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A Windham Hill Christmas: The Night Before Christmas

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A Windham Hill Christmas: The Night Before Christmas

Various Artists (Artist)

4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews) | More about this product

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This item: A Windham Hill Christmas: The Night Before Christmas ~ Various Artists
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Windham Hill Christmas II ~ Various Artists
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Product Details

Audio CD (October 25, 2005)
Original Release Date: October 4, 2005
Number of Discs: 1
Label: RCA
ASIN: B000B5XZPQ
In-Print Editions: MP3 Download

Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,561 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)
Popular in this category: (What's this?)
#77 in Music > Miscellaneous > Holiday > Opera & Vocal

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1. Angels We Have Heard on High - Paul McCandless
2. Wassail Song - Philip Aaberg
3. Silent Night - Barbara Higbie
4. O Tannenbaum - Jim Brickman
5. Good King Wenceslas - Alex de Grassi
6. Morning Has Broken - Brian Dunning, Jeff Johnson
7. O Thou Joyful Day/O Little Town of Bethlehem - Liz Story
8. First Noel/What Is This Fragrance - Tim Story
9. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
10. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - Steve Erquiaga
11. Walking in the Air (from the Snowman)
12. Green Trees of Winter - Will Ackerman
13. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Tracy Silverman
14. Cherry Tree Carol - George Winston

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Windham Hill holiday albums are a staple of the Christmas season and they say peace, tranquility and good will to all like few instrumental offerings. Usually played on acoustic guitars and pianos tuned to a slight new age bent by musicians who have come to define the Windham Hill sound, style and sensibility. Which is not to say they don't have a sense of humor, adventure or discovery: Philip Aaberg's piano version of "Wassail Song" cleverly quotes the Delfonics 1968 pop hit "La La Means I Love You." Steve Erquiaga's dreamy guitar piece, "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," gets treated like a reverie, while Fred Simon's lovely theme from The Snowman ("Walking on Air") creates all the magic of the season's best music. With other familiar names such as Jim Brickman, Liz Story, Paul McCandless and of course the muse behind the music label, George Winston, The Night Before Christmas is that perfect stocking stuffer for those who just want to get more mellow than jolly before that long winter's nap. -- Martin Keller

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Holiday tradition continues..., November 3, 2005

By	John O'Neill (Alpharetta, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Windham Hill has been turning out these holiday gems for decades now. Eight titles in the popular Winter Solstice series, six Celtic Christmas collections, two in the Carols of Christmas series, and now the fourth in their latest series: A Windham Hill Christmas. "The Night Before Christmas" features all the artists you'd expect to hear from: Tim Story, Paul McCandless, Will Ackerman, Philip Aaberg, and, the man who may have started it all with his "December" lp, George Winston.

You'd think producer Dawn Atkinson would have gotten all she can out of these folks by now, but this collection, like the others, delivers a beautifully performed selection of relaxing arrangements of holiday favorites, most performed on guitar or piano. Sure it's nice background music but the real pleasure comes from listening to the artistry of these top notch performers.

My only complaint - and it's a small one: now that Sony has gotten its hands on Windham Hill the packaging and notes are bare bones. Gone are the detailed liner notes and artist photos. Even the cover photo seems to be lacking the sophistication of the earlier seasonal collections. Still the quality of the music, and isn't that what really matters, is up to the usual high standards. The holidays just wouldn't be the same without a new Windham Hill release each year.

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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You can NEVER have to many Christmas CD's, November 20, 2005

By	Thomas E. Graham Jr. (mechanicsburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This CD is fantastic! Don't be fooled into thinking this is just a rehash of old music, this CD contains NEW recordings by the artsists you've come to know and love. the title of the CD (The Night Before Christmas) pretty much sums up the mood this CD puts you in. Very peacful and relaxing music that has always been a Windham experience. If you love Windham Hill recordings you will love this CD. Each track is masterfully performed and I can honestly say, theres not a track on here that I do not like. Each song complements the other and sustains the mood throughout. I am glad to add this to my growing Windam Hill collection. Those worried that SONY will ruin the Windham label, put those fears to rest after you've listened to this CD.
Good Music, just what I'd expect from Windham Hill.

