Sufjan Stevens' Annual Christmas EPs Released On 12" Vinyl 5EP Box Set! Forget the 50 States. Christmas is a bigger concept. As some of you may or may not know as a holiday tradition, Sufjan embarked on an extraordinary experiment to record an annual Christmas EP. It started in 2001, the year of Epiphanies, and continued onward (skipping only 2004), culminating into an odd and idiosyncratic catalog of music that has only existed in the Asthmatic Kitty archives (and on a number of file sharing sites). The recording process took place every December, for one week, usually at home, provoking collaborations with friends, roommates, and musical peers. Armed with a Readers Digest Christmas Songbook (and a mug of hot cider) Sufjan & friends concocted a musical fruit cake year after year, implementing every musical instrument they could find lying around the house: banjo, oboe, Casiotone, wood flute, a buzzy guitar, hand claps, sleigh bells, Hammond organ, and some tree tinsel. Did we mention sleigh bells? It doesnt take much to capture that Creepy Christmas Feeling, does it? Recorded, mixed and mastered at home, the EPs themselves were often assembled in the kitchen, stapled together, and sent out with stickers and stamps to loved ones across the globe, year after year.
Recording traditional favorites alongside unique originals, Sufjan has constructed an odd, impressive, and compelling collection of Christmas tunes. He was "determined to present the EPs in their original form; flaws, blemishes, mistakes and all."
The box set is chock full of surprises!
Features:
• Five 12" Vinyl EPs
• Slipcase with red and green foil text
• First time on vinyl
• All original package design with illustrations by Sufjan Stevens, Stephen Halker and a family portrait painting by Jacques Bredy
• Lyrics, chord charts and full recording credits for all the songs
Selections:
Disc 1
Noel (2001) Vol. I
1. Silent Night
2. O Come O Come Emmanuel
3. Were Goin To The Country!
4. Lo! How A Rose E'er Blooming
5. It's Christmas! Let's Be Glad!
6. Holy Holy, etc.
7. Amazing Grace
Disc 2
Hark! (2002) Vol. II
1. Angels We Have Heard On High
2. Put The Lights On The Tree
3. Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing
4. I Saw Three Ships
5. Only At Christmas Time
6. Once In Royal David's City
7. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!
8. What Child Is This Anyway?
9. Bring A Torch, Jeanette, Isabella
Disc 3
Ding! Dong! (2003) Vol. III
1. O Come O Come Emmanuel
2. Come On! Let's Boogey To The Elf Dance!
3. We Three Kings
4. O Holy Night
5. That Was The Worst Christmas Ever!
6. Ding! Dong!
7. All The King's Horns
8. The Friendly Beasts
Disc 4
Joy (2005) Vol. IV
1. The Little Drummer Boy
2. Away In A Manger
3. Hey Guys! It's Christmas Time!
4. The First Noel
5. Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved It!)
6. The Incarnation
7. Joy To The World
Disc 5
Peace (2006) Vol. V
1. Once In Royal David's City
2. Get Behind Me, Santa!
3. Jingle Bells
4. Christmas In July
5. Lo! How A Rose E'er Blooming
6. Jupiter Winter
7. Sister Winter
8. O Come O Come Emmanuel
9. Star Of Wonder
10. Holy, Holy, Holy
11. The Winter Solstice
