Ep. VI: 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' - The Vince Guaraldi Trio/ 'Your Favorite Christmas Music, Vol. 4' - Various Artists

 Welcome back.

Since we're running short on Holiday music review time, I'm going to double-up on my album reviews from this point forward.  Check out what we have going on today. . .

Album Title:  A Charlie Brown Christmas

Album Artist:  The Vince Guaraldi Trio

Very rarely does one album sum up the entire Holiday season in one fury of sonic awesomeness, but this well-known jazz standard is the staple of the Hough Family Holiday Season.  Every track features the Vince Guaraldi Trio keeping it lose and festive, showcasing their chops while at the same time adhering to each Christmas carol's core melody (something you would think would be simple, but that sooooo many other jazzy Christmas albums fail to do.)

And to top it all off?  The record itself is a festive green.  I mean, that's just awesome.

Long story short, this is perfection achieved.

VERDICT:  10/10 - . . .And Out Come the Wolves  (A flawless Christmas album that receives the same perfect score as the other flawless album that bears its name)

- REMAINS IN CIRCULATION -

reviews from this point forward.  Check out what we have going on today. . .

Album Title:  Your Favorite Christmas Music, Volume 4

Album Artist:  Various Artists

Oh, Granny. . .

I seem to have a ton of these different compilation albums, inherited from God Knows Where.  Most, I take it, are from my dad's mom (ol' Granny Hough, that is) - one only needs to glance upon the inexplicable scrawling across the front cover to identify the OCD-ness of a Hough.  Plus it's in calligraphy, and that's been Granny's calling card for years.

This particular album was recorded in 1965 (see calligraphy at left), and definitely sounds like it.  Not the fun, hip, British Invasion mid-60s, either.  No, this is the stuffy music of the World War II generation - once America's Greatest Generation, now reduced to yelling from their living room recliners at their teenage children about cutting their mop tops and secretly thinking kids' shaggy hair might have something to do with the Communists.

Thanks, Firestone.

Here's something a little random concerning this particular compilation - it's from Firestone.  That's right, Firestone.  As in the automotive tire company.

What the hell are they doing producing Christmas albums?

I'm assuming this was part of a promotion they were running back in 1965.  Maybe Grandpa Hough loaded up Granny, my dad, and my Aunt Lucy up into the family station wagon one December day and drove up to Bob's Tire Emporium.  Perhaps he was going to have some new tires put on the car, and the mechanic there suggested upgrading to the Firestone tires, as they were giving away a 'free Christmas album' with the purchase of four, brand new Firestone tires.  Knowing my grandfather, he wouldn't have jumped at this, BUT maybe Granny got all excited about it and, rolling his eyes, Grandpa Hough had no choice but to relent and go with the Firestones.

And now I'm reviewing the result of that purchase on a frickin' blog.  Fifty years later.

Anyway, back to the album itself.  It's ok.  Yes, just ok.  Nothing too terrible to mention (though the operatic singing gets a little jarring at times), but it sounds like a heap of other Christmas compilations I already own.  Julie Andrews makes a few appearances on this otherwise bland, Pavarotti-styled Christmas compilation, and her songs are halfway decent.  Alas, even Mary Poppins herself can't save this album from being sent back to its former place on the Not-in-Holiday-Rotation shelves.

VERDICT:  6/10 - Meh. (ok. . . but there's better albums out there to sit in its place of glory next to my turntable.)

- SHELVED -

- Brian