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John Williams
& The Boston Pops

We Wish You
A Merry Christmas (1980)

We Wish You A Merry Christmas
Christmas Festival

a. Joy To The World

b. Deck The Halls

c. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

d. Good King Wenceslas

e. Hark, The Herald Angels Sing

f. The First Nowell

g. Silent Night

h. Jingle Bells

i. O Come, All Ye Faithful

A Christmas Greeting (The carols of Alfred Burt)

a. Come, Dear Children

b. All On A Christmas Morning

c. Christ In The Stranger's Guise

d. Caroling, Caroling

e. Some Children See Him

f. O Harken Ye

Holiday Cheer (A medley by Billy May)

a. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

b. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting...)

c. Jingle Bell Rock

d. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

e. All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth

f. I'll Be Home For Christmas

g. Silver Bells

A Christmas Carol
Carol Of The Drum
The Twelve Days Of Christmas

Sometimes it's nice to kick back and relax with some beautifully orchestrated Christmas tunes... even smack dab in the middle of summer. I should say -- especially smack dab in the middle of summer.

Starting with TV commercials the day after Halloween, the Christmas holiday has become way too commercialized. The hectic ridiculousness lasts for almost two whole months all the way through November right up to the big return-your-gifts day of December 26. Why do people wanna dive right in to all that crazyness, particularly in the weeks immediately before Christmas? I don't get it. It shouldn't be like that. Just this much thinking about it is making my head hurt. On with the music...

Orchestrated by Leroy Anderson and conducted by the same dude who wrote the music for the real-life adventures of Han Solo & Luke Skywalker, as well as the Steven Spielberg film classics 1941, Hook, and some movie about a big misunderstood fish off the coast of some New England town named Amity, here's the Boston Pops in splendid Christmastime glory. It's a beautiful mix of trumpeter Alfred Burt's personally written carols and plenty of well-known favorites of the season. These 44 minutes of pleasant and powerful arrangements also include a bit of fun with some momentary swingy jivey Jingle Bell Rock. And what's, for me, usually an annoying copycat boring work (unless by Bob & Doug Mackenzie or The Muppets,) The Twelve Days of Christmas has been a little re-written making it an interesting listen here. In this version there are musical instruments for each of the days... no swans or geese or maids a milking, more like bassoons and oboes and trombones a sliding. Adding the vocals to that song and some angelic sounds to three others is the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. While not perfectly peaceful and relaxing the entire way through, it's still a wonderful collection perfect for anyone's relaxing at home, baking Christmas cookies, Christmastime rotation.

320 kbps dload right here
John Williams & The Boston Pops
We Wish You A Merry Christmas