20 Different Versions Of “Carol Of The Bells”

It's that time of year again...when I drag out a classic Christmas song we all know and love and find a number of different versions of it and gather them all in one place. (Hint: Right here.) And the key word is "different." Herein you'll find the song rendered by human voices alone, you'll hear full orchestra, mass choir, hip-hop, dubstep, metal core, boys' choir, and alternative versions, just to name a few. I dare ya to listen! Oh, and enjoy!  ~  JH

1)  Pentatonix  (Gorgeously intricate rendition by the current kings [and queen] of a cappella.)

2)  Trans-Siberian Orchestra  (Actual title: “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24”)  (Classic orchestral/heavy metal medley of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and this particular carol.)

3)  Family Force 5  (I don’t even know how to describe this one. Weird? Terrible? Inventive? Slightly off? Perhaps it’s all of the above.)

4)  BarlowGirl  (One of my favorite “girl groups” sings one of my favorite carols in a medley with “Sing We Now Of Christmas.” Breathtakingly beautiful!)

5)  DeStorm Power   (There just *had to* be a hip-hop version of this song out there somewhere, right? Yup. And this is it.)

6)  Capital Kings  (And a dubstep version, apparently.)

7)  August Burns Red  (Then there’s the metalcore rendition that you’ve all been waiting for. No? Well, maybe you should listen anyway. It’s rather awesome!)

8)  Celtic Woman  (It almost seems like the song was written for them to sing. Great stuff!)

9)  Sesame Street Cast ft. Jennifer Hudson  (A Dreamgirl and Muppets. What else is there to say?)

10)  David Hicken  (Never heard of this guy before, but he tickles the ivories quite adeptly.)

11)  Straight No Chaser  (Because we needed a more traditional a cappella version of the song, I suppose.)

12)  Mormon Tabernacle Choir  (And a mass choir with handbells version, of course.)

13)  Libera  (Something about a choir of boys dressed like wingless angels just screams Christmas! And weird. It most definitely also screams weird.)

14)  The Piano Guys  (Like the TSO song above, this is a medley of “Carol” and “God Rest Ye.” I dunno why he calls himself “The Piano Guys,” but he sure can play a mean cello!)

15)  Jessica Simpson  (This is what happens when a singer of generally vapid pop songs bothers to actually record “real” music. She should do so more often.)

16)  Fallulah  (Slower, darker, and vaguely menacing. Definitely different. In other words, I like it.)

17)  Kenny G  (Medley of “Carol” and “We Three Kings.” Leave it to a saxophonist to provide a breath of fresh air to an oft-recorded tune. Pun fully  intended. And fully awful.)

18)  Josh Wilson  (I’ve seen this guy work his magic in concert. This may sound like the work of a full band, but I’ll bet you he played nearly every note and instrument you hear all by himself.)

19)  The Calling  (To all these other renditions, I add this post-grunge/alternative rock offering. You’re welcome?)

20)  Richard Carpenter  (The only thing this one’s missing is Richard’s sister Karen’s velvety vocals. One thing it could do without is all the cheesiness. But I guess it was the '70s...so there ya go!)

“Slip” & “Slide” Songs, Vol. 2

Second and final installment in the latest miniseries, featuring songs with "Slip" and/or "Slide" in their titles. Ready, set, get wet! (To quote a Paw Patrol catchphrase. Yeah, I know, I am WAY lame!) Enjoy!  ~  JH

1)  Jewel  ~  “Long Slow Slide”

2)  Vince Gill  ~  “Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away”

3)  Joe Satriani  ~  “Devil’s Slide”

4)  Eryn Allen Kane  ~  “Slipping”

5)  Johnny Paycheck  ~  “Slide Off Of Your Satin Sheets”

6)  Elvis Presley  ~  “Funny How Time Slips Away”

7)  Dido  ~  “Slide”

8)  Sanjoy ft. Trevor Holmes  ~  “Slip Away”

9)  Los Straitjackets  ~  “Brooklyn Slide”

10)  Lacy J. Dalton  ~  “Slip Away”

11)  No Use For A Name  ~  “Let It Slide”

12)  The Rolling Stones  ~  “Slipping Away”

13)  The Pretenders  ~  “Cuban Slide”

14)  Andrew Gold  ~  “Never Let Her Slip Away”

15)  Frank Yankovic & His Yanks  ~  “When Banana Skins Are Falling (I’ll Come Sliding Back To You)”  (Hands down, best song title in the bunch. Pun intended.)

