Holiday Music -- Recently Added  

First, we'll confess, we've been in love with the Aqua Teens since first stumbling upon it, bleary-eyed, on latenight cable tee vee a bunch of years ago. OK, with that said, take with however many grains of salt our word that this is the absolute funniest comedy Christmas album we've heard in ...

A wonderfully groovy set of Christmas tracks -- one done in a style very similar to the Get Easy Snow compilations -- as you might guess from the title! The selection here is great -- with a few perennial favorites, a few rare gems, and a great middle stretch of wonderful bits from some of the ...

June Christy's rarest album -- and one of the saddest Christmas records you'll ever buy! The set features all original tunes written for the album by the team of Connie Pearce and Arnold Miller -- and they're perfectly suited for June's late boozy style, much more lanquid than on earlier bouncier ...

One of the greatest instrumental Christmas albums of all time -- a non-stop swinging affair from the legendary Alvino Rey -- recorded under his Ira Ironstrings tag while under contract to Capitol under his real name! The style here is a weird mix of the swinging bachelor pad styles you'd know from ...

The first-ever Christmas album from The Impressions -- and amazingly, a really great little set that's almost worth the many decades we've had to wait! Core members Fred Cash and Sam Gooden are still in fine fine formation -- working with singer Reginald Torian to round out the trio -- and the ...

A saxophone soul Christmas with Jimmy Sommers -- a set that's actually much more straight jazz than most of his other records, and a nicely understated album with a really classic feel! Jimmy blows straight, and just a bit smooth -- and gets acoustic backings that swing along gently, as he ...

Some of THE greatest Christmas music of all time -- and a record that really helped define the Holiday genre for the full length LP! At the time of the set, David Seville and his Chipmunks were almost just a one-off novelty act for 50s AM radio -- but this album forever cemented their place in the ...

An expanded version of the Beach Boys' legendary Christmas album -- a harmony heaven way to enjoy the Holiday! The group's version of Christmas has to be one of the best-ever recorded in rock and roll -- and given the undercurrent of sadness that was coming forth in their non-Holiday hits of the ...

A great holiday album from Ray Charles -- recorded in the 80s, but with a sound that's pretty classic all the way through! Ray's vocals are excellent -- with that raspy intimate quality that persists all through his later years -- and the sweetly jazzy arrangements work perfectly with the voice to ...

Hard to argue with the title on this one -- because at 2CDs, and 51 tracks, the set's probably the biggest Motown Christmas collection ever! The package is filled with goodness from the legendary label -- the kind of Holiday tunes they first started cutting in the 60s, with great gems from the 70s ...

Holiday magic from The Jackson 5 -- a group whose youthful warmth made them one of the best acts to ever handle Christmas music for Motown! The set features rare tracks, plus the group's great Christmas Album for Motown from 1970 -- one of the best Motown Christmas albums ever -- a really playful ...

An amazing record -- one with a depth that goes way beyond its simple roots, and which has gone on to become one of the true Christmas classics of the 20th Century! Although a Christmas soundtrack, the album's more of a tapestry of sadness, longing, and loss -- the best qualities that always ...

A socking soul Christmas -- from 2 different decades! This overstuffed set brings together Jackie Wilson's Merry Christmas album from 1963 -- originally recorded for Brunswick -- and Al Green's The Christmas Album, recorded 20 years later for Hi Records. Both records feature a fairly standard set ...

A relatively ambitious Christmas album from Gladys Knight & The Pips -- done in a rich style that's clearly meant to be more seriously reverent of the Holiday than their usual soul hits of the time! The best numbers here are the ones that are the most laidback -- letting the group drift ...

Christmas with The King -- a compilation of stone classic Christmas tunes Elvis cut from the late 50s to early 70s -- holiday standards, a few of which have Elvis personal stamp very deeply -- from the r&b fueled rave ups, to the more reverential and spiritual. Fantastic all the way, and the ...

A sweet little countrypolitan Christmas compilation from Sony BMG -- mostly from the 60s & 70s, with great stuff from Willie Nelson, Tammy Wynette, Marty Robbins, Dottie West, Chet Atkins and more! The Nashville Sound is in full effect on some of our favorites tunes, but others bring their own ...

A bumpin' soul Christmas from the crew at LaFace Records -- some key early 90s R&B and hip hop acts -- joined together in celebration of the season! Tracks include "Joy All Day" and "Players Ball" by Outkast, "This Christmas" by Usher, "All I Want For ...

