubby's fan alert me to the duo's most recent holiday wonders. "Back In Red" dates back to at least 2016 (there's a reference on their Facebook page to a new Christmas song in 2013, but no follow up post to that one). It's a delightful holiday reworking of AC/DC's "Back In Black" which truly rises above typical novelty fare thanks to inspired lyrics and Fleming's amazing vocal talents.
But, for me, the better holiday treat turned out to be the pair's recording of "Do You Hear What I Hear?" from 2017. No Metal Mashup, that one, but a true sonic wonderland. John, here, does some extraordinary things with the sound. And Fleming's vocals are truly transcendent. The track would work just as well in hard rock and soft rock formats. It's just a beautiful thing to behold and instantly became my favorite version ever of the song.
You know, when you're doing a mix that friends and family are going to listen to, you have to consider a lot of factors. The Mashups are always popular. But I think, musically, "Do You Hear What I Hear?" is the better selection. I've been going back and forth all day. Ah, the hell with it; just use them both. They're that good. While they remain available, both songs (as well as "Winter Wonderland/Misty Mountain Hop"--still a top notch performance, if you haven't already got it) are free to download via Dropbox, Yuletide presents from Fleming & John. Yeah, they're very special people like that. Pay them a visit at Facebook.
But, for me, the better holiday treat turned out to be the pair's recording of "Do You Hear What I Hear?" from 2017. No Metal Mashup, that one, but a true sonic wonderland. John, here, does some extraordinary things with the sound. And Fleming's vocals are truly transcendent. The track would work just as well in hard rock and soft rock formats. It's just a beautiful thing to behold and instantly became my favorite version ever of the song.
You know, when you're doing a mix that friends and family are going to listen to, you have to consider a lot of factors. The Mashups are always popular. But I think, musically, "Do You Hear What I Hear?" is the better selection. I've been going back and forth all day. Ah, the hell with it; just use them both. They're that good. While they remain available, both songs (as well as "Winter Wonderland/Misty Mountain Hop"--still a top notch performance, if you haven't already got it) are free to download via Dropbox, Yuletide presents from Fleming & John. Yeah, they're very special people like that. Pay them a visit at Facebook.
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