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Christmas the Cowboy Way is a studio recording released by the Western band Riders in the Sky on October 5, 1999. It is available as a single CD.
This is a collection new and old Christmas songs by Riders in the Sky. In making a holiday record which avoids over-recorded standards while creating an evocative "cowboy Christmas" mood, Riders In The Sky have created a unique Christmas collection.
[edit] Track listing
- Corn, Water and Wood
- Let It Snow/The Last Christmas Medley You'll Ever Need to Hear
- The Christmas Yodel
- Sidemeat's Christmas Stew
- The Prairie Dog Christmas Ball
- The Friendly Beasts
- Virgin Maria
- I'll Be Home for Christmas
- An Old Fashioned Christmas Polka
- The Twelve Days of Cowboy Christmas
- Just Put a Ribbon in Your Hair
- O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
[edit] Personnel
- Douglas B. Green (a.k.a. Ranger Doug)
- Paul Crisman (a.k.a. Woody Paul)
- Fred LaBour (a.k.a. Too Slim)
- Joey Miskulin (a.k.a. Joey The Cowpolka King)
[edit] Reviews/Ratings
AllMusic
- "With Christmas the Cowboy Way, the modern torchbearers of the cowboy singing tradition, Riders in the Sky, deliver an interesting mix of the sublime and the goofy. "Corn, Water and Wood" is a sweet and touching adaptation of the story of the Advent, in which three cowboys bring regionally appropriate gifts to the newborn babe. Ranger Doug's "Virgen Maria" is also very affecting. On the lighter side, there's a great swing arrangement of "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" that segues into "The Last Christmas Medley You'll Ever Need," which incorporates the first lines of about 20 Christmas songs. The group's cowboy adaptation of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is also lots of fun. But "Side Meat's Christmas Stew" and "The Prairie Dog's Christmas Ball" are both just a bit too hokey, even though the hokiness is obviously part of the joke. Fans will definitely want this one, but newcomers may want to begin elsewhere."
[edit] References / Sources
