Mark's Annual Holiday Mix CDs http://marksholidaycds.posterous.com Celebrating the Season with the Best and the Worst in Holiday Music posterous.com Thu, 24 Dec 2009 09:10:00 -0800 Darlene Love on Letterman, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" http://marksholidaycds.posterous.com/darlene-love-on-letterman-christmas-baby-plea http://marksholidaycds.posterous.com/darlene-love-on-letterman-christmas-baby-plea

I don't watch too much TV, and while I've always liked David Letterman, I rarely catch Late Night or any of the other post-prime time variety shows these days.  But I do try to watch the final pre-Christmas Late Night show each year, which since the mid-'80s has featured the incomparable Darlene Love singing my favorite holiday song, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”  Darlene was one of ten finalists considered for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, and while she didn't quite make the cut this year, her December 23 appearance on Late Night was nothing short of spectacular.  You can catch her performance HERE, and now that she’s finished, of course, Christmas can officially begin.

Incidentally, another Letterman pre-Christmas tradition is to have comedian Jay Thomas on the show to do something or another with a football.  I don't pay much attention to that, but I listen eagerly for Jay's famous "Lone Ranger" story, which has become every bit as de rigeur as Darlene's classic vocals.  If you aren't familiar with the story, take a break and see it HERE.

Happy holidays to each of you and yours.

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Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:32:00 -0800 Download this Year's CD, "I Just Can't Wait 'til Christmas" http://marksholidaycds.posterous.com/download-this-years-cd-i-just-cant-wait-til-c http://marksholidaycds.posterous.com/download-this-years-cd-i-just-cant-wait-til-c

 

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My latest holiday CD, I Just Can’t Wait ‘til Christmas, is now available for download HERE.  The download will arrive as a zip file, which can be easily opened with winzip or some similar program.  Enjoy!

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Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:22:00 -0800 Final Cuts from My Latest CD http://marksholidaycds.posterous.com/final-cuts-from-my-latest-cd http://marksholidaycds.posterous.com/final-cuts-from-my-latest-cd

Do You Hear What I Hear by Patti Labelle Listen on Posterous

There are 45 tracks on my latest holiday CD.  The first three are available in my post dated December 4 (below).  Here’s a quick preview of the final three cuts from this year’s CD.  With temperatures around the country dropping well below normal levels (it was around 40 degrees in Los Angeles the other night), it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.  Enjoy!

 

 

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Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:53:00 -0800 Links to Previous Holiday Compilations http://marksholidaycds.posterous.com/i-just-cant-wait-til-christmas http://marksholidaycds.posterous.com/i-just-cant-wait-til-christmas

Here are links to several of my previous CD mixes from the past five years, which you are free to download and enjoy!

Please note that occasional clips within these compilations may be subject to copyright.  It is not my intention to violate or interfere in any way with the rights of the copyright owners.  Indeed, part of my reason for sharing these tunes is to publicize and promote the music itself and the artists responsible for it.  Should any copyright holder wish to have their cut removed, please contact me and I will take whatever reasonable action you wish.

 

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Home for the Holidays, 2008

Here’s a link to my holiday CD for 2008, Home for the Holidays:

Press HERE to access a downloadable file

The download will arrive as a zip file, which can be easily opened with winzip or some similar program.  Enjoy!

 

 

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Let’s Trim the Christmas Tree, 2007

Here’s a link to my holiday CD for 2007, Let’s Trim the Christmas Tree:

Press HERE to access a downloadable file

The download will arrive as a zip file, which can be easily opened with winzip or some similar program.  Enjoy!

 

 

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Hooray for Santa Claus, 2007

Here’s a link to a special extra holiday CD I made in 2007, Hooray for Santa Claus:

Press HERE to access a downloadable file

The download will arrive as a zip file, which can be easily opened with winzip or some similar program.  Enjoy!

 

 

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Stop Singing those Dreadful Songs, 2006

Here’s a link to my holiday CD for 2006, Stop Singing Those Dreadful Songs:

Press HERE to access a downloadable file

The download will arrive as a zip file, which can be easily opened with winzip or some similar program.  Enjoy!

 

 

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Don’t Wake the Kids, 2005

Here’s a link to my holiday CD for 2005, Don’t Wake the Kids:

Press HERE to access a downloadable file

The download will arrive as a zip file, which can be easily opened with winzip or some similar program.  Enjoy! 

 

 

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Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:35:00 -0800 I Just Can't Wait 'til Christmas http://marksholidaycds.posterous.com/i-just-cant-wait-til-christmas-0 http://marksholidaycds.posterous.com/i-just-cant-wait-til-christmas-0

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My latest holiday compilation, I Just Can’t Wait ‘til Christmas, is now complete and ready for distribution.  Here’s a sneak peak at (or, more accurately, a sneak listen to) the first three cuts from this year’s release:

Nbcchimes. Wav by Nbc Audio Logo Listen on Posterous

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Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:25:00 -0800 Happy New Year! http://marksholidaycds.posterous.com/happy-new-year-38 http://marksholidaycds.posterous.com/happy-new-year-38

With another Christmas now over, our attention turns to the new year.  I marked the start of 2008 with a special Happy New Year CD that features a grab bag of New Year’s songs and sound bites.  Although this turned into a pretty lousy year in many respects, I doubt that my CD had anything to do with that.  For anyone interested, a copy of the Happy New Year CD is available HERE.  I’ve also added copies of my two favorite songs in the collection, which can be played from this page.  The download will arrive as a zip file, which can be easily opened with winzip or some similar program.  Enjoy, and Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Happy New Yea by Charley Weaver Listen on Posterous

 

Happy New Year By Spike Jones by Spike Jones & His City Slicke Listen on Posterous

 

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Wed, 24 Dec 2008 18:22:18 -0800 Darlene Love on Letterman http://marksholidaycds.posterous.com/darlene-love-on-letterman http://marksholidaycds.posterous.com/darlene-love-on-letterman

I’ve now got thousands of holiday songs and sound bites on my computer’s hard drive, and folks sometimes ask me whether I’ve got a favorite tune among that long list.  If I had to pick just one, it would almost certainly be Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” which can be found on A Christmas Gift to You from Phil Spector, an amazingly great album that was released the very same day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.  This song features Spector’s full “wall of sound” treatment, and it’s become Darlene Love’s signature song.  In fact, it’s become a tradition for Darlene to appear with a full band and chorus each year on Late Night with David Letterman for the final pre-Christmas show.  She did it again last night, and it sounded just as good as ever.

 

See Darlene Love on last night’s Letterman show HERE.

 

See Bruce Springsteen’s version of the song HERE.  (It’s great, of course, but Darlene’s is better.  Sorry, Bruce!)

 

I’m flying back to New England tonight and will be keeping my eyes wide open for Santa as we make our way East.  Merry Christmas, everyone!

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Sun, 21 Dec 2008 15:25:33 -0800 Sample from This Year's CD http://marksholidaycds.posterous.com/sample-from-this-years-cd http://marksholidaycds.posterous.com/sample-from-this-years-cd

Here’s the first seven minutes or so of this year’s CD, Home for the Holidays.  Enjoy!

 

08 Soundclip Listen on Posterous

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