(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best holiday & wedding music

All right.

If this is your mood, how about Bah Humbug by Tim O'Brien. You can find it on a great compilation album Christmas on the Mountain. This also has some great songs by Del McCoury

The most famous bluegrass Christmas song is Christmas Time's a Comin' first released in 1951.

Another early bluegrass Christmas song is Beautiful Star of Bethlehem by The Stanley Brothers. There are many great versions of this song. Probably my favourite is Dailey and Vincent's version

Larry Sparks has a whole Christmas album called "Christmas in the Hills](https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/christmas-in-the-hills/id503413037). I love Christmas in the Mountains - but there are great ones on that album (including Beautiful Star of Bethlehem as well).

Jimmy Martin has released a number of Christmas songs. He has an album called To Mother At Christmas with an "plumb pitiful" song called Daddy Will Santa Claus Ever Have to Die. But he has a really nice one called Old Fashioned Christmas with a great spoken-word portion.

Another famous Christmas album is The True Meaning of Christmas by Reno and Smiley. It has a great version of Frosty the Snowman

Rhonda Vincent has a Christmas albums, Beautiful Star. I like Let It Snow off this album, but it's pretty standard, not too bluegrassy.

Let's see, there's also Mac Wiseman, Number One Christmas.

There are lots of compilation albums that you can find. There are some gems amongst them.

Christmas Time Back Home by the Country Gentleman. I would LOVE this album, but you can find the song on this compilation

There is also Christmas Time's a Comin' which has more of the classics on it, like Christmas Time Is Near by the Stanley Brothers. It also includes another "plumb pitiful" song by Del McCoury Call Collect on Christmas

But this one is my favourite: O Christmas Tree. It has:

• Open Road's Blue Christmas
  
• Johnson Mountain Boy's The Friendly Beasts
  
• Delia Bell's My Little Silver Bells
  
  
  

If they love classical music, Handel's Messiah and Bach's Christmas Oratorio are great. The Messiah is a LOT more famous and easily recognizable, so if they don't know too much about classical music it might be a safer bet than the Bach.

A strange and little known personal favorite of mine is Sneak's Noyse: Christmas Now Is Drawing Near. It is a collection of OLD (medieval and renaissance) English folk carols done with period instruments and singing style.

If they like jazz, and if you can find it, they might like one of the Swingle Singers holiday albums. I grew up with these, they are great fun to listen to. Also, no holiday is complete without Vince Guaruldi Trio: Charlie Brown Christmas. So, so good!

Another strange and wonderful album I grew up with is Pete Seeger's Christmas album. You have to love the banjo for this one, though!

Hopefully some of these will make your parents happy :-) Good luck, and I bet I can come up with more if you like!

EDIT: we also have some great scattered tracks of various big band artists doing Christmas stuff, but it looks like most of it is out of print. If your folks like big band jazz, you might try looking for tracks from this album, or just hunt around for tracks by Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Glen Miller, etc.

(BTW -- Sorry about the Amazon links! Not sure where you get your music, they're just so you can see the album covers.)

A good starter list of a few different styles, with links to Amazon to get some samples...

• Barber: Adagio For Strings Op.11 - Slow yet intense string piece.
  
  
• Dvorak: New World Symphony - Good symphony with a wide range, from slow moving parts to more bombastic parts. (at times, you can hear similarities to the score from Star Wars/Imperial March)
  
  
• Rachmaninov: Vespers - One of my personal favorites. Choral music - intense, haunting at times, interesting harmonies founded on that trademark Russian low bass.
  
  
• Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro A very accessible opera, and one of Mozart's most famous, perfect for a beginning opera listener.
  
  
• Beethoven - Symphonies 5 and 9. Easily two of Beethoven's most famous symphonies. Beyond the parts you hear in movies and commercials, very moving and complex pieces. The 9th is incredibly deep, particularly the 4th movement. I literally have over a dozen recordings of this piece alone, and hear something new every time I listen to it.
  
  
• Vivaldi: Four Seasons. You'll recognize this in quite a few places. I'm fond of the Winter suite, especially the third movement.
  
  
• Bach: Brandenburg Concertos. A good example of Bach's counterpoint style in Baroque string music
  
  
• Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto #2. Intense and melodic, this piece transitions from sweeping melodic lines building to full frenzy - almost chaotic at times.
  
  
• Beethoven: Piano Concerto #5 - Emporer. You could call this a "fancy" piece - several running lines across the piano, including heavy ornamentation and embellishments, particularly in the 1st and 3rd movements. The 2nd movement is more reserved, and it's tranquility bridges the more lively movements.
  
  
• Stravinsky: Rite of Spring. Fascinating, driving intensity - asymmetrical rhythms make this very interesting, unconventional.
  
  
• If you're feeling adventurous and want to delve into a longer piece of a different style, Handel's Messiah or Mendelssohn's Elijah are two great oratorios.

This Warm December - Relaxed, warm and modern.

