Customer Reviews
Wish there were some new tracks.
This is just a cut-down version of her 1998 "Merry Christmas. . . Have a Nice Life" album. No new tracks and it doesn't even all the tracks from the 1998 album. Don't get me wrong, the music is good, but do yourself a favor and get ". . . Have a Nice Life" - it's the better album. Cyndi Lauper's Christmas tracks are some of the best modern pop Christmas music I've listened to - a must have for the Christmas season.
A Merry Christmas with Some Surprises
You know, an artist releases one or more Christmas album over the years and then, when they've pretty much run their course, a bargain "Christmas best of" surfaces later. Discount Christmas CDs have become something of a subgenre unto themselves over the years. With artists like Bing or Frank, this makes a lot of sense. The diehard fans will probably go for the more fullpriced (and more complete) versions, but the curious (often younger consumers who might want to check out the stars of yesteryear) are just as well served by the discount 'samplers. '
In the case of Cyndi Lauper, well, it's a bit more complicated. She only did the one Christmas album (MERRY CHRISTMAS. . . HAVE A NICE LIFE) and it wasn't all THAT long ago (1998, which may seem like an eternity to some, but believe me, I'm Cyndi's age and at this point in life six years ain't hardly nothin'--as they might put in Queens). Why a discount so soon, you may well ask, especially, when the list price for the original is hardly what you'd call prohibitive (at least by current pricings)?
I can't say. Still, in the spirit of Christmas, I'm recommending both releases to fans of the spirited Ms Lauper. As one poster below noted, this collection includes two very rare tracks "Heading for the Moon" (a "b" side from the 80s) and European hit "The World Is Stone," which has heretofore never been available in the US except as an import.
There is nothing especially "Christmassy" about either of these tracks--except that it's a pleasant yuletide surprise to have them available at last--AND AT A DISCOUNTED PRICE. And I suppose that only a real Scrooge would complain at all that the track "Feels Like Christmas" makes its third appearance on a distinct CD. It was on HAT FULL OF STARS, the first Christmas release and now this. But hey, it's a wonderful little tune, and since none of the albums its appeared on so far went triple platinum, it's nice that maybe a few more listeners will get to discover it. Maybe they'll decide to purchase some of the other stuff too.
The zydeco and calypso feel of many of the tracks orignially from the '98 release make for a novelty Christmas record in the best sense. Cyndi is constantly experimenting, and her Christmas songs have an unselfconsious and playful multicultural feel that expresses her actual openhearted sensibility to a T.
And to Ryan in Astoria, it should come as no surprise that other reviewers who post here are from Queens (I'm not, as it happens, but I visit friends there a lot. ) Hey, Cyndi Lauper is the Queen of Queens. And the Queen of the Christmas Conga Ball too.
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Great album
It's a shame this song wasn't released in the US. "The World is Stone" is Cyndi Lauper's best recording ever and this album is the cheapest way to get a CD-quality copy of it. I'd say very few singers(if any) could sing this song like Cyndi did. The vocal gymnastics are incredible.
The christmas songs are also great. "December Child" (Lauper penned) is just plain beautiful. Her performance is incredible. You can picture her rocking her child to sleep. The whole song is a beautiful melodic whisper.
This is not your typical Christmas album but it is a great album and at $6 you'll wonder why you waited so long.
. You can see a complete list of all Cyndi Lauper discography, or go back to the Cyndi Lauper tabs
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