Musical Moments 31st Dec 2014

This is my third Christmas on TCR, and every Christmas I have done an alternative Christmas show. Songs that are Christmas songs but that aren't traditionally played on radio. I've included some links for some of the songs so that you can have a listen and come back and find them next December when you're sick of the same old same old.

The Muppets - Man Or Muppet
Sound Of Music - Do Re Mi
Pentatonix - Carol Of The Bells
Straight No Chaser - Christmas Can Can
Jennifer Hudson - Love You I Do
Cee-lo Green feat The Muppets - All I Need Is Love
Christopher Lee - Darkest Carols, Faithful Sing
Howard Keel - Bless Your Beautiful Hide
Diana King - I Say A Little Prayer
Dan Michaelson & The Coastguards - Another Messy Christmas
Sister Act - Raise Your Voice
A Chorus Line - I Can Do That
Sufjan Stevens - That Was The Worst Christmas Ever

Funny Girl - Don't Rain On My Parade
Rod Stewart - Red Suited Super Man
Brad Paisley - Penguin, James Penguin
John Prine - Christmas In Prison
Straight No Chaser - Who Spiked The Eggnog?
Godspell - All For The Best
Blink 182 - I Won't Be Home For Christmas
Monty Python - Christmas In Heaven
Seth MacFarlane - Mele Kalikimaka
Julian Casablancas - I Wish It Was Christmas Today
Oliver! - I'd Do Anything
Low - Just Like Christmas
Rod Stewart & Ella Fitzgerald - What Are You Doing New Years Eve?
Smash - Let Me Be Your Star
Pentatonix - Thats Christmas To Me.


For beatiful less traditional Christmas songs, I would recommend Straight No Chaser and Pentatonix. Both are acapella groups and their interpretations of traditional carols, along with their original songs are a breath of fresh air at this time of year.

Classical & Jazz 28th Dec 2014

The last Classical & Jazz show of 2014.

Blue Danube - André Rieu - Forever Vienna
Scrapple From The Apple - Charlie Parker
My Funny Valentine - Chet Baker
River - Lea Michelle - Glee
Silent Night - Piano Guys
Carol Of The Bells - RTE Concert Orchestra
L-O-V-E - Wayne Newton
Snow Is Falling - Ray Charles
Angels We Have Heard On High - Josh Groban feat Brian McKnight
Summertime - George Gershwin
Ding Dong Merrily On High
Brahms - Symphony No 3 - Poco Allegretto

Musical Moments 17th Dec 2014

Instead of one show, I decided to feature the Christmas Music of Glee. Because why not?

* Glee - Welcome Christmas
Funny Girl - People - Barbra Streisand
Straight No Chaser - O Holy Night
* Glee - Blue Christmas
Gene Kelly - An American in Paris
* Glee - Angels We Have Heard On High
A Gentlemans Guide To Love & Murder - Poison In My Pocket
Seth MacFarlane - Let It Snow!
Sound Of Music - Do Re Mi - Robyn North
Idina Menzel - River
Smash - Let Me Be Your Star
* Glee - Baby It's Cold Outside

Ceelo Green & The Muppets - All I Need Is Love
King & I - Getting To Know You
Frozen - Do You Want To Build A Snowman?
Frozen - In Summer - Josh Gad
* Glee - Merry Christmas Darling
Matilda - When I Grow Up
Jose Feliciano - Feliz Navidad
Seth MacFarlane - Mele Kalikimaka
Bugsy Malone - You Give A Little Love
Annie Lennox & Al Green - Put A Little Love In Your Heart - Scrooged
* Glee - Most Wonderful Day Of The Year
Muppet Christmas Carol - Thankful Heart
* Glee - Extraordinary Merry Christmas
Wicked - Defying Gravity - Idina Menzel & Kristen Chenowith

Classical & Jazz 14th Dec 2014

Bing Crosby - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Maria Callas - Madame Butterfly
Tchaikovski - Nutcracker - Chinese Dance
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
Nina Simone - Wild Is The Wind
Frank Sinatra - Silent Night
Tchaikovski - Sleeping Beauty Waltz
The Piano Guys - Away In A Manger
Rossini - William Tell Overture
Straight No Chaser - O Holy Night
Diana Krall - Temptation
Ding, Dong! Merrily On High - The Choir Of St. Georges Chapel, Windsor Castle
In Dulci Jubilo - Gloucester Cathedral Choir
Bizet - Carmen Suite No 1 - Les Toreadores
Nat King Cole - Smile
Ella Fitzgerald - Every Time We Say Goodbye

Musical Moments 10th Dec 2014

This week, what with it being so close to Christmas, I decided to have two featured shows, both of which were reminiscent of childhood Christmases for so many people. The show's I picked were Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory and The Muppet Christmas Carol.


