Customer Reviews

Christmas Extraordinaire

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Having enjoyed their efforts over the years, this one is in my humble offering, the finest to date!

This is fusion music at its best--jazz, classical, folk, new age, all woven into tasteful and well thought out, produced and performed works.

The "Hallelujah" effort is breathtaking! Outset gave me reserve to tamper with such, but The Steamroller pulls it off with delight and reverence! Their renditions of "Away in A Manger" "Do You hear what I hear" and my favorite: "Faeries."

The addition of UofM Glee Club and Johnny Mathis are nice touch, which adds to the enjoyment and variety. This is just happy, relaxing, reverent updates of scores we all like to hear.

Provides nice variety to pop into the CD and place on "Scramble" mode, jumping from CD track to CD track, providing bit of every style.

Highly recommend!

I have been a bit perplexed over the past few weeks, reading the reviews for this year's Mannheim Steamroller Christmas cd. It seems like one really, really loved it or one didn't. While out doing my early Christmas shopping, I ran across a copy and picked it up for my Mannheim Steamroller music library. I popped it in my car's cd player as I went from one place to the next. I found this year's offerings utterly relaxing and delightful. It brought memories of the classic Christmas movies and I could actually invision Bing Crosby gliding along on skates singing along in my mind as I listened to "White Christmas".

This year's offerings are just what Chip said he was looking to do...."bring Christmas Carols back to the sound of their origins in the Reniassance". He succeeded, in my opinion, 100%. Haven't we all remembered fondly a Christmas of Yesteryear and wish just for a moment to be able to revisit that time?

...I do feel that Johnny Mathis is rather out of place in this particular recording. Mr. Mathis is a renowned singer who many would not do Christmas sounds without during their holiday season and he is talented. It's just the two sounds didn't blend too well as I found personally, it kind of jerked me out of the mellow nostalgia I was experiencing.

This is a must for any Mannheim Steamroller library and Christmas collection. Thanks Mr. Davis, I so enjoy the walk down Christmas memory lane! In this age of hustle and bustle, it is nice to find music so relaxing and nostalgic.

I wrote a review of this album a few weeks back, when I first received as a freebie from American Gramaphone, and at the time I had awarded it 5 stars. Now, after several listenings, I'm afraid I'll have to knock off a star or two. Don't get me wrong, if you liked Mannheim's previous albums, you'll probably like this, but it definitely lacks something.

It starts off with a typical, almost cliche Mannheim flourish, by taking Handel's beautiful and majestic Hallelujah chorus and devolving it into something that sounds closer to "Chariots of Fire." Good music if you're running track, I guess, but is it Christmas... I don't know. Still, you should enjoy the energy of this opening piece while it lasts, because the next five tracks are little more than lullabyes. I've always liked Chip Davis' softer pieces, and he does them well here, but he throws too many of them together. After several tracks, what should have sounded nostalgic just sounds depressingly dreary. "Faeries" (from The Nutcracker) almost seems as it wants to be this album's equivalent of "Little Drummer Boy," (from "A Fresh Aire Christmas"), but it never builds up enough, which is unfortunate since it could helped liven things up.

"Fum Fum Fum" remains my favorite piece. It gives a much needed shot of energy to the album, and it relies on real Renaissance instruments, rather than Chip's tired MIDI instruments. If more of the album had sounded like this, I would have to give it five stars.

Chip claims to have written this album in only a few months. If that were entirely true, it would be easier to forgive some of its shortcomings. But the arrangement of "Auld Lang Syne" which appears on this album is the same as what he had done on his Impressions album... he merely changed some of the synthesizer sounds and added a choir. Fortunately, it'll be new to most people since Impressions didn't sell particularly well, and it's a good arrangement-- but it still feels as though he cheated (especially since the big yellow sticker on the album cover proclaims, "ALL NEW MUSIC".)

So should you buy it? Yes, if you already listened to their previous albums and enjoyed them. But if you've only just heard of Mannheim Steamroller and want to try one of their Christmas albums, you really should start with "A Fresh Aire Christmas," which is a truly great album, and then come back to this one later.