Tracklist:

• Jack Johnson - Someday at Christmas
  
• Mason Jennings - Santa Claus is Coming to Town
  
• Matt Costa - All I Want For Christmas
  
• Zee Avi - No Christmas For Me
  
• Money Mark - Stuck At The Airport
  
• G. Love - Christmas Baby
  
• ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra) - Christmas Time
  
• Neil Halstead - The Man in The Santa Suit
  
• Rogue Wave - Christmas
  
• Jack Johnson - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
  
• Zach Gill - Silent Night
  
  Also, if you can find it Chapter's Holiday Classics Remixed - It's probably my favorite non-traditional Christmas album. Tracklist below but goodluck finding it digitally.
  
  
• Let It Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! (Nothern Elektrix Remix) - Bing Crosby
  
• I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm (STUHR Remix) - Kay Starr
  
• Jingle Bells (Rise Ashen's Renideer Dub) - Duke Ellington
  
• Rudolph, the Red Nosed Raindeer (Mulato Beat Remix) - Bing Crosby & Ella Fitzgerald
  
• The Christmas Song (Michael Kessler Open Fire Mix)
  
• Have Yourself A Merry Little Xmas (Rondo Brothers Remix) - Rosemary Clooney
  
• White Christmas (King Kooba Remix) - Charlie Parker
  
• I'll Be Home For Christmas (Gary Hughes Remix) - Joe Williams
  
• Merry Christmas Baby (MNO Remix) - Charles Brown
  
• Frosty The Snowman (Paul & Price Remix) - Patti Page
  
• The Nutcracker Suite (Operatica's Nutcrackeratica Remix) - Berlin Symphony Orchestra
  
• What Are You Doing New Years Eve? (Snowdrift Mix) - Appogee Feat Patty LaBelle
  
• Silent Night (King Kooba Remix) - Joe Williams
  
• It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (A Shrift Remix) - Andy Williams
  

But Jealous Guy isn't a Beatles song! :P

I don't have a hard copy of Motor City's Burnin' but I've had the mp3s for years. You can find all of the audio on youtube if you've never heard it. Looks like someone is selling it on amazon if you have an arm and a leg you aren't using: https://www.amazon.com/Collective-Soul-Motor-Citys-Burnin/dp/B00FK9ZERA

Great choices on the rarities though. I'd love for them to put out a rarities album too, but I suspect it will never happen with Atlantic likely owning half the stuff.

I just took a peak through my old mp3s and the following are my favorites: Hymn 24, Why (the original version), Balloon, Persuasion and Almost You. Does the original version of She Said count as a rarity? I love that vs. the orchestral version on other releases.

My fav covers are Jealous Guy, Blue Christmas and Mother.

Man, I had a nice time reminiscing over this stuff just now. Haven't listened to it in years. Thanks for prompting the trip down memory lane.

My family and I are about to join a PCA congregation so we had to meet with some elders. They asked us about our faith and our testimonies (a formality); I brought up how my struggle with mental illness - specifically, an anxiety disorder - led me closer to God. This congregation seems very understanding about mental illness and disability (the pastor's son is disabled), which is a huge plus. Definitely not the unbiblical "just pray it off, God will take care of it" mentality.

Sermon came from the First Epistle of Peter 1, and I reminded me when I heard James Earl Jones reading it. Honestly, this would make a great Christmas gift - perfect for listening on the way to work - but it's fairly old and probably not published on CD anymore.

Call me old school, but CDs give me pleasant memories-- when I was a kid, the start of Christmas meant listening to Amy Grant's beautiful voice while my mom drove me around town in Georgia.

Sorry for that nostalgic tangent. The sermon was a rare one in a Presbyterian Church - the active power of salvation. The pastor talked about how in Jewish theology, "eternal life" doesn't start in Heaven. It starts when we come before Christ and accept His sacrifice on our behalf, and extends into the new Heaven and the and the new earth.

You can't go wrong with Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, or John Williams (discussions about what is actually classical aside). I went through my classical music and picked out some of my favorites. I tend to group some of these composers loosely together into a large genre. Thank goodness for used albums!

My playlist

Chip Davis - Holiday Musik

Respighi - Ancient Dances & Airs

Bizet - Carmen - one of the few operas which has a nice plot and orchestral music that can stand on its own throughout its entirety.

Orff - Carmina Burana - the first and last pieces are overplayed, but that's just because it's a phenomenal opus.

Holst - The Planets, Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustria

Grieg - Peer Gynt/Holberg Suites

Rimsky-Korsakov's greatest hits

Itzhak Perlman - A La Carte

A list of great operas - Pay attention to the top 8. Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen is about 9 hours of opera, though not in one sitting. It has some fantastic pieces (Ride of the Valkyries), but it's a style of opera that I don't much appreciate: it's a hard pill to swallow when you're new to it.

No list here will be complete. I know this is a lot of music for one post, but it should have some good artists to build from.

Here is the music Strahd should be playing on the organ when the party arrives.

For ambient music throughout the castle, I highly recommend picking up the Vampyre album by Midnight Syndicate. I’ve gotten a ton of mileage out of this soundtrack. I especially enjoy the Graveyard and Winged Fury tracks.

