Christmasville

Mannheim Steamroller

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 7, 2008)
• Original Release Date: October 7, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: American Gramaphone
• ASIN: B001B8Y0G0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #26,815 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

About the Artist
Mannheim Steamroller is the #1-selling Christmas artist of all time and one of the top fifty best-selling artists of the last two decades, outselling prominent artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Sting, REM, Michael Jackson and Bon Jovi. Composer and creator Chip Davis started Mannheim Steamroller more than 30 years ago with his Grammy Award-winning Fresh Aire series. With more than 32 million albums sold, an annual Christmas tour that is consistently ranked as the best selling of any artist, a successful Mannheim Steamroller gourmet food line, and a new medical endeavor helping hospital patients recover quicker through audio technology (Ambience Medical), Chip Davis is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the music industry.

Product Description
Who knows what you want for Christmas better than Mannheim Steamroller?

Here at Christmas HQ, we've hit the right note every holiday season since 1985. This Christmas, we're serving a mix of nostalgia (Where Are You Christmas?) and flat-out fun (You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch! And 'Humbugs'!

'Christmasville' is the album the whole family will listen to as you travel over the river and through the woods this season!

This record was born out of a once-in-a-lifetime project: Universal Theme Parks commissioned Chip Davis to create music WITH vocals-- for a holiday show called 'Grinchmas'. Thus, for the first time, you'll hear Mannheim Steamroller with voice as the final instrument

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars WAY too short and a somewhat half-hearted effort, October 9, 2008

By	dliamt (nyc) - See all my reviews

Let me start by saying I've always enjoyed Steamroller's Christmas albums. The first two were brilliant, the rest were, at the very least, enjoyable. But something about this latest one is just lacking.

The first thing you should know is that this is NOT a typical Steamroller Christmas album, and maybe it's not even fair to compare it to the previous ones. Unlike those earlier albums, almost every song on this CD has lyrics, and the styles of music occasionally depart drastically from what we've come to expect from a Steamroller album. There's a big-band number, for example, and a screeching electric guitar solo on the finale. There's also an R&B song, and even a bizarre kiddie song ("Humbugs.") On one hand, I'm glad they're stretching themselves creatively, but sadly, it stills ends up feeling very half-hearted.

The biggest problem with the album is the length. This CD is barely half and hour long... WAY too short to be charging full price. This should be priced as an EP. With the amount of money Chip Davis rakes in from fans for these albums every year, it's practically offensive that he can't take the time to release a proper length album. Three of the 12 tracks clock in at under 2 minutes, which is ridiculous. Adding insult to injury, two of the longer songs are recycled from previous albums ("Messengers Of Christmas" appeared on "The Christmas Angel" CD, and "The Sign Of Love" appeared on both "Impressions" and "Romantic Melodies." The only difference this time is that they added schmaltzy lyrics to it.)

There ARE a few highlights, though. Even though "Messengers Of Christmas" is recycled, it's a good piece, and since it wasn't from one of their more popular Christmas albums, a lot of people may have missed it the first time around, and it will be new to them. "Where Are You Christmas" is a really touching song, beautifully arranged and sung. "The Man With The Bag" is a very successful attempt at the big-band sound (so successful, in fact, that it feels out of place on a Steamroller album.) The rest of the tracks range from "okay" to "forgettable" to "cringe-worthy".

Bottom line: This is the first time I bought a Steamroller album and really felt cheated. If you're a diehard Steamroller fan, there may be just enough good stuff on here to make it worthwhile, but ONLY if you can find it for very cheap. I regret paying full price for it.

If you're new to Steamroller, start with one of their first two Christmas albums ("Christmas" or "A Fresh Aire Christmas"), or buy yourself a copy of "Christmas Celebration", which offers a solid collection of the best tracks from their first four albums.

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Avoid At All Costs, October 11, 2008

By	Louis R. Vincze Jr. (Voorhees, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Full price for a cd that's not even 31 minutes long, and a half-hearted effort at that. Chip Davis and Co. are coasting big time on this release. I have listened to the cd one time and cannot think of a single reason to listen to it again.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Big disappointment, October 28, 2008

By	William L. Cushing (Delmar, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Terrible, disappointing, I am sorry that I bought 3 of these cd's for Christmas gifts. I am a 10+ year Mannheim fan, have almost all their CD's/DVD's and driven 3 hours to attend concerts. I give all new CD's to my 2 sons and their families when they are released. Thus when I heard about Christmasville, I ordered 3 cd's. Today I listened to it and was very disappointed. I do not think that I will give them to my sons. Money
and time wasted.