The Lost Christmas Eve

Performer: Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Engineer: Dave Wittman
Producer: Paul O'Neill; Robert Kinkel
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Trans-Siberian Orchestra: Jennifer Cella (vocals); Al Pitrelli (guitar, keyboards); Dave Wittman (guitar, bass guitar, drums); Chris Caffery, Alex Skolnick, Paul O'Neill, Angus Clark, Tristan Avakian (guitar); Amy Helm (whistle); John Clark (horns); Jon Oliva, Robert Kinkel (piano, keyboards); Jane Mangini (piano); Carmine Giglo, Mee Eun Kim (keyboards); David Z. , Johnny Lee Middleton, Jeff Allegue (bass guitar); Jeff Plate, Takanori Niida, John O'Reilly (drums). The story of Trans-Siberian Orchestra's third Christmas CD deals with angels visiting New York City, which gives the rock group with orchestra and chorus a chance to draw upon a wide variety of modern music. The jaunty "Christmas Nights in Blue" sounds like Louis Jordan had some influence and is the coolest moment the orchestra has ever offered, while the driving "Christmas Jam" is Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein" with some sleigh bells. Not that the group was ever "traditional," but the songs here sound less influenced by the old Christmas standards, and they're generally more fun and uplifting. The quiet numbers are delicate and beautiful and there are a number of them in the album's fourth quarter. The problem with the album is it's nearly choked with too much material with a great number of the songs just here to move ahead the story. That's when the album gets too emotive, too forced, and too Electric Light Orchestra without Jeff Lynne. Good new is, whittle out the dreck and you've still have plenty left to enjoy. Even though it won't win them any new fans, The Lost Christmas Eve is rumored to be an "end of the trilogy" album. If so, the trilogy ends with a big, theatrical bang and Trans-Siberian Orchestra fans wouldn't have it any other way. ~ David Jeffries The great cosmic fable of THE LOST CHRISTMAS EVE posits angels on earth, snow princesses in the galaxies, and Christmas in the hearts of hardened businessmen and New York City street kids. Trans-Siberian Orchestra's prog-rock opera (the third in a trilogy of Christmas-themed concept albums) traverses time and space to tell the story of a lonely man who discovers the deeper implications of love on a dark night before that merriest of days. Composer and producer Paul O'Neill favors big, theatrical arrangements and booming production, often utilizing vocal choirs (both gospel and classical), orchestral instruments, and a rock/big-band ensemble to achieve maximum oomph. His compositions are a catalog of emotion-stirring styles, as he glides from piano-pounding pop ("Christmas Nights in Blue") to bouncy fusion ("Christmas Jazz") to hard-edged rock ("Christmas Jam") to chamber music ("Remember"). Traditional carols appear amongst--and sometimes within--O'Neill's exciting originals. This dual approach is used most strikingly on "For the Sake of Our Brother," on which vocalist Daryl Pediford twines a heartrending "O' Come All Ye Faithful" into an impassioned Tom Waits-like ballad about faith and trust. With THE LOST CHRISTMAS EVE, Trans-Siberian Orchestra has created another classic backdrop for celebrating the season of hope and goodwill.

If the idea of a 60-piece metal/prog-rock symphony playing Christmas music sounds cheesy, try telling that to the tens of millions of music lovers who have flocked to Trans-Siberian Orchestra's live performances every year since 1996. TSO was created in New York City by composer/conductor/producer Paul O'Neill, composer Robert Kinkel, and singer Jon Oliva. O'Neill favors big, theatrical arrangements and booming production, and his compositions are a crowd-pleasing melange of styles, shifting effortlessly from Billy Joel-esque piano pop to bombastic metal to more trad-sounding orchestral fare. The outfit has recorded several multi-platinum selling Christmas concept albums, and regularly sells out stadiums throughout the United States and Canada.

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