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Track List
01) Silent Night
02) O Come O Come Emmanuel
03) We're Goin' to the Country!
04) Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming
05) It's Christmas! Let's Be Glad!
06) Holy Holy, Etc.
07) Amazing Grace
Cd 2
01) Angels We Have Heard on High
02) Put the Lights on the Tree
03) Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
04) I Saw Three Ships
05) Only at Christmas Time
06) Once in Royal David's City
07) Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!
08) What Child Is This Anyway?
09) Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella
Cd 3
01) O Come O Come Emmanuel
02) Come On! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance!
03) We Three Kings
04) O Holy Night
05) That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!
06) Ding! Dong!
07) All the King's Horns
08) The Friendly Beasts
Cd 4
01) The Little Drummer Boy
02) Away in a Manger
03) Hey Guys! It's Christmas Time!
04) The First Noel
05) Did I Make You Cry on Christmas Day? (Well, You De
06) The Incarnation
07) Joy to the World
Cd 5
01) Once in Royal David's City
02) Get Behind Me, Santa!
03) Jingle Bells
04) Christmas in July
05) Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming
06) Jupiter Winter
07) Sister Winter
08) O Come O Come Emmanuel
09) Star of Wonder
10) Holy, Holy, Holy
11) The Winter Solstice
01) Silent Night
02) O Come O Come Emmanuel
03) We're Goin' to the Country!
04) Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming
05) It's Christmas! Let's Be Glad!
06) Holy Holy, Etc.
07) Amazing Grace
Cd 2
01) Angels We Have Heard on High
02) Put the Lights on the Tree
03) Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
04) I Saw Three Ships
05) Only at Christmas Time
06) Once in Royal David's City
07) Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!
08) What Child Is This Anyway?
09) Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella
Cd 3
01) O Come O Come Emmanuel
02) Come On! Let's Boogey to the Elf Dance!
03) We Three Kings
04) O Holy Night
05) That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!
06) Ding! Dong!
07) All the King's Horns
08) The Friendly Beasts
Cd 4
01) The Little Drummer Boy
02) Away in a Manger
03) Hey Guys! It's Christmas Time!
04) The First Noel
05) Did I Make You Cry on Christmas Day? (Well, You De
06) The Incarnation
07) Joy to the World
Cd 5
01) Once in Royal David's City
02) Get Behind Me, Santa!
03) Jingle Bells
04) Christmas in July
05) Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming
06) Jupiter Winter
07) Sister Winter
08) O Come O Come Emmanuel
09) Star of Wonder
10) Holy, Holy, Holy
11) The Winter Solstice
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Data Complete
60%
Total Rating
60%Total Rating
(2 users)
Back Cover
CD Art
3D Case
3D Thumb
3D Flat
3D Face
3D Spine
First Released
2006
Electronic
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Folk
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Medium
Compilation
0 copies
Album Description
Available in:
Songs for Christmas is a box set of five separate EPs of Christmas-related songs and carols recorded by independent musician Sufjan Stevens between 2001 and 2006. The EPs had been given as gifts to friends and family of Stevens over the past six years, except for 2004 where he was too busy recording the Illinois album. Though the first three EPs have been available on Sufjan Stevens-related fansites for several years, Songs for Christmas is the first official release of these EPs. Most of the tracks are versions of traditional Christmas songs, with a number of original compositions such as "Sister Winter" and "Star of Wonder". Sufjan Stevens has developed a reputation for being a devoted Christian and many of the songs he chose for inclusion on Songs for Christmas are religious in nature, including his original compositions.
The box set includes a poster of Sufjan Stevens, an animated short for "Put the Lights on the Tree" by Tom Eaton, an essay by Rick Moody, two original short stories by Stevens, stickers, comics and a sing-a-long book for all five discs.
During Stevens' international tour in the later half of 2006, he regularly performed the original song "That Was the Worst Christmas Ever" while releasing inflatable Santas into the audience for fun.
Songs for Christmas was generally well received by music critics.
Stevens released a follow up, Silver and Gold: Songs for Christmas, Vols. 6-10, in November 2012, which contains a further 58 original and traditional songs.
