Customer Reviews

Ze Christmas Album: Ze Xmas Record Reloaded

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The album has its share of happy music (including the first recording of The Waitresses' "Christmas Wrapping"), and even has it nauseatingly sweet tune ("It's a Big Country," a song about a man's widely scattered family). However, some songs in this collection invoke darker moods, moods usually referred to only in talk shows: "No More Christmas Blues" does its best to fight the Christmas Blues the singer seems to be suffering, "Things Fall Apart" (Cristina) talks about loneliness, enuii and memories of forced cheer on the part of the singer and "Christmas Time In the Motor City" (Was Not Was, they also produced Things Fall Apart) goes further and hits upon joblessness and homelessness. The three christmas classics (not on the original release of this) lift the mood of the release in a good way, as they're done straight without being nauseatingly so.

This CD reissue includes all the best songs from the original white vinyl LP and adds a few new ones. (Collectors note: the black vinyl LP has yet a different track listing). The standout tracks are "Christmas Wrapping" (Waitresses) of course, the sublime "Christmas on Riverside Drive", ex-Rolling Stone reviewer Davitt Sigerson's "It's A Big Country", and best of all the wonderful Cristina's "Things Fall Apart", my all-time favorite Christmas song. Cristina never got her due but she is worth searching for, especially her incredible version of Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is" on a old Rodney on the Roq vinyl as a hidden track!

I'm Jewish, so I normally don't go out buying every Christmas CD, but this one is amazing. ZE records consistently produces brilliant talent, and this is no exception. It's a compilation of some of the best artists on the ZE label. Highly recommended :)