Guitarist Doug Grean calls it "the record that just won't quit". A lot of folks think of it more as "the record that just won't die". But, as in any horror movie, the monster always comes back at least one more time after you thought him vanquished. Well, Scott Weiland, according to Grean, is working on a new Christmas song. Weiland, last year, released the crooning album "The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year". To say reviews were mixed would be too kind. But I really can't credibly say anything, myself, since I actually liked Bob Dylan's Christmas record. Anyway, no sign of a "re-release with bonus tracks" of Weiland's Winter Wonderland, so perhaps a 2012 holiday single from the big guy? Get out yer earplugs, everybody.
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Christina Perri's Christmas EP is due out October 16, but we've got track list and cover art for you today. The "Jar Of Hearts" girl takes a pretty cover picture, for sure. Her EP features one original, "There's Something About December", and guest appearances from Michelle Branch, Bushwalla, and others. Christina Perri's "A Very Merry Perri Christmas" 1. There's Something About December 2. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) 3. Ave Maria 4. Merry Christmas Darling 5. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 6. Please Come Home For Christmas It took us a tad longer to locate the track list for the latest volume in Neos Productions' "Hawaiian Style Christmas" series, but we can be relentless when we want to be. This one's due out October 2. Hey, look, another version of "Here Comes Santa In A Red Canoe". "Hawaiian Style Christmas, Vol. 3" 1. Nohelani Cypriano - O Little Town of Bethlehem 2. Robi Kahakalau - Holiday Hula 3. Ernie Cruz Jr. - Little Drummer Boy 4. Kawika Kahiapo - What Child is This? 5. Ben Vegas and Maila Gibson - Silent Night 6. Imua and Tiffany Garza - It Came Upon a Midnight Clear 7. Jeff Rasmussen - Mele Au No Ku'u Ho'ola 8. Gordon Freitas - Hawaiian Santa 9. Rodney Bejer - Blessed Star 10. Richard Natto - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 11. Jenene Ahia - Grateful 12. Laura Moa - Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 13. Tyler Nakamura - O Come 0 Come Emmanuel 14. Rodney Bejer - Here Comes Santa In a Red Canoe (Wouldn't you know it, we were out scouring the 'net and the track list for this one was already up on Amazon the whole time. Figures.) I know I owe y'all a Singles post. And not just any Singles post. Our first Singles post of the 2012 Christmas season! But, crap, it's so late (or early) that, if I start now, I'll never get to bed. And I'm old. I need at least a few hours of sleep. And I'd a-gotten some if it hadn't been for you meddlin' kids. So I'm just going to give you the current cream of the crop and you can either come back for more over the weekend or say, "Well, if that's the best you got, what's the point?" I actually think this one's kinda cool. You may or may not recall Canadian Metal band Helix delivering a full-length Christmas CD "Heavy Mental Christmas" in 2008. Brent Doerner, lead guitarist for the group, is leaving Helix to pursue other opportunities. Well, as Brent moves on, the band decided to issue a compilation of their best work so far--"Helix: Best Of 1983-2012"--and they decided to record a couple of new songs for the set, with one being a "Mystery Christmas Song". And there's no way Brent was leaving before they finished that Christmas song. The mystery song is a mystery no more as both the Best Of and the Christmas single were released September 1. The single is available on a limited edition (of 250) green vinyl 7" (backed with "Jingle Bells" from the aforementioned full-length), which you can order through the Helix web site or Bandcamp (while supplies last). Keep in mind, those are Canadian dollar prices (I don't know the current conversion rate either). Without any further ado, here is Helix with "All I Want For Christmas Is The Leafs To Win The Cup". They actually made a trailer for "Christmas Story 2". Earlier, we provided a bit of insight about the DVD and CD releases for Carol Burnett and Perry Como. Legendary Entertainment, however, had yet another arrow in their quiver. "A Special Sesame Street Christmas" is set