Hello,
My name is Eric Gregory.  I am doing a research paper on “Carol of the Bells”.  It is one of my favorite songs and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s arrangement is the best.  I appreciate the hard work that you have put into performing “Carol of the Bells”.  I was woundering if you could help me with my research paper by answering one or two question for me.

What does this song (Carol of the Bells) mean to you? and/or why did you do this song (Carol of the Bells.)

Thank you in advance for your time.

Eric Gregory

Um, Eric, you’ll probably have more luck getting this answered at the official Trans-Sieberian Orchestra website than by posting it here. As far as I know none of the group members read my blog.

I am listening to TSO’s Beethovens’ Last Night for the 1000th time and I have to say it is by far one of the best CD’s I have ever heard and even my father who listens to nothing but classical music says this is one powerful album and wants it for himself.

I was wondering if neone knew if the carol of the bells version is on a cd could u plz post, thx

Kyle, if you’re referring to TSO’s rendition of Carol of the Bells that Les mentions at the start of this post, it’s on their Christmas Eve And Other Stories album, which Les has linked to.  It’s Track #8 on that CD, Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24).

For any one else that might care, I highly recommend you see TSO live in concert, if you ever have that opportunity.  Their CD’s are among the best I own, yet they are junk compared to the live performance.  You don’t get the full experience of the “rock opera” until you’ve seen it complete with the narration, the light show, the actions of the performers, and everything else that goes with it.  The producers make sure to choose high caliber musicians to support the original group members, people who really understand the music and can express that understanding to you.  And I don’t know if they do this everywhere, but at our venue last year the entire group stayed afterwards to sign autographs for everyone who wanted them.

For being a story highly based in religion, I find that the message in TSO’s works extends above and beyond religion, and are true without it.  Maybe the writers just decided to go with a theme most people would at least be familiar with, I don’t know.  You just have to have the ears and the heart to “listen” to what they’re really saying, beyond the words.  Anyway, even being someone who really doesn’t care much for “religion” right now, I still love these albums and really believe in the simple truths they convey.

In fact I’m listening to them right now, in preparation for the concert on Saturday!  Last year’s was amazing, I was in awe for over two months, and this year I’m looking forward to savoring every moment!

I’m a good friend of Joe Cerisano, who is one of the featured vocalists in TSO East touring group.  Joe sings “Dream Child (a Christmas Dream)” on The Christmas Attic CD.  In the live show he sings “Ornament,” and “This Christmas Day.” The TSO fans want to hear “Dream Child” this time around; we’ll see.  In fact, Joe is the one who initially introduced me to the music of TSO.  I’d never heard of them back in ‘99 when I got back in contact with Joe (who I’d attended school with back here in West Virginia).  I didn’t check into the CD until later on during the holiday season of that year.  He got the call from Paul O’Neill to be on their second tour in 2000.  TSO did a small mini tour of around 6 shows the year before.  In 2000 the TSO machine was growing so as to put the two touring groups out on the road.  Going to see them has become a holiday tradition for my family.
Joe has had a real interesting career as a singer/songwriter.  He has ranged from backing up Michael Bolton to singing lead for Blue Oyster Cult (on their Imaginos album).  During the mid 80s he was the top male vocalist on TV commercials...sung this one: “Be All You Can Be...The Army,” sung and sold everything from GI Joe to McDonalds… Now he does TSO, occasional session work, and his own music and production.  His brand new Christmas CD “Give Love (for Christmas)” is a KILLER!  It is Christmas music with soul, passion, and integrity.  Check it out at:
http://www.cerisano.com or http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/cerisano3

The Christmas albums are certainly good stuff. I still need to pick a couple of them up and have hopes to do so this holiday season.

All I’m looking for is Carol of the Bells by this orchestra. But it is the one thing I cannot find.  It was listed in your songs on GoogleSearch.  Do you have this song? Do you know where I can find this song?  Can I hear this song on the computer? Any of it? Can you help me, please email me

Is it true that trans siberian orchestra recorded carol of the bells and mad russian cristmas with metallica?

Jonas, the website for TSO doesn’t say who they may have recorded any of their particular songs with, but the group is known for working with the best performers from a variety of musical genres so it’s entirely possibly that Metallica helped out on TSO’s renditions of Carol of the Bells and Mad Russian Christmas, but I can’t say for certain that is the case.

Jonas: I assure you that TSO and Metallica have never collaborated on any of their material. I am connected with the band (primarily due to their being the alter ego of Savatage, with whom I’ve been involved for nearly 11 years).

