The Ghosts of Christmas Eve

by Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Overview

The Ghosts of Christmas Eve was a live show conceived for television by Trans-Siberian Orchestra, separate from their Christmas Trilogy of recordings, which they were two-thirds of the way through at the time. It aired in on the short-lived Fox Family network in 1999 with a cast that included Ossie Davis, Michael Crawford, and Jewel. It saw a DVD release two years later and finally debuted on audio formats in 2016, though with a few changes to the track list. The show's mix of traditional Christmas tunes and original music with sung narrative tells the story of a runaway who finds shelter in an abandoned theater on Christmas Eve. A caretaker, played by Davis, takes the girl on a tour of the theater's past. Incorporating TSO's familiar palette of keyboards, drums, and chiming electric guitars -- often in unison -- along with dramatic vocals, strings, and choir, the recording opens with a scene-setting instrumental medley of "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "O Holy Night" in which guitar takes the lead. Churning, bagpipe-style electric guitars mark the next track, "Good King Joy." It opens with rock-instrumental versions of "Good King Wenceslas" and "Joy to the World" before a soulful narration begins. For those familiar with the original broadcast, Jewel's "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" and Michael Crawford's "O Holy Night" are swapped out here for "Christmas Dreams" and "What Child Is This" from TSO's 2004 album The Lost Christmas Eve. There's also an additional track, "Music Box Blues (Live)," recorded in 2004. The rest of the song set remains, including "Christmas Canon," a version of Pachelbel's Canon that provides contrast to the band's popular, theatrical rock arrangements. Along with the brief "Promises to Keep," it leaves guitars and drums behind for a children's-choir arrangement accompanied by just strings and keyboards. The release coincides with a North American tour of an updated Ghosts of Christmas Eve live show, so while the missing tracks may disappoint fans of the video, the album promises to find new audiences with the revision. ~ Marcy Donelson

Product Details

Release Date:	11/11/2016
Label:	Atlantic
UPC:	0081227942397

Tracks

1. O Come All Ye Faithful/O Holy Night [Instrumental]
2. Good King Joy
3. Christmas Dreams
4. Christmas Eve/Sarajevo (Instrumental]
5. Christmas Canon
6. What Child Is This?
7. Music Box Blues
8. Promises to Keep
9. This Christmas Day
10. First Snow [Instrumental]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Trans-Siberian Orchestra   Primary Artist
Paul O'Neill   Guitar
Babi Floyd   Vocals
Cenovia Cummins   Strings
Chris Caffery   Guitar
Latasha Spencer   Vocals (Background)
Mee Eun Kim   Keyboards
Jeff Plate   Drums
Carmine Giglio   Keyboards
David Gold   Strings
Jane Mangini   Piano
Garo Yellin   Strings
John Middleton   Guitar (Bass)
Johnny Lee Middleton   Bass
Caroline Ross   Choir/Chorus
Marlene Danielle   Vocals
Michael Lanning   Vocals
Dave Wittman   Bass,Drums,Guitar
Mary Wooten   Cello
Al Pitrelli   Guitar,Keyboards,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (Rhythm)
Alex Skolnick   Guitar
Hiroko Taguchi   Strings
Latasha Jordan   Choir/Chorus
John Clark   Horn
Angus Clark   Guitar
Tristan Avakian   Guitar
Jeff Allegue   Bass
Jon Oliva   Piano,Keyboards,Guitar (Bass)
Robert Kinkel   Piano,Conductor,Keyboards
Zak Stevens   Vocals (Background)
Tommy Farese   Vocals
John O'Reilly   Drums
Jeffrey Stackhouse   Vocals (Background)
Lisa Liu   Strings
Ken Williams   Vocals
Beth Butler   Choir/Chorus
Cabiria Jacobson   Choir/Chorus
Robert Evan   Vocals
Stephanie Rice Anderson   Choir/Chorus
Danielle Landherr   Vocals (Background)
Joslyn Brown   Choir/Chorus
Nancy Jackson   Vocals (Background)
Peter Valentine   Vocals (Background)
Rachel Rosenfield   Choir/Chorus
John Margolis   Vocals
Michael Fawcette   Vocals
Anthony Piccolo   Conductor
Warren Wilson   Choir/Chorus
Nigel Tangredi   Choir/Chorus
Michelle Satris   Strings
Takanori Niida   Drums
Takeytha Johnson   Choir/Chorus
Peggy Harley   Vocals (Background)
Dave Eggar   Strings
Mark Wood   Strings
David Z.   Bass
Joseph Murray   Choir/Chorus
Timothy Carosi   Vocals (Background)
Adrian Ross   Choir/Chorus

Technical Credits

Paul O'Neill   Composer,Lyricist,Producer
Traditional   Lyricist
Lowell Mason   Composer
Kevin Hodge   Mastering
John Reading   Composer
Nick Wood   Assistant Engineer
Adolphe Adam   Composer
Dave Wittman   Mixing,Recording
John Francis Wade   Composer
Johann Pachelbel   Composer
Mike Scielzi   Engineer
Jon Oliva   Composer
Ronn Huff   Arranger
Robert Kinkel   Arranger,Composer,Engineer,Lyricist,Producer,Choir Arrangement
Paul Suarez   Assistant Engineer
John Oliva   Composer
Tim Ronaghan   Engineer
Marc McCabe   Assistant Engineer
Mike Zinczenko   Engineer
Charles Harbour   Assistant Engineer
Joshua Ruzansky   Assistant Engineer
Bob Grannatt   Assistant Engineer
Ben Sanders   Assistant Engineer
Manson   Composer