to be released on DVD on November 6, while the CD soundtrack for the special will drop on October 16. "A Special Sesame Street Christmas" was first aired in 1978 and, as far as anyone can ascertain, never seen again. It's being brought to DVD for the first time ever. Now I know what you're thinking. "No, no, no. That's been out. I've seen it. Big Bird, and Professor Beaker, and Bert and Ernie..." Sorry to tell you, but that ain't this special. That would be the Award winning "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street", which also first aired in 1978. What the huh? "Christmas Eve On Sesame Street" was the holiday special that aired on PBS and included the usual denizens of Sesame Street. It is fondly remembered, beloved even. "A Special Sesame Street Christmas" was CBS' attempt to capitalize on the success of Sesame Street with their own low-budget special. It featured only a couple of Sesame Street puppets (Big Bird and Oscar, essentially) and only one puppeteer--no Jim Henson, no Frank Oz, no Bert & Ernie, no Kermit, no Count. CBS left all the major players back in the Children's Television Workshop and focused, instead, on getting a long list of mid-level celebrities to cameo through the show like it was an episode of The Love Boat (only not as well written). Leslie Uggams was the star, and others who no doubt hoped this would never resurface included Anne Murray, Ethel Merman, Henry Fonda, and Dick Smothers. Crap, they couldn't even spring for both Smothers Brothers! Michael Jackson--who had yet to take the music world by storm with "Off The Wall" (let alone "Thriller") even does a walk through--apparently just enough of a cameo to warrant a spot on the cover. Worst of all, the music in the special isn't even Christmas music; it's just sort of random. Anne Murray sings "You Needed Me", Ethel Merman tackles "Tomorrow" from "Annie", and Oscar does "Yakety Yak" for some unknown reason. And yet, in spite of it all, it is definitely kinda cool that someone is making this available. I'd put this one in the same category as "The Star Wars Holiday Special" (which, wouldn't you know it, also aired on CBS in 1978). Which is to say...it was unforgivably wretched from beginning to end, I haven't seen it in 34 years and, yeah, I kinda want to see it again (and not somebody's bootlegged VHS recording on YouTube). No matter how bad any Christmas Special may be, it's probably worth seeing once every 35 years or so. Here's yer trailer. All heck did not break out yesterday, but, while everybody was focussed (is that one "s" or 2?) on Scotty McCreery, seems a lot of folks forgot Blake Shelton was kickin' off pre-order-palooza for "Cheers, It's Christmas" on his web site. That means, among other things, we got the full track list! 1. Jingle Bell Rock (with Miranda Lambert) 2. White Christmas 3. Oklahoma Christmas (with Reba) 4. Let It Snow 5. There’s A New Kid In Town (with Kelly Clarkson) 6. Santa’s Got A Choo Choo Train 7. Home (with Michael Buble) 8. Winter Wonderland 9. The Christmas Song 10. Blue Christmas (with Pistol Annies) 11. I’ll Be Home For Christmas 12. Silver Bells (with Xenia Martinez) 13. Time For Me To Come Home (with Dorothy Shackleford) 14. The Very Best Time Of Year (with Trypta-Phunk) There are basically two configurations in which you can pre-order "Cheers, It's Christmas" at Blake's web site. There's the "Let It Snow" package, which features the CD, a digital download of the album, and the ornament up there. Then there's the "Oklahoma Christmas" package, which features the CD, the download, the ornament, AND a 2013 Blake Shelton calendar AND a set of 4 "Cheers, It's Christmas" pub glasses. Now, the best part of both packages is that, if you pre-order with Blake, the digital copy of the album will be yours on September 18. That's 2 full weeks before it's available anywhere else. Plus, as an extra bonus, you'll be able to download "Home" (Blake's duet with Michael Buble) immediately upon completing your order. I imagine October 2 will be plenty soon enough for most, and without the extras, it's bound to be cheaper. But, if you're insanely in love with Blake Shelton or if you're just an extremely insane Christmas music nut--if you absolutely, positively can not wait--then this is certainly an option to