Well, maybe not a full crapload (although I believe "crapload" is the scientific term), but we've got some interesting news and almost any of these items could lead the piece.
I guess the thing I was most excited to hear about was the Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings vinyl single. Yes, yes, we all know about the forthcoming Christmas album and you figured there'd be a vinyl 45. But what excites me about the single is that the B-side is NOT on the album. And, even more exciting, the single is the album's Hanukkah track and the B-side is another Hanukkah track NOT on the album. Its rare enough to get a wonderful new off-genre Hanukkah track, even rarer to get one from an artist of the talent and stature of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, but TWO Hanukkah tracks from an artist of the talent and stature of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, with one being a non-album track--well, that would be just too much to hope for. And yet here it comes and I've gone into an uncontrollable loop of doing the Snoopy dance all over Stubby's House (the real one, not the web site).
Now to temper some of that enthusiasm, the record label does say "Special Sing Along Version" on that B-side, so it could just be an instrumental version of the A-side. Won't know until its out. Don't care. Want it. Need it. Gotta have it. And the single is VINYL ONLY. No stinkin' downloads of that flip side (no legal ones anyway).
As of yet, no audio or purchase link. But look for "8 Days of Hanukkah" backed with "What Does Hanukkah Mean To You?" on November 13. I'll put it on the list and add a purchase link when we get one.
I guess the thing I was most excited to hear about was the Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings vinyl single. Yes, yes, we all know about the forthcoming Christmas album and you figured there'd be a vinyl 45. But what excites me about the single is that the B-side is NOT on the album. And, even more exciting, the single is the album's Hanukkah track and the B-side is another Hanukkah track NOT on the album. Its rare enough to get a wonderful new off-genre Hanukkah track, even rarer to get one from an artist of the talent and stature of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, but TWO Hanukkah tracks from an artist of the talent and stature of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, with one being a non-album track--well, that would be just too much to hope for. And yet here it comes and I've gone into an uncontrollable loop of doing the Snoopy dance all over Stubby's House (the real one, not the web site).
Now to temper some of that enthusiasm, the record label does say "Special Sing Along Version" on that B-side, so it could just be an instrumental version of the A-side. Won't know until its out. Don't care. Want it. Need it. Gotta have it. And the single is VINYL ONLY. No stinkin' downloads of that flip side (no legal ones anyway).
As of yet, no audio or purchase link. But look for "8 Days of Hanukkah" backed with "What Does Hanukkah Mean To You?" on November 13. I'll put it on the list and add a purchase link when we get one.
WARNING: portions of the following video may make you dizzy. If rapid shaky camera work is a problem for you, just listen and don't watch. Seriously.
This is pretty interesting, too. The Galleons are a UK based Indie Folk group. And, in their case, Indie Folk means one part Indie one part Folk (somewhat different than what I usually think of as Indie Folk). The Galleons have embarked on a Pledge Music campaign to produce their next album, currently expected in March 2016. That's not a Christmas album. BUT....a newly recorded Galleons Christmas album is one of the incentives you can pledge for and it will be distributed EXCLUSIVELY to people who take part in this Pledge Music campaign. You will not be able to get it any other way.
Alright, hang on folks. I apparently got the pricing all wrong. My fault entirely. Though it does seem that only one person has fallen into the trap I inadvertently set. Thank God. Possibly. I don't know. The way its written isn't very clear, frankly and I am going to contact the band and find out for sure. But it certainly can be read that for $27, you only get the Christmas CD and a download of the other album (see Kevin's comment in the comment section). But that seems insane to me. And why would you have to mention that you get a download when you already mentioned that you get a download. So...NOBODY MOVE!
The Galleons say of the Christmas set that it will be a "homemade CD" and will include Christmas songs ranging from the classy to the "somewhat cheesy" and will also include a Galleons original. The pledge amount for the regular CD (with download) is *** (shipping included), while the new CD PLUS the "Merry Bloomin' Christmas" CD (and download) is *** (shipping included). For some, that's going to sound steep, but I do know that I'd rather pay *** for two CDs than *** for one. If it helps you at all, think of it as pre-ordering the Christmas CD and getting the other CD as the bonus. They aren't real clear on the timing, but, since there's also a Christmas card involved, I'm thinking the Christmas disc should be yours this Christmas (at the very least, the download version?). I dunno. Maybe we should ask them. But you know me. I never do. Since the Christmas album (which, by the way, you can send to someone else directly without it ever passing through your own hands) is strictly available to those who pledge in the current campaign (and since they are at around half of their goal with only 35 pledgers), you've got to figure it will be an extremely limited item (what, 100? 200 tops?).
The Galleons have a sweet sound and, hoping to attract some folks to their Pledge campaign, they've uploaded several cover songs on their YouTube channel, including Etta James' "At Last" and Lana Del Rey's "Shades of Cool". Definitely worth checking out. But I know you want to hear the Christmas songs and we're here to oblige. Here's an early demo of "Gabriel's Message" that The Galleons posted to SoundCloud recently. And I'm pretty sure you haven't heard it yet since the counter stands at 9 and I think I was at least 2 of those.
Alright, hang on folks. I apparently got the pricing all wrong. My fault entirely. Though it does seem that only one person has fallen into the trap I inadvertently set. Thank God. Possibly. I don't know. The way its written isn't very clear, frankly and I am going to contact the band and find out for sure. But it certainly can be read that for $27, you only get the Christmas CD and a download of the other album (see Kevin's comment in the comment section). But that seems insane to me. And why would you have to mention that you get a download when you already mentioned that you get a download. So...NOBODY MOVE!