Phil Spector's classic Christmas album -- a swirling delight of 60s pop and soul numbers, still one of the greatest full Christmas LPs ever recorded! Tracks include "Frosty The Snowman" by The Ronettes, "Here Comes Santa Claus" by Bob B Soxx & The Blue Jeans, "Marshmall ...

It's been 3 decades since Brian Wilson first recorded a Christmas album, but from the sound of this set, it feels like it's only been 3 weeks! This surprisingly great album follows strongly in the spirit of the original Beach Boys Christmas Album of the 60s -- overflowing with warm pop harmonies ...

Killer Christmas work from Tony Bennett -- recorded right in the early years of his comeback career, but a classic that endures strongly over the years! Tony's vocals are superb here -- that nicely matured style that's kept him in front of younger ears over the years -- and the backings are ...

A classic batch of Christmas tunes from the vaults of Stax Records -- material from the It's Christmas Time Again album, plus bonus tracks too! The label's legendary Memphis soul and blues artists deliver a wonderful batch of tunes that includes some original compositions that have since gone onto ...

A salsa Christmas from Impacto Crea -- a set recorded right around the same time as Willie Colon's classic Holiday records of this nature! Ismael Miranda and Adalberto Santiago each sing lead on one track -- and the group features Antonio Rodriguez on piano and tres, Alfredo Rios on saxes, ...

One of the coolest Christmas albums ever -- a tripped-out classic from Chicago's legendary Rotary Connection! The album's every bit as wonderful as any of the group's non-Holiday sets for Cadet Records -- and maybe even has more to offer, given that the euphoria of the season is thrown into the ...

Ho, Ho, Huh? -- an unexpected seasonal delight from Peanut Butter Wolf -- who curates a collection of funky funky Christmas gems from Stones Throw Records! Badd Santa features a handful of tracks from some of the more adventurous names on the Stones Throw roster -- Georgia Anne Muldrow, Baron Zen ...

Stop, mommy -- it hurts! This incredibly painful album features the whole cast of the Brady Bunch -- well, the kids only, really -- singing Christmas tunes like "The First Noel", "Jingle Bells", "Frosty The Snowman", "Silent Night", and "Little Drummer ...

An instant Holiday classic from Ledisi -- the kind of all-soul Christmas record we haven't heard since the 70s! Ledisi's great at any time of the year, but she really sounds wonderful here in this seasonal set -- working with producer Rex Rideout in a batch of tunes that still have all the deeper ...

One of the grooviest groups in the world does Christmas! The Swingles turn their jazzy harmonies to a mix of tunes that includes older classics and newer tunes, all done in medley form, in a way that flows together to give the tunes a groovy 60s punch! Titles include "The Holly & The ...

Excellent funky Christmas! Not everyone knows it, but James Brown cut a fair number of Christmas albums during the 60s -- 3 albums, and a bunch of singles to be exact! They're all super-rare, but this great comp brings together some of the best material from those years -- and nearly all the ...

A wonderful Holiday album that's stayed fresh for years! Ella's got a perfect style to interpret these numbers -- working with Frank DeVol and Russ Garcia in a set of lightly jazzy versions of Christmas favorites like "Sleigh Ride", "Jingle Bells", "Winter Wonderland" ...

A very different album than Ella's more jazz-based Holiday set for Verve -- recorded in a mode that's much more focused on the serious side of the season! The format here has Ella singing with larger backings in a style that has some slight gospel overtones, and which focuses on the broadest range ...

A sparkling 60s Holiday album from Lena Horn -- one that has her singing over some nicely jazzy arrangements from Jack Parnell, in a mode that brings out the most delightful qualities in both her vocals and the tunes! The set's quite groovy -- much more so than you might expect -- and it's a great ...

The roots of the Verve Remixed Christmas album -- but a set that stands strongly on its own as a sweet batch of classic Holiday tunes! Most of the numbers here are jazz and vocal chestnuts pulled from the Verve catalog of the 40s through the 60s -- and although most are familiar, they're put ...

We wouldn't wish misery on anyone during the Holidays, but if you've got to be blue during Christmas -- this is a good place to start! The set's a nice collection of older bluesy numbers, mostly from the 50s and 60s, offering a nice laidback take on Christmas -- one that gets past the pasted-on ...

A sweet set of classic Christmas music from the Temptations -- featuring one previously unissued track! The set's got some great mellow group soul versions of Christmas standards, plus a few unique tracks -- with a total of 12 titles that include "Give Love On Christmas Day", "Christ ...

A repackaged version of one of THE classic Motown Christmas albums -- with 4 bonus tracks! The set features the Supremes at their height, with production by Harvey Fuqua and arrangements from Gene Page, HB Barnum and Ernie Freeman. The whole thing's incredibly soulful -- and the only thing ...

