Happy 09

Thanks for your visits and comments. Back next year!

Keep Hope Alive

Dutch duo Nougat made a very exclusive Christmastrack for this blog, but ofcourse it is perfect for Christmasagogo as well. Hope y'all have a fantastic X-mas.

Nougat - Un moment d'espoir

X-mas RemiX

The legendary jazzlabel Verve had its discography remixed a few times now, and this season ofcourse added a Christmas edition. Here's two examples.

Louis Armstrong - Zat you Santa Claus?
Louis Armstrong - Zat you Santa Claus? (The Heavy remix)
Nina Simone - Chilly Winds
Nina Simone - Chilly Winds (Fink remix)

on surfboard ..?

Winter Song

Santa on Surfboard

Silent Night

The Blues Are Still Blue Christmas Compilation 2008

The Blues Are Still Blue Presents (like every year):

Christmas Compilation 2008

Belle & Sebastian – Are You Coming Over For Christmas?
Fleet Foxes – White Winter Hymnal
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Fifteen Feet Of Pure White Snow
Oh Sweet Music! – Oh Sweet Christmas!
Chuck Berry – Merry Christmas Baby
Pearl Jam – Someday At Christmas
The Welcome Wagon – But For You Who Fear My Name
The Raveonettes – Come On Santa
Okkervil River – Listening To Otis Redding At Home During Christmas
Slow Club – Christmas TV
Lucky Fonz III – Christmas Lights In A Cave
Zee Avi – No Christmas For Me
Calexico – Gift X-Change
Albert King – Santa Claus Wants Some Loving
Audiotransparent – December Radio
Barbary Coasters – I Want A Monkey For Christmas
Dressy Bessy – All The Right Reasons
Fiona Apple – Frosty The Snowman
First Aid Kit – Blue Christmas
Sufjan Stevens – That Was The Worst Christmas Ever!

A Dutch Christmas

A free compilation of Christmas Covers by Dutch bands thanks to Coverclub:

Moss - I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus

Silence is sexy - Jesus' blood never failed me yet

Audiotransparent - December radio

The Gasoline Brothers - I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus

Front Cover (PDF)

Back Cover (PDF)

Zooey

This year's Christmas present by Zooey is a cover of Father To A Sister Of Thought, but a few years ago they had a present even more appropriate for the season called the Grey Christmas EP:

Zooey - Grey Chrsitmas EP (Zip)

Letter to Santa (in French)

Manu Markou & Odile Closset - Lettre au Pere Noel

Christmas A Go Go

Wicked Cool Records brings us a nice compilation of Christmas Songs this year, with a highly appreciated name: Christmas A Go Go. Nice name, nice songs, but what horrendous coverart. Here's a song by the Cocktail Slippers:

Cocktail Slippers - Santa Is Coming Home (Christmas A Go Go)

Perfect X-mas mixes

The guys over @ Het Zesde Vlak made two Perfect Mixes for Christmas, not necissarily with songs about Christmas, but they all have the x-mas spirit. Download from here, and here. See tracklist and coverart here.

X-mas in Q-bec

Guestpost! Natashka on French Canadian Christmas:

Joyeux Noël! Here’s three totally weird yet funny Christmas songs from Québec, which I am prepared to bet real money has produced the most French-language Christmas songs in the world. First up, “Y neige” (“It’s snowing”) from a 1970s comedy group called Les Frères Brosse. A guy “pops some little smarties” and sees the snow in all kinds of colours and wants to play spin the bottle with his female cousin Claire. Not long after that weird tune came out, comedy group Paul et Paul (both members of the first group added a third guy) had a country music Christmas song called “C’est Noël car il neige dans ma tête” (“It’s Christmas because it’s snowing in my head”) that strings along words that should not be used together (amusingly called a “bad marriage” in French linguistics), with lines like “Christ is purring in his manger” and “everywhere, everywhere the snowflakes have come together”. The last song by Otarie is from a year or two ago, a cover of “Baby it’s cold outside” (“Bébé, y fait frette dehors”), a song where some guy tries to convinced a girl to stay over because there’s no more metro, it’s cold and he wants to get her to crash at his place preferably not on the couch. Perfect to hone your Québécois dirty slang skills.

