Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Trending
    • Country Highlight: The Netherlands
    • If You’re Moving Back Home After Uni …
    • Jane Austen in Lockdown: How her six novels are more relevant than ever
    • All About … Period Poverty
    • My Veggie Journey: How not being strictly Vegetarian is OK
    • Watch with Pride: Your Top TV Picks this Pride Month
    • Globe Trotting on Screen: Your Guide to Summer 2021
    • Struggling to Lose Weight? How to Spot the Signs of a Fad Diet
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Flickr
    Seren
    • News & Politics
      1. Local News
      2. UK News
      3. Uni News
      4. World News
      5. Politics
      6. Comment
      7. Business
      Featured

      SABB Election: The Full Result Breakdown

      By Emily ReadMarch 20, 20210
      Recent

      Retro? Chip shortage may bring vintage tech to your car.

      May 6, 2021

      Manizha – the artist causing a stir as the Russian representative for Eurovision 2021:

      May 6, 2021

      Starting a Business at University

      April 23, 2021
    • Arts & Culture
      1. Books
      2. Games
      3. Film
      4. Music
      5. TV
      6. Creative Corner
      Featured

      Bangor alumni podcast earns Hollywood cameo & BBC features

      By Amelia SmithMarch 7, 20210
      Recent

      Jane Austen in Lockdown: How her six novels are more relevant than ever

      July 7, 2021

      Watch with Pride: Your Top TV Picks this Pride Month

      May 17, 2021

      Globe Trotting on Screen: Your Guide to Summer 2021

      May 16, 2021
    • Lifestyle
      1. Fashion
      2. Food and Drink
      3. Social
      4. Health and Beauty
      5. Travel
      Featured

      Country Highlight: The Netherlands

      By Emily ShoultsMay 6, 20220
      Recent

      Country Highlight: The Netherlands

      May 6, 2022

      If You’re Moving Back Home After Uni …

      August 3, 2021

      All About … Period Poverty

      May 17, 2021
    • Discovery
      1. Science
      2. Environment
      3. History
      4. International
      Featured

      Brewing up a Storm: The History of Guinness

      By Emily ReadMarch 20, 20210
      Recent

      Manizha – the artist causing a stir as the Russian representative for Eurovision 2021:

      May 6, 2021

      Japan plan to release radioactive water into the ocean

      May 6, 2021

      The link between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots

      April 29, 2021
    • Sport
      1. Varsity 2019
      2. Varsity 2018
      3. Varsity 2017
      4. Varsity 2016
      5. Varsity 2015
      6. Varsity 2014
      7. Varsity 2013
        • Varsity 2013 Results
        • Varsity 2013 – In tweets
      Featured

      Bangor Muddogs’ American Football: a young woman finding her place

      By Jade HillMarch 23, 20210
      Recent

      The 48-hour rise and fall of the European Super League

      April 27, 2021

      The European Super League is announced

      April 19, 2021

      Formula 1’s ‘Drive to Survive S3’ is released

      April 7, 2021
    • Students’ Union
      1. Union News
      2. Societies
      3. Volunteering
      4. Clubs
      Featured

      INTERVIEW: Be Period Positive

      By Caroline CartmillMarch 17, 20210
      Recent

      Bangor University Feminist Society

      March 30, 2021

      INTERVIEW: Be Period Positive

      March 17, 2021

      LGBT History Month in Bangor

      March 4, 2021
    • Issues
      • Current Issue
      • This year’s issues
      • Last year’s issues
      • Seren Archive
      • Seren Teams
    Seren
    Home»Arts & Culture»Music»Classic Christmas album review: Bob Dylan – Christmas In The Heart
    Music

    Classic Christmas album review: Bob Dylan – Christmas In The Heart

    Rosie MacLeodBy Rosie MacLeodDecember 21, 2012Updated:August 19, 2013No Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    It shocked music critics almost as much as when he ditched folk for electric. In 2009, the shop shelves and online stores were suddenly boasting a seemingly unannounced (there was very little publicity about it, for certain) Christmas Album entitled Christmas in the Heart. By Bob Dylan. (Sic!) I remember waking up to this news in October three years ago. “What is he like?” was my natural reaction. In retrospect, it seems silly to have been so surprised. How can his fans or, at least, listeners, expect anything but the unexpected from Bob? This is a man whose eccentricities endear his fans to him. After his progression from folk to electric, recording a folk version of the infectious klezmer song Hava Nagila, his cheesy 80s phase involving fingerless gloves, his appearance in an advertisement for what he terms ‘ladies garments’ (underwear) and his yawning through his own Honorary Degree Ceremony in Scotland, a cheesy Christmas album from Dylan seems a somewhat natural progression. The entire album is comprised of cover versions, a nice change from Dylan-penned songs that ‘borrow’ full and direct phrases from well known poems, novels and songs. Before converting from Judaism to Christianity in adulthood, Dylan always delighted to engage with Christmas and the music thereof as a child in Minnesota, a place he bemoans as invariably uncomfortably cold in winter.

    Winter Wonderland.

    If you thought Macy Gray’s voice croaked through her version of the song, ‘you ain’t heard nuttin’ yet!’ Bob’s trademark rough, guttural sound works its winter magic on this piece, while the close-harmony backing singers exercise an immaculate sound just for contrast. I love the syncopated and jazz violin on this track, a sound which marries both the jazz of North America and the folk sound of the southern States. Bob sings four unchanged carols on this album, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, O Come All Ye Faithful (partly in Latin!), The First Noël and O Little Town of Bethlehem. However, he also changes several religious references in Winter Wonderland for a more global and non-denominational feeling. This may be a festive wink to his ethnic Judaism or to the American tendency to say ‘Happy holidays’.

    Must be Santa.

    My personal favourite song on the album has to be Must be Santa. It is a cumulative song. That is to say, like The Twelve Days of Christmas, each chorus is a line longer, incorporating the newly-sung line of the outgoing verse. It was first performed by Mitch Miller in 1960. The song is based on a German drinking game and the Bob Dylan cover has a very European feel to it. Unlike the original, Bob uses the polka style- because he loves folk music-, a polka rhythm and an accordion. The video is set at a debauched party which gets a little out of hand. As any Dylan fan will know, his recording of Rainy Day Women similarly involves a similarly rowdy background gathering. Over the course of the song’s video, Dylan appears to wear every hat but his Nashville Skyline one and also to have acquired some hair straighteners and cigars for Christmas. In the latter stages of the song, Donner and Blitzen’s names are changed to ‘Kennedy and Nixon’. Trust me Bob, we’re listening, you don’t need to test us.

    Bob Dylan Christmas folk issue227 music Must be Santa review Winter Wonderland
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Rosie MacLeod

    Related Posts

    REVIEW: An Evening with David Olusoga and Adam Rutherford

    April 17, 2021

    Switching to Eco-Friendly Toilet Paper

    March 26, 2021

    REVIEW: Clouds : The Parallel

    February 27, 2021

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    MORE INFORMATION
    • ABOUT
    • ADVERTISE
    • CONTACT US
    • GET INVOLVED
    • MEMBERS
    Links
    • Bangor University Bangor University
    • Google+ Google+
    • Undeb Bangor Undeb Bangor
    About

    Seren is Bangor University Students’ Union’s English Language Newspaper

    We have editorial independence from both Bangor University and Bangor Students’ Union. Seren is written by students for students and we’d love you to get involved!

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.