Somebody should say omething about Christmas around here! NRO had, truth to tell, a rather disappointing symposium on Christmas music. As I’ve reported before, I have very vulgar tastes in all music, and so I’m only competent to comment on popular Christmas music. And for the sake of time, I’m going to limit myself pretty much to gut-level reactions to the tunes covered by the NRO experts. Feel free to express yourself.
Here’s some Christmas music that doesn’t move me at all: MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER, LITTLE DRUMMER BOY, SIMPLY HAVING A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS (McCartney--and I love McCartney generally), anything by Bing Crosby or Crosby-like--such as WHITE CHRISTMAS or HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS.
Here’s some stuff I like to hear: Raveonettes’ version of WINTER WONDERLAND,
Brenda Lee’s JINGLEBELL ROCK (and not any other version), MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY (maybe not the title--the song David Letterman features each year), Sandler’s CHANAKAH SONG, DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR (except a Crosbyesque version), the Barednaked Ladies’ version of GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN (and other pop versions of that too--not suitable for Crosby), the Celtic version of IL EST NE, LE DIVIN ENFANT (although I’m ambivalent about the song, having had to sing it about 300 times in my 6th-grade French class), the crassly commercial yet oddly affecting James Taylor Christmas CD, A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS (which for no deep reason I think is really great). The Elvis album of the secular or seasonal Christmas standards mostly stinks, and I basically like Elvis. I’m ok with the Chipmunks.
Notice that I’ve stayed away from standard versions of genuinely religious Christmas carols, which I love at the appropriate time.
"Christmas in Hollis" by Run DMC, "Silent Night" by the Dickies, "I don’t intend to spend Christmas without you" by Saint Etienne and "Santa Baby" (featuring Snoop Dogg, Puff Daddy, Keith Murray, Salt n Pepa and Onyx).
Even though my radio station proclaims that it is the "holiday music" station, it curiously plays songs almost exclusively about Christmas - not too many Kwanza songs. It also strangely is playing its "holiday music" until Christmas Day. Oddly, it is not calling it "Christmas music."
I’m partial to this one.
The Dickies have a Christmas song?!! I vaguely remember them as some awful oi band my punk-rock roommate from college used to play.
Los Straightjackets Christmas surf guitar album is awesome.
I like it all. I’m a big fan of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra as well.
"Reindeer Games," by Pat Godwin. Oh, it’s not exactly uplifting, but it suits a particular mood.
I second the recommendation of Los Straitjackets’ "’Tis the Season for Los Straitjackets!" That album is a modern classic.
The Squirrel Nut Zippers’ "Christmas Caravan" has a lot going for it, too.
This year, I picked up a compilation from Rounder Records called "Must Be Santa." Hard to describe. It’s sort of a blues, jazz, polka thing. Well worth the bucks. Merry Christmas!
Let me recommend the Christmas Box set by Sufjan Stevens . This is a collection of Christmas music EPs that he recorded for freinds and family, each year from 2001 to 2006 (omitting 2004) in an effort to "appreciate" Christmas more. He includes several tradition favorites, as well as original works. Its odd, and minimalist, but the meaning behind the songs are real to him, and faith and family are never too far from the surface, despite the occaisonal song like "Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved It!)" I should note that my wife hates it, so its not for everybody. Of course she loves the Ray Conniff Singers Christmas so...
Say, who is responsible for this post, anyway?
I would remiss if I did not also mention the Ultra Lounge Christmas CDs. If you’re not familiar with the Ultra Lounge series the story is this: The creators of the series have access to the complete back catalogue of Capitol records (and subsidiaries), and pluck forgotten nuggets from the 50s and 60s for themed anthologies. The Christmas CDs feature familiar names such as Dean Martin, Julie London, June Christy, Lou Rawls, but also the odd mambos, novelties, and musical crazes that have long been buried in your grandparents record collection...
Anything by Burl Ives makes me warm and fuzzy and causes me to remember being a kid at Christmas--which has to be one of the best things there is to remember. His voice is deep and grandpa-like, strong and reassuring. I agree that Bing Crosby is over-rated and over-played but I still like him. But speaking of over-played I can’t stand McCartney’s song (or anything else of his, to tell the truth) or "We are the World"--which always reminds me of how easy it is to manipulate young people into a feeling because it was so popular and we thought we were so deep for liking it when I was in high school. As for a good (not great, but good) overplayed song there is, of course, "Blue Christmas" by Elvis. My Christmas would be blue without it.
