It Ain't Retro If You Don't Know It

Going retro today, but it's hard to get all nostalgic about a bunch of tunes you've never heard before. But mostly I chose this compilation because pretty much every track was brand new to me. From the old-fashioned pleasantries by The Hollyridge Strings to the Mexicana-tinged tunes by Esquivel, this collection was really giving me a handful of stuff that I've genuinely never heard before. A few tunes that are brandy new as well like 'Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown?' by John Barry and 'Holiday On Skis' by Al Caiola & Riz Ortolani. Also, the original 'The Bell That Couldn't Jingle' by Burt Bacharach makes a glorious appearance, and here I thought that was a Herb Alpert tune all along.

I guess the only downfall here is the re-occurrence of most of the popular traditional tunes; 'Sleigh Ride' twice, 'Winter Wonderland' twice, Rudolph times 2, double Frosties, and count them three 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town's. The versions differ enough to not make me throw my computer speakers out the bedroom window, but still, pushing this comp to 25 tracks while the second half practically repeats the early ongoing seemed kind of redundant.

At the end of the day they are all good versions that will all make it into the playlist so who's to worry about it really. There's eggnog to drink. And now, starting next year, I can be truly nostalgic about these tunes and enjoy their retro-ability.

B++++++

Yay Christmas!