8 Days of Christmas
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (30 October, 2001)
list price: $13.98
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Editorial Review

Chilly, forced, and overdone, this mixed bag of modern classics, tarted-up traditional carols, and trio of tunes penned by Beyonce Knowles doesn't conjure a single warm and fuzzy image of chestnuts roasting on an open fire or Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Rather, it's just another forum to showcase the band's Gucci bag of vocal gymnastics and crass materialism. The Texas trio takes seasonal classics like Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," "Silent Night," and "Little Drummer Boy" and embellishes them with their own trills and off-kilter harmonies, obscuring the songs' simple beauty. "On the eighth day of Christmas, my baby gave to me a pair of Chloe shades and a diamond belly ring," brags Knowles in the title song, a takeoff on the "12 Days of Christmas," without ever explaining why they lopped off four days. The band is shamelessly self-indulgent throughout the dozen songs found here, taking untold liberties, like renaming "Carol of the Bells" "Opera Bells" and recasting "Silver Bells" as "Platinum Bells" to reflect their multiplatinum status. But the low point of the record is when Destiny's Child hawk their Hasbro-manufactured dolls in the intro of "Platinum Bells": "Ladies, remember long ago we asked Santa to give us Christmas dolls? This year the dolls are you and me under the tree." Humbug. --Jaan Uhelszki ... Read more

Reviews (92)

what NOT to record for a christmas album
This album is jokes, I love destiny's child but this CD is downright cheesy and was made just to capitalize on their popularity at the time with the survivor album. I suggest getting mariah carey's merry christmas or jackson 5's christmas album instead.

Chock This Up To "Blinb Bling" instead of "Nice Things"
Oh my. I bought this album with such high expectations and when I listened to it, it was like listening to the disastrously un-Chrisstmas like *NSINC holiday album, except that album didn't make me cringe with disgust and permanently remove it from my collection. This almbum did. What happened? The girls had promising pressence that indicated they could do a nice, family and traditional Christmas album with their own style mixed into it all. Instead, what us listeners got was an album that was all over the place and featured sloppy vocals and sloppy "updating" that made this almbum come off like a frankentine version of "Moulon Rouge". This disc is aweful. I love Christmas music... and I loved the concept of Destinys Child breaking out with the Holiday cheer. Oh no, instead they resorted to wanting "bling Bling" for Christmas and annoying self promotion that really grated my nerves. And when they did take on traditional songs, go figure that they got butchered in some hideous way. What were all involved in this album thinking? And what was I thinking when I bought this!?

Alternate Use Tip: This would make an excellent coaster with its pretty design and all. If you like the irredescent effect of the info side... put the label side down and put a candle on top of it and watch the unbelievable occur... hmm, did the Destinys child Christmas Album just offer a flickeer of warmth? Ha...

Yikes
I love Destiny's Child and songs like Lose My Breath, but for a Christmas album, this simply misses it.. Save your money and buy Merry Christmas by Mariah Carey and you'll see what I mean. ... Read more

Asin: B00005QG8X
Subjects:  1. Christmas / Chanukkah    2. Pop   

Mtv Trl Christmas
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (30 October, 2001)
list price: $11.98
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Reviews (14)

You can't be serious
I have one thing to say about this.Total Request of the Music Corporations.Go get some real music.

I saw Mommy kissing Carson Daly
I am not really the intended audience for this CD.I have never seen TRL, and I'm not very familar with most of the perfromers here.Having said that, this is a surpisingly decent CD.There is only one really bad track, by Little T and One Track Mike.The rest of the tracks are at least decent, and some are very good.I particularly enjoyed the songs by blink-182, Weezer, Smash Mouth and Jimmy Fallon.There are a few songs here, like "Rock the Party", that aren't really Christmas songs.But it is a Christmas CD that the TRL crowd should enjoy.

