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Good Xmas background music for family party?

DjiemDjiem Registered User regular
edited December 2008 in Help / Advice Forum
Hey there, I've got a little question about Xmas music. See, we're having the family party here at home, and we just set out the tree and furniture around. I told my mom I'd take care of music this year because the stupid jingles coming out of the lights in the tree are getting annoying. I've got an iPod set to iPod speakers and I plan to make a huge randomized playlist of Xmas songs, but there are SO MANY songs available (for free or for purchase) out there and so many iterations and interpretations of the same song, and most of them suck.

Do you have any track or album recommendations? I'm looking mainly for calm stuff, ideally instrumental, french or english if it has vocals, and it's only going to serve as background music for the ambience, nothing more.

Djiem on

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    GlaealGlaeal Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Rat-Pack-Frank-Sinatra/dp/B00006IJWZ

    Hard to dislike those guys.

    http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-With-Dino-2006/dp/B000TEMTMY/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_k2a_1_img?pf_rd_p=304485601&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-2&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00006IJWZ&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1Q6T13ZF68Z62PTV1V80

    But I'm a sucker for Dean Martin

    Glaeal on
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    NerdtendoNerdtendo Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Djiem wrote: »
    Hey there, I've got a little question about Xmas music. See, we're having the family party here at home, and we just set out the tree and furniture around. I told my mom I'd take care of music this year because the stupid jingles coming out of the lights in the tree are getting annoying. I've got an iPod set to iPod speakers and I plan to make a huge randomized playlist of Xmas songs, but there are SO MANY songs available (for free or for purchase) out there and so many iterations and interpretations of the same song, and most of them suck.

    Do you have any track or album recommendations? I'm looking mainly for calm stuff, ideally instrumental, french or english if it has vocals, and it's only going to serve as background music for the ambience, nothing more.

    Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass: Christmas Album


    The best Christmas music you'll find. It's jazzy, pretty sparing on the vocals.

    Nerdtendo on
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    Caramel GenocideCaramel Genocide Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Almost anything by Mediaeval Baebes is great for this - though they do have a specific holiday album called "Mistletoe and Wine".

    Caramel Genocide on
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    ImprovoloneImprovolone Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Dish Network has some very good Christmas SiriusXM stations.

    Improvolone on
    Voice actor for hire. My time is free if your project is!
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    VisionOfClarityVisionOfClarity Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    I also have Christmas with the Rat Pack and love it. I have the Transiberian Orchestra's Christmas album and love it. AOL has an Oldies Holiday station that plays all the classics like Bing Crosby, you can listen to that for some ideas. My family likes country music so we have John Berry, Brad Paisley, George Strait and a few others. We also have the Patridge Family Christmas album, but that's really just for my mum. If you have Comcast they have a few Christmas stations and the Holiday Yule Log with music is on demand as well.

    VisionOfClarity on
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    ImprovoloneImprovolone Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    I love them, but you gotta be careful with Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It may be my taste to hear an awesome rock version of xmas music, but it might not fit a nice party.
    Manheim Steamroller on the other hand, always goood.

    Improvolone on
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    xa52xa52 Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    somafm.com is streaming a holiday music station. (Well, two of them actually, but only one of them is family appropriate.)

    xa52 on
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    BurtletoyBurtletoy Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Sufjan Stevens has a pretty sizable Christmas collection. I think it is at like 4 cd's now.

    http://www.asthmatickitty.com/music.php?releaseID=63

    I guess it is 5 CD's now.

    Burtletoy on
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    Woot427Woot427 Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Burtletoy wrote: »
    Sufjan Stevens has a pretty sizable Christmas collection. I think it is at like 4 cd's now.

    http://www.asthmatickitty.com/music.php?releaseID=63

    I guess it is 5 CD's now.

    That is $16.00 on iTunes. Just bought it this week. Some of the more traditional songs that I couldn't see Sufjan's voice or style playing well to, such as Rudolph the Red Noised Reindeer and Jingle Bells are short, instrumental versions, but 45 songs for $16.00? I'd still recommend it.

    Woot427 on
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    KyleWPetersonKyleWPeterson Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Here's a playlist of songs I chose for such an occasion last year:

    ChristmasMix.jpg

    Most of them are in the iTunes store, so you can preview before you purchase.

    KyleWPeterson on
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    DjiemDjiem Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Thanks all, I'll look into this. That's the good thing, since I'm using a MP3 player, I'll just take the good, leave the bad, and make a playlist with it.

    Djiem on
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    Kate of LokysKate of Lokys Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    The Canadian Brass Christmas. Ignore the cheesy-as-fuck cover, and you might want to skip over the two songs on the album where they sing, but the rest of it is just absolutely gorgeous, rich, mellow instrumental Christmas music.
    Somebody actually put the whole album up on Youtube, actually

    Kate of Lokys on
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    2and2is52and2is5 Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Vince Guaraldi Trio - A Charlie Brown Christmas

    Really all you need.

    2and2is5 on
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    OremLKOremLK Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    California Guitar Trio - A Christmas Album is the answer to this question. Seriously. It's gorgeous, acoustic, and instrumental, which is just about right for background music. I used it last year for a family gathering and got good comments.

    I think Amazon has the album in MP3 format... Yeah, here.

    OremLK on
    My zombie survival life simulator They Don't Sleep is out now on Steam if you want to check it out.
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    mcdermottmcdermott Registered User regular
    edited December 2008
    Christmas with the Rat Pack, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and Mannheim Steamroller are all essentials. These three alone probably make up the bulk of my holiday listening.

    To throw out something that hasn't been mentioned, Michael Buble put out a Christmas EP a year or two back (Let it Snow) and it's pretty good. Only like five or six songs, but only like five or six bucks.

    mcdermott on
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