Isle of Misfit Toys!
Rodney Anonymous vs. The World
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"Bottom line is Christmas is about Christmas. That's why we have it. It's not about winter solstice or Kwanzaa. It's like, 'Wow you guys, it's called Christmas for a reason.'" —Erin Ryan, president of the Redding Tea Party Patriots
"Screw Erin Ryan and the reindeer she flew in on." —Jesus H. Christ
The Chieftains' Bells of Dublin (1991) is the greatest Christmas recording humans will ever make. This is because the CD comes off as if Paddy Moloney simply threw a party and invited anyone within a thousand miles to drop by, have a drink or 10 and sing.
In short, there's something for everyone: For traditionalists there are wonderful, inspired versions of standards like "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "O Holy Night," as well as Marianne Faithfull, who sounds like she's been hitting the egg nog pretty hard, turning in a superb version of "I Saw Three Ships A-Sailing." For cynics of the season, there's Elvis Costello singing "The St. Stephen's Day Murders," a song about the horrors of large family gatherings. There's even a little something for the nonbelievers: Jackson Browne's "Rebel Jesus," a tune so earnest, you actually forget Jackson Browne is singing it. It's a Christmas miracle!
Verdict:
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Speaking of miracles, "Past Three O'Clock" and "Est Ne/Ca Beger" (sung in French by Canadian sisters Kate and Anna McGarrigle) are works of staggering beauty. Hell, not even Burgess "You're a bum, Rock!" Meredith's spoken-word poetry on "Don Oiche ud I mbeithil" can ruin this party.
Also In This Week's Music Section
I once saw Jackson Browne and Peter Murphy both play on the same night. It was very strange moving from one end of the musical spectrum to the other in the span of 2 hours.