Les Freres Brosse - Y Neige
Paul & Paul - C'est noel car il neige dans ma tete
Otarie - Bebe, y fait frette dehors

A Sufjan Christmas

I believe a song by Sufjan Stevens has appeared on all my Christmas compilations and there's a reason why: Simply because he truly knows how to capture the feeling of the season without gettinng cheesy. Too bad there aren't any knew songs this year, bur ther are plenty of old ones we can enjoy:

Sufjan Stevens - That Was The Worst Christmas Ever

Sujan Steven - Sister Winter

Lonely this Christmas

There are bad songs about being lonely at christmas, and great songs. Here are a few of the great tearjerkers. Suggestions on this theme are welcomed (comments!).

Prince - Another lonely Christmas
Brenda Lee - Christmas will be just another lonely day
George Jones - Lonely Christmas call
Adam Faith - Lonely pup in a christmasshop
KT Tunstall - Lonely this Christmas
Emotions - What do the lonely do at Christmas
Red Sovine - Christmas alone
Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol - Alone in the world

Snow falling yet?

Salvatore Adamo & Laurent Voulzy - Tombe la neige

Jimmy vs Oscar

On the organ, or on the piano - which do you prefer?

Jimmy Smith - Jingle Bells
Oscar Peterson - Jingle Bells

Miracles

The Miracles - Christmas Everyday
Stevie Wonder - The Miracles of Christmas

Wishing You A Rave Christmas

Danish duo The Raveonettes released a four song EP with Christmas songs. Come On Santa is my favourite track:

The Raveonettes - Come On Santa (Wishing You A Rave Christmas)

It's a punkrock christmas

MXPX - Christmas Night of Zombies
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - This time of year

GEM says Ho Ho Ho

Dutch rockers GEM had a single out called She Said Oh Oh Oh I Said Yeah Yeah Yeah. December came, singer Maurits sang in the dressing room: She Said Ho Ho HO. They all looked at each other and said, whaddabout recording an x-mas version?! And so they did. To rock the balls out of your tree. (See original version HERE)

Gem - She Said Ho Ho Ho I Said Yeah Yeah Yeah

Merry Effing X-mas

Denis Leary - Merry F'ing Christmas
South Park - Merry F'ing Christmas

Belle Christmas

We've been waiting and waiting for new material of Belle & Sebastian (or at least I have). This year santa only brought us The BBC Sessions, a nice intermezzo, which unfortunately lacked the Christmas Peel Session. The last new song by the Scottish band is a year old and I can't remember why I didn't post it then, since I really love it. Thank God it's never too late for good music:

Belle & Sebastian - Are You Coming Over For Xmas

Who needs music, when you've got pictures

Thanks Betty

When Johnny met Margaret

Guestpost! Jan Willem selected a great song:

Gents, if you're trying to keep that very special someone indoors during the holiday season, you can do worse than take a cue from wordsmith Johnny Mercer. In this 1949 recording, the guy who invented the blues in the night makes hilarious seductive moves while Margaret Whiting struggles to keep up appearances as her resistance crumbles. Truly classic stuff.

Johnny Mercer & Margaret Whiting - Baby it's cold outside

More x-mas mambo

Remember this song from last year? It ended up on the pictured compilation, released by the über-cool Trikont label. This is their second Christmas comp, with soul (Carla Thomas), punk (Ramones), gospel (Staple Singers) and new wave (Waitresses). Plus, like on the first edition, some mambo. Here are both songs.

Mambo Santa Mambo - The Enchanters
We wanna see Santa do the Mambo - Big John Greer

Mambo x-mas

Christmas is a festival of light, but most christmassongs are very pastoral. When it comes to celebrate, a mambo gets the party started. I will post several examples of latinized x-mas songs in the upcoming days. Here's one of the best, taken from this (pictured) compilation.

Billy May - Rudolph the rednosed reindeer mambo (YSI)

Layaways

The Christmas EP of Gentleman Action House was a new one, but there are nice examples from earlier years as well. What do you think about these three nice songs by the Chicago based Layaways. They not only give away their Christmas EP from 2006, but throw in their latest full length record as well:


The Layaways - O Christmas Tree (The Christmas EP)

The Layaways - Joy To The World (The Christmas EP)

The Layaways - Silent Night (The Christmas EP)

Christmas filles

Just like last year, I asked several French artists to record a X-mas song for my French singing filles blog. Mallory Hays, Miam Monster Miam, Odile & Manu, Valery Saint Germain, Fredda Dastrevigne and Maud Lübeck send me a song. Go here to listen and/or download.

