A Holiday Album? It seems like an inevitability...

[cwr]

I seems like a matter of "Not IF but WHEN..."

As Costello has tried his hand at so many different types of albums, doesn't it seem like we are destined to, at some point, see him put out a "Holiday" album? I mean, if Dylan, of all people, can put out a record of Xmas tunes for charity, surely Costello will try his hand at it at some point in the latter part of his career. Maybe this would end up being the (also seemingly inevitable) Costello & Krall album that so many interviewers seem to clamor for.

I'd be curious to see if Costello would be able to put a different kind of spin on it-- Dylan went the super-traditional route, but I'd imagine that EC would want to mix in at least a handful or originals, if not an entire album's worth. He's already shown he can write a pretty funny seasonal tune with "St. Stephen's Day Murders," and I'm sure he could write some excellent melancholy ones as well.

I'm sure some would absolutely LOATHE the idea of Mr. Revenge & Guilt doing something like this, but I suspect that there are at least a few cool xmas albums in EC's record collection, and that he'd enjoy the challenge of doing one that wasn't purely a gambit to sell some records. (Although, make no mistake-- it would CLEARLY be that, on some level. This would be a chance to sell a few more records than a National Ransom or a Momofuku could muster, especially if Krall was involved or if it was a charity thing. I'd imagine more than a few who've fallen out of the habit of buying Costello records regularly might find someone has bought this for them as a stocking stuffer...)

[sulky lad]

I couldn't wait until November when I could play Christmas In The Heart - I so love that album though probably for all the wrong reasons and I had been brought up to believe only King's College, Cambridge were the only performers fit to record Christmas music !

[jardine]

i'm with you--costello and krall christmas. with some they've/he's/she's written, and her doing joni mitchell's river (a la spectacle performance, and which is already full of ice and winter and a minor key quotation of "jingle bells"), etc. i think it could be seriously good and beautiful.

[Poor Deportee]

i'm with you--costello and krall christmas. with some they've/he's/she's written, and her doing joni mitchell's river (a la spectacle performance, and which is already full of ice and winter and a minor key quotation of "jingle bells"), etc. i think it could be seriously good and beautiful.

I second that emotion. There'd be an inherent warmth to the loving couple teaming up for this purpose that could only enhance the proceedings. I can hear it now, really - a tasteful, warmly restrained effort (a la 'You Hung the Moon,' only without the bleak subject matter!), with traditional holiday songs interspersed with more generally 'wintry' tunes (Dylan's 'Winterlude?') and one or two originals. Yeah, baby.

(Christmas in the Heart is awful, by the way - mostly due to shattered vocal chords that simply cannot handle that material. But I'll give it a second chance this year and see).

[ramalama]

Grinch here.

Can we not go there? We don't need an album of Christmas tunes any more than we need an album of standards or "the hits live backed by a symphony orchestra." These trends seem to be the artist-of-a-certain-vintage potholes that all careers seem to hit. Put a Christmas tune on an album if it fits, but don't force 75 minutes of it. You want a holiday album that's listenable? Go get the Stax Soul Christmas compilation.

Now if Mr. and Mrs. would like to collaborate on a winter concept album, that would be an entirely different story.

[Ypsilanti]

C'mon..."Baby It's Cold Outside", with Elvis singing the coy girl part and Diana singing the "seducer" part? That's an automatic win.

I'm sure they could handle a holiday album without it sucking, but I'd still rather hold out for the Children's Album.

[Jeremy Dylan]

I think CHRISTMAS IN THE HEART is the only holiday album anyone need own, but I second the notion of a duet with Mrs. Costello on everbody's favourite date-rape song.

[cwr]

I say GO FOR BOTH. No reason that Costello/Krall can't do both a Holiday album AND a kids' record...

ramalama/Grinch: I understand your reluctance! The Holiday album has become such a tired thing at this point, but that's part of what I think would be the challenge for Costello: to make a really GOOD and INTERESTING one. I'd venture a guess that if you were to sit down with Costello and talk Holiday albums, he'd be able to go for at least 45 minutes talking about which ones are good, which ones are obscure, which are the worst, etc. (QUICK: VANITY FAIR! COMMISSION THAT ARTICLE/ESSAY FOR XMAS 2011!!)

The three examples that come to mind of Costello venturing into Xmas Territory are "The St. Stephen's Day Murders", his appearance on The Colbert Christmas Special, and that Canadian TV show where he performed "Winter Song" a few years back. I think a good Costello Xmas album would be half sad songs and half funny songs-- not a bad blend, and not the usual blend for a Costello record (hard to imagine any really ANGRY songs in the mix.)

One big indicator that Costello MIGHT do such a thing is that he HASN'T done it before. In fact, isn't that almost the leading factor one should use when trying to predict future Costello releases? The fact that so many have done is so poorly feels like the type of challenge that Costello would relish. Reading that New Yorker profile, where Costello talked about his "show business" tendencies, like the way his attire has a certain element of showmanship to it, makes me think that EC's old fashioned show business tendencies might at some point lead him to do this kind of thing for the sheer pleasure of it.

Maybe it will never happen. But I think it might.

[thepopeofpop]

Maybe it will never happen. But I think it might.

Not until after he wins an Oscar.

[Jeremy Dylan]

Maybe it will never happen. But I think it might.

Not until after he wins an Oscar.

Is he going for an EGOT?

[bronxapostle]

i want a CATHOLIC HYMNS lp!!!!!!

[wardo68]

Outside of the Colbert song, the Chieftains song and "Winter Song", has EC ever performed any holiday-themed songs in concert? Considering all the covers he's plowed through over the years, if Xmas songs haven't figured so far I doubt they ever will.

Of course, if he did do a Xmas album I'd be thrilled.

[cwr]

Obviously, in terms of sales and sheer overall popularity, Costello is nowhere near the level of Coldplay, but seeing that they are making a big splash with their new Xmas single on iTunes makes me wonder how Costello would do if he attempted something similar.

If Costello set his mind to it, I'd bet he could write a crackerjack Xmas song in a day, record it in an afternoon, put it up on iTunes himself, and probably outsell National Ransom in a heartbeat. I wish he'd take up the challenge, just for the fun of it...

[Jeremy Dylan]

After Dylan's CHRISTMAS IN THE HEART, I kinda feel any more Christmas albums are superfluous.

[krm]

Outside of the Colbert song, the Chieftains song and "Winter Song", has EC ever performed any holiday-themed songs in concert? Considering all the covers he's plowed through over the years, if Xmas songs haven't figured so far I doubt they ever will.

Of course, if he did do a Xmas album I'd be thrilled.

This one maybe: "Baby, It's Cold Outside" played in 1996-01-06 in Stockholm
wiki says: "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a pop standard with words and music by Frank Loesser. The song is popularly associated with winter weather, and although it does not refer to any specific time or holiday, it is commonly played alongside Christmas carols and popular winter holiday music.

[Jeremy Dylan]

Baby It's Cold Outside is my favourite date rape song, but I don't particularly associate it with Xmas.