The Great Christmas Record Odyssey, Ep. XII

It's a John Denver-sorta episode today, Internet.  Get ready for fun.

Album Title:  A Christmas Together

Album Artist:  John Denver and the Muppets

This one's a no-brainer.

A Christmas Together is one of those albums that belongs in every holiday music lover’s record collection, alongside the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas, Disney’s All-Time Holiday Favorites, and Bing Crosby’s Merry Christmas.  It’s a classic, and as such there isn’t a whole hell of a lot I need to say to defend it.

It’s the Muppets, for Christ’s sake.  Not liking the Muppets is like not liking air conditioning or puppies:  it just doesn’t make sense.

Inside sleeve art (I love Rolf's hands tickling the keys at the far left.)

This collaboration with John Denver - which, I’ll admit, sounds a bit random when you first think of it - is music gold.  You have to remember that back in the day, during the hey-day of the Muppet Show, everybody who was anybody wanted a chance to jam with the Muppets.  They were the gods of television back then, so it only makes sense that, while at the height of his popularity and star power, a performer like John Denver would agree to cut an album with the Muppets.

Gangstas.

It doesn’t disappoint, either.  Much like the Disney holiday album I already reviewed, the Muppets and Mr. Denver take a similar approach in singing various Christmas standards:  the Muppets take the fun-loving carols, like ‘Twelve Days of Christmas,’ ‘Little Saint Nick,’ etc., while John Denver takes the more solemn, Jesus-based songs like ‘Noel’ (which plays to his strength as a mellow country singer.)

Unlike the Disney characters, I think the Muppets do have a handful among their ranks that could get away with singing a more religious jam, namely Kermit and Robin.  Nevertheless, I assume the album is named John Denver and the Muppets and not The Muppets (feat. John Denver) for a reason.

Long story short, this album is definitely in my top three as far as Christmas records go.  If you don’t own it, something’s seriously wrong with you.

VERDICT:  10/10 - . . . And Out Come the Wolves (The Muppets scoring less than '10/10'?  I don't think so. . .)

- REMAINS IN CIRCULATION -

Album Title:  Rocky Mountain Christmas

Album Artist:  John Denver

Continuing on with Mr. Denver, we have here a Muppet-less Christmas album that stresses something else the artist is famous for:  his love of the Rocky Mountains.  The whole ‘mountain’ angle shouldn’t really come to much of a surprise for anyone, really:  the dude’s last name is Denver. 

This looks nothing like my kitchen table. . .

While John Denver isn’t one of my favorite old country singers (I personally prefer some gunpowder and whiskey in my country songs, like you can find in the songs of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, etc.), this album is pretty good.  It’s more mellow, so you definitely have to be in the right mood for it.  I’d throw this one on if I was feeling nostalgic, sitting around a fire sipping egg nog and looking through photo albums of Christmases past.  

That’s not really the sort of environment that screams ‘Muppets’ or demands a rip-roaring Johnny Cash album blaring in the background, so John Denver is an acceptable substitute.

Now, I personally prefer my John Denver with a sprinkling of Henson, so this album doesn’t achieve the score of the other album in today’s Episode.  Nevertheless, it’s still good enough to remain on the Hough Record Holiday Shelf ’til December 26th or so.

VERDICT:   7/10 - Pretty Rad  (No Muppets, but still pretty good.)

- REMAINS IN CIRCULATION -

- Brian