Customer Reviews

A Classic Rock Christmas

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

 

 

This cd is filled with songs to make you laugh, smile, sing-along, and most importantly for the season, are thought-provoking and remind you the true reason for the celebration, the birth of our Savior!!!

Styx's high energy, spirited "All I Want" a true anthem in the making gets the cd rolling, and then Felix's "Christmas In Your Arms", a sweet and charming yule-tide song soothes you with a gentle peacefulness.

REO Speedwagon's "I Believe In Santa Claus", with Kevin Cronin's soft, innocent lyrics give us adults pause when we think of how we will react when asked THE QUESTION about Santa... It's a beautiful song that makes us want to hear more from this band in the season and year-round!

"Everybody Loves Christmas", Eddie Money's little bopper from the end of the Santa Claus 2 is spunky and fun, John Waites "All I Want For Christmas" has nice sentiment, and " I Believe in Father Christmas" in the Greg Lake (formerly of ELP) spirit is a classic in the making with its strong, almost haunting lyrics and styling.

As the cd plays on, you hear a lovely, Eagle-esque song by Survivor "So This is Christmas", my favorite song on the cd, as it is a vocal and musical delight!

Father Guido Sarducci banters his way through a hilarious spoof on the whole selfishness of the season that often errodes its true meaning in "Santas Lament". It pokes fun at what Santa wants, including a Barbie doll, a five-foot one, that is! lol

"Silent Night" proves there is truly something for everyone on this cd, high-spirited fun, heart-pulling lyrics, and reminders of our youth and our purpose. The gospel choir tone and feel of this one is truly in the traditional celebratory spirit!

"12 Days of Christmas" with Shaw and Blades warms the heart and toes of those of us over 30 who remember singing this is 6th grade choir at school, and NOW we can sing it along with two of our rock hero's from that very era! Splendid!

In a tie with my other favorite is the cd's closer, "Mary". This song asks the unanswerable question, gently and lovingly, but with a passion to bring a tear to your heart, HOW did Mary deal with seeing her son crucified before her very eyes. It speaks to our hearts and minds and makes us wonder something we may have never pondered. This song is the whole essence of the cd, and that such a thing was included on a classic rock cd keeps faith alive that the light is still burning in all corners of the world, as we KNEW it was!

Merry Christmas and Rock On!

I have long been a fan of all kinds of Christmas music and Styx and REO are two of my favorite bands, so this purchase was a no brainer. Most of these guys have worked together recently, either touring, recording or doing benefit shows so the lineup of artists is very familiar. My favorite tracks include Styx - All I Want, Felix Cavaliere - Christmas in Your Arms, REO - I Believe in Santa and Eddie Money and Ronnie Spectors - Everybody Loves Christmas. REO really sounds great. These guys really need to make some more new music. Who cares if radio ignores it, radio is lousy nowadays anyway. They need to get back in the studio because they make great music, not for all the wrong(i.e. commercial) reasons.

One of the most unusual tracks is Keith Emersons Gospel Choir take on Silent Night. Very nice, but not really my style. I like the John Waite track but the line "The snow fell like cocaine". Huh? John, what the heck is that about? I must admit I really hate the 12 Days of Christmas and even though I am a Tommy Shaw fan, I have to skip that one after about 10 seconds. Of all the Christmas songs, Tommy why did you have to cover that one? Isn't that the most annoying song of all time? Oh well.

Overall a very cool album. Buy it. Buy one for a friend.

There are a few very good Christmas songs on this CD, especially those by Styx and Survivor. But it's Mark Farner's beautiful and inspiring "Mary (The Return From Calvary) that makes this CD special. I would recommend buying the CD just for this song alone. Truly inspirational!

A Classic Rock Christmas, a collection of various Classic Rock artists, is a nice addition to anyone's Christmas music. There are a few traditional Christmas songs that have been re-made in a fresh and artistic way. Tommy Shaw & Jack Blades' version of "12 Days of Christmas" has amazing vocals! Listen for Tommy's high harmonies -- they are fantastic. I also love Keith Emerson's gospel version of "Silent Night".

While the original Christmas songs are not as good, Survivor's "Christmas is Here" is a strong addition. The song has great harmony vocals by Jimi Jamison and nice guitar work by Frankie Sullivan, the song's writer. The lyrics are also good, as they paint a picture of a city bustling with Christmas activity and force us to ask, "Is this what Christmas is all about?" Overall, a nice addition to your Christmas music collection.

Christmas records always seems to be a way for singers and bands to cash in on the season. This CD is not an exeption. Most of the songs on here are originals by the bands with only a few being new versions of standard Christmas classics. How many different versions of "I Believe In Father Christmas" By Greg Lake are there? This is the cream of the AOR crop of the 70's & 80's on here, I just wonder why Journey isn't on here. There really isn't a standout track on here but there are no real duds either. Put this on and deck the halls, wrap some presents, or whatever you do around the Christmas time. It is a nice mellow rock album that blends into the background to create a nice atmosphere for a while. Isn't that what Christmas music should do? Even 2 of the songs here mention or at least hint at the reason for the season, the birth of Jesus Christ. Check it out.

The answer for me is yes. While not as "Classic Rock" as some may like, the songs and the artists are worth checking out. (Besides, some are just fun listening!) Let go of the harsh critic and settle into the season with some 70s/80s artists (REO,STYX, etc)that sound like they are enjoying themselves and cranking out some joyous tunes. The only complain is that there should be more tracks (Christmas songs tend to be short) and the CD is over before you know it.

We seem to be inundated with new Christmas CDs every year. How many CDs out there have Burl Ives's "Holly Jolly Christmas"? It's nice to see something different come out, and this CD is refershingly different.

My favorite band is REO Speedwagon, who at the time of this release had not had a new album out in six years, so I was excited to get a new song from them. I love it! (They have since released a new album, "Find Your Own Way Home," in 2007). "I Believe In Santa Claus" was written by bassist Bruce Hall and vocalist Kevin Cronin, and it helps us parents think of ideas for an answer to the question we'll all get from our kids. The liner notes from the CD talks about the inspiration for the lyrics.

I was also happy to see songs from some of my other favorite artists, like Styx, Survivor, Eddie Money, and John Waite. I truly enjoy every song on this album, and I would highly recommend it to anyone!

I have been waiting impatiently for this release because it includes a brand new song from Survivor and the CD is everything I expected and more. From Survivor's Christmas Is Here, to Father Guido Sarducci with Santa's Lamnet this CD has something for everybody! Fantastic original songs from Styx, REO Speedwagon and Eddie Money fit well with some classics like The Twelve Days Of Christmas by Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades. A must-have for any classic rock fan!

Nice combination of old and new by some of Rock's legends.
Especially nice to have new stuff by the "old guys" like Styx, Survivor and REO. Highly Recommended!

I ordered this CD on amazon.com. It features 11 tunes, most of which are not well known but have a rockin' feel to them. I never heard the songs by Styx, Felix Cavaliere, Survivor or Eddie Money & Ronnie Spector, but they sound terrific. Greg Lake's Father Christmas is a familiar tune and Father Guido's Christmas Lament is an old song from his SNL days in the 70s. Keith Emerson & the choir sound great on Silent Night and Tommy Shaw and Jack Blade do a version of 12 Days of Christmas that's unlike the usual version, but it's different in a good way. Overall, an unusual but good collection that will rock your holidays.