If you’re interested in seeing live photos of TSO, check out the more than 500 pro-quality photos I’ve shot at:

http://www.casabrian.com/concerts.shtml

Brian, that’s an awesome set of photos you’ve got of TSO. Thanks for sharing them with us! While you’re at it, if there are any other rumors about TSO you’ve been itching to dispell, feel free.

If trans Siberian Orchestra never recoreded Carol of the bells with Metallica, then why are there so many references to it on internet download places and other sites.?

Because some idiot decided that’s what it sounded like they did and attached Metallica’s name to the filename of the bootleg MP3 and everyone else just assumed it was correct.

... Or probably bcos the song title ‘Carol of the Bells’ sounds similar to Metallica’s song ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’.
Whatever! A bootlegger’s main aim is to attract as many prospects to take his stuff. Using (the established brandname)MetallicA probably gives it a advertised kinda advantage.

But sure wud b cool to c the two bands collab. Metallica have had a famous symphonic rock performance with Micheal Kamen (RIP) conducting the San-Franciso Symphony Orchestra.
If the two were ever to pair… it wud b one Helluva ‘Tempest’ performance!
(Dream on!)

I heard a local radio station a few years ago say that Metallica did it with them… They may have been wrong though.

TSO are probably the most amazing musical outfit I have ever heard. My girlfriend introduced me to them with their CHRISTMAS EVE AND OTHER STORIES album, and I was hooked. That same Christmas, I reciprocated the favor by getting her THE CHRISTMAS ATTIC, BEETHOVEN’S LAST NIGHT and THE GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS EVE on DVD. This Christmas I’m giving her their newest release THE LOST CHRISTMAS EVE, and we’re going to SEE THEM LIVE Dec. 23rd, Pepsi Arena, Albany NY.

TSO does not just “rock”, man, THEY FREAKIN’ OWN!!

I just got tix to their 2005 show in Lexington, KY.... I am so stoked.. Looking forward to maybe hearing some new stuff from their new album, Nightcastle due out in 2006!!

for the old ? of who did carol of the bells with whom. All my research goes back to Gary Hoey. Who also has does a number of awsome christmas CD’s.

I’m going to agree on the fact that Metallica collaberated with TSO to create Carol of the Bells ... I’ve heard radio stations annouce it, I’ve heard others talk about it, I find it completely far-fetched that one lame/idiodic “bootlegger” - as you said - change the whole online media stream to feature Metallica’s name.  If it were not true they worked together, there would be multiple copies not featuring ‘Metallica’ in the title on online services like Napster, Itunes, and most illegal ones. Approx. 90% feature the name Metallica somewhere in the title or description, the other 10% are the ones that seem to be in peoples music folders already and are just the title. So, you can think whatever you want to think - Don’t believe someone because they say they have a close-personal relationship to the TSO, because I certainly don’t believe him ... besides, Metallica told me they collaberated with them, I live down the street from James.

Well, Getus, you can believe whatever the hell you want. You’d be wrong, but you are still free to believe otherwise.

In a 2001 interview with Brian M. Loux of MIT’s newspaper The Tech TSO’s founder Robert Kinkel revealed that they’ve never worked with Metallica:

The Tech: There have been reports from some radio stations that Savatage and Metallica have worked with the Orchestra in the past.

Robert Kinkel: No, not Metallica. But Al Petrelli, who’s been taking up the West Coast Tour this season was in Megadeth for a while and also Alice Cooper.

Also being that I own the CD and have looked through the liner notes for any mention of a collaboration with Metallica on the song and have come up empty I think it’s safe to say they didn’t have a hand in it.

Now word has it that Metallica did do a rendition of Carol of the Bells live with the San Francisco Symphony once, but that’s not the same song as Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24).

I have been to the TSO concerts several times, and both times they made announcements about doing a Beethoven’s Last Night concert.  However they never have done one, does anybody know anything about whether or not they are going to do one?

Actually, on launch.com there is a music video of TSO and Metillica doing Carol of the Bells. So you are wrong Mr. Knowfuckingeverything.

Don’t know if anyone is still interested in the origins of this song, written by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovich in 1916, and originally having nothing to do with Christmas, but rather the story of a swallow flying to a household and announcing the bountiful new year they will have.

My choir performed this song for a couple of Christmas concerts, and everyone liked it.  For me, it has a similar appeal (and the same modus) as the Queen classic “Another One Bites the Dust"- a simple figure, repeated until you’re hypnotized.

I can see a couple of videos for it over on Launch.com, but nothing with Metallica in it. The point still stands that the song was written, recorded, and released without Metallica’s participation. It’s always possible that Metallica later performed the song with TSO, but the version that most folks are familiar with Metallica had no hand in.