Each year I try to listen to a new Christmas album from the postwar years, and this year I happened upon The Brothers Four. The pop-folk group often wore matching buttondowns, apparently even with ascots or turtlenecks underneath.
You can find them on YouTube, while below is a sampling.
God rest ye merry, gentlemen. If you’ve been waiting for a time to reconnect with the true meaning of Christmas, this would be it. — CC
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
Oh tidings of comfort and joy
“And God send you a Happy New Year!”.
Yes indeed.
Marvelous. I’ll take all that ya got.
Merry Christmas and God bless you all.
Will
Makes the hair on my arms stand up. I’m in the spirit now.
Thank you, Christian. My older brother was a big fan of The Brothers Four in their 60s heyday. I inherited some of his appreciation, as well as one of his LP records from which I memorized a few songs when I was learning to play the guitar, but I had not heard this.
Also recommended for those enjoyed the recording above are two lovely carols sung by Simon and Garfunkel; the only 2 they recorded as far as I know, and both filled with lovely harmony.
God Rest You Merry Gentlemen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BCyE0HF_6U
Star Carol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txtanfXV7_o
Merry Christmas to all.
Let me add to the conversation here by suggesting (of all things) the Tennessee Ernie Ford version of ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’: it came on in the car the other day, and as I was trying to sing the bass harmony, I found myself getting a little choked up.
https://youtu.be/UP4z3fNKdDM
Bless you all, gents, and let me say that during what has turned out to be an amazingly awful year for me, “meeting up” here from time to time has been one of the things that put a smile on my face.
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!
Paul
Thanks for the T.E. Ford carol, Paul. Sorry that you have had a tough year. I get a lot of enjoyment and cheer from this site as well. I hope you have a good Christmas.
My parents had all, or nearly all, of those “The Great Songs of Christmas” LPs when I was growing up, which is why to this day my personal Christmas soundtrack is full of artists I never otherwise listen to, like Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, or Steve and Eydie, or, yes, The Brothers Four. But they also introduced me to a lot of people I do listen to all year, like Tony Bennett and Bing Crosby.
Vince Guaraldi Trio music for Charlie Brown Christmas has been my favorite for as long as I can remember. I heard that the network wanted to remove references to Jesus right before the show was to be aired. They also wanted to replace the jazz score with regular cartoon music. Television executives have been underestimating kids and Christians for decades.
When I was a kid I couldn’t wait for the piano solo that happens right after Linus asks Lucy “what do you mean Beethoven wasn’t so great??” A piano solo from an alternate take to the version of Linus and Lucy you hear on the radio.
Cheers,
will
Excuse me, Schroder not Linus.