Customer Reviews

Christmas

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Mannheim Steamroller is the brainchild of Chip Davis, and is a fusion of classic music with high-tech pop. Mannheim Steamroller burst on the scene in 1974, with their Fresh Aire album. This album came out in 1984, and is without a doubt the greatest of their great Christmas albums. Having such classics as Stille Nacht (Silent Night) and Good King Wenceslas, it is very pleasant to listen to, with their rendition of Stille Nacht being a new Christmas classic.

Now, some can argue as to which album of Mannheim Steamroller is better. As for me, this one is it. Indeed, it has now gotten to the point where I cannot imagine Christmas without this album. So, if you are looking for some excellent Christmas music, then you really should consider getting this album. My family and I love this album, and give it our highest recommendations.

This, the first of Mannheim Steamroller's holiday collections, is timeless. Songs that should sound dated now just resonate with memories of Christmases past. This version of Good King Wenceslas should have won a Grammy. It's such an outstanding arrangement and still gives me goosebumps after 15 years. And the version of Silent Night on this disc is nothing short of breathtaking. It's really an experience and you just have to hear it to understand. The perfect late night Christmas Eve track.

The first of the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas albums, this one is a lot of fun, too. A bit more traditional than "A Fresh Aire Christmas", this album has a lot of arrangements that could be from The Renaissance. Harp, lute, hammered dulcimer, and clavichord join more contemporary instruments in stylings that are sometimes classical and other times modern. A rollicking "Deck the Halls" opens the album. Its fast tempo and heart-thumping bass line let you know right away that this Christmas album isn't going to take itself too seriously! This is definitely a modern arrangement, and it is gregarious to the fullest degree. "We Three Kings", "Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella", and "Coventry Carol" sound ancient with mostly acoustic instruments. Next comes a rock and roll "Good King Wenceslas" with plenty of voltage powering the instruments! The next four "olde English"pieces comprise the "Christmas Sweet" played in a style and instrumentation befitting that era. The rocking version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is possibly my favorite Christmas recording of all time. It is totally infectious and commands me to hit "replay" every time it gets near the end. Full of joy and fun, this is what I think Christmas should feel like at least a few times during the season! "Stille Nacht" closes out the CD on a soothing and peaceful note. This is a great Christmas album, and I highly recommend it.

Getting into the Christmas spirit could not be possibe without the right music; this DC is it! Any of Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas CDs are incredible for parties, driving, & it's the only thing that keeps me kicking out those Christmas cookies every year - it's part of my tradition now! When you're having a hard time "getting into the spirit" & those other Christmas CDs are a bore , go buy this one.

This CD is a "must listen" for the Holiday season! Stille Nacht should be required listening for anyone suffering from holiday stress.

Without exaggerating, this may be (for better or worse) the most musically important Christmas album ever released. By blending reverent, neo-classical interpretations with (now semi-) modern synthesizers and percussion, Chip Davis virtually re-defined contemporary Christmas music. While the more contemporary/electronic arrangements can occassionally sound cheesy, and while the contrast with the ultra-traditional interpretations can occassionally be jarring, the result is undeniably unique. And, for anyone who grew up in the 1980s, even the most questionable Chip Davis efforts will for ever after evoke powerful holiday nostalgia.

And few Chip Davis efforts are really "questionable." In general, the arrangements on this disc are masterful. "Bring a Torch..." and "Silent Night," in particular, are hauntingly beautiful. And, while the electronics may not be for everyone, they are tastefully done, they do evoke a festive mood, and they keep the album from sounding like every other orchestral Christmas album you've ever heard.

If you are one of the 17 Americans who hasn't heard this music, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. It is, quite simply, essential Christmas music.

Mannheim Steamroller is a timeless treasure. No Christmas atmosphere is complete without Mannheim Steamroller Christmas. You can listen to it over and over again.

If you don't already know, Mannheim Steamroller is the cream of the crop as far as today's Christmas music goes. Mannheim knows how to blend the radical synthesized sounds of the new millennium with the traditional to create a truly unique category all its own, commonly known as "The Best".

This album is Mannheim's first. Hence, the rather traditional title "Mannheim Steamroller Christmas". This group got its start publishing stereo demo music. Much to their surprise, customers said "I'll take the stereo, and do you sell the demo CD too? Sounds awesome!" It was thus that Mannheim entered mainstream media, quickly soaring to the top.

Here's a summary of the tracks on this album.

