Customer Reviews

Christmas Rocks: The Best of Collection

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Brian Sezter Orchestra have come to associate themselves closely with the Chrismas Holidays, having recorded two Christmas CD's and making an annual Christmas concert tour.

This latest offering is, as the subtitle implies, a "Best Of" collection, along with a couple of new tracks. For those that don't have the BSO's previous two Christmas discs, this is a nice compilation of some of the best of the two.

The whole thing is upbeat fun, with Setzer and the boys delivering updated swing versions of some Christmas chestnuts as well as a few original tracks. Could there have been some changes in the track list? I think so, but overall, this is a solid set. The weakest of the tracks has to be "Baby, It's Cold Outside", which features a well past her prime Ann Margaret, who really detracts from what otherwise is one cool yule tune.

I would have liked to have seen some of the "Bonus Tracks" that were found on subsequent re-issues of the BSO's previous Christmas CDs make their way to this compliation, including "Run, Run Rudolph" and "Cactus Christmas". The version of "Jingle Bells" found on this compilation is the one recorded for "Boogie Woogie Christmas" CD.....The version recorded for the movie Jingle All The Way is the superior version, and that would have been a welcome addition to this CD, as would the instrumental version found on the obsure "Merry Axemas" CD.

Is this disc essential? No, especially if you already have the previous two BSO Holiday discs. With a few changes to the track listing, however, that assessment would be different. That being said, this is a great one disc set that will keep the Christmas Holidays "Wild, Cool, & Swingin'!"

Let's face it, more than a few of us need a little Prozac during the holidays and this disk might just be the ticket. Brian Setzer does a very upbeat Christmas.

This is a compilation of his previous two Christmas CDs, so if you have them, you may not 'need' this one. I have one of the two, so I felt free to buy.

Favorites:

Jingle Bell Rock
Is that you, Santa Claus

To add to all of this, the CD is a very generous 20 tracks which is about twice what we are getting now in this age of iTunes and packaged disks.

Rebecca Kyle, December 2008

This is quite simply the best Christmas album out there. Our family has owned the other 2 Brian Setzer Christmas CD's, "Dig That Crazy Christmas" and "Boogie Woogie Christmas", and we listen to them non-stop during the holidays every year. This new release pretty much takes the best 20 songs and puts them all in one place at an insanely low price (especially for the MP3 version --I love AMAZON!). You can't go wrong with this one!!

I love this Christmas compilation. You get real value for your money here. Twenty songs on one cd! The band's version of The Nutcracker Suite is worth the price of the cd alone. Angels We Have Heard On High is another highlight which mixes a sort of surf guitar sound with fantastic horns and a choir on the chorus. Ann-Margret duets with Brian on Baby It's Cold Outside. There is also the never been released Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. For me, the only real disappointment is not including Hey Santa! on this compilation, but the songs that are included here prove that this fun, upbeat collection of Christmas songs are done as only Brian Setzer can do them. Dig that crazy Setzer Claus!

Not quite sure how you can get something that sounds like 40's Big Band/Swing/Jazz/60's Rock....but it works here! Couldn't stop "rockin'" from 1st note to last.

If you like big band / Swing Music, you will love this Christmas album at a price that can't be beat!

You know how by about Thanksgiving you've already heard enough of the classic Christmas carols for the year? Well this is one set of Christmas songs that break the tradition of going over the same old songs with just a different singer and/or band. This is a collection of different tunes like The Grinch, Santa Has A Hot Rod, It's Cold Outside, and a few standard songs done with some original arrangements. The recording is with the big band sound is just about as perfect of a Christmas set as you'll ever get. Very enjoyable

I enjoy holiday standards as much as the next guy, but so many albums foray into the soporific...and stay there. This album was a welcome and very upbeat relief. Even the ballads are snappy. Granted, Brian Setzer is a genuine hambone---at times channeling Bill Murray's SNL lounge singer shtick--- but at no time will you be bored. The Nutcracker Suite medley struggles to fit into this collection, but I give his band credit for taking a whack at it.

This was my second Brian Setzer Christmas CD. It was fun and lively, but not as good as their original one released several years ago. If you're looking for a fun, lively, swing CD for Christmas this is good, but there first one is the best.

This is pretty useless. He only has TWO Christmas CDs out, so making a "best of" is pointless. Just go buy the two original Christmas albums and you'll have ALL of his Christmas music, except for the one bonus track (Santa Claus Is Coming To Town), which you can just download here for 99 cents.

C'mon, Brian. Start making real music again.