Carstairs Considers....: Music Review: Christmas Eve and Other Stories by Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Monday, April 22, 2013

Music Review: Christmas Eve and Other Stories by Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: The instrumental tracks are wonderful new arrangements.

Cons: Most of the vocal tracks are only mildly amusing.

The Bottom Line:

Traditional songs

Rocking like you've never heard

Trippy, lots of fun

Rock Orchestra Christmas Eve

I love Christmas music. I've got so much it's almost impossible to get through it all in one month. And as much as I love the traditional arrangements, I also enjoy finding the off beat and unusual to break things up around December 15th. One such disc is Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Christmas Eve and Other Stories.

Trust me, no matter how big your Christmas collection, you've got nothing like this CD. It is part pop opera, part orchestra, and part rock. Or are those last two part rock orchestra? Either way, this sounds enough Christmasy to put me in the Christmas mood right off the bat, but so different from everything else I have that I look forward to hearing it.

Over the course of the 17 tracks, the disc purports to tell a story. God has decided it is time to see what has been done with Jesus' birth after two thousand years. So he sends one angel down to search the earth for something unique that represents the day ("An Angel Came Down"). As he roams to and fro, he is initially drawn to the music. But he feels he needs to search for something else. And when he finds a father praying for his daughter to come home for Christmas ("Ornament"), he finds it. He quickly sets out to find her, and he does outside an "Old City Bar." He works a miracle so that the girl is able to head home ("Promises to Keep" and "This Christmas Day.") Having found what he needed, he returns to Heaven in "An Angel Returned."

In reality, this story only covers six of the tracks. The others are woven into the story via the linear notes. And a short version of the story actually starts out the booklet. And, to be honest, these tracks are the least interesting tracks on the disc. "An Angel Came Down" and "An Angel Returned" are basically the same song with different lyrics to bookend the story. They start with an orchestra, but the electric guitar comes in, making it a rock ballad. The singer's voice here is loud and commanding, which makes for a good narrator. Yet someone it doesn't quite work for me.

"Ornament," the father's prayer, is a mix of quiet and loud pleading designed to stir our emotions. The same singer returns for "This Christmas Day," which is slightly quieter and the father rejoices in his Christmas miracle.

Then there's "Old City Bar," the heart of this story. This is a ballad, pure and simple, with the picked/strummed guitar backing up the vocals. You can also picture one guy singing this song on a stage with just the guitar and him. However, it's also a slow, boring song. I find my mind wandering quickly every time I hear it.

Despite how long I've spent on these tracks, so far, I'm really not a big fan of them. They are okay, but if the disc consisted of them, I'd have moved on to something else by now. So what saves the disc? The instrumental tracks mixed throughout the disc.

Get ready to be blown away.

Oh, you might recognize the melody. In fact, you probably will. But the arrangements are all new. And wonderful.

Take "O Come All Ye Faithful/O Holy Night." It starts simply enough with piano, but that quickly gives way to a full orchestra overlaid with electric guitar. It becomes high energy quickly as that guitar wails out the familiar melody.

"The Silent Nutcracker" is an interesting combination of "Silent Night" and "Dance of the Sugar Plumb Fairies" from The Nutcracker. The track is one of the quieter ones for the early part of the disc, and is almost all guitar based.

But if you want more of The Nutcracker, you're in luck. "A Mad Russian's Christmas" is a medley of themes from the classic ballet. But don't be fooled by the opening notes on the piano. This is a rock version once again led by the electric guitar backed by a full orchestra. Again, it's loud. Purists will hate it. But if you are willing to open your mind a little, you'll find it quite fun.

My personal favorite is "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24." Again, it starts deceptively subdued with woodwinds giving us the melody from "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." But it quickly gives way to a rock rendition of "Carol of the Bells." The two songs intertwine with piano and guitar leading the orchestra. It is absolutely beautiful to listen to.

Not all the instrumental tracks are loud, however. "The First Noel" is a quiet guitar solo. The final two tracks are also quieter. "O Holy Night" is electric guitar based, but it never starts wailing. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" sounds like a classical guitar arrangement.

And there are a couple songs with singing that I love. Of course, "Good King Joy" is mostly instrumental with just a hint of singing for the first three minutes. It's a combination of "Good King Wenseslas" and "Joy to the World." Once it gets beyond that, it becomes an original song about the Wise Men's journey.

The other great song with singing is "A Star to Follow." This is a choral piece with three choirs. One men's choir is singing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." Actually, it almost sounds like chanting since they are singing just the one line. Then a second group comes in singing "There up in the sky a star to follow." It's actually a children's choir that gets the heart of the lyrics. With the keyboard and orchestra, it sounds like something you might hear in a church production. Eventually, all three parts come together for an explosive finale.

This disc would be much stronger if they took out the songs telling the story of the angel. Those songs aren't bad. They just pale in comparison to the rest of the wonderful tracks. So if you want something a little different this December, get Christmas Eve and Other Stories.

CD Length: 1:02:12

Tracks:

1. An Angel Came Down

2. O Come All Ye Faithful/O Holy Night

3. A Star to Follow

4. First Snow (Instrumental)

5. The Silent Nutcracker (Instrumental)

6. A Mad Russian's Christmas (Instrumental)

7. The Prince of Peace

8. Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 (Instrumental)

9. Good King Joy

10. Ornament