Customer Reviews

Mcgarrigle Christmas Hour

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kate and Anna McGarrigle never became major stars but I get the impression that they never really wanted to. They record music for fun and if they can make money out of it - well - that's a bonus. At least, that's how it seems to me. They were born in the 1940's in the Montreal area of Canada, so they were raised on a mixture of musical styles including French and English traditional folk music. Another sister, Jane, sang with them for a while when they were starting out.

Kate and Anna first came to public attention as songwriters in the early seventies after Linda Ronstadt (Heart like a wheel) and Maria Muldaur (The work song) each recorded one of their songs. Although Kate and Anna recorded their first album in the mid-seventies, this is (I think) only their eighth album to date. So Kate and Anna are not exactly prolific, but they enjoy what they do and never compromise on quality or style.

This album finds the duo singing Christmas songs with family and friends. Kate was married for a while to Loudon Wainwright III (the folk singer and satirist whose album, Social Studies, I reviewed a long time ago) and their marriage produced Rufus and Martha Wainwright. Lily and Dane Lanken, Emmylou Harris and Chaim Tannenbaum are among the other guests who have long-standing connections to Kate and Anna, either as relations or simply as friends. Now I can't help thinking that they missed a trick with this album - surely the majority of the singers (without Chaim) should have recorded O Tannenbaum and dedicated it to Chaim? Never mind, the music here is brilliant anyway.

Kate and Anna are happy to play comparatively minor roles for much of the album. You have to wait until track 11 (Wise men) to hear Kate sing lead vocal for the only time with Anna's only lead vocal coming on track 12 (Port starboard sox) although both join in the singing on most of the other tracks.

The album mostly avoids the well-known chestnuts. Emmylou sings lead on O little town of Bethlehem (a song that she originally recorded for her own Christmas album, Light of the stable) and proves that she is still in great voice, although the intervening years have changed her voice slightly. What are you doing New Year's eve (sung by Rufus), God rest ye merry gentlemen (sung as a choir without a credited lead singer) and Blue Christmas (sung by Chaim) are the only other famous songs here. Some children see him (sung by Rufus and Martha) and Rebel Jesus (a Jackson Browne track sung by Lily and Martha) will also be familiar to some people. The remaining songs are either traditional songs that I've not heard before or they are originals written by one or more of the singers participating on the album.

While this album is rooted in folk music, its appeal goes far beyond folk music. Indeed, I found this album on display in the window of a record store that I don't normally bother browsing in because other stores have (supposedly) more to offer somebody with my musical tastes. Yes, the variety of voices provided by Kate and Anna, their family and friends ensure that this is an album with something for everybody, which will work well as background music but which sounds even better if you give it dedicated attention.

Stumbled into my local music store today without much of a purpose. I definitely had no intention of buying a Christmas cd. I find most of them too Christmas-y. However, as I looked over the display of Christmas cds (mostly to see what horrors had been added this year), I found, to my delight, that the McGarrigles had released a Christmas cd which features most of the players from their McGarrigle Hour from a few years ago. I am a dedicated fan of that cd, and of her son, Rufus Wainwright, so I decided on the spot to purchase the cd. It has been in my cd player for the last few hours, playing over and over again. I have not skipped a song, which I must confess, I sometimes do with the original McGarrigle Hour. None of these songs disappoint, which is especially surprising because I'm not really a fan of Martha. But even her song, "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year", is excellent. Her version of Jackson Browne's "Rebel Santa", which she performs with her cousin Lily Lanken, is simply amazing. Other outstanding tracks include Rufus' "Spotlight on Christmas", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", and "Port Starboard Sox" (a very unusual Christmas song). This is an alternative Christmas cd without being Alternative.

It's a joy, what more can be said, really, a little something for everyone, whether your Christmas is a happy occasion or you're eating your turkey loaf alone by a candle. The harmonies and music are impeccable, the song choices stellar, and the family is cut from pure genius. Many highlights, Rufus in particular in fine form , a nice visit from Emmylou Harris, and Kate and Anna note-perfect as usual, yet the honors for top track go to Lily Lanken and Martha Wainwright on an utterly brilliant take on Jackson Browne's "Rebel Jesus", which is so amazing I can't do it justice in mere words. A unique Christmas album, sweet and pure yet with a definite edge. Gorgeous.

I found out about this album from an Orlando Sentinel review. They particularly liked Emmylou Harris' contribution on "O Little Town of Bethlehem," but it's hard to choose a favorite. Others participating in the music are Martha and Rufus Wainwright (Kate McGarrigle's children).
Once you listen to the CD, you'll agree with Jim Abbott/Orlando Sentinel, "there's not a clinker on this beautiful holiday collection."

Simply a wonderful Christmas CD and quite interesting, especially Rufus and Martha. If you can get past the mish mash of incorrect sound clips/titles in this Amazon listing, buy the CD. You'll be happy you did.

I think I have about 30 or so Christmas CDs and this is one of my couple favorites. I had one of their earlier albums back in the 70s but as I'm more of a hard rocker, I never enjoyed them as much as I admired them. That changed with this CD. I love it. They don't just rehash 12 of the most common traditional carols. Some great songs by everyone on the album, great messages, words, melodies and harmonies. For me this CD gets to the heart of Christmas. When I listen to it I feel the spirit of love and family that is at the heart of the Christmas that I believe in. I write this on the day that I heard Kate passed away. If any spirit can live on, hers truly will. Bless her.

There's a New Yorker cartoon with a cat sitting next to its litter box being sternly lectured by its owner to "Never, ever, think outside the box." Then there's the McGarrigle Christmas CD that does little else than think outside the conventions of the usual Christmas CD box. Rufus Wainright growling about how Christmas so depresses him that he goes out and gets himself beat up in a bar fight is alone worth the price of the CD.

I enjoyed the amateur-hour feel of the McGarrigle Hour, but this record fails to achieve the same atmosphere. The quality of the performances is probably better than it appears, but one star off for the slightly sloppy production, and another for the spoken-word material - they really should resist the temptation to include it.
This is the second record in a row on which they've done this, and it's a bad trend. That stuff isn't even good the first time!
Really, I'm not being harsh.
I've enjoyed their music since I first heard Linda Ronstadt do 'Heart like a Wheel'. I saw them in Amsterdam in 1976 and then bought their first record - what a stunning beginning.
Mostly their career has been impressive, and gems just keep turning up, like the French records and Matapedia.
They were in Australia early this year with the Leonard Cohen show and doing their own concerts with Rufus and Martha, and from the evidence of those performances and this record I think they're getting tired. I hope they can rejuvenate their work, because the spark is still in there somewhere.

I was not pleased with the quality of this recording. The McGarrigles are just wonderful, but the sound engineering of the album is a disaster. The first and last cuts seem OK, but the ones in between are overridden so badly by the heavy-handed instruments that it all just seem noisy! The piano in particular was so loud that the songs were unintelligible. I also didn't appreciate the sisters' reworking of several songs I already love from "The Bells of Dublin" (some of the best Christmas music ever recorded). The sparkle I longed for just isn't there in this one.

Not your typical Christmas album, but I like it. The vocals are interesting...(not fancy in any way, shape or form)...just simple and plain. It's kind of a nice alternative to your traditional Christmas albums.