16)  Annie Brooks  ~  “Slipping By”

17)  Trampled By Turtles  ~  “Ceiling Slide”

18)  Kenny G  ~  “Slip Of The Tongue”

19)  Jeff Bradshaw ft. Jill Scott  ~  “Slide”

20)  Moby  ~  “Slipping Away”

21)  Buriers  ~  “Slides By”

22)  Amy Belle  ~  “Slipping Under”

23)  Mew  ~  “Water Slides”

24)  Neil Young & Crazy Horse  ~  “Slip Away”

25)  Blinker The Star  ~  “Below The Sliding Doors”

Songs About Going

Here's the other half of that last "Opposites" music  post I promised you. Those were "Coming" songs, and these are "Going." So enjoy 'em before they're gone for good! Or something like that...  ~  JH

1)  Fall Out Boy  ~  "Sugar, We're Goin' Down"

2)  Evanescence  ~  "Going Under"

3)  Dizzee Rascal ft. Robbie Williams  ~  "Goin' Crazy"

4)  Brad Paisley ft. Dolly Parton  ~  "When I Get Where I'm Going"

5)  Marvin Gaye  ~  "What's Going On"

6)  Mary J. Blige  ~  "Goin' Down"

7)  Canned Heat  ~  "Going Up The Country"

8)  Ella Eyre  ~  "Going On"

9)  Dave Matthews Band  ~  "Where Are You Going?"

10)  Kenny G  ~  "Going Home"

11)  Dixie Chicks  ~  "If I Fall You're Going Down With Me"

12)  The Jam  ~  "Going Underground"

13)  Phil Collins  ~  "Going Back"

14)  Daniel Truhitte & Charmian Carr  ~  "Sixteen Going On Seventeen"

15)  Eels  ~  "I'm Going To Stop Pretending That I Didn't Break Your Heart"

16)  Sade  ~  "When Am I Going To Make A Living?"

17)  Dire Straits  ~  "Where Do You Think You're Going?"

18)  Ledisi  ~  "Goin' Thru Changes"

19)  P.O.D.  ~  "Going In Blind"

20)  Cream  ~  "We're Going Wrong"

21)  Mariah Carey  ~  "Do You Know Where You're Going To?"

22)  Joe Jackson  ~  "Is She Really Going Out With Him?"

23)  Queen  ~  "I'm Going Slightly Mad"

24)  Amos Lee ft. Pete Townshend  ~  "What's Been Going On"

25)  Gaither Homecoming ft. Bill Gaither  ~  "Going Home"

BONUS TRACK:  Cyndi Lauper  ~  "What's Going On"  (This is a cover of Marvin Gaye's iconic song [above], but Cyndi put her own unique mark on the song, and it too merits a spot in this collection.)

16 Different Renditions Of "Silver Bells"

I did a couple of these kinds of posts last year around this time, and I'm liable to do a couple more after this one. Here you have 16 unique renditions of the same Christmas song. Reply with your favorite version in the comments. Enjoy!  ~  JH

1)  Dean Martin  (smooth and swingin')

2)  John Denver  (folksy and warm)

3)  Anne Murray  (polished and pretty)

4)  Twisted Sister  (wild and raucous)

5)  Bing Crosby & Carole Richards  (cool and classy)

6)  Meaghan Smith  (indie and adorable)

7)  Kenny Chesney  (tasteful and twangy)

8)  Perry Como  (jolly and jingly)

9)  Paul Simon & Steve Martin  (irreverent and oh-so-wrong)

10)  Relient K  (fresh and modern)

11)  Alan Jackson  (simple and sincere)

12)  Bob Hope & Marilyn Maxwell  (the original version!)

13)  Kenny G  (instrumental and influential)

14)  Elvis Presley  (timeless and touching)

15)  Andy Williams & The Osmonds  (crooner and boyband)

16)  The National, Gregg Allman, & Stephen Colbert  (strange but sweet)