The Galleons say of the Christmas set that it will be a "homemade CD" and will include Christmas songs ranging from the classy to the "somewhat cheesy" and will also include a Galleons original. The pledge amount for the regular CD (with download) is *** (shipping included), while the new CD PLUS the "Merry Bloomin' Christmas" CD (and download) is *** (shipping included). For some, that's going to sound steep, but I do know that I'd rather pay *** for two CDs than *** for one. If it helps you at all, think of it as pre-ordering the Christmas CD and getting the other CD as the bonus. They aren't real clear on the timing, but, since there's also a Christmas card involved, I'm thinking the Christmas disc should be yours this Christmas (at the very least, the download version?). I dunno. Maybe we should ask them. But you know me. I never do. Since the Christmas album (which, by the way, you can send to someone else directly without it ever passing through your own hands) is strictly available to those who pledge in the current campaign (and since they are at around half of their goal with only 35 pledgers), you've got to figure it will be an extremely limited item (what, 100? 200 tops?).
The Galleons have a sweet sound and, hoping to attract some folks to their Pledge campaign, they've uploaded several cover songs on their YouTube channel, including Etta James' "At Last" and Lana Del Rey's "Shades of Cool". Definitely worth checking out. But I know you want to hear the Christmas songs and we're here to oblige. Here's an early demo of "Gabriel's Message" that The Galleons posted to SoundCloud recently. And I'm pretty sure you haven't heard it yet since the counter stands at 9 and I think I was at least 2 of those.
A while back, we speculated that the Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets live set would likely be available on vinyl before this season was over. And we were right. Or we're pretty sure we were right. Word is that "The Quality Holiday Revue"--on vinyl--will be a Black Friday Record Store Day exclusive, meaning that the vinyl won't be turning up on-line (except as a resale from someone who bought it and hopes to flip it for profit). There are all kinds of Record Store Day categories, with "exclusive" meaning just that--you can only get it from a real record store. The official Black Friday Record Store list isn't out yet but, when it is, you'll find it here.
Hey, the Osmonds are back. Seriously. The famous family group introduced to an unsuspecting world by Andy Williams, the behemoth that begat Donny & Marie...and Donny...and Marie. They're back with a brand new holiday album, "Merry Christmas" scheduled for release November 13. They'll be touring England this holiday as part of the Andy Williams Christmas Spectacular in loving memory of that staple of Christmas past, present and future. Because of that, the Import version of the CD includes 5 songs not on the domestic release. As of yet, no listing for the domestic CD, but the Import will reach the on-line giants November 20. Also worth mentioning that the 5 bonus tracks are included in the digital version (for which we do have a listing). The family still knows how to harmonize perfectly (though its not quite the same without some precocious pre-teen in the mix). If the Osmonds singing "Last Christmas" and "Merry Christmas Everybody" is what's been missing from your life, your long national nightmare is finally over. Track list below is for the Import and digital versions. The bonus tracks are tracks 12-17.
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1. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear/It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year/ Jingle Bell Rock
2. Happy Holiday 3. You Meet the Nicest People 4. Last Christmas 5. Christmas Medley: White Christmas/Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree/Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas/Feliz Navidad/We Need a Little Christmas 6. Lonely This Christmas 7. Hallelujah 8. Little Drummer Boy 9. Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells 10. Merry Xmas Everybody 11. O Holy Night/Silent Night/Sing Out the Glories of Christmas 12. Caroling Medley: Caroling, Caroling/Here We Come a Caroling/Christmas is Coming/We Wish You A Merry Christmas 13. Winter Wonderland 14. The Gift 15. Santa Claus is Coming to Town 16. Silver Bells 17. Mary Did You Know |
Because I love Jazz, let's get some Jazz in this here post. The latest from Scott DuBois is due November 6. A guitarist, Scott is noted for his deliberative improvisations and his last album was voted one of the ten best of 2012. Might be an acquired taste for some. Most of the Jazz we feature in these pages is mainstream, melodic and basically Christmas songs that explore to the outer edges but rarely beyond (Christmas songs have a structure that's hard to deconstruct without completely losing the thread). Scott, OTOH, is coloring way outside the lines. But fans of Post-Bop, Jazz Fusion and Ambient will fall into this easily...like resting your head on a soft pillow. And here I go again, talking about a 3 a.m. snowfall over a hushed countryside and the kind of soundtrack I'd want for such occasions. As you can tell from the title, "Winter Light" is a winter album, not a Christmas album. But most of us are happy to mashup the holiday and the season. As mentioned, it will be out November 6 in vinyl (a 2-LP set), CD, and digital formats (no listing for the CD just yet).
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First Light Tundra Early Morning Forest Late Morning Snow Noon White Mountain Afternoon Ice Fog Evening Blizzard Night Tundra |
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And, finally, I stopped by the local Target over the weekend because this was around the time their holiday exclusives used to get released. Not a Christmas CD anywhere in sight. Nuttin'. And I'm sure they think it is, but their web site is far from the easiest for finding what you're looking for in music. Now Target has been releasing their exclusives later and later but they still tend to end up with a bunch. Digging around the web site, I was only able to find one new exclusive (so Far). And that is a Target exclusive version of LeAnn Rimes' "Today Is Christmas" featuring three bonus tracks. October 30 is the release date for the Target version.
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1. Today Is Christmas 2. We Need A Little Christmas 3. That Spirit Of Christmas (Duet with Aloe Blacc) 4. I Still Believe in Santa Claus 5. Holly Jolly Christmas/Frosty The Snowman 6. Celebrate Me Home (Duet with Gavin DeGraw) 7. Must Be Santa 8. Christmas Time Is Here 9. The Heartache Can Wait 10. Little Drummer Boy 11. Joy (God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman/Angels We Have Heard On High/Hark The Herald Angels Sing) 12. Auld Lang Syne 13. Ring Them Bells (Target Exclusive) 14. Pretty Paper (Target Exclusive) 15. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (Target Exclusive) |
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