Track 1 (3:39): So you pop this CD in your player, then go back to what you were doing. Suddenly, WHOOM! Extremely cool, modern, synthesized sounds rocket out of the speakers, however small they may be, and grab at your ears. My friend, you have just entered a new era of Mannheim Steamroller, and your Christmas experience will never be the same again. This old fashioned decorating song has been invigorated and given the modern flair of synthesizers, and it is awesome. It is just the beginning.

Track 2 (3:40): Done just like you think it ought to be. A Middle-East flair accompanied by background jingling brings to mind the perfect image of three ancient sovereigns as they visit the new-born Messiah. More instruments join in on the chorus to make it sound more traditional, and pretty.

Track 3 (2:32): I still have no idea who Jeannette Isabella is, but the tune is done very sweetly, and quietly, with the beauty of the alto recorder carrying the tune.

Track 4 (2:38): Just a quiet little guitar to offset this ancient, simple, pretty tune.

Track 5 (3:29): Ha ha, hear that? If you thought track 1 was radical, think again! Once again, primarily modern instruments bang out this tune, giving it a very macho feel. These guys know unique.

Track 6 (2:20): A very renaissance-sounding tune, but it's got a jig-like tempo, proving that mixing 21st century sounds with 12th century sounds is just as good as the rest. The track, still, seems only average to me, if that word can go together in the same sentence with Mannheim.

Track 7 (2:03): Very quiet and simplistic. But then, so are birds.

Track 8 (1:28): The third renaissance-sounding tune, there's really nothing super-cool worth mentioning on this track.

Track 9 (1:37): Done at what sounds like a galloping tempo, it's upbeat and original.

Track 10 (4:19) I say, didn't we just hear this tune? Not like this, you didn't! Composer Chip Davis decided to do two variations on the same tune, and I must say I prefer this one to the previous. Majestic horns step in to give this tune a very bold feel, and cool.

Track 11 (5:25): Wow, what a sweet track, ending a sweet album. A quiet choir, accompanied by piano, starts the song out, and then the violins begin, adding perfect resonance and beauty. Perfect for quiet reflection, or the background theme for your family re-telling of the precious story of the Savior's Birth - one Silent Night long ago.

From beginning to end, this CD is really awesome, and begs to be added to your Christmas stash this year.

I would have to say that A Fresh Aire Christmas slightly beats out this one in overall quality, which is funny because this one contains my two favourite pieces. The rest of the tunes, though, don't match up in terms of peacefulness and beauty. It's still worth 5 stars, though.

This one starts out with a rousing rendition of Deck the Halls, with a fast, synthesized beat. Since this is a jolly song anyway, it really fits. The rest of the CD carries along quite nicely, though not really memorably. The songs are quite pleasant and well done, but they don't have a lot of jump to them. The soft ones are pretty, but not quite beautiful, and the fast ones are ok.

That changes, however, with the end of the CD. The end brings this up from 4 stars to 5. First, there is a quiet version of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, which is short and sweet. However, it segues into a really rousing version of the song. It really gets the blood pumping, and I just love it to pieces. It's beautiful, it's fast, yet it's also very poetic in a way.

Then, things slow down to a crawl (but this time, in a good way, not in the usual meaning of that phrase). Stille Nacht (Silent Night) is simply the best piece on any of these CDs that I own. It's very soft, almost too soft to hear sometimes at the beginning. It then builds to a very soft, slow and peaceful 2nd half, which is where you really hear the tune itself. It makes you picture a snowy night in the forest on Christmas Eve. It makes me cry almost every time I hear it. In fact, the first time I listened to it after moving away from my family, I really broke down. It is that beautiful.

You really should treat yourself and get both of these CDs, but if you can manage to get A Fresh Aire Christmas and get somebody to give you a recording of these two songs, that would be worth it too. Highly recommended.

Deck the halls opens with album with a synthesizer that gets you into the Christmas spirit.
We Three Kings is played with chimes, A dulcimer, a lute and a pan flute.
Bring a torch is played on a harp with a recorder.
Coventry Carol is played as a duet on classical guitars, very pretty.
Wassail, Wassail has violins with a pan flute that sounds like a harpsichord.
I Saw Three Ships has a guitar along with a harpsichord and violins.
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen has a violin along with chimes and a classical guitar.
Stille Nacht (Silent Night) is played on a piano.
Many of the songs have a Celtic sound. Mannheim Steamroller has made the finest Christmas albums ever released.
The arrangements are exquisite. If you are like me and you want to hear many different instruments, you will enjoy this tremendiously.
This is for a more sophisticated listener who wants to relax and hear superb musicians perform beautiful Christmas Carols.........Merry Christmas