The Christmas Attic

The Christmas Attic
Studio album by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Released September 15, 1998
Recorded 1997-1998
Studio Soundtrack Studios,
Studio 900 and Stellar Productions (overdubs), New York City
Genre Symphonic rock, Christmas music
Length 73:19
Label Lava/Atlantic
Producer Paul O'Neill and Robert Kinkel
Trans-Siberian Orchestra chronology
Christmas Eve and Other Stories
(1996)Christmas Eve and Other Stories1996		 The Christmas Attic
(1998)		 Beethoven's Last Night
(2000)Beethoven's Last Night2000
Singles from The Christmas Attic
  1. "The World That He Sees"
    Released: 1998[1]
  2. "Christmas Canon"
    Released: 2001[2]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal8/10[4]

The Christmas Attic is the second album by the American rock band Trans-Siberian Orchestra, released in 1998. It is a rock opera about a young child exploring the attic in an old house on Christmas Eve and is the second installment of their Christmas Trilogy. This album contains a mix of vocal and instrumental songs, but as usual with TSO the story is the core of the album. The opening poetry sets up the story:

"In this room where shadows live
 And ghost that fail learn time forgives
Welcome friends please stay a while
Our story starts with one small child
Who spend her nights in attics dark
Where dreams are stored like sleeping hearts"

The album's cover art was created by Edgar Jerins.[5]

The track "Christmas Canon", one of the band's most well-known songs, is a variation of Johann Pachelbel's famous Canon in D Major, with lyrics and new music added.

On November 18, 2004, The Christmas Attic was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[6] The album was performed live for the first time during the band's 2014 Winter Tour.

References to other carols and works

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Ghosts of Christmas Eve"
2:15
2."Boughs of Holly" (instrumental)Traditional4:24
3."The World That She Sees"
6:00
4."Midnight Christmas Eve" (instrumental)
  • O'Neill
  • Oliva
4:21
5."The March of the Kings / Hark the Herald Angels Sing" (instrumental)
3:52
6."The Three Kings and I (What Really Happened)"
  • Kinkel
  • O'Neill
6:29
7."Christmas Canon"
4:19
8."Joy/Angels We Have Heard on High"
3:55
9."Find Our Way Home"
  • O'Neill
  • Oliva
3:45
10."Appalachian Snowfall" (instrumental)
  • Kinkel
  • O'Neill
4:12
11."The Music Box"O'Neill3:00
12."The Snow Came Down"
  • Kinkel
  • O'Neill
5:43
13."Christmas in the Air"
  • O'Neill
  • Oliva
4:12
14."Dream Child (A Christmas Dream)"
  • O'Neill
  • Oliva
7:04
15."An Angel's Share"
  • Kinkel
  • O'Neill
3:05
16."Music Box Blues"O'Neill5:36

The album was re-released in 2002 with a companion track to "The World That She Sees" (which was shortened from 6 minutes to just 3) called "The World That He Sees" inserted into the track listing directly after "She Sees" and having a length of 4:45. The last track "Music Box Blues" was also truncated to 4:57; this version was previously used in the TSO film The Ghosts of Christmas Eve.

Personnel

Performers

Vocals

Solos
Back–Ups

Child choir

  • Dan Moriarty – conductor
Choir
  • The Choristers, St. Bartholomew's Church, New York City
  • Marilina Acosta
  • Brendan Burgess
  • Julian George
  • Shoshana Frishberg
  • Julia George
  • Jack Gibson
  • Nina Gottlieb
  • Erick Hernandez
  • Michelle Repella
  • Anton Spivack

Orchestra

Production

  • Paul O'Neill – producer
  • Robert Kinkel – co–producer, additional engineering
  • Dave Wittman – recording and mixing engineer
  • Darren Rapp, Kathy Rich, Robert Duryea, Steve Ship, Tim Ronaghan – assistant engineers
  • Joe Johnson, Michael Shielzi, Sheldon Guide – additional engineering
  • Gin–Won Lee – additional engineering assistant
  • Kevin Hodge – mastering at The Cutting Room, New York

References

  1. ↑ The World That He Sees (track listing). Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Lava Records. 1998. 2-84548.
  2. ↑ Christmas Canon (track listing). Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Lava Records. 2001. PRCD 300705.
  3. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Trans-Siberian Orchestra - The Christmas Attic review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  4. ↑ Popoff, Martin (August 1, 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 455. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
  5. ↑ Roth, Dan (28 May 2012). "A conversation With Edgar Jerins: the man behind seven classic Savatage and Trans-Siberian Orchestra album covers". Music & Art Interviews.com. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  6. ↑ "RIAA Searchable Database: search for Trans-Siberian Orchestra". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2011-12-01.
  7. ↑ Saulnier, Jason (3 June 2008). "Chris Caffery Interview: Guitarist talks Savatage History". Music Legends.ca. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
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