DMcFadden
Puritanboard Commissioner
Yes, it is that time again. And, for an inveterate aging hippie the thought of a Bob Dylan Christmas album is a mix of excitement, bemusement, and surreal incredulity.
"Here Comes Santa Claus"
"Do You Hear What I Hear?"
"Winter Wonderland"
"Hark the Herald Angels Sing"
"I'll Be Home for Christmas"
"Little Drummer Boy"
"The Christmas Blues"
"O' Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)"
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
"Must be Santa"
"Silver Bells"
"The First Noel"
"Christmas Island"
"The Christmas Song"
"O Little Town of Bethlehem"
It's evident Dylan took this project seriously; the tracks receive full arrangements with choruses, church bells, string sections and bands that include staples of Western swing.
To top it off, he has shot a video for a party-atmosphere rendition of "Must Be Santa," the Hal Moore and Bill Fredericks composition that has been recorded by the likes of Brave Combo and Tommy Steele.
Arrangements for the half-dozen tracks are rooted in the Christmas albums of the 1950s and early '60s, with hints of Andy Williams, Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, and choral sing-along LPs. The approach is old-fashioned, dotted with a convincing joy in Dylan's growl and the musicians who surround him. Imagine Bob as your uncle gathering the family around the piano and leading the sing-along: He might not have the best voice but he's certainly full of enthusiasm.
Evidence abounds of Dylan's commitment to make this an artistically sound project. "Little Drummer Boy" is solemn yet increasingly welcoming, an effect created by having a child gradually increase his vocal presence until he is singing full lines in tandem with Dylan. Mel Torme and Bob Wells' "The Christmas Song" opens with an upright piano that suggests isolation. As the backing swells, the piano gives way to tuned bells that reinforce the notion of a gathering; though a jazz guitar sparks the tune as in Nat Cole's hit version, there is no "Jingle Bells" in the coda.
Dylan has a ball with "Here Comes Santa Claus," seemingly traveling on a route lit with tiki torches, and "Christmas Island," which connects with The Andrews Sisters' version.
It's the traditional rendition of "Adeste Fidelius"--"O Come All Ye Faithful" to English speakers--that may raise the most eyebrows. Dylan has thrown the world a lot of curves in his nearly 50-year recording career, but who would have thought we'd ever hear him sing the words "Regem angelorum/Venite adoremus"? Oddly enough, rendition is quite convincing.
Bill O'Reilly says that Dylan is donating the profits to charity. The Village Voice dubs it "O Rasp All Ye Faithful." Another reviewer called it: "Hark, the Wheezing Geezer Sings."
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