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FilterFunk's Original Christmas Music Thread

"Old Time Christmas Shows" - Yea or Nay?

  • Yea!

    Votes: 1 100.0%

  • Nay!

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    1
  • Poll closed .
FilterFunk

FilterFunk

Everything is on the ONE!
Supporting Member
Mar 31, 2010
6,552
85,098
soundcloud.com
#1
Inspired by mellowinman's music threads, I decided to start my own thread featuring my original Christmas songs, and my covers of holiday favorites. For the record, it's all done by me in my very modest home studio with keyboard and various synth modules, drum machines and a sampler. If I mention bass, guitar, drums, horns, etc., know that it's all simulated. I'll add a new track every two or three days. I hope you'll enjoy them!

First up: one of my original tunes, "Christmas Time Is Finally Here!"
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#4
Next up: "Christmas Rap Medley"

The guitar riff is borrowed and modified from Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love." The horn riff is partly from "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town." The lyrics are from the classic Clement C. Moore poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," aka "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," and various familiar holiday tunes. I am SO not a rapper, but I did my best to emulate Run-DMC's back-and-forth rap duo style.

Enjoy!
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#10
Fat Freddy said:
Ok....So when do you release the album...:hyper:
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Since it's too late to get the songs ready for sale this year, I'll just give them away! Just go to this link:
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...and click the little downward button by the title of the song or songs of your choice, and you'll see a prompt asking if you want to open or save the mp3. Download all the Christmas songs you want!
 
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#11
FilterFunk said:
Since it's too late to get the songs ready for sale this year, I'll just give them away! Just go to this link:
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...and click the little downward button by the title of the song or songs of your choice, and you'll see a prompt asking if you want to open or save the mp3. Download all the Christmas songs you want!
Click to expand...
How very kind of you sir!......:thumbsup::)
 
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#12
This is my funky rendition of "Up On The Housetop" (with and without vocals). I thought the second and third verses of the original lyrics were a little outdated...

First comes the stocking of little Nell
Oh, dear Santa will fill it well
Give her a dolly that laughs and cries
One that can open and shut its eyes

Look in the stocking of little Bill
Oh, just see what a glorious fill
Here is a little hammer and lots of tacks
A whistle and a ball and whip that cracks

...so I rewrote them back in 2000. First, I was going to add current toys and games, but I realized those would be outdated in just a few years or less. Then, in keeping with the first verse, I decided to write lyrics about Santa's gift-delivering ride; that way, the lyrics would remain timeless. I ended up writing 3 new verses:

On to the next housetop they soar
Quietly they land once more
Now Santa looks up and down his list
So that no one will be missed

All through the night those reindeer glide
Taking Santa for a ride
Oh, what a long and glorious flight!
All around the world in just one night!

So many places around the world
Filled with little boys and girls
Dreaming about all the gifts they'll see
Underneath the Christmas tree

I first recorded the song in 2000, and I re-recorded it last year. These are my 2016 versions:
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#13
FilterFunk said:
This is my funky rendition of "Up On The Housetop" (with and without vocals). I thought the second and third verses of the original lyrics were a little outdated...

First comes the stocking of little Nell
Oh, dear Santa will fill it well
Give her a dolly that laughs and cries
One that can open and shut its eyes

Look in the stocking of little Bill
Oh, just see what a glorious fill
Here is a little hammer and lots of tacks
A whistle and a ball and whip that cracks

...so I rewrote them back in 2000. First, I was going to add current toys and games, but I realized those would be outdated in just a few years or less. Then, in keeping with the first verse, I decided to write lyrics about Santa's gift-delivering ride; that way, the lyrics would remain timeless. I ended up writing 3 new verses:

On to the next housetop they soar
Quietly they land once more
Now Santa looks up and down his list
So that no one will be missed

All through the night those reindeer glide
Taking Santa for a ride
Oh, what a long and glorious flight!
All around the world in just one night!

So many places around the world
Filled with little boys and girls
Dreaming about all the gifts they'll see
Underneath the Christmas tree

I first recorded the song in 2000, and I re-recorded it last year. These are my 2016 versions:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Click to expand...
I downloaded the Christmas songs that you so kindly offered last night and gave them a listen today.....

Really enjoyed them....good work!....:hyper::D

Many thanks for making them available.....

Happy Christmas...:):thumbsup:
 
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#15
Here's my attempt to write an old-fashioned Christmas song, the kind that Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra or Andy Williams might have sung. This is way outside of my wheelhouse, but I thought it turned out pretty good. I wish I could sing with more of a Bing Crosby-style baritone, though. It's called "New Treasures":
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#16
How about another Twofer Tuesday?

These are my funky (surprise!;)) versions of "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer." I'm using my EHX Q-Balls envelope filter on bass, and I'm using a Line 6 Otto Filter on the horns. It's the first and only time I've ever used envelope filter on anything other than bass, guitar or clav. Here are the vocal and instrumental versions. Enjoy!
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#18
Gonna change things up, slow things down and get more traditional...

This is a version of "Silent Night" I did many years ago on a Tascam 424 4-track cassette recorder. The recording is far from perfect (you'll notice that I could have used a good pop filter for the vocals!), but I like the overall sound and feel of it so much that I decided not to do a new recording. I remastered the original recording, and here it is - full mix, then just vocals:

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#19
Aaaaannnndddd back to the funk!:D

Have you ever heard a Christmas version of the Parliament classic "Flash Light"? Well, you have now!
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This was the most difficult and most gratifying production I've ever done. I knew I couldn't begin to duplicate "Flash Light," but I just wanted it to sound good enough. It turned out better than I expected. I'm very happy with it, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

A related anecdote: My brother got a new truck a few nights ago, and he called me outside to check it out. He wanted me to get inside so I could hear the sound system (which is awesome!). The song he used to demonstrate the system was - you guessed it - my "Christmas Flash Light"! It was the first time that I was purely a consumer instead of a nit-picking producer when listening to my own music. It was an amazing little experience!
 
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#20
And so we've come to the end of my original Christmas music thread (maybe; see my next post). Thanks for all the excellent feedback and support. I love making music, and I really love it when it's appreciated.

This song is about remembering what Christmas is really about in the midst of the commercial and secular holiday season. It's called "Let Us Celebrate!":
 
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