BSO To Release Its First Holiday Album In A Decade This Fall

Courtesy: Surfdog Records

It may be summer. But that doesn’t mean that some people’s minds are already on the holidays.

Brian Setzer announced this week that his band The Brian Setzer Orchestra will release its new holiday album Rockin’ Rudolph on Friday, October 16^th. The album, which will be released via Surfdog Records, will be the first holiday record to have been released by the band in ten years. The twelve-track record will feature updated renditions of timeless classics including: ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,’ ‘Carol of the Bells,’ ‘Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,’ ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem,’ and others alongside new pieces such as: ‘Yabba-Dabba-Yuletide,’ ‘ Rockabilly Rudolph,’ ‘Little Jack Frost,’ and ‘Swingin’ Joy.’ The complete track listing for Rockin’ Rudolph is noted below.

Standard ROCKIN’ RUDOLPH track listing:

 

1. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”
2. “Yabba-Dabba Yuletide”
3. “Most Wonderful Time of the Year”
4. “Rockabilly Rudolph”
5. “Here Comes Santa Claus”
6. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
7. “Swingin’ Joy”
8. “Carol of the Bells”
9. “Little Jack Frost”
10. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”
11. “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
12. “Yabba-Dabba Yuletide” (extended)

 

Rockin’ Rudolph was produced by Peter Collins (Rush, Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, etc.). Along with its standard presentation, fans can also get their hands on a special Limited Edition numbered Deluxe presentation can be purchased online at http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/thebriansetzerorchestra. The special edition includes everything noted below.

 

The ROCKIN’ RUDOLPH DELUXE BOX SET includes:

1. Brand New Rockin’ Rudolph album on CD
2. Commemorative Sheet Music / Guitar Chart to “Nutcracker Suite” (just as Brian reads on stage!)
3. Custom Brian Setzer Die-cut Christmas Tree Ornament (3″ tall, alloy metal)
4. Brian Setzer’s Own Murray’s Pomade (Hair Product)
5. Commemorative BSO “Martini Logo” Stainless Steel Guitar Pick
6. BSO Christmas Album Cover Drink Coasters
7. Six Polaroid-style BSO Concert Photos
8. “Live in Nashville” 10×10 print
9. Reusable 8GB USB Credit Card w/ Extras, including:

• Hi-definition .wav files of full 12-track ROCKIN’ RUDOLPH album
• 2 New Bonus Instrumental Tracks Not Included on Album:  “Deck The Halls” & “Little Drummer Boy”
• Album Cover Rough Sketches by Artist Derek Yaniger
• Brief Behind-the-scenes video footage of BSO’s Rockin’ Rudolph recording session (House of Blues studio in Nashville, TN.)
• “Jingle Bells” – Live Performance by BSO (previously released)
• “Nutcracker Suite” – Live Performance by BSO (previously released)
• Behind-the-scenes look at Brian writing entire big band arrangement from scratch (previously released)

Photo Credit: Russ Harrington

When asked why he waited so long to make his new holiday album, Setzer noted primarily the span of time between its upcoming release and that of his last holiday album. “It’s been about 10 years since I made a Christmas record,” he said. In regards to the track listing chosen for the record, Setzer noted the popularity of the genre and all of the songs that he hadn’t yet touched on saying, “It [Christmas music] just seems to get more popular every year. They’re classic songs and you wonder after a couple records how many of them are left. Once you dig in you find, wow! I’ve haven’t done ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,’ you know. I’ve never done ‘Here Comes Santa Claus!’ Ones that everyone knows and are still out there. These songs are great songs. It doesn’t matter if they’re holiday songs or when they were written, they’re just great songs.” He added that in working up the new renditions, he paid attention to their style, making sure that they would be appealing to audiences of all ages saying, “The trick is to make them sound hip. Some of them are eternally hip, you know, so you don’t have to do too much.”

Rockin’ Rudolph will be released in stores and online on Friday, October 16^th via Surfdog Records. More information on the upcoming compilation is available online now along with all of Setzer’s latest news and updates at:

Website: http://www.briansetzer.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/briansetzerofficial

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