Tunes pulled from a number of different eras -- including some gems from the classic Verve, Chess, Impulse, and Mercury catalogs of the 60s -- and one of the finer collections of Christmas jazz to be issued in a long time! There's none of the schmaltzy newer work that can ruin a good Christmas ...

A vintage Holiday recording from The Staple Singers -- a set recorded back in the group's earliest, rootsiest days! The sound here is quite spare -- no surprise, given that the session was done by Riverside Records, at a time when the label was pushing the gospel-influenced quartet onto folk ...

A Motown Christmas double-header -- 5 tracks each by two of the label's best groups of the 60s! Diana Ross & The Supremes sing "Silver Bells", "White Christmas", "My Favorite Things", "My Christmas Tree", and "Joy To The World" -- and The ...

Although recorded a bit later than some of Gladys Knight's better-known Holiday work, this album's actually our favorite of the bunch -- because it's got a looser, more soul-based feel that gets beyond some of the overdone modes of earlier Christmas work! Gladys is clearly trying to get more ...

One of the goofiest Christmas albums you'll ever hear! Spike cut this one with his City Slickers in the mid 50s -- and it's kind of got the feel of a TV show gone crazy. Many of the songs start out in a sweet mode -- often with vocals by a female singer or kids -- but then a lot of them go very ...

One of the few secular, or partly-secular, recordings made by Al Green in the 80s -- a set of Christmas tunes that shows he still hasn't lost any of his warmth or special spirit! The set was done for Hi Records, but the backings are a bit more contemporary than Al's 70s work for the label -- never ...

The Temps give love at Christmas -- and manage to do it with a heck of a lotta soul! The set's got some surprisingly nice late Motown arrangements from Harold Johnson, Gil Askey, and Teddy Randazzo -- supporting the group's mellow seasonal harmonies nicely! There's a few nice Motown numbers on ...

Houston Person brings a warm spirit to the season -- working here with a hip set of friends who include Stan Hope or Benny Green on piano, Randy Johnson or Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Grady Tate on drums! Tate also sings a bit too -- as does Etta Jones, Della Griffin, and Melvin Sparks -- each of ...

A groovy batch of Christmas carols from the Singers Unlimited, harmonizing in their trademark mellow, jazzy style over some nice arrangements by group member Gene Puerling! The feel is very sweet -- fantastically harmonic, and set to impeccable MPS production -- and most of the tunes here are ...

A Holiday take on the Verve Remixed series -- one that features classic jazz and vocal Christmas tunes, served up here in fresh new mixes! The vintage of the originals seems to be even older than the usual work in this series -- more traditional tracks that probably provide a bit more challenge to ...

A tasty set of tracks from the Motown Holiday catalog -- featuring a number of previously unissued tunes and alternate takes! The set's got work by a few of the bigger acts, mixed with some lesser-known gems -- and makes for enough to please both fans of the label's older work and newcomers who ...

3 slices of Christmas music from Smokey & The Miracles -- pulled from 3 different Motown holiday projects! The first 6 tracks on the set are from 1963's Christmas With The Miracles -- one of Motown's first-ever Christmas albums, and a great take on holiday tunes, done with the group's early ...

It's Miss Patti's Christmas, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are along for the ride to make sure things come out right! But unlike in the old days, the newly-reinvented Jam/Lewis team has a great ear for subtlety here -- and they help keep the album in just the right spot -- unique enough to really ...

It's records like this that will keep us loving the Isley Brothers year after year -- and with such great Holiday tunes on the set, you can bet we'll be pulling this one out for many Christmases to come! Despite the slightly postured look on the front cover, the duo's sounding nicely laidback here ...

A great little modern Christmas tune from Brian Wilson -- served up with the harmonic brilliance of his 60s holiday classics with The Beach Boys! "What I Really Want For Christmas" has a nice sort of sad-tinged quality -- a bit of darkness and a real sense of longing that's further ...

One of the first ladies of Christmas pop is back in fine form here -- singing soulful versions of a host of "neoclassics" -- contemporary Holiday tunes from the past decade or two! Darlene Love's been remembered strongly year after year for her annual Holiday performance on David ...

Philly classics for the Holidays! The legendary Christmas Jolllies set by the Salsoul Orchestra was one of the label's biggest-selling albums -- originally recorded in 1976, and pressed again and again over the years -- and eventually remixed even stronger in the early 90s. Vince Montana is at ...

The Partridge Family take on Christmas hits both old and new -- working here with Wes Farrell arrangements in their sunny, sing-song style of the 70s! David's handling lead vocals on most of the tunes, but the rest of the group are always ready to back him up -- and the best moments here are ...

