Track Listing

1. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
2. Winter Wonderland
3. Mele Kalikimaka
4. Mary's Boy Child
5. O Holy Night
6. Little Drummer Boy
7. We Three Kings
8. White Christmas
9. Silver Bells
10. Sleigh Ride
11. Christmas Song
12. Silent Night/Joy to the World
13. Auld Lang Syne

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #95402 in Music
• Released on: 1996-09-03
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.com
Mallets everywhere... Among the occasional oddities that comprise Christmas music, Arthur Lyman's With a Christmas Vibe almost stands out by itself--and could well be the inspiration for that wacky Toolbox Christmas. Instrumental versions of holiday hymns and secular favorites get a vibraphonic treatment here that is as exotic as it is soothing. Lyman plays it straight on most of the pieces, but the vibraphone tends to cast its own spells. Complete with a history of how Christmas was celebrated in the islands before Hawaii became the 50th state, the disc also comes with select recipes for everything from Quaking Plum Pudding to Green Goddess Salad Dressing. --Martin Keller

From the Label
The Exotica king warms up the holiday season WITH A CHRISTMAS VIBE. Featuring a dozen Christmas favorites jazzed up Waikiki lounge style, the album originally released by the HIFI Recordings label in the early Sixties under the name MELE KALIKIMAKA, was remixed and remastered from the original three-track master tapes. A selection of traditional Hawaiian Christmas recipes enhance the package and help set the stage for a swingin' Yule, exotica style.

On WITH A CHRISTMAS VIBE, the tiki god puts his own tropical jazz spin on such classics as "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer," "The Little Drummer Boy," and "White Christmas." Also featured is a soothing rendition of the island holiday standard "Mele Kalikimaka" ("Song of Christmas" in Hawaiian), which served as the title track for the original issue of the album. With his trademark use of exotic instrumentation, including vibes, marimba, ukelele, silver bells and conch shells. Lyman delivers a festive aural mai-tai sure to evoke surfing Santas and ornament laden palms swaying in the tropical December breeze...

Customer Reviews

A great disc, in spite of some odd track numbering
Lyman Fan is correct about the odd editing on this disc, but I know why it was done. This version of the album was released in the mid-'90s, at the height of the hidden track craze. There were a couple of methods used to hide a track, and one of them was to place the bonus track at the end of the album's reported last track, following a long period of silence. The thinking was that the average person would believe the CD had ended and remove the disc, while the more persistent listener would be rewarded with a bonus song. Rykodisc tried to do that here, but made the odd decision of assigning a track number to most of the bonus track, instead of having it completely exist as part of track 12, as was the norm.

The good news is, this won't affect the average listener. If you are listening to the disc straight through, the transition will be seamless. You will only know the track number has changed if you happen to be looking at your display. On the other hand, if you jump directly to track 13, you will miss a little bit of it, which is unfortunate. You may not be bothered by it, since that part of the track is purely sound effects, and not the song proper. I can't blame a "purist" for being disappointed, however.

Personally, I transferred this CD to my hard drive so I could add it to my Christmas rotation, and I used a sound editor to remove the silence and to consolidate both parts of the bonus track into one file. It works well, and I will tell you that this is a fun version of "For Auld Lang Syne." The firework sound effect will really put you in the New Years' mood.

The bottom line: don't let this one little quirk keep you from buying the disc. It's sure to liven up your Christmas parties for many years to come.

Christmas Exotica
"Lyman Fan" must have gotten a bad disc because mine sounds fine. Based on the MUSIC, this is a 5-star recording. Listen to the audio samples and see for yourself. This is a Christmas must for any lounge/exotica fan. Now all we need is a Martin Denny Christmas album!

Perfect Christmas listening
This is one of those perfect seasonal albums. Great as background music but the quality of the playing transcends all charges of kitsch and cheesiness and begs for closer listening. Even that perennial yuletide horror "Little Drummer Boy" is rendered more than pleasurable to the ear.