Averyfineline likes to talk about the dearth of quality Christmas music (see here and here and here), but if you want to hear a fantastic Christmas album go buy the Gaither Vocal Band’s Still the Greatest Story Ever Told. And if you don’t want to buy the whole album, go to your favorite legal music downloading website and download “Hand of Sweet Release.”
I mean, any male quartet whose tenor-lead-baritone can drop a E-C-G chord (where E is above high C) — this is ridiculous. I mean, come on people. E-C-G! But they do it and they don’t sound good doing it either, they sound fantastic. The climax in the second verse is simply a thing of true beauty if you appreciate vocal music.
So there you go, Avery, some great Christmas music.
I agree about the song, pretty awesome. The true test of a spot like that is pulling it off live. They probably did on one Gaither production or another, I’d like to hear it.
But overall the album is way too slow. No uptunes! “Mary Was the First One to Carry the Gospel,” but that one’s slightly goofy, and “Go Tell Everyone,” but it isn’t the greatest either. So overall it’s a very slow recording, in my opinion.
By: ITF on December 11, 2008
at 10:35 pm
I agree, great song and you are right about the chord, Phelps on E above high C, Penrod on high C and Lowry on G above middle C. One of my favorites and if you will notice, I pointed it out on Avery a long time ago (I can’t recall if I were the first to do so or not.
)
By: quartet-man on December 13, 2008
at 12:38 am
Don’t know if you have my Christmas letter yet…but you will see implied there that the GVB album referenced is a favorite of mine! I agree with you wholeheartedly… Some of the SG sites don’t seem too enamored with this album, that it’s more for background music, etc. I find MUCH to be desired musically in this album, and have not come even close to tiring of it. You will find it in my CD player a LOT!
By: Ellen on December 14, 2008
at 10:13 pm
quartet-man, I actually thought about e-mailing Avery this post in hopes that he’d comment on it.
ITF, I disagree. I mean, I wouldn’t have a problem with more up-tunes, but hey good songs are good songs, good music is good music whether up-tune or not. And “Hand” as well as “Reaching” are phenomenal.
Ellen – I did get your Christmas letter, thanks! So where are these SG sites that don’t like this album?
Upon a bit more thought, I do understand the comment about the album being nice background music, in that there are several songs with such a quality. But excellent album nonetheless.
By: thebylog on December 15, 2008
at 8:30 am
You lost me at “E-C-G chord”
By: justin on December 15, 2008
at 1:40 pm
justin, go to a piano and find middle C. Then go up an octave to high C. Then go up two more notes to E. This is the top of the E-C-G chord. The C is high C. The G is the G below high C. Those three notes are the chord. Simple, huh?
By: thebylog on December 15, 2008
at 2:22 pm
“Hand Of Sweet Release,” in my opinion, is one of the best GVB cuts ever. It has the freak-of-nature harmonies, yet never goes overboard with the arrangement, which the Vocal Band had a tendancy to do later on….
By: Kyle on December 18, 2008
at 4:19 am
I don’t mean to infer that upbeat tunes are necessary. I think a good mix is good, and the songs I mentioned are hardly upbeat, but great. I like middle of the road, upbeat, ballads, MOR etc. as long as they are good. The newest CD is well done from what I hear, but it isn’t my cup of tea. The arrangements are somewhat interesting if you want to hear different types of harmony and style than the standard SG release, but I think SG people more prefer to hear Christmas songs in more traditional ways than with jazz, blues, or whatever other type of stylings artists might use.
Justin, the chord in question is a C chord. He simply spelled out the notes that made the chord. So saying a C-E-G chord wasn’t technically correct, but I knew what he meant.
By: quartet-man on December 20, 2008
at 10:05 am
Sorry, I see the comment being replied to about the upbeat songs was in reference to Still The Greatest Story Ever Told instead of the current one. I also agree that the first was lacking in some ways, but it still had great songs like Reaching and Hand Of Sweet Release (and of course Mary Did You Know.” There is a much better arrangement of “Go Tell Everyone” on a choral collection I got for church. It is much more upbeat and joyous in its approach. There is a cut on the current Christmas one that was only on the versions bought from Gaither that is a combination Country tune / Convention song. It is great and more upbeat than anything I remember from the previous Christmas one.
By: quartet-man on December 20, 2008
at 10:10 am
I can’t comment too much on the southern gospel Christmas music. I tend to enjoy choral Christmas productions more than smaller groups.
Hmm, I guess that applies to non-Christmas music tastes as well.
By: Myron on December 22, 2008
at 3:10 pm
My non-Christmas music tastes, that is.
By: Myron on December 22, 2008
at 3:10 pm