Before heading into the castle, I highly recommend studying the maps closely, especially where the doors lead to between levels, and especially in the towers. It’s not always obvious at a glance where those stairways go to, and taking some time before the game to figure it out will save you a hassle at the table.

Finally, figure out what Strahd’s final monologue will be. Just as importantly, figure out what his strategy during combat will be. Remember, he can Disengage for free and run through walls.

Strahd doesn’t want to die, and he’s a brilliant tactician. Your players will have to be both smart and lucky if they hope to beat him in his lair.

Good luck!

This would be a good start for ideas:

• Low's "Christmas" Album
  
  
• "A Very Scary Solstice" and "An Even Scarier Solstice" by the H.P. Lovecraft Society
  
  
• The Chieftans' "The Bells of Dublin" Christmas album
  
  
• Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits from 1935-1954
  
  And this Rolling Stone "25 Best Christmas Albums" list is great.
  
  Albums are always solid to play in the background, though it's easy to pick your favorites from here to jive with your work environment for a quality mix (depending on how long your party will last).

Oh, my Happy Bunny friend. It's ok that we have some difference.

Truth be told, there is one Christmas CD that I do actually love because it reminds me of childhood. It's this one. I will listen to it during the holidays, even though we never put a tree up or anything. Usually while drinking home made (brandy) egg (brandy) nog. It has some brandy in it.

Well you've already got my favourite one :P but for the sake of variety, try some of these (not all of them are ALL jazz, but I would say they're all 'jazzy'):

Baby it's Cold Outside

Boogie Woogie Christmas

Christmas with the Rat Pack

Have Yourself a Jazzy Little Christmas

A Jazz Christmas

Jazz for Joy: A Verve Christmas Album

Jazz to the World: A Christmas Collection

Merry Mixmas (one of my other favorites - most of them are originally jazzy, but were remixed)

EDIT: Formatting.

In no particular order, my favorite Christmas albums are:

• A Charlie Brown Christmas - Vince Guaraldi Trio
  
  
• We Three Kings - The Roches
  
  
• When My Heart Finds Christmas - Harry Connick, Jr.
  
  
• Barenaked For The Holidays - Barenaked Ladies
  
  
• Oy to the World: A Klezmer Christmas - The Klezmonauts
  
  
• Christmas With The Puppini Sisters - The Puppini Sisters
  
  
• A Wintery Mix - The Raleigh Ringers
  
  
• Christmas in the Caribbean: Holiday Songs Performed on Steel Drums
  
  
• A Christmas Album - Amy Grant
  
  
• A Christmas Album - James Taylor

I shuffle from these collections:

The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever!

The Most Relaxing Classical Album In the World Ever, Volume II

The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe

But usually I just tune in to WILL-FM, it saves me the effort of shuffling, choosing, selecting ... which in itself can be distracting when trying to work or study.

I have been on a retro Christmas album kick. Recently grabbed:

Christmas With The Chipmunks

Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas!

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Christmas Gift for You

Merry Christmas

The Hi-Fi will be full of Christmas cheer this holiday season.

I have been saying for years that Christmas With The Rat Pack is best holiday CD that has ever been made, or ever will be.

Christmas With the Rat Pack Gotta love it.

Ordered the Now That's What I Call Halloween album (great compilation of Halloween themed songs) from Amazon as an Amazon Warehouse deal for about $14. What came instead the first time was a brand new copy of The River by Bruce Springsteen. So I contacted Amazon and they said "keep it and we'll send a new one (the Now album). So that's cool, free Bruce Springsteen album. Two days later I get another package and this one ended up being a new copy of Jimi Hendrix's Rainbow Bridge. Contacted Amazon again and they said "keep it and we'll notify you when the problem is fixed" and then refunded me for my original album.

So at the end of the day I got two free albums but still no Halloween songs.

Bing Crosby - Merry Christmas

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MP2JIVI/

This is my favorite Christmas compilation of all time

https://www.amazon.com/Hipsters-Holiday-Vocal-Jazz-Classics/dp/B0000032QP/ref=sr_1_10?keywords=bebop%2Fjazz+christmas+compilation&qid=1573572088&sr=8-10

Hipster's holiday. Has my two favorite Christmas songs ever, Blue Xmas by Miles Davis and a lounge version of Silent Night by the Tim Fuller Experience.

The first "A Very Special Christmas" album.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000002GFJ

While at home I listen to classical music, either on the radio or on youtube. I have three classical music relaxation CDs (this, this, and this), sometimes I listen to those.

When I am stressed, I listen to one of the long (1+ hours) zen relaxation videos on youtube.

When I am having difficulty falling sleep, I listen to sleep music.

Pre-order up on Amazon. Release date is 9/29.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074JGWLS7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_KiZHzbM44GAVN

Jazz to the World http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-World-Various-Artists/dp/B000005GZQ is a cool compilation album. Also, check out: http://www.covermesongs.com for various Christmas stuff, but many different styles, you'll have to search for the jazz.

Here is one of my favorites

https://www.amazon.com/NOW-Thats-What-Call-Halloween/dp/B074JGWLS7