consider. Season 3 of The Voice coming right up. We did learn a few more things about "Christmas With Scotty McCreery" yesterday. The album is 11 tracks long. We identified 5 of those tracks yesterday. Well, add to that list "O Holy Night" and "Winter Wonderland". The two originals are "Christmas Is Coming Around" and "Christmas In Heaven". That leaves 2 titles unaccounted for. Not sure what they might be, but Scotty's fans are hoping for "Mary Did You Know" and "Christmas Cookies". Oh, and if you pre-order from Scotty yesterday or TODAY (September 5), your CD booklet will be autographed and you could win some other stuff. Read about it at Scotty's web site. UPDATE: The final two tracks--because I know its been bothering you all day--are "Mary Did You Know" and....... "Jingle Bells". Sorry, no "Christmas Cookies". Maybe next Christmas album. If it's all the same to everyone, I'm going to stick with a picture of Sinead O'Connor from the "Nothing Compares 2 U" days. It's the chest tattoo she's got these days that throws me. If you've been collecting Christmas music for any length of time, you are sure to know about and likely to have Sinead's version of "Silent Night". And, even though it's not a proper Christmas song, her version of "I Believe In You" was included on "A Very Special Christmas 2". Well, Sinead has just recorded a pair of Christmas songs for a charity album due to be released this November. Sinead recorded "Once In Royal David City" and "When A Child Is Born" with a little help from Danny O'Reilly of the Indie Rock group The Coronas. The album is being put together by Irish journalist and broadcaster John Murray to raise money for AWARE. AWARE's mission is to raise awareness about depression, to provide emotional and practical support for individuals and families, and to support research into the treatment of depression and related issues. There's no doubt the holidays coincide with a spike in depression for a lot of reasons. I'm not sure a Christmas album is the best idea, here, but I'll take it if its got some unique stuff like, oh, say...a couple of tracks from Sinead O'Connor. Unfortunately, we're likely looking at an impossible-to-get Ireland-only kind of deal, here. But at least we know such a thing exists (or will exist). Also on that album will be the group Lumiere. And I wouldn't be surprised if the group Sephira (another Murray favorite) tosses in a track from last year's "Starlight". UPDATE: Clearly, everyone has pointed out that the pic above is Natalie Portman and not Sinead O'Connor. In my defense, the picture is labeled "Sinead O'Connor" and I do these things at 4 in the morning, give or take. Here's the source of the picture. And here's the picture itself, labeled "Sinead O'Connor". In fact, I'm so not upset with myself, I'm leaving the picture of Natalie there, although I will add a legitimate picture of Sinead (I think) to the right. Finally, today, for all you quiet storm types who dig artists like Kenny G, here's a new one from Eirinn Abu called "A Saxy Christmas". This was a Kickstarter project, so, if you happened to be one of the folks who chipped in, you'll see this one before the rest of us. But I'm sure it'll make its way to Amazon or CD Baby eventually. Just check Eirinn's site every once in a while to see what's up. Fortunately, Eirinn did post a video that features clips from most, if not all, of the album's tracks. Welcome to September! It is indeed after Labor Day, which, as far as Christmas music goes, is one of those bench mark dates when some folks start tuning in to the scene. For others, it won't be until after Halloween, Thanksgiving for others, and December 1 for still others. Then there are the Grinch and Scrooge types that will "Bah Humbug" no matter how close it is to Christmas. Course y'all are welcome here anytime. And that goes for the Grinch and Scrooge types, too. We've got some track lists and cover art for you today. Normally in September, these would just go straight to the Previews page. But this seemed more expedient for the moment and there's nothing much else going on (if we're lucky, all heck'll break loose this afternoon, eh?). Covers are linked up to purchase sites, or you can just flip to the List. It happens every year and it never ceases to amaze me. The record