The only way you can not enjoy this album is if you are looking for ways not to enjoy it. The songs on this album go down easy, which is just what many of us like. I have all of the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums, and feel this one might get even more play than the older ones -- because it is so enjoyable. I honestly can't believe some of the negative reviews I read, and feel these people must have unrealistic tastes and expectations.

If you enjoy lovely holiday instrumentals, well played in light and uplifting arrangements, then you are sure to love this album.

This album is breathtaking. I have been a fan of their Christmas music for years and I cannot comprehend looking at my tree or opening presents without their music playing. After the rather strange "Christmas Angel" album, this is a great comeback.

I agree with several other reviewers that I could have done without Johnny Mathis singing "O Tannenbaum." I think it would have been much better as simply an intrumental. It was a bit startling to suddenly hear a solo voice when the only other voices heard before were those in choirs.

Even so, I recommend it. It is beautiful.

Christmas Extraordinaire continues Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas series with album of great Christmas music at its best! What makes this album so Extraordinaire is that it was put together in a matter of months (that's right, MONTHS!).

Being a Steamroller fan and having visted their website quite frequently, I was asked on one such an occasion to choose what Christmas carols I think should go on this album. In fact a window popped up for about a month asking for a "Vote That Counts." I chose three carols (3 was all you were allowed): Away in a Manger, White Christmas, and a Steamroller original. They didn't do an original, but they certainly did an excellant job on the first two!! (I received this album for free and in advance for participation in the song selection, not a bad deal, huh?) I was going to buy it anyway!!

The album starts out right away in the Steamroller Christmas tradition. "Hallelujah," a fast, high-energy remake of the classic Handel choral & orchestral piece gets a heaping helping of brass (trumpets, french horns, trombones, low synth brass) to get you into the "Steamroller mood." This song is my second favorite on this CD (it's a close second place with Fum, Fum, Fum in first place). *This song sounds REALLY GOOD in a high wattage sound system with a Bass Tube or high watt subwoofer!!

The second track is White Christmas, arranged quite unexpectily I might add. It sounds remotely like Christmas Lullaby from Christmas in the Aire until that eerie, yet graceful Women's Choir comes in. It's a very unique sound for this song, but wonderful just the same.

Away in a Manger, Do You Hear What I Hear, The First Noel and Some Children See Him are all arranged pretty much in the similar fashion. They start slow with very few instruments playing together and then in comes the orchestra for the chorus and finish. They are still very much enjoyable, though. The First Noel uses what I like to call "inverted melodies" during the verses. A violin and oboe both seem to criss-cross each other, which gives the song a feeling of desperation almost. To me that is a very unique sound. These songs all utilize the Rhodes Piano which has a very relaxing resonance almost like a music box. Away in Manger begins with a classical guitar being strummed to set up the intro. The giving of the melody to recorders, while being backed by the guitar is a very soothing and tranquil approach.

Let's just say that Faeries is "something else" indeed. I felt this song could have been done so much better. It doesn't last very long and it uses a simple drum beat with the same synth bass that's in Fresh Aire 8's Greek Suite songs. The melody is played on the same bell sounds that we are all familar with. What is kind of cool about this song is that Davis was able to synchronize the orchestra with the MIDI without sounding funny.

Silver Bells and Winter Wonderland both receive a light and airey feeling on Christmas Extraordinaire, much in the same way as the original recordings. But there is a Steamroller touch that can't be denied here (especially on Winter Wonderland with that low synth brass vibrating the house when you play it on your home theatre).

Fum, Fum, Fum is definately my favorite song on this album. It is exceptionally reminiscent of early Mannheim Steamroller recordings (Mere Image from Fresh Aire III, Sara's Band from Fresh Aire, and Gagliardia from Christmas in the Aire comes to mind). You original "Aire-Heads" out there are really going to like this song! I never have heard of Fum, Fum, Fum, and I'm sure I'm not going to like the original version of it.

O Tannenbaum is by far the most interesting Mannheim Steamroller piece on this album, simply because the melody is carried by a single vocalist, Johnny Mathis (who does a great job). This isn't the first time Mannheim Steamroller featured a solo vocalist, though. The Mickey Mouse Club March from M/S Meets the Mouse features a child singing the closing words of the song ("Now it's time to say good-bye..."). In fact, O Tannenbaum is arranged much in the same way. As Johnny sings "O Tannenbaum" for the last time it seems like the song is "melting away".

