Christmas Eve and Other Stories

Performer: Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Producer: Paul O'Neill
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Trans-Siberian Orchestra includes: Paul O'Neill (conductor). In 2004, Trans-Siberian Orchestra finished their "Christmas trilogy" with the massive -- some would say ponderous -- The Lost Christmas Eve. Wasting none of the holiday season's precious shopping time, the Christmas Trilogy box set landed two weeks after that album, giving the band's loyal fan base a set to give -- some would say inflict -- to their friends. Then again, maybe they'll just want to hold on to the set since there's a DVD with appearances by Jewel and Michael Crawford and the lavishly illustrated booklet includes all the lyrics and background stories. You really should dabble in Trans-Siberian's dramatic, huge world of Christmas music through the eyes of classic rock before laying down the money for the set. If you just need a bit of this 60-piece, the first album is the most inspired, but it's not enough for most who get hooked. Although the next two albums gave diminishing returns, Trans-Siberian producer/mastermind Paul O'Neill kept pouring his heart into the music and always offered some genuine thrills. Great presentation and a packed DVD make up for a lot of note-spinning on the third disc, and what was a wintry night made for besides curling up with a precious, hope-filled story, no matter how cumbersome? ~ David Jeffries What would happen if members of Savatage decided to write some Christmas songs? Easy: Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This "supergroup" is the brainchild of Jon Oliva and Paul O'Neill (respectively the leader-keyboardist and the producer of Savatage). They hired Al Pitrelli (Asia, Savatage) to play guitars, Robert Kinkel to help with keyboards, John Middleton (also a member of Savatage) on bass, and Jeff Plate on drums. Lead vocals are shared by six vocalists, while some of the backing vocals are handled by Savatage lead singer Zachary Stevens. Christmas Eve and Other Stories is a concept album: all the songs are built as chapters of a book, each telling part of a larger story. The plot here is of a young angel sent down to Earth to find and bring back to the Lord "the one thing that best represents everything good that has been done in the name of this day." The angel's quest takes him all over the world, through Russia and Sarajevo, until he finally hears the prayer of a father. This last piece is the strongest moment on the album and makes for a miniature story within the larger story. It is basically told in a trilogy of songs: in the first, "Ornament," we hear the father's prayer, explaining how he hasn't seen his daughter in many years. In "Old City Bar," the angel finds the daughter, standing alone outside a bar, and talks to the bartender who, out of a random act of kindness, takes all the cash from his register drawer and gives it to the girl so she can go home. The third song, "This Christmas Day," has the father praising God, thanking him for bringing his daughter back to him on this night of all nights. It is a very touching story, pondering the thought that "If you want to arrange it/This world you can change it/If we could somehow make this/Christmas thing last/By helping a neighbor/Or even a stranger." Musically, the band has taken some traditional Christmas songs ("O Come All Ye Faithful," "O Holy Night," "The First Noel") and mixed in some modern rock music. The result is stunning and very impressive. It is filled with energy that simply blows you away. The already classic "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" is a gripping instrumental based on "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (although you might have to listen carefully to hear it). Fans of progressive music should like this one. And if you're into the more recent works of Savatage (like Handful of Rain or Dead Winter Dead) you'll really love this. ~ Alex S. Garcia

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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