Some gems!
Most of the songs aren't very good on here. But there are a couple highlights. First, ANGELA VIA's "CHRISTMAS WISH"! That song is beautiful beyond words. Second, WILLA FORD's "SANTA BABY"! It's fun, hip, and makes for a great non-Christmas spirit holiday song. All in all, this is a bad compilation. But the two aforementioned tracks, especially Angela Via's, make it worth five stars. Make sure you check out those songs! You won't be disappointed. ... Read more

Asin: B00005QC6Q
Sales Rank: 125736
Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Christmas    3. Christmas / Chanukkah    4. Dance-Pop    5. Holiday    6. Pop    7. Pop/Rock    8. Post-Grunge    9. Punk-Pop    10. Teen Pop    11. V/a Compilations   

Now That's What I Call Christmas!
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (23 October, 2001)
list price: $19.98 -- our price: $14.99
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

The title doesn't lie, even if it does sounds like a hyperbolic pitchfrom an old late-night cable TV ad. With 36 tracks of various genres spread overtwo discs, Now That's What I Call Christmas might be the best, mosteclectic "value-plus" holiday record ever released, assuming your tastes embracecrooners such as Cole,Crosby, and Como, plus contemporary boybands such as Boyz IIMen, as well as the ubiquitous Britney Spears.

In between there are the sumptuous classics by Bobby Helms, Brenda Lee, the Beach Boys, Elvis, and Burl Ives on disc one, balanced on disc two by morerecent standards, including Bruce Springsteen's live version of "Santa Claus IsComin' to Town" and John and Yoko's "Happy Xmas (War is Over)." You're notobligated to like everything here, but that's why Santa invented the forwardbutton on your CD player. --Martin Keller ... Read more

Reviews (92)

60% Classic Tunes
I must admit, I was skeptical when I saw the "NOW" series was putting out a Christmas collection.But I was pleasantly surprised at the song selection. In fact, just about every song on Disc 1, and the first four songs on Disc 2, qualify as true Christmas pop classics.About the only classic songs missing are "The Chipmunk Song" and Harry Simeone Chorale's "Little Drummer Boy".I can't think of another single Christmas CD that can top Disc 1's collection of classics.But once we hit Michael Bolton on Disc 2, the timeless quality evaporates.Yes, there are some good, more contemporary tunes, but they don't measure up to the long string of Christmas hits preceding them.Maybe time will tell if they acquire the beloved status that "White Christmas" and "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" have.I do recommend this collection, though, even if, like me, you end up playing the first disc at lot more than the second.

The Next Great Christmas Classic
The CD is great. The first song You should listen to is Jingle Bell Rock. I recommend You will like it. Even love it. The CD has 2 CDS Featuring Winter Wonderland,Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town,Jingle Bell Rock,Jingle Bells,Deck The Halls and a lot more.This CD is definitely a must-have. Disc 1 is a great compilation of all the classics, while disc 2 features some of the 'newer' talents.

ALSO RECOMMENDED: Mehdi - Christmas Treasures... A True Gem !

Now, it looked promising.
Disc 1 looks fabulous... these are mostly songs I've heard for years or maybe only a couple that I don't mind hearing every year. They do start it off with some of my favorite classics by Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, & Elvis. I also really like the tracks by the Beach Boys, Carpenters, & David Bowie/Crosby. Disc 1 is definitely for older generations & for those of us (like myself) who prefer the older renditions of Christmas songs.
Disc 2 I'm not so sure about. For the most part, it's been hard to sincerely like "modernized" versions of Christmas songs, particularly ones that have come out in the past 15-20 years. They just usually come out too "poppy" & take the spirit of the song away, but there are a few I do like. Band Aid is an instant like if you love new wave (like I do) & you can't get that addicting synth line out of your head. Except for a few others that might be worth a listen, I wouldn't bother with the 2nd disc at all. I will certainly never waste my $$ with ANYTHING by the talentless britney or n'stink. Couldn't they have put someone else MUCH better that actually has talent?? They just ruined it. Such a shame....

If I could just buy disc 1, I'd be happy, but I wouldn't buy this as a set. I'm better off making mix cds myself, & I think I already did that with most the songs on disc 1. And ya, for whoever was complaining, I don't like "Grandma got run over by a reindeer" song (period) either. I get the humor, but I still don't have to like it.