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Play This One for the MONTH Before Christmas, November 29, 2005

By	Warren Kelly (Southern Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love Christmas music. Even when I worked retail, and the Christmas music started playing before Halloween, I loved Christmas music. Growing up, we always knew that it was really Christmas time because Dad pulled out the Christmas albums (not pictures -- records. Yes, I'm that old). Perry Como and Elvis, year in and year out. Now I have my own musical tastes, and my own Christmas music. Jazz, contemporary, blues, even a copy of Rock Power Praise's Christmas heavy metal compilation. And somewhere on my hard drive I have Joan Jett singing "The Little Drummer Boy."

This Windham Hill Christmas compilation is much more traditional. But traditional doesn't mean boring -- in fact, just the opposite. These songs are arranged so that you can play them no matter what the occasion -- a Christmas party with friends, a tree trimming party, or just a quick game of "find the mistletoe" with someone special. And next year, you won't be replacing it with something more trendy.

The CD does contain a fair amount of religious music, so those who are easily offended by actual references to Christ may not be pleased. "Angels We Have Heard on High" is one of my all-time favorite Christmas hymns, and I was glad that they chose it to start the album off. There are plenty of non-sectarian songs on here as well, though -- "O Tannanbaum," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" are a few representatives that I enjoyed particularly.

Windham Hill fans will find some old favorites on this CD, of course. Liz Story does "O Thou Joyful Day/O Little Town of Bethlehem," Philip Aaberg contributes "Wassail Song," and George Winston and Will Ackerman also make contributions. There are some new faces as well, and I'm sure we'll be hearing more from folks like Jim Brickman and Fred Simon. In fact, Winston's "Cherry Tree Carol" was a wonderful addition, and a song that I hadn't heard very much before.

The only thing that disappointed me, especially after enjoying Winston's fretwork on the final song, is that "Silent Night" wasn't performed on solo acoustic guitar. Barbara Higbie does an outstanding job on the song, and I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I absolutely love to hear "Silent Night" played on the guitar, as it was originally written and performed.

On the whole, listening to this CD was a perfectly enjoyable experience, and a great way to start off my holiday season. If you don't have it, then you need it.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A+
I just receieved mine today and was very pleased w/it. Its all soothing instrumental music. Its definately one of their best.

Published 7 months ago by A Reader

5.0 out of 5 stars A Windham Hill Christmas: The Night Before Christmas
Takes me back to an "ole days" feeling.....it's not Christmas in my home until I play a "Windham Hill Christmas" CD...

Published on January 9, 2007 by Constance J. Raffa

4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Holiday fare
Windham Hill has a more interesting group on the label than others such as Narada. This has a lovely group assembled. Read more

Published on December 30, 2006 by keyboardplyr

5.0 out of 5 stars iPod Reviewer Wrong
These Windham Hill Christmas CDs are amazing, the first two being my all-time favorites. But the iPod reviewer on here is incorrect (or not doing something properly) because... Read more

Published on April 24, 2006 by Nathan Aaron Teets

1.0 out of 5 stars Buyer Beware
This CD is "copy protected" and will not work in iTunes or on your iPod. So much for the holiday spirit .. I buy a CD and they won't even let me listen to it on my iPod!

Published on December 20, 2005 by Layton

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	59% buy the item featured on this page: A Windham Hill Christmas: The Night Before Christmas 4.4 out of 5 stars (8) $7.98
	13% buy A Windham Hill Christmas 3.9 out of 5 stars (10) $7.98
	12% buy A Winter's Solstice II 4.8 out of 5 stars (15) $7.98
	9% buy A Winter's Solstice: Silver Anniversary Edition 4.5 out of 5 stars (11) $7.98

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