A surprising step for Rahsaan Patterson, but a great one too -- an album of Holiday music that shows a whole new side of his talents! The album's every bit as soulful as earlier work by Rahsaan, but it also shows some different modes as well -- tunes that are catchy, captivating, and destined to ...

Boozy magic from Dino -- and a really great batch of tunes that will take you from Christmas all the way through January! Dean eschews the standard sound of the holiday, and goes for more of a "winter romance" approach -- singing about snowtime love and wintry opportunity, and bringing a ...

Christmas Soul from the great Patti Labelle -- a CD that brings together her first full Christmas album, plus a number of bonus singles -- making for a nicely stuffed 16 track collection! These early 60s sides have a sweet, warm, innocent sound that's completely wonderful -- a soulful girl group ...

Bootsy Collins brings his own taste to the Holidays -- serving up a set of contemporary Christmas funk tunes, all with a pretty old school feel! The sound is somewhat modern, but there's still a fair bit of the old Collins charm in the mix -- that hip-stepping charisma that made Bootsy one of the ...

Ok, sounds a bit sill -- a "sensual" Christmas -- and you have to blame the cloying marketing of Rhino for that horrid title. But believe it or not, this is actually a great set of Christmas tunes, and it includes some excellent soul classics! Most of the cuts will be familiar to you, ...

Boozy magic from Dino -- and a really great batch of tunes that will take you from Christmas all the way through January! Most of the work is from the classic album Winter Romance -- a set that has Dean eschewing the standard sound of the holiday, and going for more of a "winter romance" ...

A lovely little Holiday album from Japanese singer Akiko -- one that has a sweetly jazzy finish! The lyrics here are all in English, and many tunes are familiar American Christmas carols -- but they're done in a way that's really fresh, and which has the same sharp sparkle and soulful undercurrent ...

The smoother side of Christmas -- but one that's still pretty festive as well, thanks to a host of contemporary jazz and soul recordings from the past decade or two! The material's a bit more recent than other work in the Jazzclub series, but it still shares the same great ear for selecting a tune ...

Textbook Red Simpson readings of Christmas tunes -- 18 wheels of shuffling Bakersfield rhythms and endearingly twangy holiday cheer! Red's best remembered in the mainstream for novelty truck driving honky tonk tunes, but thankfully more than a few folks know that he's truly a master of the ...

A beautiful Holiday classic from Herb -- recorded for A&M during his glory years, and done in the core Tijuana Brass style, but with some added arrangements on voices and strings by Shorty Rogers! The album's worth it alone for Herb's great take on the Bacharach groover "The Bell That ...

A later Motown Christmas session -- recorded by The Four Tops in the mid 90s with a decidedly modern soul take on the sounds of The Holiday! Most of the numbers are traditional tunes -- both secular and spiritual -- and the group's producing their own work throughout the set. Aretha Franklin ...

Leftfield holiday cheer from Stones Throw -- with the Badd Santa 45 -- featuring 2 cuts from the full length hip hop/eclectic Christmas funk LP curated by Peanut Butter Wolf -- plus the exclusive "Silent Night" by Vector Fields! "Silent Night" feels like a tripped out old ...

One of the grooviest groups in the world does Christmas! The Swingles turn their jazzy harmonies to a mix of tunes that includes older classics and newer tunes, all done in medley form, in a way that flows together to give the tunes a groovy 60s punch! Titles include "The Holly & The ...

Why thank you -- we will! Kenny does too, as he grooves nicely and gently over arrangements by Richard Evans, perfectly crafted in that soul jazz mode of his 60s work for Chess -- not Kenny's most challenging format, to be sure, but proof that he often works better in a more structured environment ...

A rare Christmas album from the Moog Machine -- a bit more straighforward than their better-known album for Columbia, but still pretty groovy overall! The tunes here are mostly classics, given some leaner arrangements and played on the moog by Kenny Ascher. Alan Foust wrote the arrangements, and ...

Mel Torme may have wrote "The Christmas Song", but Nat King Cole owned it -- thanks to a classic recording for Capitol that became one of the best-remembered Christmas chestnuts of the time! Nat's original 1961 recording is followed up here with an array of classic Holiday tunes -- done ...

The Temps give love at Christmas -- and manage to do it with a heck of a lotta soul! The set's got some surprisingly nice late Motown arrangements from Harold Johnson, Gil Askey, and Teddy Randazzo -- supporting the group's mellow seasonal harmonies nicely! There's a few nice Motown numbers on ...