Guys & Dolls - If I Were A Bell
* Willy Wonka - Opening Theme
Frozen - For The First Time In Forever
* Willy Wonka - Oompa Loompa Augustus
Singing In The Rain - Make Em Laugh
Oklahoma - Hugh Jackman
White Christmas - Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye - Snow
* Willy Wonka - Cheer Up Charlie
Glee - Baby It's Cold Outside - Chris Colfer & Darren Criss
Some Enchanted Evening - South Pacific
* Willy Wonka - I Want It Now
Oliver! - Consier Yourself
* Willy Wonka - Pure Imagination
Dreamgirls - Love You I Do - Jennifer Hudson
Nutcracker - Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy

* Muppet Christmas Carol - Scrooge
Sunset Boulevard - The Perfect Year
Jersey Boys - Sherry
Joseph & The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat - Jacob & Sons
* Muppets - Marley & Marley
Calamity Jane - Deadwood Stage
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers - Bless Your Beautiful Hide
* Muppets - It Feels Like Christmas
Requiem - Pie Jesu
* Muppets - When Love Is Gone
Danny Elfman - Ice Dance - Edward Scissorhands
Pitch Perfect - Bellas Finals - Price Tag/Don't You Forget About Me
* Muppets - One More Sleep Til Christmas
* Muppets - Bless Us All
My Fair Lady - Wouldn't It Be Loverly - Julie Andrews

Classical & Jazz 7th Dec 2014

Bing Crosby - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
The Piano Guys - Angels We Have Heard On High
Django Reinhardt - Minor Swing
Ella Fitzgerald - Dream A Little Dream Of Me
Elger - Cello Concerto Adagio
Elvis - Blue Christmas
Ray Charles feat Elton John - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
Tchaikovski - Nutcracker Dance Of The Reed Flutes
Mozart - Overture The Magic Flute
Frank Sinatra - Someone To Watch Over Me
Bing Crosby - I'll Be Home For Christmas
G4 - When A Child Is Born
Sarah Vaughan - The Man I Love
Bing Crosby & Louis Armstrong - That's Jazz

Musical Moments 3rd December 2014 - Christmas Carnival!

I would normally hold off on the Christmas songs for at least another week (on air anyway, not so at home!) but what with the Tramore Christmas Carnival happening today, and Christmas officially kicking off here in town I thought why not get in on the act!

The featured show this week was White Christmas, starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, released in 1954.

Do You Want To Build A Snowman - Frozen - Kristen Bell
* Sisters - White Christmas
It Feels Like Christmas - A Muppet Christmas Carol
Pure Imagination - Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory - Gene Wilder
Last Christmas - Glee - Lea Michele & Cory Monteith
*The Best Things Happen When You're Dancing - White Christmas - Danny Kaye & Vera Ellen
We Need A Little Christmas - Mame - Angela Lansbury
'S Wonderful - An American In Paris - Gene Kelly & Georges Guetary
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Frank Sinatra
Baby It's Cold Outside - Idina Menzel & Michael Bublé
*Snow - White Christmas - Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera Ellen & Rosemary Clooney
Jingle Bell Rock - Glee - Chord Overstreet
Anything You Can Do - Annie Get Your Gun - Howard Keel & Betty Hutton
All I Want For Christmas - Love Actually - Olivia Olson
The Most Wonderful Day Of The Year - Glee

A New Deal For Christmas - Annie
*Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me - White Christmas - Rosemary Clooney
Today 4 U - Rent - Wilson Jermaine Heredia
God Bless Us Everyone - A Christmas Carol
That's Entertainment - The Band Wagon
Silver Bells - Dean Martin
*Count Your Blessings - White Christmas - Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney
Hark The Herald Angel Sings/Angels We Have Heard On High - Straight No Chaser
Reindeers Are Better Than People - Frozen - Jonathon Groff
*The Old Man - White Christmas - Bing Crosby & Cast
*What Can You Do With A General - White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Meet Me In St. Louis - Judy Garland
Thankful Heart - A Muppet Christmas Carol
Do They Know It's Christmas - Glee
Frozen Heart - Frozen
*White Christmas - Bing Crosby
O Holy Night - Glee - Lea Michele


Random Fact - When Garland first heard the lyrics for Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas she, along with her co-star Tom Drake and director Vincente Minnelli, called it depressing and asked the writer to change the lyrics. Some of the original lyrics were

"Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be your last,
Next year we may all be living in the past"
                       And
"No good times like the olden days, happy golden days of yore,
Faithful friends who were dear to us, will be near to us no more."