All I Don't Want for Christmas

What a pretty sad thing to realize. For this first time in all the years I can remember, there is not one single new vinyl album or CD that I would add to my Christmas list. And I've got a pretty wide range of musical taste. Even glancing at the I-tunes store for ideas brought up absolutely nothing. Once you eliminate content that has explicit lyrics, the pickings get even slimmer. I don't dislike Taylor Swift, but I don't own a single song. Ed Sheeran? I'll pick and choose as I go. Sort of burned out on Christmas music- and if I never again have to hear All I Want for Christmas is You, I'd be ok with that. (I do like early Mariah Carey.) So, what's a guy to do? What would you suggest I give a listen to?

Olivia Newton-John Shines Again

Olivia Newton-John's Greatest Hits Deluxe Edition, a 2 LP special set sounds absolutely terrific on vinyl! Covering her earlier pre-Grease hits, there's more than a country tinge to the numbers, but Olivia soars above it all with lighter than air lead vocals and plenty of layering of that unique voice. I Honestly Love You, Please Mr. Please, and If Not For You shine! Not to be outdone, Something Better to Do and Have You Never Been Mellow sound even better if that's possible. Olivia's version of Don't Cry for Me Argentina is here as well. It was released in 1977 around the time of Carpenters' album Passage which also included the song. In one more connection with Karen Carpenter, the cover photo of this Olivia package but shot by French photographer Claude Mougin who also took the photos for Karen's one and only solo album.

What a wonderful listen this collection is! A very worthy addition to your audio library.