Rum-Pa-Pum-Pum!!

Let's face it, some Christmas Carols are rooted in tradition rather than theological accuracy.  Scripture says nothing about there being only three wise men, the herald angels didn't sing, it's quite doubtful that the nativity was silent, ("No crying He makes?"  Really?  One wonders if the author had ever been around a newborn baby.)  and there was no little boy with a drum, anywhere in the narrative. (And "Joy To The World" is actually about when Christ returns to set up His eternal kingdom, but that's a different situation.)

But traditions and inaccuracies don't take away from the enjoyment of these songs, in my opinion.  From Sparrow Records late 1980's Christmas album, Whiteheart's quasi-metal take on "Little Drummer Boy" is without doubt the best version I have ever heard.

It's Christmastime...Again!

Around the turn of the century (this one) Crystal Lewis released her Holiday CD, a collection of Christmas standards that was a throwback to the jazzy Christmas albums of yore.  Pure joy to listen too!

Wonderful Christmastime

To begin with, I'm well aware that Paul McCartney's quirky, New Wave Pop-Synth experiment provokes visceral reactions in most.  I actually enjoy it, but that's probably because of nostalgia and affection for McCartney rather than a true appreciation for the song.  (My argument has always been, if you don't like Wonderful Christmastime, flip the 45 over and listen to the b-side, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reggae, and you'll think Wonderful Christmastime is a classic.)

Anyway, Jars of Clay dug deep and found a real song buried under all the spacey synthesizers.  They turned a song that could produce violence in some into a nice contemplative offering, and it's one of my favorites off their Christmas Songs CD.

Christmastime is here...2

From his 1993 album "Christmas", here's Bruce Cockburn with my favorite Christmas tune of all time.  (If anyone knows what the lyrics are about, please let me know!)

Here's Jon Anderson's version from his "3 Ships" album.

And here is a link to Bob Bennett's version from his "Christmastide" cd:

http://www.bob-bennett.com/bob-bennett-i-saw-three-ships.mp3

Christmas Time Is Here...

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone, I hope everyone had a blessed time with Family & friends.  Between now & Christmas I plan to post some of my favorite Christmas tunes.  Some will be familiar to you, some will not, so I hope you hear something you like.

I want to start off with the great Russ Taff, from his "Sinatra" inspired Christmas cd, "A Christmas Song." (1992)

I have no desire to address politics on this blog, so this will be a one time thing.  This was my Facebook status this morning.  I wanted to share it with the rest of you.

"I refuse to pay attention to any "doomsday" scenarios being played out on FB this morning.  You know what, it may well be the "end of America as we know it," but God is still God.  As followers of Christ, HE is our hope for the future.  If I may paraphrase John 21:22 without being accused of sacrilege, "If I want Barack Obama to be president, what is that to you?  YOU follow ME!"

Pray for those in power.  It doesn't matter if you agree with them or not.

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-For kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all Godliness and holiness.  This is good, and pleases God our Savior..."~~1 Timothy 2:1-3

My personal top ten Christian albums.

From the outset, I must state the obvious: my list will differ from yours.  There are lots of CCM "greatest" lists out there, the most prominant being CCM's  "100 Greatest Albums In Christian Music," or the great list at http://ccms500bestalbums.wordpress.com/.  My list will include albums that didn't make any other list, of course.  We all have different taste.  My list will include artists from many different genres and spiritual viewpoints, even some who no longer identify as Christian.  Those albums must be included because, while my heart may ache for those individuals who have chosen, for whatever reason, to walk away from the Church, (and in some instances, from Christ Himself,)  the impact their music had on me will never go away.

To save time and space, I'm only going to comment on the top five.  Enjoy!

1. The Alarma Chronicles - Daniel Amos

A bit of a cheat here, as this is actually four separate albums, (Alarma!, Doppelganger, Vox Humana and Fearful Symmetry,) but I can't view them that way.  I've always seen the Chronicles as one work, perhaps the most ambitious undertaking in Christian music, and one of the most ambitious in Rock music, period.  Actually, everything Terry Taylor and company have done could easily find it's way on to this list. True visionaries.

2.  Russ Taff - Russ Taff

No one, in CCM or otherwise, has a more powerful voice than Russ Taff.  These days, Taff has been active mainly as a soloist in Bill Gaither's series of Southern Gospel videos, and as a member of the Gaither Vocal Band.  Anyone who knows him just from that would be shocked to hear his 1987 self-titled release.  His third solo album after departing the Imperials, (who's best work was recorded while he was a member,) this was serious, heart wrenching, soul searching Rock that chronicled a tough time in Taff's life, after a hard tour for his previous album, Medals.  About this time, Taff recorded an excellent interview for the radio presentation Shake: Christian Artists Face The Music that is well worth searching out.

3. Lie Down In The Grass - Charlie Peacock

When I first saw this album cover, I have to admit, it didn't fit my idea of what a "Christian" album should be.  Listening to the album didn't change my mind much, honestly, and I put it away without any more thought.  But then, several years later, I had a third shift job and as I was leaving for work one night, for some inexplicable reason, I chose this album to listen too.  I had an over thirty minute commute, plenty of time to listen to most of it, and this time, I "got" it.  Favorite songs would be "Whole Lot Different," "Lost In Translation," "Who Is Not Afraid," "Human Condition"... actually, every song is a classic.  To this day, as great as CP's recorded output is, this remains my favorite.

4. Return To Paradise - Randy Stonehill

Randy Stonehill has never recorded a "bad" album.  True, some releases suffered from bad production, (Love Beyond Reason, the Stonehill ep, Celebrate This Heartbeat,) but the songs were always good, and his acoustic performances always brought that out.  Producer Mark Heard played on that strength, and this amazing album of acoustic tunes was the result.  Randy has always been a very "emotional" singer, but he never sounded better than this.  From the plaintive 'Starlings" to the joyous "Ready To Go,"  Randy ended the 80's with his best album ever.

5. Learning To Trust - David Meece

As prolific as David Meece was back in the 80's, you're not likely to see any of his albums on lists like this.  He was not a critical favorite, and his music was considered too light weight and "poppy," a description that, quite frankly, is hard to argue with when you go back and give albums like "Are You Ready" and "7" a listen, and "Candle In The Rain," while musically very good, was somewhat confusing theologically.  Then came this beautiful, personal album that, while maintaining a "Pop" sound, was comparable to Russ Taff's album mentioned above.  This was Meece's chronicle of his own "dark night of the soul," and made even some who were critical of his earlier albums reassess  their opinion of him.

6. Circle Slide - The Choir

7. Faith, Hope, Love - King's X

8. Sunday's Child - Phil Keaggy

9. Something New Under The Son - Larry Norman

10. Satellite Sky - Mark Heard