Yeah, I’m sure you’re all sick and tired of all the Christmas music by now. But for those that just can’t get enough of that stuff, here are a few more to fill your stockings with…
enjoy!
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Lady Antebellum
O Come all Ye Faithful – Chris Tomlin
Mr. Heatmiser – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Home for Christmas – Hall and Oates
Feliz Navidad – Chicago
Christmas Worship Medley – Israel Houghton and New Breed
Toy Packaging – Sara Groves
In the Bleak Midwinter – Indigo Girls
Joy – Wilson Phillips
Jingle Bell Rock – Brian Setzer
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TiVo. All opinions are 100% mine.
Still wrackin’ your brain for that perfect Christmas gift? Well, have you checked out a TiVo lately? Best Buy’s got the TiVo Premiere on sale for the holidays for just $99. That’s an incredibly low price for what the device does. This isn’t some rinky-dink, low-end VCR. TiVos are pretty much the gold standard when it comes to recording HDTV broadcasts. Just think, you can watch high-quality recorded video in stunning HD at your leisure. No more being chained to a network’s schedule. Plus you no longer have to choose between two favorites shows that are scheduled for the same timeslot. With the TiVo, you can record both at the same time!! How convenient is that? And with the brand new user interface, picking out the shows you want to save is as easy as ever.
But wait, there’s more! Beyond being just a high quality video recording unit, the new TiVo Premiere can also connect to the web and stream movies from Netflix, Blockbuster, youtube and even Amazon Video on Demand. So, with the TiVo, you pretty much have unlimited access to content – whether from cable or the internet.
Oh, and just think, whenever you happen to capture interesting or funny moments on TV – TiVo makes it dead simple to transfer those videos and share them to your social network. It’s definitely a huge PLUS for entertainment bloggers like me!!!
TiVoPremiere features: - 45 hours of HD recording - World’s largest library of videos on demand: movies, TV shows, music videos, web videos and more - Brand new, customizable HD interface with picture-in-menu - Controls live television with pause, rewind, slow-mo and instant replay - Full HD support, including 1080p and 1080i HD formats - Connects to your home network via Ethernet or the TiVo Wireless Network Adapter - Supports digital cable and antenna (ATSC), as well as over-the-air antenna
Universal Music Group has a new Rolling Stones giveaway on their site. One lucky Rolling Stones fan will win the following:
- Rolling Stones 1964-1969 Vinyl Box Set
- Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! The Rolling Stones In Concert – 40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Box Set
- image of uncut Exile sheet signed by Charlie, Keith, and Mick
- Exile on Main Street Vinyl Remaster
- Ladies and Gentlemen canvas
- lithograph from Somach
- Ladies and Gentlemen Deluxe Edition Box Set
- Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! guitar tab book
- Let It Bleed book
I’m not sure if you heard it or not but back in early November, there was a huge collective sigh of relief from Paul McCartney fans the world over. That was when fans finally got the chance to hear the newly remastered Band on the Run CD. Yes, it’s the first of Concord Music Group‘s career-spanning reissue campaign and we’ve all been keeping our fingers crossed hoping that this record company won’t screw it up. You may remember my initial post concerning the reissue campaign back in April expressing my hopes that they’d take special care during the remastering of these albums. Well, I’m happy to report that Concord/MPL did the album justice. The new 2010 reissue of Band On the Run sounds phenomenal. No worries of “brickwalling” or “no-noising” here. In fact, it’s probably the best sounding version of all the past reissues of the album including the highly regarded DCC reissue. Of course, opinions will differ depending on personal preferences but there’s no denying that this reissue is a vast improvement over the 1993 “no-noised” EMI version.
In addition to the great remastering job, Concord thankfully included some bonus material. The 2CD/DVD set features a 9-track bonus CD plus a DVD of the unreleased “One Hand Clapping” special. A special collector’s edition includes a third CD (the audio documentary from the 25th anniversary edition) and a beautiful 120-page book of photos by Linda McCartney and Clive Arrowsmith. And it doesn’t stop there. Concord is also making available a 2-disc 180 gram vinyl set for audiophiles.
I’ve listened to the Band on the Run album off and on ever since junior high so needless to say I’m very familiar with the material. But even so, the sound quality and the details that come alive in songs like “Bluebird” and “Mamunia” result in an almost brand new listening experience. Plus, “One Hand Clapping” footage is neat to see. It’s essentially the band playing live in the studio with McCartney full of enthusiasm. As a fan, it’s a blast to see the man perform at this stage in his career (in the early to mid-70′s). His live vocal performances are effortless and he seems very eager to prove himself as an artist out from under the Beatles’ shadow. It’s too bad the video quality of the “One Hand Clapping” special wasn’t spruced up to today’s standards. But as “archival footage” from the mid-70′s, it’ll do.
I’m still not certain if Concord/MPL will be doing the “deluxe” treatment on every album in McCartney’s catalog but it sure would be nice if they do. There’s probably enough material (B-sides, alternate mixes, re-mixes, unreleased tracks, etc.) to fill up multiple discs for every release. But I guess Concord will be making the decision on those future “deluxe treatments” based on how well “Band on the Run” does in the marketplace. So, Macca fans, do your duty and order more copies of the Band on the Run reissue for holiday stocking stuffers for all your family & friends! Let’s encourage Concord to do the right thing and invest in the extra care and attention to McCartney’s back catalog.
retroGrade : A+ kudos to MPL and Concord Music Group!!
Have any of you been wondering about the musical duo featured in the latest series of holiday-themed TV commercials by automaker Hyundai? Well, the band is called Pomplamoose and they’ve been steadily gaining popularity for their catchy videos on youtube. The indie duo (Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn) took the unique approach of building a fanbase online via youtube. And it seems to have worked. They are now featured in a nationally run ad campaign thanks to Hyundai. Kudos to the ad men at Hyundai for giving this duo the national spotlight. I love Nataly’s voice as well as their choice of filming all parts of their recording process.
learn more about the duo on their official website – Pomplamoose.com. You can also check them out on their MySpace page.
Looking for some stocking stuffers for the yacht rock fans in your family? Well, just in time for the holidays, Eagle Rock Entertainment has released Michael McDonald’s This Christmas Live in Chicago on DVD and Blu-ray. Not only do you get some classic tunes from his Doobie Brothers days but his solo hit “Sweet Freedom” as well, along with a nice selection of holiday favorites.
here’s a quick description of the new DVD: One of the music world’s most recognizable voices, Michael McDonald performs a special Christmas-themed episode of SoundStage on his new DVD This Christmas Live In Chicago. Opening the show with the Doobie Brothers classic It Keeps You Runnin’, McDonald jumps into two selections from his solo career, before launching into a dozen Christmas songs. Many of these songs appeared on his 2009 holiday album This Christmas. The set ends
with three Doobie Brothers classics and a cover of the Leonard Cohen classic Hallelujah is included as well. (more…)