User Album Review
It's a notoriously dodgy idea that you can dissect an artist's work according to the biographical detail you glean from interviews/biographies/Wikipedia entries. Sufjan Stevens is a classic example: We all know he's a committed Christian with an interest in Reichian (Steve not Wilhelm) constructs, folk and brass bands. So when he finally releases his Christmas songs – originally recorded as EPs for friends – as a box set, you instantly focus on the spiritual aspect of it all. Right? Wrong…
Stevens has repeatedly told all who will listen that he regards his beliefs as something not to be explored in the public arena of his music. Yes, he has a hugely affecting humanitarian streak running throughout all his work, but this is a man whose multi-faceted approach and sheer dedication to churning it out is only rivalled by someone like Prince. Remember, he still may release an album for every state in the USA, if he doesn’t get distracted by the myriad of other projects that he’s involved with. |He's a complicated guy...What's more, anyone who includes a song entitled ''Get Behind Me Santa'' has to be some kind of genius who's obviously NOT taking the birth of our Lord too seriously.
Having said all that, Songs For Christmas does have some beautifully wrought traditional fare. His versions of ''Silent Night'' or ''Once In Royal David's City'' have exactly the kind of delicacy you'd expect from him, while he still has time to rock out (''Put the Lights On The Tree''), get silly ('Come on! Let's Boogey To The Elf Dance!'')and also be quite cynical (''Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved It!)'') on top of it all. Hardly a straight-ahead Christmas album, then.
Whatever, it's Sufjan Stevens. He's a modern wonder, and now he's just made Christmas better as well!
External Album Reviews
None...
User Comments
Available in:
Songs for Christmas is a box set of five separate EPs of Christmas-related songs and carols recorded by independent musician Sufjan Stevens between 2001 and 2006. The EPs had been given as gifts to friends and family of Stevens over the past six years, except for 2004 where he was too busy recording the Illinois album. Though the first three EPs have been available on Sufjan Stevens-related fansites for several years, Songs for Christmas is the first official release of these EPs. Most of the tracks are versions of traditional Christmas songs, with a number of original compositions such as "Sister Winter" and "Star of Wonder". Sufjan Stevens has developed a reputation for being a devoted Christian and many of the songs he chose for inclusion on Songs for Christmas are religious in nature, including his original compositions.
The box set includes a poster of Sufjan Stevens, an animated short for "Put the Lights on the Tree" by Tom Eaton, an essay by Rick Moody, two original short stories by Stevens, stickers, comics and a sing-a-long book for all five discs.
During Stevens' international tour in the later half of 2006, he regularly performed the original song "That Was the Worst Christmas Ever" while releasing inflatable Santas into the audience for fun.
Songs for Christmas was generally well received by music critics.
Stevens released a follow up, Silver and Gold: Songs for Christmas, Vols. 6-10, in November 2012, which contains a further 58 original and traditional songs.
User Album Review
It's a notoriously dodgy idea that you can dissect an artist's work according to the biographical detail you glean from interviews/biographies/Wikipedia entries. Sufjan Stevens is a classic example: We all know he's a committed Christian with an interest in Reichian (Steve not Wilhelm) constructs, folk and brass bands. So when he finally releases his Christmas songs – originally recorded as EPs for friends – as a box set, you instantly focus on the spiritual aspect of it all. Right? Wrong…
Stevens has repeatedly told all who will listen that he regards his beliefs as something not to be explored in the public arena of his music. Yes, he has a hugely affecting humanitarian streak running throughout all his work, but this is a man whose multi-faceted approach and sheer dedication to churning it out is only rivalled by someone like Prince. Remember, he still may release an album for every state in the USA, if he doesn’t get distracted by the myriad of other projects that he’s involved with. |He's a complicated guy...What's more, anyone who includes a song entitled ''Get Behind Me Santa'' has to be some kind of genius who's obviously NOT taking the birth of our Lord too seriously.
Having said all that, Songs For Christmas does have some beautifully wrought traditional fare. His versions of ''Silent Night'' or ''Once In Royal David's City'' have exactly the kind of delicacy you'd expect from him, while he still has time to rock out (''Put the Lights On The Tree''), get silly ('Come on! Let's Boogey To The Elf Dance!'')and also be quite cynical (''Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved It!)'') on top of it all. Hardly a straight-ahead Christmas album, then.
Whatever, it's Sufjan Stevens. He's a modern wonder, and now he's just made Christmas better as well!
External Album Reviews
None...
User Comments
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