Ray Stevens Christmas: Through a Different Window

Ray Stevens Christmas: Through a Different Window

ASIN: B000002Q3P

Track Listings

1. Guilt for Christmas

2. I Won't Be Home for Christmas

3. Greatest Little Christmas Ever Wuz

4. (There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays

5. Redneck Christmas

6. Xerox Xmas Letter

7. Nightmare Before Christmas

8. Annual Office Christmas Party

9. Little Drummer Boy-Next Door

10. Bad Little Boy

11. Santa Claus Is Watching You

12. King of Christmas

13. Greatest Little Christmas

Tracks:

Guilt For Christmas
I Won't Be Home For Christmas
Greatest Little Christmas Ever Wuz
Home For The Holidays
Redneck Christmas
Xerox Xmas Letter
Nightmare Before Christmas
The Annual Office Christmas Party
The Little Drummer Boy-Next Door
Bad Little Boy
Santa Claus Is Watching You

Customer Reviews:

He's everywhere!.......2006-12-06

This CD features comedy Christmas songs with a country flavor by Ray Stevens. Songs are about such subjects as annoying relatives, romance, rednecks, office parties, bad kids and Santa Claus. I found most of the songs to be moderately amusing. My personal favorite is probably "The Little Drummer Boy Next Door", about a kid who annoys him by banging on the drums he got for Christmas. There is a remake of Ray's classic 1962 Christmas hit "Santa Claus is Watching You". While the original features Ray warning kids to behave, this one features Ray warning his woman that she better treat him right. The original is much funnier, as far as I'm concerned. Still, fans of musical comedy will probably find something to enjoy on this album.

Holiday madness..........2003-09-21

If you were looking for sentimental lore and up-lifting tales of how great everyone is at Christmas, then this CD isn't for you. This CD shows Christmas through a different window...one where absurdity, silliness, violence, and political incorrectness is put on full display..."Nightmare Before Christmas" tells the tale of how stupid political correctness is: Ray dreams that Santa's been arrested because of his "cruel" treatment to animals and his only hiring Elves, which is "discrimination", something that's pointed out by the shady lawyer. "Guilt for Christmas" has Ray pondering what to give people in these political correct times. he worries "don't give a boy an army toy he might grow up vicious..." until he stumbles on the gift that keeps on giving, which is "Guilt for Christmas". "I Won't Be Home for Christmas" tells the story of a man fed up with the holiday cheer and he bluntly exclaims that he won't be home for Christmas "so don't plan on stayin' with me"...another satire on warm and fuzzy holiday stereotypes is "Home for the Holidays"...this one tells the real story of a family gathering. "We're goin' home for the holidays...pack me lots of medication..."."The Little Drummer Boy Next Door" was the single from the album. In it, Ray tells of a boy who gets a drum for Christmas and the headache it causes having to hear him try and play it at all hours of the day. "Greatest Little Christmas Ever Wuz" is from the mid '80s. It was recorded for a various artist Christmas CD...the version on this CD is the original from the mid '80s...the way i can tell is i taped the song off a radio show long before this CD came out in 1997...His third version of "Santa Claus is Watching You" is as good as the previous two versions {the 1985 take and the 1963 original}. "Redneck Christmas" and "Bad Little Boy" are only for the left-of-center...one that hits home is "Annual Office Christmas Party"...i've been to a few company parties where i work and they're full of upper-management egotists and braggarts all happy and nice although the other 364 days of the year they're cruel, back-breakers interested in the bottom line...although at my Christmas parties there hasn't been any wild lunacy that has taken place in this song...like going to the restroom on a potted plant!"Xerox Xmas Letter" tells the story of a family who gets a letter from another family bragging on their achievements the past year.Again, Ray Stevens is the only artist i can think of who could successfully satirize and spoof such time honored traditions of Christmas. Years ago Stan Freberg released "Green Christmas", a satire on Madison Avenue and the commercialization of the holiday and Stan was blasted and called sacrilegious by the critics...the critics back then must've thought cashing in on Christmas was something sacred and anyone who satirized it must be sacrilegious...today however, Ray Stevens can come up with a brilliant politically incorrect Christmas CD and find an audience for it despite the crys of political correct idiots. I'm all for people being kind or treating your fellow person right...but i'm not for all this BS that a person has to bite their lip or they might offend someone...this is when this political correctness gets screwy and down-right insane. if i see something or someone being stupid, i'm gonna rip them apart for being stupid...regardless if they happen to be a minority or an immigrant or whatever...stupid is stupid no matter what race, religion, or ethnicity one might be.

Absolutely Hilarious!.......2002-11-05

This is the showcase of Ray Stevens' Christmas tunes as only he could do them. It includes a new version of an old classic ("Santa Claus is Watching You") as well as hilarious new songs from one of the best comedians of all time. One of the best ones on the CD has got to be "Little Drummer Boy-Next Door" - a hilarious song about how the neighbor boy got a drum set - from the viewpoint of an aggrivated neighbor. Another one, "Bad Little Boy", is the story of how bad a little boy has been, from his own viewpoint, including his hatred for the neighbor's cat... If you like Ray Stevens, you'll love this CD.

Amusing look at Christmas - classic Ray Stevens.......2002-09-15

With one exception, these songs take a comic look at Christmas. Nobody but Ray Stevens could have recorded a Christmas album like this - and that's exactly why I bought it.

The album begins with Ray telling you that he's giving guilt for Christmas, as he can't work out what to buy in this world of political correctness. Xerox Christmas letter is about people who want to brag about their achievements over the past year, although nobody who receives the letter is interested. The little drummer boy next door is about a boy who receives drums for Christmas and makes a lot of noise upsetting the neighbours. The other comic songs are all great, although everybody will have their own favorites.

The one non-comic song (perhaps my favorite track here) is Greatest little Christmas ever wuz. This song first appeared on Tennessee Christmas, a brilliant various artists country Christmas LP released in the mid-eighties, now available on CD. The song is about a woman who has left Ray, yet if only she would come back in time for Christmas, they'd have a lot of fun. The upbeat music and the song title hide the sadness of the song.

This is a great Christmas album, which provides a wonderful contrast to more conventional Christmas music.

Hilarious!.......2002-06-30

Great CD! I bought it because I heard a song on the radio about Xerox Christmas letters. My wife and I get tired of getting them every year with the endless bragging about what they've done during the prior year, and the song captures the issue perfectly.

There are many other songs equally hilarious. We loved it so much we bought several copies for friends.

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