Gentleman Action House

I actually never heard of these guys (and girl) before their record label dropped the Christmas In Love EP in my mailbox, but they sound really nice and happy. Gentleman Action House reminds me a bit of the even happier I'm From Barcelona, which makes me smile and happy as well. And it must be contagious, since even the reindeer are rocking on the rooftop:

Gentleman Action House - On the Rooftop (Christmas In Love EP)

Gentleman Action House - Home For The Holidays (Christmas in Love EP)

Like what you hear? Download the enitire EP here.

Santa to the rescue

I saw a sign in the sky, urging us to come back to christmasblogland. So here we are again, fighting against the constant airplay of Mariah Carey and Wham. Trying to show there actually are good christmas songs to find out there. We'll get started this year with two songs by Bullette:

Bullette - Christmas Blank

Bullette - The Finest Gifts

Happy New Yeah!

Cubismo Grafico - Happy New Year!!! Happy New Yeah!!!

Michael Bublé - Let It Snow!

01 - let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
02 - the christmas song
03 - grown up christmas list
04 - ill be home for christmas
05 - white christmas
06 - let it snow, let it snow, let it snow (live)

download
myspace
webpage

Human Nature - Jingle Bells

download
myspace
webpage

X-mas presents

Reading the comments on Christmas a Go Go! I noticed a few requests for re-uploads of last years songs.

Well, normally I wouldn't, but since it's still Christmas, how can I refuse? Here they are:

Pizzicato Five - 24 decembre (single version)
Cusbismo Grafico - Ave Maria
Handsome Boy Technique - Our Belssing
Pizzicato Five - 24 decembre (Handsome Boy Technique Yikes! Peach Cut 5' 24"!! mix)

See you all next year :)

24 decembre

Today it's yu-ni-gatsu ni-yu-yoka again: 10+2-month, 2x10+4-day. In other words: 12/24.
I posted two versions of this song last year, this is the album version (very different from last year's single versions), sung by Ronnie of the Scooters. Enjoy :)

Pizzicato Five : 24 decembre

The Blues Are Still Blue Christmas Compilation 2007

The Blues Are Still Blue Presents:

Christmas Compilation 2007:

Nellie McKay - Christmas Dirge
James Brown - Soulful Christmas
June Christy - The Merriest
Irene - Christmas On The Beach
Milton DeLugg & The Little Eskimos - Hooray for Santy Claus!
Mae West - Put The Loot In The Boot, Santa
The Pipettes - White Christmas
Michele Cody - Merry Christmas Elvis
Rufus Thomas - I'll Be Your Santa, Baby
Shonen Knife - Space Christmas
Andre Williams - Poor Mr. Santa
Rufus Wainwright - Spotlight On Christmas
The Free Design - Close Your Mouth (It's Christmas)
Solomon Burke - Presents On Christmas
Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
Ivy - I Hate December
The Young Republic - Merry Christmas Again...
Willie Nelson - Please Come Home For Christmas
Carla Thomas - Gee Whiz, It's Christmas
Over The Rhine - All I Ever Get For Christmas Is Blue
Clarence Carter - Back Door Santa
Cocoon - Christmas Song
Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Elvis Presley - Santa Bring My Baby Back
Eux Autres - Another Christmas At Home
Gayla Peavey - I Want A Hippo For Christmas
Holly Golightly - Christmas Tree On Fire

Lucky Christmas

In my opinion the best album by a Dutch artist this year, Life Is Short by Lucky Fonz III, contains a song that has a small link with Christmas (or at least the title of the song is a reference to Christmas). If you like what you here and want to here some more of Lucky Fonz III go here.

Lucky Fonz III - Christmas Lights In A Cave (Life Is Short)

Kissing a Man With a Beard

No further explanation needed...

Solex - Santa Monica (Kissing a Man With A Beard)

Winter in Canada

Repost from last year of a song that made my top X-Mas songs. (Even though I'm not even sure it is a Christmas song, it really has that feeling though). It's so gooood.

Elisa Gabbai - Winter in Canada

This year I also found a (quite different) but lovely version by French femme Mireille Mathieu. It has her sound, German sung with a French accent. Very nice!

Mireille Mathieu - Winter in Canada

Lula & Wayne

German singer Lula teamed up with Wayne Jackson for a wall-of-soundalike duet, wishing all y'all a merry x-mas.

