Since September 2010, this blog has recorded the journey of this music junkie as I attempt to listen to all the music in my CD collection. CDs revisited in their entirety from start to finish - no skipping tracks, no shuffle. Compact Discs only - no vinyl, no tapes, no files.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

George Winston - December (1982)


Note: this 20th Anniversary edition contains 2 bonus tracks.

The emerging genre of New Age music might have gone unnoticed by me if a friend of the family hadn't given this album to my father as a Christmas gift around the time of release. I had never heard anything like it and it was certainly different than anything else I was listening to at the time. The music is haunting and mesmerizing. Listening to it while looking at the album cover art (I wish I still had the 12" album cover) always transports me.



Album chart peaks:
  • US Billboard Top 200: #54
  • Billboard Pop CD: #15
  • Billboard Jazz: #2
  • CashBox: #81
  • CashBox Jazz: #1
  • CashBox CD: #17

Tracks: Thanksgiving, Joy, Some Children See Him, The Holly & the Ivy, and Peace are all good solos. I could do without his take on Pachelbel's Canon, but that's probably because it is an overplayed work. The two bonus tracks fit nicely on the disc; my guess is they were omitted originally because an LP can only hold so much music without distorting the sound quality.


Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This album makes me fondly remember Christmases in Bay City during my high school years. This release, along with a church choir Christmas cantata introduced me to the carols of Alfred Burt, which are worth seeking out.

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