company posts some information they don't want people to find for another day or so and the fans find it, forcing the record companies (or whomever) to pull down the "offending" content. Seriously, I know you folks have some control issues, but is it really going to destroy your master plan if a few hard core fans get the cover art a day early? Jeez. You know, when I worked in radio as a music director--and this is dead true--I didn't get calls from the labels saying "please play our record"; I got calls from labels saying "Why are you playing our record? That's not in the plan. It's supposed to break in the northeast." Swear to God. And it was usually about a record that ended up not "breaking" anywhere. Yeah, I'm sure those records would have done sooo much better if I hadn't played them. Anyway, that's what happened with our pal Scotty McCreery over here. The cover art was posted along with a short video of the American Idol winner talking about the set and a link for pre-order. Fans found it right away and it's been pulled down. For what? A matter of hours I'm guessing? We're not talking about illegal downloaders, here; we're talking about people who literally "can't wait" to order the album. Most artists would just be happy anybody even cares. So Scotty mentions, apparently, that the album will include two originals and such standards as "Holly Jolly Christmas", "The First Noel", "Santa Claus Is Back In Town", "Let It Snow", and "The Christmas Song". "Christmas With Scotty McCreery" is due out October 16. Head over to his web site to see if the video is back up. If not, you can always pre-order from Barnes & Noble. I'm tempted to say "Beam me up, Scotty," but I really shouldn't. UPDATE: Video and pre-order link are back up at Scotty's...as predicted. We've got the track list for the new one from Celtic Woman, "Home For Christmas", due October 9. Make of it what you will. 1. Hark the Herald Angel Sing 2. Auld Lang Syne 3. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town 4. We Wish You a Merry Christmas 5. We Three Kings 6. What Child Is This 7. Silent Night 8. Mary''s Boy Child 9. I''ll Be Home for Christmas 10. Joy to the World 11. Winter Wonderland 12. Adeste Fidelis And how 'bout the track list for "A Very Special Christmas: Bringing Peace On Earth"? Yeah, we got that. *1. FRANCESCA BATTISTELLI - O Come, O Come Emmanuel *2. GROUP 1 CREW - O Holy Night *3. JASON CASTRO - Hark The Herald Angels Sing/Angels We Have Heard On High *4. DARA MacLEAN - Bethlehem Skies *5. SIDEWALK PROPHETS - Because It's Christmas *6. FOR KING & COUNTRY - Baby Boy *7. JAMIE GRACE - Christmas Together 8. CHRIS AUGUST - Jesus, Savior 9. MEREDITH ANDREWS - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (He Has Come For Us) 10. NEEDTOBREATHE - Go Tell It On The Mountain 11. BIG DADDY WEAVE - O Come, All Ye Faithful 12. NATALIE GRANT - I Believe 13. BARLOW GIRL - For The Beauty Of The Earth (Nativity Version) 14. POINT OF GRACE - Labor Of Love 15. MARK SCHULTZ -When Love Was Born 16. BUILDING 429 - We Three Kings * Indicates NEW RECORDING Now, for some reason, we've got this track list already, but nothing on the track list for the other VSC volume. Both records are due out October 16. Hey, Brah. Here's a nice Hawaiian album I'm really looking forward to from Kuana Torres Kahele. Look for "Hilo For The Holidays" on October 23. That album cover's gorgeous, in'it? 1. Home For The Holidays 2. Jesu E Komo Mai 3. Silver Bells 4. Here Comes Santa In A Red Canoe 5. The First Noel 6. 'Ekolu Mea Nui 7. Christmas Don't Be Late 8. I Guess It's Christmas 9. Hilo For The Holidays 10. Haleluia And here we've got the cover of Steven Curtis Chapman's upcoming Christmas CD, "Joy", due out October 16. You'll notice the album is in "Cheerophonic". No track list, though. Not yet. (Love those retro-feel covers.) UPDATE: This just in... According to our friend, Brenda (see comments), here's the SCC-J track list: 1. Joy To The World 2. We Three Kings 3. What Child Is This? 4. Do You Hear What I Hear? 5. The Christmas Card 6. Christmas In Kentucky 7. I Am Joseph 8. Christmas Kiss 9. In The Bleak Midwinter 10. Christmas Time Again 11. Christmas Time Is Here 12. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! |
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