Lula & Wayne Jackson - Merry Christmas

More here, here, and here

Mel Tormé - Christmas Songs

download

Froehliche Weihnachten, Craciun Fericit, Joyeux Noël, Buon Natale, Merry Christmas, Shinnen Omedeto, Polit Nadal, Pozdrevlyayu Prazdnikom Rozhdestva, Bon Nadal, Bo Nadal, Zorionak, God Jul, Boas Festas, Idah Saidan, Kala Christougenna Kieftihismenos, Zalig Kerstfeest...¡FELIZ NAVIDAD!

Don't you forget about my tannenbaum

Did you know that the melody of German Christmas carol O Tannenbaum is also used for the official state songs of Iowa and Maryland? And that the Britisch Labour Party used it for their hymn The Red Flag? And that waaaay back in 1990, three Dutch guys called De Ideale Schoonzonen (the ideal sons-in-law) mashed it up with Simple Minds' millionseller Don't You Forget About Me?
Now you do. (Thanks Luba)


De Ideale Schoonzonen - Oh!! Denneboom

Silent Keren

The headline means that Keren Ann recorded a version of Silent Night, not that she is silent, or does not sing no more. Heaven forbid.

Keren Ann - Silent Night

Pure Christmas Swank!

Listen up holiday loungers. Dim the lights, mix a drink, light the fire and grab that special someone. Here are the original swingers - Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme and a classic Christmas record called That Holiday Feeling! No swanky Christmas music collection is complete without it.



STEVE LAWRENCE & EYDIE GORME :: THAT HOLIDAY FEELING!

Christmas On The Beach

It's really cold here in Holland and I don't like that. I'd rather be sitting on a warm beach with the sun burning my skin and a cold beer within reach. The Swedish band Irene seems to agree and dedicated a song to it:

Irene - Christmas On The Beach

The Puppini Sisters - Jingle Bells

download
myspace
webpage

Christmas Love

Great Voice

Great Song

Great Vibe

Great Christmas Love



Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)

Richard Hawleys Christmas Gift

Richard Hawley, former member of The Longpigs, celebrates Christmas with a exclusively free download of his lovely version of 'Silent Night'. Pure classiness as usual.

And while there, listen to 'The Ocean', a favourite of mine.

myspace.com/richardhawley

La Casa Azul - Feliz Navidad

download
myspace
webpage

A Familyre Christmas

Sounds Familyre presents a free compilation of new interpretations of traditional Christmas carols and some originals by their own artists. These two songs are my favorites, but you can find the rest of the songs (and the artwork) here.

Danielson - Christmas Eve Nite

Dan Zimmerman - In The Bleak Midwinter

Chrismas Past

Okay, here's a scary Christmas story for you.

It all starts with an appointment with a trained therapist:

   Pressure applied to a point on the underside of your big toe triggers vivid technicolour memories of Christmases past. A trained therapist removes your sock.
You lie back with a sigh (...) You are a little girl again...

So, here starts the memory. A young girl is on a train. It's Christmas time. It's also cold, the people in second class must really be cold. The train stops, her caretaker is asleep and a kid a little bit older askes her to come outside and play, which she does. Then the train starts moving again... She can jump onto the locomotive just in time...

   The engineer is unmistakeably Santa Claus. You inch back into the shadows, hoping he doesn't notice you. He looks deranged. But He sees you. He sees everything.

   "Feel sorry for the people in second class. Eh..?!" He booms.

   And then his laughter. His terrible booming laughter.

Peter Blegvad & John Greaves - Christmas Past

Let It Snow

Okay, I joined this blog last year to contribute some Japanese Christmas music, so I feel it's my duty to post some this year too.
Not that I mind :)

Here are five whispery songs about snow, to get into the seasonal spirit!

Piana - Snow Bird
Swing Slow - Yuki-ya-konko
Yoko Ono - Snow Is Falling All The Time
Kahimi Karie - Melt the Snow
Cinnamon Toast Crunch - Lord, It's Winter And Snowing Outside

(I'm not sure what yuki-ya-konko means... yuki is snow, so yuki-ya would be a snow-shop. It's a traditional children's song)

(I didn't think posting Yoko's song "Mum's Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow" would help christmas spirits, but you can find it here)

War is Over

There are dozens of covers of John & Yoko's Happy X-Mas (War is Over), but not many have something to add to the original. These three versions, however manage to be even more dramatic, bombastic and emotional than the original - that's why I love them.

