Christmas
Depending on your point of view, Christmas is either a quaint sonic time capsule extracted from the mid-1980s or a timeless holiday classic. The first in what has become an ongoing series of Mannheim Steamroller Christmas recordings, this CD has sold millions, which seems to indicate that it is everything its advertising claims it to be: "America's favorite Christmas music." The powerfully successful Mannheim Steamroller formula, conceived by group mastermind Chip Davis, involves a blend of Renaissance-flavored moods and instrumentation (strings, harpsichord, flute, French horn) intertwined with polite pop instrumental music. At times, the analog synthesizers used in this 1984 recording sound dated and a little cheesy, particularly on "Deck the Halls" and "Good King Wenceslas." But it is a forgivable offense since live instruments and the earnest but ersatz medieval atmosphere they evoke dominate 8 of the 11 tracks. As pleasant and soothing as a Willard Scott birthday wish, Christmas does offer one selection that truly merits "classic" status: the reverent, prayerful, slow-motion interpretation of "Silent Night" ("Stille Nacht") for piano and strings that closes the album--a beautiful and heart-touching work. This selection alone makes this album worth owning. --Terry Wood more
- Price Range:$6.99 to $9.09 | 3 stores
- Info:
- Tags:
01:16Destiny
another good one by jim brickmandestiny cd by jim brickman, Music CDs & DVDs, Music &...
01:0225 Year Celebration of Mannheim Steamroller
A great compilation of the 25 amazing years that Mannheim Steamroller has been writing and...
ComparePrices
| title,desc | merchant | price | seeit |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Smarter Choice
These masters of Christmas instrumentation can be heard in almost every house on the block come the Holiday season.... |
|
See it | |
|
Christmas
CDs. Christmas 1984 |
|
|
See it |
| Christmas | See it |
*Shipping costs are based on an estimate of the lowest shipping rate available within the contiguous US, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. Only merchants with this product in stock are listed (Merchants with this product back ordered have been removed from this list).
Do you see a pricing error? Please let us know by filling out a simple form: Click here
MoreStores
- Christmas Sightseeing NYC
- Visiting NYC for the Holidays? Find Your Sightseeing Needs in One Place
- www.CitySightsNY.com
- Christmas Lights Tour NYC
- See New York's holiday lights. Don't leave the tour guide on a bus
- www.OnBoardNewYorkTours.com
ProductReviews92/100 (64 Reviews)
Recent Reviews
- 5/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Dec-23-2008
- Timeless music performed by perfectionists
A lot of people dismiss Mannheim Steamroller as cheesy synth-rock-Christmas music. However, if you can get through Deck the Halls (which sounds a bit dated,) you will hear some of the most thoughtfully-arranged, expertly-produced, and...
- read full review | report as inappropriate
- 5/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Dec-19-2008
- A superb, though too short album
Besides the fact the first Christmas album is just a bit too short, I completely love this album. Not only does it have the "modern" Mannheim Steamroller sound, but they did a number of songs in the 16th-17th Century musical style that I...
- read full review | report as inappropriate
- 1/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Dec-09-2008
- Blasphemous
There are few pieces of music that stir in me the kind of anger and disdain that this does. To me, it represents everything that has gone wrong with Christmas, and the world in general-- it's trite, soulless, and disposable. Each time...
- read full review | report as inappropriate
- 4/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Nov-12-2008
- Beautiful.
Christmas by Mannheim Steamroller is a gorgeous Christmas cd, this is my second favorite cd from this instrumental band. I enjoy listening to this album every December, you gotta hear it for yourself. I highly recommend it!
- read full review | report as inappropriate
Selected Reviews
- 5/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Dec-23-2008
- Timeless music performed by perfectionists
A lot of people dismiss Mannheim Steamroller as cheesy synth-rock-Christmas music. However, if you can get through Deck the Halls (which sounds a bit dated,) you will hear some of the most thoughtfully-arranged, expertly-produced, and...
- read full review | report as inappropriate
- 3/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Apr-10-2005
- A pretty good start
I must confess I was not as impressed by this CD as most people were. I was certainly not as impressed as I am with Mannheim Steamroller's later efforts. I know Mannheim Steamroller is known primarily for synthesized music. But on...
- read full review | report as inappropriate
- 1/5
- From: Amazon
- Posted: Dec-09-2008
- Blasphemous
There are few pieces of music that stir in me the kind of anger and disdain that this does. To me, it represents everything that has gone wrong with Christmas, and the world in general-- it's trite, soulless, and disposable. Each time...
- read full review | report as inappropriate
