Various Artists

Merry Xmas! is a good alternative Christmas CD to the recent NOW series. They have a lot of similarities, but each have their own unique tracks. Merry Xmas! Has the claim over Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ and Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’, but then loses out on ‘Fairytale of New York’, offering the inferior Ronan Keating version.

Elsewhere you get a good Lady GaGa Christmas track (yes really) with ‘Christmas Tree’, as well as offerings from other modern day artists such as Pussycat Dolls, Christina Aguilera, Gabriella Cilmi, The Feeling and Girls Aloud. CDs 1 – 3 are the more pop orientated tracks whilst CD 4 is the traditional CD with a few carols mixed in with tracks from oldies like Cliff Richard, Tony Bennett and Johnny Mathis.

It is another solid collection, with plenty of top festive tunes to please everyone.

Tracks

Disc 1

1. All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey
2. Do They Know It's Christmas - Band Aid
3. Last Christmas - Wham
4. Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin' Stevens
5. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Girls Aloud
6. Christmas Tree - Lady Gaga & Space Cowboy
7. Happy New Year - Abba
8. Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord - Boney M
9. Santa Baby - Pussycat Dolls
10. The Christmas Song - Christina Aguilera
11. Fairytale Of New York - Ronan Keating & Maire Brennan
12. Dream A Dream - Charlotte Church
13. Warm This Winter - Gabriella Cilmi
14. Feels Like Christmas - Feeling
15. Steps Into Christmas - Elton John
16. Frosty The Snowman - Jackson Five
17. Merry Christmas Baby - Elvis Presley
18. Santa Clause Is Comin' To Town - Frank Sinatra
19. White Christmas - Bing Crosby
20. Driving Home For Christmas - Chris Rea

Disc 2

1. Stay Another Day - East 17
2. Merry Christmas Everybody - Slade
3. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
4. Stop The Cavalry - Jona Lewie
5. December Song (I Dreamed Of Christmas) - George Michael
6. Holiday Celebrate - Toni Braxton
7. Over The Rainbow - Eva Cassidy
8. What Christmas Means To Me - Al Green
9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Luther Vandross
10. Christmas Day - Dido
11. Love On A Layaway - Gloria Estefan
12. Early Christmas Morning - Cyndi Lauper
13. Do You Hear What I Hear - Gladys Knight & The Pips
14. Joy To The World - Aretha Franklin
15. Wintersong - Sarah McLachlan
16. Home For Christmas - Maria Mena
17. Little Drummer Boy - Johnny Cash
18. Deck The Halls - Jackie Wilson
19. O Christmas Tree - Mario Lanza
20. Walking In The Air - Peter Auty

Disc 3

1. The Power Of Love - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
2. 2000 Miles - Pretenders
3. Blue Christmas - Shakin' Stevens
4. Merry Christmas Everybody - Steps
5. I Have A Dream - Westlife
6. Christmas Tree - Backstreet Boys
7. I Don't Wanna Spend One More Christmas Without You - 'N Sync
8. My Only Wish (This Year) - Britney Spears
9. Wombling Merry Christmas - Wombles
10. Proper Crimbo - Bo Selecta
11. It's Christmas Time - Status Quo
12. Christmas Bop - T-Rex
13. Sleigh Ride - Air Supply
14. Mary's Boy Child - Harry Belafonte
15. Silent Night - G4
16. Pie Jesu - Angelis
17. Santa's Little Helpers - Rainbow Collections
18. All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) - Jones Spike & His City Slickers
19. Lonely This Christmas - Great British Barbershop Boys
20. Ave Maria - Priests

Disc 4

1. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year - Andy Williams
2. The Millennium Prayer - Cliff Richard
3. Let It Snow Let It Snow Let It Snow - Frank Sinatra
4. I Believe In Father Christmas - Greg Lake
5. A Winter's Tale - David Essex
6. I Believe - Robson & Jerome
7. Winter Wonderland - Tony Bennett
8. A Spaceman Came Travelling - Chris De Burgh
9. When You Wish Upon A Star - Glenn Miller
10. When A Child Is Born - Johnny Mathis
11. Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt
12. I'll Be Home For Christmas - Doris Day
13. White Christmas - Vera Lynn & Mantovani Orchestra
14. Oh Happy Day - Edwin Hawkins Singers
15. We Three Kings - Winchester Cathedral Choir
16. Ding Dong Merrily On High - Choir Of Trinity College Cambridge
17. O Come All Ye Faithfull - Choir Of Trinity College Cambridge
18. Hark The Herald Angels Sing - Choir Of Trinity College Cambridge
19. O Little Town Of Bethlehem - Choir Of Trinity College Cambridge
20. Auld Lang Syne - Gay Gordon