... Read more

Asin: B00005OLYC
Subjects:  1. Adult Contemporary    2. Ballads    3. Christmas    4. Christmas / Chanukkah    5. Holiday    6. Pop    7. Pop/Rock    8. Rock & Roll    9. Standards    10. Swing    11. Traditional Pop    12. Vocal Jazz    13. Vocal Pop   

Cool Yule: A Christmas Party With Friends
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (05 October, 1999)
list price: $13.98
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Editorial Review

Deplorably cute and brazenly sentimental Christmas music comes in many shapes and sizes, but when it comes in the form of these hugely popular twins you know that if your kid is a fan, it's going to cost you. Mary-Kate and Ashley aren't confident songbirds, so their many friends do the singing. The arrangements are generally slick, uptempo dance-pop versions of seasonal standards ("Sleigh Ride") plus a "Christmas Carol Medley" that is rivaled only by another precious medley titled "Swingle Bells" and a couple of personal tunes ("I Do Believe It's Christmas Eve" and "What Christmas Means to Me"). With the girls' friends attacking the songs as if their day jobs depended on it and the twins warbling their parts with the sort of self-consciousness that works better in their videos, this is one party for which adults will be happy to be left off the guest list. --Martin Keller ... Read more

Reviews (16)

mk and a 1
This cd, it sounds like it can be wonderful for a christmas time our for a wintr party. If yiu are a fan like I am you will enjoy it. I have it!

FALSE ADVERTISING!!!!!!!!
I am a big fan of the Olsen Twins! And I also think that the FANS of the Olsen Twins are the greatest fans and deserve a fair honest review of this CD. What would your reaction be if you paid for Brittany Spears or N'Sync's latest CD and discovered they sang on less than half the songs on the CD! You would be very disappointed and feel very cheated! Well the same is true about this Olsen Christmas CD!!! Sure their friends really sound great like polished professionals, I loved ALL their songs on the CD---but I paid to hear the OLSEN TWINS!!!! If I wanted to hear other people I would buy a CD adverstising other people. The few songs that the OLSEN TWINS sang were very good! If it was not for the OLSEN TWINS doing a great job, especially on the song "Silent Night", I would of rated this CD just ONE or TWO stars. But I will give this CD a full THREE stars due to the tremendous effort by the OLSEN TWINS on the few songs they sang. "I Do Believe it's Christmas Time" was a very well written and beautifull ORIGINAL SONG. "Silent Night" gave me goose bumbs all over as I listened to their powerfull harmonizing...easily the best song they ever recorded! SUGGESTION: Why could they not have added Christmas songs from their "Christmas Party" video? RECCOMMENDATION: This CD would of been much much better if those "Guest Friends" would have been dropped from the CD and replaced with MORE songs from the Olsen Twins----That is what we PAID TO HEAR!!!!! Even if the extra Olsen Songs were not as good as the other songs, I think the public would be much much happier JUST TO HEAR THE OLSEN'S SING!!!!!!-----I hope Dualstar Entertainment Group can read this review!!!!

Well.....Its okay
...There are not many songs in it where Mary-Kate and Ashley really sing. The rest are some other people singing but I would rather hear Mary-Kate and Ashley sing. The songs aren't bad but they just don't sing in many of them. I love the cd but would like to hear more of Mary-Kate and Ashley. ... Read more

Asin: B00000K5BN
Subjects:  1. Christmas    2. Christmas / Chanukkah    3. Pop   

Time-Life Treasury of Christmas
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (11 September, 2001)
list price: $19.98 -- our price: $16.99
(price subject to change: see help)
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Reviews (22)

H0-Hum For Christmas
For a 2-CD set this should have about twice as many songs on it with a ton more atrists. Good stuff, but not enough of it.

Jreb
I too bought the first edition of this CD set off of television. I bought it because it contained the song "Twas the Night Before Christmas" performed by Fred Waring. I grew up on this version and to see it lacking in the currently offered selectiobn is a disgrace. It's a shame that Time-Life has chosen to deplete the quality of their product in favor of profits.

Boring
I am 38 years old and bought this CD trying to get into the christmas spirit for the wife and kids. However, my wife and I didn't grow up in the era of these musicians, and our parents didn't listen to them much either.So the album is pretty boring for us. Might be good in a department store. ... Read more

Asin: B00005NOZH
Sales Rank: 11575
Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Christmas    3. Christmas / Chanukkah    4. Holiday    5. Miscellaneous    6. Orchestral    7. Orchestral Pop    8. Pop    9. Show Tunes