A Charlie Brown Christmas - The Vince Guaraldi trio

Yeah, more Christmas stuff here. So what? I have a couple of Christmas music favorites, one of which is the Beatles' 1967 fan club christmas record, (the super long, weird version with the game show and commercial jingles) which is nothing short of aural dadaism at its finest. I also like that "Sleigh ride" song. Sue me. But Vince Guaraldi's music for the Charlie Brown Christmas special is by far my favorite, and it's a whole album as opposed to the odd song here and there. Why do I like it so much? Well, I know you've heard it. Everyone and his cat knows "Linus and Lucy" and "Skating". There are some standards, such as "O Tannenbaum" and "Greensleeves" and "What child is this". And his interpretations are fantastic. I don't care much for " Für Elise", but that's what Schroeder was playing, so it was included. I really like "Christmas time is here", which has several versions on this remaster. I like the one with the chorus the best. It's the most Charlie Brown-y. And I do like me some Charlie Brown. Really, it's just nice to hear the understated jazziness of Guaraldi's playing come across in a genre that includes barking dogs and Kenny G's insistent ejaculations of schmaltzy smoothitude, and that usually tops out quality-wise with Bob and Doug McKenzie's 12 days of christmas. I mean, would you rather hear something good, or another asshole singing "someone please kick my ass bah-rum-pum-pum-pum"? I also reccommend his other fine work, lovingly played with horn-rimmed glasses and a fine bandito mustache. More than just merely unoffensive, this is some really good stuff. Would have been an A, but all those alternate takes on this remaster lose my attention.

Christmas cheer

I generally don't like Christmas. I used to be really into it, and I have realized that what makes the difference to me is snow. Well, it's been snowing like a sonofabitch lately, and so I've been generally more accepting of the seasonal cheese. In honor of that, here is one of my inexplicable guilty pleasures. Feel free to throw verbal tomatoes in the comments, I don't care. Enjoy this Newport cigarette commercial set to the incomparable voice of the inimitable George Michael accompanied by "the other guy", Andrew Ridgeley. No, I am not ashamed.