The Polyphonic Spree - Happy Christmas (War is Over)
The K-Foundation- K.Cera Cera (War Is Over If You Want It)
Antony and George - Happy Christmas (War is Over)

Remington Super 60

From Norway we get our first Christmas presents: a free EP from Remington Super 60 with their best Christmas songs:

Remington Super 60 - Here Comes Christmas (Merry Christmas EP)

Remington Super 60 - Christmas Song For Melanie (Merry Christmas EP)

Go here to get the other two songs and the artwork.

Wrap your Christmas kisses

Enjoy bandleader/trumpeter Ray Anthony with his Andrew Sisters-like chorus on this Christmas classic. It it's cheesy indeed, but isn't it allowed to be cheesy this time at year?


Ray Anthony - Christmas Kisses

Christmas With Pee-Wee Herman

Hey everyone. I was at a record show this weekend. I was really hoping to find some dusty old hard to find Christmas records to post for you all. I didn't find much but I didn't find this. It is a record from Warner Brothers that I'm guessing was sent only to radio stations. It has some great songs and some holiday greetings on it. A lot of unknowns, but it also had Pee-Wee! I knew these existed, but I never knew where they were from. They are great. I only wish they were longer. I posted some clips from Pee-Wee's Christmas Special last year.

PEE-WEE HERMAN :: CHRISTMAS MEDLEY & DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE, DUH!

Santa and the Martians

If anyone could save us from the Martians it had to be Santa Claus himself. And what a great job he did! Has anyone seen a Martian since 1964? I didn't think so...

So I'm with Milton DeLugg (famous for his work with Buddy Holly) and shout out with the Little Eskimo's: Hooray!

Milton DeLugg & The Little Eskimo's - Hooray For Santy Claus!

Haven't seen the movie? Go here!

Dreaming of a French Christmas

Joyeux Noël sounds much sexier than Merry Christmas, n'est-ce pas? Nine French (or French speaking) bands and artists recorded especially for my Filles Sourires-blog brandspanking new x-mas songs. Hektor did a Les Wampas-cover, Marianne Dissard hooked up with Amparo Sanchez (former Amparanoia-singer) for a very sensual duet, Watoo Watoo was inspired by children's tv, and so on. Go check HERE.

Taster:
Marianne Dissard & Amparo Sanchez - Je & tu ne croient plus au Père Noël

I Hate December

Winter is not the best time of year for me. And I'm most certainly not a guy who likes the Holiday-season a lot. In short I'm with Dominique Durand from Ivy: I hate December.

But I'm really glad to see all of you here again. Sharing some great Christmas music with you will keep me inside (and far from the rainy Dutch weather) and will give me a great excuse not to participate in familygatherings.

Ivy - I Hate December

Best Christmas Ever

The bestest christmas compilation this year, period, is Wish You Best Christmas Ever on the wonderful German Trikont-label. Odd covers (twang-y version of Wham's Last Christmas), strange instrumentals (Coconami's White Christmas) and a whole lotta roots rock, blues, mambo, soul and pop. Best title: It's So Chic to be Pregnant at Christmas, by Nancy White. This is such a great comp, it's hard to pick only two songs to get a taste. Put it high on your want-list.

Brenda Lee - I'm Gonna Lasso Santa Claus (yousendit)
Andrew Sisters - Christmas Island (yousendit)

More Christmas Disco!

Here is another album to file next to Yuletide Disco. It's called Christmas Disco Party. Maybe I'm blind, but I can't find the name of the artist on this. I realize they hire studio musicians for these, but they usually at least slap a band name on them. My favorite song is All I Want For Christmas Is A Disco Beat. Some songs are real stinkers though.


CHRISTMAS DISCO PARTY

Christmas in Tucson

Matt Mitchell (he plays guitar) and Marianne Dissard (she doesn't, she sings) form a duo. But they're also solo-artists. And part of bands. And they join each other for special projects. Like the album Christmas in Tuscon, featuring band from the Tucson area playing x-mas songs: Al Perry, Naim Amor, Bob Spasm, Solace Bros., etc. On this album, Matt does a great instrumental rendition of Sleigh Ride, while Marianne (with Matt on guitar) covers Jona Lewie's Stop The Cavalry, with slightly changed lyrics.

Marianne Dissard - Stop The Cavalry
Matt Mitchell - Sleigh Ride

Matt + Marianne on Myspace
More on Christmas in Tucson

I believe in Sinterklaas

That's right, I believe in Sinterklaas. Who else would buy all those presents for Dutch kids this evening, december 5th..?

Some people believe Sint Nicolas is really Santa Claus, but I don't believe that for a minute. You couldn't fool any Dutch kid with this theory, they don't look anything alike. Sinterklaas isn't fat and doesn't drink Coca Cola!

