Customer Reviews

Holiday Celebration

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Always a favorite holiday album, "A Holiday Celebration" has not only the warmly familiar harmonies of Peter, Paul and Mary, but also the vocal support of the New York Choral Society. This 1988 album was recorded live, which has always been the best way to listen to this particular trio of folk singers sing. Most importantly, this is a "holiday" album, which means it is not limited to just Christmas songs, but covers the entire spectrum of the season. There are conventional Christmas songs ("We Wish You A Merry Christmas"), religious songs ("O Come, O Come Emmanuel"), Jewish Songs ("Hayo, Haya"), Children's Songs ("The Friendly Beasts"), familiar poems set to music ("'Twas the Night Before Christmas"), old PP&M classics ("A Soalin'") and even the obligatory protest song ("Blowin' In the Wind"). Truly, there is something for everybody on this album. Mary Travers is featured on a beautiful song you have probably never heard before, "I Wonder As I Wander." This is just a lovely album and as soon as I listen to it each year I am in the mood for the holidays. This is also the first album I put on each year when it is time to trim the tree.

I LOVE this performance by PP&M!! It's probably my number one favorite; I even bought the video for all our 25 employees several years ago. ANd like many others, the video is the first thing I listen to come the winter holidays. But, I'm very disappointed that the cd/tape doesn't contain all the songs from the show. To me, it's almost not worth it buy the audio ... if you're familiar with the whole performance. I feel a bit cheated.... I want the whole show on audio!!!!!!!

As pointed out by others, this is not solely Christmas, but honors the Jewish celebrations as well. In each song, there is a feeling of joyousness.

"We Wish You A Merry Christmas" is the one totally familiar song of the season here. Of course, "Blowing In The Wind" is totally familiar, but just not quite a Christmas song...however, it is so identifiable with the trio, that it fits in nicely as the last song.

"Light One Candle" is probably the most beautiful cut, but "Children, Go Where I Send Thee" is the most rousing and joyful one.

This definitely is a must for a good Christmas collection.

This CD features a recording of Peter, Paul & Mary singing live at a holiday concert with the New York Choral Society. It includes a variety of holiday songs that children and adults will love in addition to a finale of "Blowin' in the Wind." I also enjoy the two Hanukkah songs on the album, especially "Light One Candle."

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend one of the Peter Paul and Mary concerts back in 1988 when this recording was made. As always, a PPM concert is an uplifting experience that leaves one still hopeful that good will prevail in our world. This album, full of lovely and out-of-the-ordinary holiday themed music, is superb as the majestic elegance of the NY Choral Society provides a harmony and a juxtaposition to the simple beauty of Peter Paul and Mary's music. Every holiday season, I keep going back to this CD!

I'm about to buy my first CD of this album; I've owned the tape for about 13 years, and it's by far my favorite Christmas collection. Peter, Paul, and Mary have the perfect voices to sing these songs, and they include less well-known songs, like the Cherry Tree Carol (about Joseph's suspicions of Mary's infidelity) , as well as popular songs like "We wish you a merry Christmas." The one Chanuka song on he album, "Light One Candle" almost brings tears to my eyes.

Our entire family absolutely loves both the album and the video concert. Every Christmas this is the most listened to cd in our collection. This year we needed to find a new copy, we all searched and visited six or seven major music chains before we found one copy. We were very happy when we did, our Christmas was complete. Hopefully the video of the concert will be released, the video contains many more fabulous songs that they performed.

I have played this CD about 15 times a day during the holidays since I saw the performance on PBS years ago. Really fantastic renditions of all the songs. I get teary-eyed throughout, especially at the end of Blowin in the Wind. Typical PP & M - you really do feel that a peaceful world is not beyond our grasp.

I got this CD in 2009 after Mary Travers passed away. I was looking for a studio album of PP&M Christmas material, but this live CD was all I could find. I bought this on amazon.com and was pleasantly surprised. The trio picked selections you mostly don't hear during the holidays. O Come O Come Emmaunel, I Wonder as I Wander, The Magi, Children Go Where I Send Thee, The Cherry Tree Carol (When Joseph Was an Old Man) and Light One Candle. Hoya Hoya is apparently a Jewish song that I had never heard.

Mary does a fantastic job on I Wonder as I Wander, and the trio trades off verses in Children Go Where I Send Thee, which is similar to The 12 Days of Christmas. The trio also does their signature song, Blowin' in the Wind, which gets instant applause recognition from the crowd.

You can hear the crowd clapping and singing along with PP&M. I once saw them perform at the Columbus Circle Mall in NYC in 2004. They interact with the audience (especially Peter) and define group harmonies. Sadly, Mary has left us, but we have this and all their recorded material to remember her by.

This is a beautiful, ecclectic holiday album full of songs which really have the spirit of the season. The choir which sings with them is glorious, and the trio's harmony is as good as ever. Wonderful acoustics. If you are already a Peter Paul and Mary fan, you will just love it. If you like holiday carols and harmony, you can't go wrong.