In that case, don’t forget Dr. Demento’s "Greatest Christmas Novelty CD of All Time" and "Holidays in Dementia." I mention them only because if, like me, you immersed yourself in traditional Christmas music for five years in a row... well, you may need a break. So-called "South Park conservatives" will have already discovered "Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics."
But if you are truly and indivisibly wed to symphonic Christmas music, I can heartily recommend "A Carol Symphony," by Victor Hely-Hutchinson on Naxos records, and available for download through Apple’s iTunes Music Store.
Julie writes: "I can’t stand ... "We are the World"--which always reminds me of how easy it is to manipulate young people into a feeling because it was so popular and we thought we were so deep for liking it when I was in high school."
Are you sure you don’t mean "Do You Know It’s Christmas?" You would probably like the Richard Cheese version, also available for download. It’s on "Silent Night Club," which I cannot recommend highly enough.
Oops. I meant "Do They Know It’s Christmas." I regret the error.
Yes, Ben. You’re right. That’s the one. It’s very irritating because it’s about a serious problem of hunger in Africa and it pretended to address that problem by raising funds from a record to fight it. As if money was the problem. We all got to pretend we were doing something important by buying a stupid record--like this Red Campaign that Bono’s doing now. But I remember really believing in all that mush at one time. Please. But I find myself equally irritated by "We are the World" (hence the error) and, musically, they both stink. I don’t think I’d like any version of either.
I think we all have an attachment to the Christmas music that we remember our parents playing at home when we were children. For my wife, the season isn’t complete without the New Christy Minstrels. For me it’s Johnny Mathis. I don’t think it was until I was in college that I realized that Mathis sang non-holiday tunes as well.
"It’s Christmas, Man!", the album by Brave Combo has the only good version of "Little Drummer Boy" that I have ever heard.
For sheer silliness I suggest Spike Jones’ Let’s Sing a Song of Christmas
The old Christmas With Julie Andrews & Andre Previn albums have her voice at its best singing the old songs and beautifully. These are what my children will remember.
yeah... the Dickies do have a Christmas song. The irony of them playing "Silent Night" in such a disconcerting way makes it excellent. That Sufjan boxset it pretty good but there’s definitely a lot of material that could have been left out... I can only take hearing a banjo on Christmas carols so many times in a day.
Did none of you eighties kids listen to "Muppets Christmas" with John Denver?
Well, all that is fascinatng. I’m too old to get some of the references (the Dickies etc.) and I don’t like Burl Ives (as a singer, he was ok as a huggable TV personality) or Johnny Mathis (chances are he oversings everything with that voice that rumor has it women may like but...) and of course especially not John Denver (whose lyrics are mostly seriously stupid and have no poetic sense, his voice loud and flat-- but I am a sucker for the Peter Paul and Mary version of LEAVING ON A JET PLANE). BLUE CHRISTMAS might be passable if it weren’t everywhere, but it is. The same with Springsteen’s SANTA CLAUS IS COMING...I’m old enough to think that WE ARE THE WORLD was a harmless and sort of fun media event, but someone should have written all that well meaning talent a better song. I will check out some of those recommendations...I trust I’ve sufficiently displayed by music ignorance and the fact that I’m still not quite, and never well be, as old as Peter Schramm.
If you can venture out before the 25th to a decent record store do yourself a favor and pick up the Chieftain’s "Bells of Dublin" . Jam it on Christmas morning with a mimosa or two!
Brass, thanks for the recommendation. Also available for download on ITMS, by the way.
I confess that I’ve burned out on traditional Christmas carols. I overplayed them for the first three or four years I was married. That, and 30-plus years of exposure left me searching for something more... novel. Hence Los Straitjackets, et. al. The great XM radio carries a channel during the holidays called Special X-Mas, which is nothing but novelty Christmas tunes -- everything from Spike Jones and Stan Freberg to Mr. Hankey, Pat Godwin and the Re-Bops. I would never say Chuck Picklesimer’s "Dead Ninja Christmas" belongs in the same category as Nat King Cole or Bing Crosby, but there is something refreshing about the deviation from the holiday norm.
Ben, Have yourself a Merry Little Dead Ninja Christmas...Peter
hello ben, thanks for the mention. it is nice to read that someone may have heard some of my novelty cd, "dead ninja christmas". for what it’s worth, my 2 favorite tracks are number one, "reindeer for breakfast on christmas", and track number five, "west virginia credet card".
sincerely, chuck.