Besides, comparing Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) with a reindeer doesn't do him justice, and frankly, I would consider it racist!

Luckily I'm not the only one, listen to CocoRosie with Good Friday.

I believe in Saint Nicolas, He's a different kind of Santa Claus... Exactly!

See you next year!

See you Christmas 2007!

ffffff

HAPPY NEW YEAR

vvvvvv

FROM:

Mordi from Blowupdoll - Christine from SpikedCandy - Bruno from Schlocker - Guuzbourg from Filles Sourires - Roy from Germans Under Cover - Brainwerk from Check The Cool Wax - Erik from Earth Goes Around - Wouter from The Blues Are Still Blue and me !

Snoozin' Thru Christmas

Featuring Santatron 3000 - I Accidentally Slept Through Christmas

The Blues Are Still Blue Christmas Compilation 2006

The Blues Are Still Blue presents:

Christmas Compilation 2006

The Pipettes – In The Bleak Midwinter
Tom Waits – Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis
Sufjan Stevens - Only At Christmas Time
The Ronettes - I saw mommy kissing santa claus
Ella Fitzgerald - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
The Beach Boys - Little Saint Nick
Bob Atcher & The Dinning Sisters - Christmas island
Mary Gauthier - Christmas in paradise
The Waitresses - Christmas wrapping
Yo La Tengo - It's Christmas Time
Peggy Lee - Happy holiday
Kylie Minogue - Santa Baby
The Long Blondes - Christmas Is Cancelled
Otis Redding - Merry Christmas, Baby
Tom Jones & Cerys Matthews - Baby it's cold outside
Fountains of Wayne - The man in the Santa suit
Jackson 5 - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Augie Rios - Donde Esta Santa Claus (Where is Santa Claus)
Mabel Scott - Boogie Woogie Santa Claus
Brenda Lee - I'm gonna lasso Santa Claus
Claudine Longet - I Don't Intend to Spend Christmas Without You
Sha Na Na - Santa's on a diet
Hello Saferide - I pod X-mas
James Brown - Santa Claus go straight to the getto
Marlene Paul - I Wanna Spend Christmas With Elvis
Elvis Presley - Here Comes Santa Claus

And here's my compilation from last year.

24 Decembre

This song was my first contribution to Christmas A Go Go!
It seems fitting it's also my last...

Merry Christmas everybody!

24 decembre Yikes Peach Cut remix by HANDSOMEBOY TECHNIQUE

Your Blessing

Maybe this isn't really a Christmas song, but to me it sounds liike a Phil Spector Christmas production.
Anyway, this song by Japanese group Handsomeboy Technique is one of the best songe EVER. You don't want to miss this one on your Christmas playlist.

Your Blessings

Santa's on His Way

Kay Starr - (Everybody's Waitin' for) The Man with the Bag
Henry Hall & His Orchestra - Santa Claus Express
Marianne the Polka Doll - Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (in Russian)
Tony De Nardo - Santa's on His Way

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!

If you love beautiful French girls with accents, you will love Vanessa Contenay-Quinones (Vanessa and The O's) special christmas greeting!

CLICK!

Pink Christmas

Nomiya Maki - Christmas in a Picture Book
In 1981, ten years before she joined Pizzicato Five, Maki Nomiya released her debut album "Pink no kokoro" (Pink Heart).

I don't think she was very successful as a teenage idol singer, but this '80's electro-pop Christmas song with bells is actually quite good!

It was 14 years ago, today

Les Pizzicato Live
Pizzicato Five live with Tokyo's Coolest Combo in concert on December 23th, 1992:
"Merry Pizzicato T.N.T."

The Audrey Hepburn Complex / Brigitte Bardot T.N.T

Enjoy the "Santa Clause Is Comming To Town" vibraphone solo!

Merry Christmas from Saint Etienne!

Saint Etienne never failed us yet!

Listen to two brand new Christmas songs on their site (quicktime format):
21st Century Christmas
Through the Winter

Or download mp3's:
21st Century Christmas
Through the Winter

Also, check out Bran Van 3000's new Chrismas song "Couch Surfin' at Christmas" : http://www.branvanrecordings.com/
(Thanks for the link Patrick!)

