I make scant mention of taking a not-so-guilty-pleasure in the work of one Garth Brooks.
He was (and probably still is) my Dad’s favourite singers and many a road trip/ in-town outing was punctuated by incessant journeys through his entire catalogue.
Though the corner of this canon that is least celebrated is his Christmas album – Beyond the Season.
Now, I’m sure were I to go back and listen to this album today (and I may just do that) it would strike me as both ridiculous and crappy. However, what needs to be noted about this album, much like any cherished childhood favourite, is not the music itself, but the feelings and memories it invokes.
Looking back on it, I’m instantly transported to the back seat of a rusted 92 Ford Escort with a shoddy heating system. Making the best of near-hypothermic conditions unironically singing along to “Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy” whilst trying to get enough revs to make it out of my high school parking lot’s inclined driveway without losing the muffler on the way out.
Though providing a mix of new Country kitsch and Christian traditionals, it makes for an interesting collection still to this date. I still don’t quite understand how the aforementioned “Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy” got wedged between gorgeous renditions of “The Friendly Beasts” and “Silent Night”, but that’s a flow argument my ten-year-old self just never thought to make.
It’s been a long time since my Old Man dusted off the Garth and, to be frank, I doubt we have the album on anything other than cassette these days. However, if the McNeil clan makes its annual sojourn to the Cambridge area to chop down a Christmas tree (yet another hilariously wholesome family tradition that has endured longer than one would think) I may just have to download this old gem and see if there’s any magic still to be found in it.
He was (and probably still is) my Dad’s favourite singers and many a road trip/ in-town outing was punctuated by incessant journeys through his entire catalogue.
Though the corner of this canon that is least celebrated is his Christmas album – Beyond the Season.
Now, I’m sure were I to go back and listen to this album today (and I may just do that) it would strike me as both ridiculous and crappy. However, what needs to be noted about this album, much like any cherished childhood favourite, is not the music itself, but the feelings and memories it invokes.
Looking back on it, I’m instantly transported to the back seat of a rusted 92 Ford Escort with a shoddy heating system. Making the best of near-hypothermic conditions unironically singing along to “Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy” whilst trying to get enough revs to make it out of my high school parking lot’s inclined driveway without losing the muffler on the way out.
Though providing a mix of new Country kitsch and Christian traditionals, it makes for an interesting collection still to this date. I still don’t quite understand how the aforementioned “Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy” got wedged between gorgeous renditions of “The Friendly Beasts” and “Silent Night”, but that’s a flow argument my ten-year-old self just never thought to make.
It’s been a long time since my Old Man dusted off the Garth and, to be frank, I doubt we have the album on anything other than cassette these days. However, if the McNeil clan makes its annual sojourn to the Cambridge area to chop down a Christmas tree (yet another hilariously wholesome family tradition that has endured longer than one would think) I may just have to download this old gem and see if there’s any magic still to be found in it.
1 comments:
This makes me think of one of my favourite Christmas memories: Doc singing Garth Brooks for Jeanette and Terry at the last Festive blow-out held at the apartment on Princess Street. Remember the 'ghost of Christmas present?' the berry costume? The singing (and other activities) in the HoJo stairwell? Magic.
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