What's the fascination with Mannheim Steamroller? (1 Viewer)

[Alf S]

It's that time of year and Xmas music is for sale everywhere and the one that shows up everywhere is Mannheim Steamroller. Last I heard they've sold over 18 million albums.

I don't get it, no matter what Xmas song of theirs I hear played, it sounds so incredibly cheesy and borderline annoying too boot. Most of the music/instruments sound like they came from soundtracks from those aweful 70'/80's sci-fi flicks.

They seem to completely butcher some of the truly classic Xmas songs we all know and love. Give me Burl Ives or Johhny Mathis any day of the holiday season. They truly put me in the Xmas mood (unlike MSR's bloated electronica stuff).

Am I the only one in the world who thinks this way??

Alfer

 

[NathanP]

Am I the only one in the world who thinks this way??

Yes..
You own the "Enormodrome", nuff said.

 

[Brian Bunn]

I'm with you Alfer. But the world is full of different tastes. Someone could release a Christmas music CD of holiday tunes banged out on trash cans and some would swear it was the greatest thing they ever heard!

Mannheim Steamroller just sounds to...processed and manufactured...or artificial...for my tastes.

I'd rather have a Christmas CD full of just songs played on a single acoustic guitar or piano any day.

 

[JamesMH]

Its for old folks

 

[Henry Gale]

It's not real music, but lot's of people won't let that phase them. Rush Limberger spends a lot of time shilling for this synthesized crap so his obsequious followers would account for a few thousand units sold.

Jim

Yes, I listen to Rush on occasion, less and less all the time. He used to be more entertaining, now he tends toward the shrill harpy.

.

 

[andrew markworthy]

Some of their albums are pretty well recorded, and for a while I used one of them for testing out components when I was buying a new piece of hi-fi. I did this because I could concentrate on the sounds rather than the music, which I found and still find utterly uninvolving. However, I find a lot of other music bland which others love (e.g. Enya), so I guess it's a matter of personal taste rather than having 'better' taste than other people.

If you want to try out instrumental music which *is* musically involving, try tracking down albums by Gryphon, which are pretty good (and well recorded as well).

 

[Jeffrey Forner]

Its for old folks

Pft!!! I'm 22, and own several Mannheim Steamroller albums, including all of their Christmas discs. Age has nothing to do with it.

The funny thing is, I definitely understand why some people would think that the synthesized sounds they produce are cheesy, but it doesn't bother me.

I guess what I really like is the way that Chip Davis (the head of Mannheim) combines those sounds with orchestras, choirs, and other acoustic instruments to create a unique blend that has more soul than the artificial processes that produce them should be able to give. On top of that, many of their arrangements of classic Christmas songs are indescribably beautiful. I challenge anyone to listen to their versions of "Still, Still, Still" "Bring a Torch" and the infamous "Silent Night" without being moved.

Aside from their Christmas albums, a lot of their stuff is really good and unbelievably catchy. If you ever get the chance (or just feel up to trying something new out) listen to their album Fresh Aire V. The album is about a trip to the moon... in 1608. Not only does the album sound great in its recording, but the songs capture a kind of thrill and excitement that one would get traveling through the stars all the while mixed with a sense of wonder and mystery.

But then again, that's just me talking. I think a lot of it has to do with how much you like synthesizers. If you hate them and equate them with nothing more than cheesy 80s music or bad science fiction films, then I suppose there's not much of a chance of getting you to like their stuff. In the meantime, I think I'll listen to that amazing rendition of "O Holy Night" they performed on their second Christmas album.

 

[Darren H]

Last week I was in a music store, playing around in the keyboard/synthesizer room. As I was clicking through the pre-set sounds on one keyboard, I stumbled on this basic synth wave (cheesey retro, not cool retro). So, of course, I broke into "Joy to the World" (the Christmas carol, not Three Dog Night). My wife and the two other people in the room turned toward me and just started laughing.

Yeah, I guess you had to be there.

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

I think I've been lucky that this holiday season I have yet to hear Mannheim's "Deck the Halls" or the dogs barking "Jingle Bells". I've been working long hours, haven't had time to shop for gifts, and in my car I listen to CDs instead of the radio. Maybe I can make it through the next week unscathed.

 

[Randy Tennison]

I've been listening to Mannheim Steamroller since 1981. Acutally, before that, even. Did you know that Chip Davis wrote "Convoy", and "Old Home Filler Up and Keep On Truckin Cafe". CW McCall was a fictional character / singer by Chip Davis.

Anyway, I love the first 5 Fresh Aire albums, had them all on album, got them all on CD. I saw them in concert twice. Got the first and second Christmas album. Then, something went wrong. They began to sound like bad copies of themselves. Nothing new or original. I hated Fresh Aire 6 and 7, never heard 8.

Then, it was announced that they were doing an album of Disney songs. Ok, maybe this will be good. I love Disney music, and thought they could do some really interesting things. Major dissapointment. Boring dull and lifeless are my three words to describe their Disney album.

So, they came out with a new Christmas album. I'm skipping it, as well. It just seems that they have not progressed in 20 years.

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

I vaguely remember that C.W. McCall was an alias and his real name is Chip Davis, but I wasn't going to make myself look stupid by asking that if I was wrong!
So Mannheim Steamroller is all his fault?
When I was a kid my older brother had all the C.W. McCall albums. I still remember a lot of those tunes. Because of "Convoy" and the whole C.B. craze, my brother wanted to be a truck driver. He went through several other career fields first but ultimately he did in fact become a truck driver!

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Am I the only one in the world who thinks this way??

No. If forced to use four words to describe MS, I'd go with "crappity-crap-crap-crap"...

 

[Ryan Spaight]

Actually, I think Chip Davis is a pseudonym for Keith Emerson...
Ryan