Santa's Little Helpers

If you're into XTC/The Dukes of Stratosphear, early Pink Floyd and some of the more inspired works of The Beatles, this is thee band for you: The Virgineers, a phantom pair of psychedelic popsters - allegedly hailing from Antarctica, but more likely being stationed somewhere on the West Coast of the United States - whose masterful 2000 debut album went by largely unnoticed and ranks high - very high, in fact - on my list of all-time faves. Unfortunately, the record is "extinct", as the band's website states, and unless you're willing to shell out a cool 130 EUR for a copy, you'll very probably have trouble tracking the damn thing down (but wait - there's one available for $ 17,50 here). For some unfathomable reason, Bruce and Ken have been largely inactive for the past six years, so it might be a while until we hear from them again. Till then, here's the two Christmas songs they made available for download on their site in 2003 and 2004, respectively.

The Virgineers - Christmas in My Mind
The Virgineers - We Are Santa's Helpers

Santa's Little Helpers

Christmas with Tom Waits

Just leave it to Tom Waits to create the ultimate Christmas atmosphere.

Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet - Gavin Bryars with anonymous tramp and Tom Waits
Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet - Gavin Bryars with Tom Waits and anonymous tramp
Christmas Sucks - Porn Orchard
(very good Tom Waits and Peter Murphy parody, they had me fooled!)
Silent Night - Tom Waits

Rappin' Presents

Cold Chillin' Juice Crew - Cold Chillin' Xmas
Cypress Hill - The Night Before Xmas
Kurtis Blow - Christmas Rappin'
samflanagan - Frosty DMC
The Roots - Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa
Treacherous 3 - Santa's Rap

Rappin' Presents

A Huggy Bear Christmas

After having appeared in several blaxploitation movies such as Shaft, Foxy Brown and Cleopatra Jones, a small role in Karel Reisz's The Gambler got Antonio Fargas the part of the flamboyant informant Huggy Bear on the immensely popular TV series Starsky & Hutch. Shortly after the show folded in 1979, Dutch producer Ton "Shell" Schellekens, a former drummer with Netherbeat bands Brainbox, In Crowd, Big Wheel and Drama, summoned the lanky New York actor to the recording studio to lay down this rare Christmas single which saw the light of day in October 1980. While the a-side sounds disastrously like the run-of-the-mill disco stuff the Dutch used to churn out at the time (anyone remember Luv?), the b-side is a slightly funkier affair with Fargas telling a ghetto Xmas story over a fat, bass-laden backing track. I have no idea if Fargas ever recorded again, but Schellekens went on to become one of Holland's foremost producers, working with bands like Gruppo Sportivo, Herman Brood & The Wild Romance and Golden Earring with whom he recorded Cut which spawned the international hit single "Twilight Zone".

1. It's Christmas
2. Christmas Eve 1953 (Horatio)

A Huggy Bear Christmas

SPECIAL Guestpost: Devon Press

A very special guestpost from one of the Christmas a go go readers:

In my search for good Christmas songs this year (they're hard to find but they are out there!), I kept coming across the French chanson"Petit Papa Noël." It's a beautiful and somewhat sad song; very popular in France. I found 16 different versions of the song and every time I heard a new one, I liked the song more and more. But I felt that none of the interpretations did the song justice. So I decided to have a go at it myself. With the help of my good friend Marie-Claire and her marvelous voice, we recorded a very stripped downversion of the song. I humbly hope you enjoy it.

(Picture of Marie-Claire to the left)

Devon and Marie-Claire - Petit Papa Noël

NEW LINK!!! PLS DOWNLOAD AGAIN!!

Remember all those Winters?

Jenny Wilson - Those Winters (OhShare)

More on Jenny Wilson here

Claudine Longet & Andy Williams - Silent Night

A Junky's Christmas

"It's Christmas day and Danny "the Carwhiper" hit the street junk-sick and broke after 72 hours in a precinct cel. It was a clear bright day, but there was no warmth in the sun."
His dealer in jail, no friends, no dope, no hope... What's Danny going to do? How is he gonna score. How is he going to get through the day?

A tear jerking Christmas story and no happy end? Or is it..? Hark the Herald Angels...

The Junky's Christmas

Word William S. Burroughs
music The Disposable Heroes of Hiphopracy and Hal Wilner.