Auld Lang Syne on this album is exactly the same arrangement found on Chip Davis's Impressions album released in 1994 (Chip saved the MIDI file for later, haha!). This time, more sound was added to it to make it "Extraordinaire." Really the only differences are a more prevelent choral section, much more depth using the low synth brass and just generally a grander sound during the piece's chorus & conclusion.

Overall, Christmas Extraordinaire is an unforgettable album with great holiday music anyone and everyone can enjoy! Put it on at work to relieve stress, or at home while wrapping presents to make you forget how light your wallet or purse has become. Extraordinaire reminds us that Christmas is about giving and feeling the joy of making someone else happy for a change.

I don't normally review CDs, but I'll add my two cents worth.

1.) If you don't like the genre, that is the "synth" sound, that is fine, but don't bash MS just because you don't like synth music.

2.) That being said, this album is not as exciting as the "blue" one (Fresh Aire Christmas) or the "brown" one which is the 1984 album.

3.) If you don't own ANY MS Christmas albums I'd recommend the second one "blue" or even Fresh Aire IV which is their Winter themed cd (non-christmas though..all original).

4.) Chip PLEASE stop issuing compilation CDs. Go ...take a break... then compose something original once more.

5.) As far as this album is concerned I thought it was ok, but not steller. I still listen to the Fresh Aire Christmas (Second One) the most.

6.) Please DO NOT compare MS to Transerbiaran (mis-spelled I know)Orchestra. Both are unique in their own right, but I do not think they belong in the same genre.

7.) Final notes: MS is a mixture of synths, recorders, electric drums, and the occasional choir. Trans. Orch. is essentially a rock band with some awesome arrangements of X-mas tunes. Both bands have great musicians... it's more a matter of which arrangements you like better.

Thanks for reading.

As far as stars go, this is definitely a 5. There aren't any really unique or groundbreaking songs on this CD, but it maintains the standards set by the first three CDs.

As for the amount of songs, it definitely could hold more, but most Mannheim Steamroller Christmas CDs are rather short and I dont think that it should have any effect on its rating.

The Hallelujah song is a nice variation...(download it from Amazon.com to listen). I especially like Faeries from "The Nutcracker" and Auld Lang Syne.

It continues the tradition of the other 3 CDs. If you enjoyed the first 3, then this is definitely a must. If your a first time listener to Mannheim Steamroller you might want to check out 2nd CD "A Fresh Aire Christmas" but you'll be adding "Christmas Extraordinaire" to your collection sooner or later. All in all, a terrific CD that holds the standards set by the other CDs.

This is the weakest of the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas offerings and therefore is a little disappointing on first listen. For those who do not have the other albums, skip this one. On the other hand, if you are like me, (I own everything they ever produced) this is a worthwhile addition to the collection. While it doesn't live up to the previous CDs, it still is one of the better Christmas albums you can find.

(...) I think this recording is up there with the rest of the Steamroller CDs. I bought the DVD/CD combo from the touring concert last night in Milwaukee. Though a couple of tracks cmay be less than stellar, I believe there are some new classics on the recording. As another reviewer said Fum, Fum, Fum is Fun, Fun, Fun! The entire sold-out audience was clapping in rhythym. I couldn't believe it! It was awesome. Personally, I feel one of the weakest tracks is Hallelujah, so don't judge the CD by (that song). Head's up on the DVD. You can buy a DVD/CD two disk combo of many of the Steamroller realeases (...). The DVD audio is recorded in DOlby 5.1 so played through a home theater setup will sound awesome and very different from the CD player in your car. Some of the DVDs (like Fresh Aire 8) also include video content. The Christmas Extraordinaire DVD is two sided. The A side is audio only to be played through the home theater. The V side is the video side, however, it is not concert footage or music videos. It reminds me of computer wallpaper of the CD cover with some text announcing the individual tracks. I think I will like this since it will be great to put on during parties without being distracting. However, you'll be disappointed if you are expecting music videos.