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When considering
this year's holiday
music releases and song-filled TV
specials, Americans can take solace that they don't live in
England. Our condolences to those British readers who are bombarded
with the unholy Spice
Girls-Mick Jagger charity rendition of "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll"
every time they turn on the radio. Of course, we all had to endure
MTV's "Top
100 Greatest Videos Ever Made." What the hell happened to "Cuts
Like a Knife" and those great Twisted
Sister and Ratt
videos--plus the entire Huey
Lewis, Men
at Work and Greg
Kihn catalogs? Who can take seriously a list that includes "Jump"
and "Right Now," but not "Hot
for Teacher" --not to mention featuring "Girls
on Film" while blithely snubbing "Rio"? And what of Weird
Al? But we digress.
 There
are five main paths to follow when giving the gift of music: live
albums, greatest-hits
collections, box
sets, old
favorites, and blockbuster new releases.
And if all else fails, there's always the best-selling
Christmas single of all time, a classic song that was written
by a great
Jewish composer and popularized by the
singer who helped bring "Hogan's
Heroes" to the world. Now there's an ironic bit of tuneful trivia
to discuss over a glass of nog.
Frank
Sennett
 Newcity.com
affiliates sound off about holiday music releases:
BOXING RING
An avalanche of CD sets hits the stores
THE GIFT
OF MUSIC
Of box sets, best-ofs and coals in the stocking
BOXING
YOUR EARS
What's good in a box this holiday season
BOXING DAY
Jam these box sets under your tree
JOKE IN THE BOX
It's open-mic night for Rhino Records' comedy box sets
MP3
TO GO
Download those files from your computer onto these portable players
DIGITAL
REVOLUTIONS
Portable MP3 players offer much more than entry into the latest
techno-craze
THE EDGE OF POP
Discoveries from beyond the playlist
SPECIAL SPINS
CDs for the listener who has everything WAKEUP CALL
Great sleeper discs of the nineties
LIVE
& KICKING
New jazz and blues discs capture immediacy of the concert setting
FOUR-WAY STOP
The uneven road to CSNY2K-compliance SEASONAL SOUNDS
Spinning through gift ideas for a musical holiday COOL YULE
A few holiday discs will have you singing glad tidings for the season OH, POO
"South Park" gives us "Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?
Santa's got a brand new bag of Christmas CDs
CHRISTMAS
CRAPTACULAR
A preview of this year's crummy contemporary Christmas albums
BLACK
& BLUE CHRISTMAS
Record companies pummel Christmas shoppers with tinsel-clad seasonal
CDs each yuletide
TUNES
FOR A LONG WINTER'S NIGHT
They'll package it up, but you don't have to buy the same old holiday
music every year
HOLIDAY
DISC-GO-ROUND
The best and worst of Xmas CDs, from Jimi to Jewel
KITSCH MEETS
KLASSICS
Get into the sometimes bizarre but utterly soothing holiday music
groove
SANTA GOT
SOUL
"Smooth Grooves: A Sensual Christmas" mixes a dozen soul-tinged
tracks from Rhino's incredible archive
GLAD TIDINGS
Rahsaan Patterson's "Christmas At My House," with its get-down-and-party
Stevie Wonderesque funkiness, kicks off the fine "My Christmas Album"
BOASTING
CHESTNUTS
Hearing the holiday standards on "Croon and Swoon: A Classic Christmas,
Vol. 2" seems like a joyous reunion with old friends
MIXED MEDIA
Spinning the holiday discs offered by the folks from "Touched by
an Angel" and "Chicken Soup for the Soul"
THE STRAIT
STORY
George Strait's loping voice expertly wraps around a swell selection
of yuletide tunes on "Merry Christmas Wherever You Are"
STARR OF
BETHLEHEM
Ringo boldly mixes originals with reworked versions of cherished
carols on "I Wanna Be Santa Claus"
SMILE, OR
ELSE
The Sinatra Family would like to "Wish You a Merry Christmas"
A LEAGUE
OF HER OWN
"A Rosie Christmas" will leave listeners flat
HOT CHRISTMAS
NIGHT
98 Degrees brings seasonal lore up to speed on "This Christmas"
WHO WILL
SAVE YOUR SOUL?
On "Joy: A Holiday Collection," Jewel delves into her sense of self
and faith
PEPPERMINT
LICKS
"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" captures Jimi Hendrix at his
psychedelic peak
TURD
IN YOUR STOCKING
"Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" is gleefully offensive holiday
fare
UNSILENT
NIGHT
Christmas albums you can love
BLUES CHRISTMAS
Chris Cain celebrates the season with "Christmas Cain--Blues for
the Holidays"
DO YOU HEAR
WHAT I HEAR?
Santa's got a brand new bag of Christmas CDs
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