Cancelled

By far my favourite christmas-song this year:

The Long Blondes - Christmas Is Cancelled This Year

Tokyo's Coolest X-mas

Tokyo's Coolest Combo - Music For December's Children

Four groovy instrumentals:
- Santa Clause Is Coming To Town
- Frere Jacques
- The Work Of God
- Santa Baby

christmas blogging round-up

If you feel like overdosing on retro Christmas songs, albums and podcasts, here are all the links you'll need:

A Christmas Yuleblog
Ernie (Not Bert)
Senses Working Overtime
Bongo Bells
FaLaLaLaLa (the album pictured at left can be found in this post from last year)


I found some of these links via the excellent Mistletunes website. It features reviews of many different Christmas compilations, conveniently organised by era and themes. Check out, for example, the Tropical Christmas section.

And some of my favourite individual Christmas posts:

Johnny Cash - '12 Days of Christmas' video @ Bedazzled
60s Singaporean band Naomi & The Boys sing a Christmas tune @ Mod-ified Music
Les Chausettes Noires' Christmas 7" @ Rato Records - another share from last year that's still up (found via Bibi's Box). (Natasha has already posted the A-side here).

Merry Christmas you suckers!

Rangravers Departure Lounge shares this lovely little gem

Paddy Roberts - Merry Christmas you suckers

Chappy Chanukkah

A plus D - Give the Jew Girl Toys (Trio vs. Sarah Silverman)
dj BC - Chanukkah Song (GoyiMix)
DJ Flack - Dreidle Bells
Electric Menorah - Oh Chanukkah Bush
South Park - The Lonely Jew on Christmas
Summersault - Shalom Haverim
The Always Dangerous Steven Garvey - Dreidle, Dreidle, Dreidle
Tom Lehrer - Hanukkah in Santa Monica

Chappy Chanukkah

White Christmas

As the effects of Global Warming will, among other niceties, be wiping about half of all European ski resorts off the map within the next few years, the romantic little dream of a "White Christmas" as celebrated in Irving Berlin's classic Christmas carol will become even more valid than before. So here's three beautiful (if rather off-beat) covers of the song: Corporal Blossom's version combines various recordings of said tune by, among others, Louis Armstrong, Elvis and Bing Crosby. As none of the samples have been cleared, the track was never actually released but appeared on Stay Free Magazine's brilliant Illegal Art Compilation. Berlin's lovely Barbara Morgenstern laid down a completely computer-generated but none the less quite cosy version, sampling bits of Ray Anthony (or is it Herb Alpert?) and a sweetly jubilating children's choir, while Miss Frenchie chimes in with a "remix" (which can be found on DJBC's excellent Santastic II: Clausome Christmas mash-up comp), setting Berlin's Xmas ditty to a delicious electro beat.

White Christmas

More St. Etienne

My Christmas Prayer
Driving Home for Xmas
Kofi Annan
Snowplough

Updated links!

Happy Happy Joyful

"Happy Rhodes is an enigma. This is according to the Music Industry, which has never been able to pigeon-hole her into any category. Her music is otherworldly yet substantial and her 4-octave voice has a haunting familiarity to it. Most listeners find her work difficult to describe and yet she incites an almost unheard of devotion among her fans. She goes from Kate Bush highs to David Bowie lows and you find yourself being beckoned to follow her into her futuristic worlds." This is a quote from a Happy Rhodes-biography. I'd never heard of her, but when I got to this marvellous fan page, I got hooked. Her deep voice is haunting indeed. It reminds me of a slightly more sane Diamanda Galas. Happy recorded a great X-mas song, plus a very atmospherical track that's also very suitable for these dark days.

Happy Rhodes - O Holy Night
Happy Rhodes - Winter

Sarah, Saint Etienne, Snow

Brit trio Saint Etienne was featured before on this blog (see?), but Sarah Cracknell and her boys made more X-mas music. They covered Snow, made famous by Claudine Longet, they sang with Charlatans-singer Tim Burgess and cheered on Santa in Come On Christmas. Enjoy! [Merci á Dennis for the mp3s]

Saint Etienne - Snow
Saint Etienne & Tim Burgess - I was born on Christmasday
Saint Etienne - Come On Christmas

Knives out

The Knife are Olof Dreijer and Karin Dreijer Andersson. They are from Sweden and have made electronic dance music together since 1999. Their best known song is Heartbeats, famously covered by José Gonzales. This year, Silent Shout was released, one of the best and certainly the creepiest dance record of 2006. From their selftitled debut-cd, this little electronic x-mas gem was taken.
Here's what Karin & Olaf wrote about Christmas Reindeer:

Hi all,
Now it's time again for The Knife's annual christmas track Christmas Reindeer, recorded in 2000, to be downloaded! It's a bit like the Reindeer-version from the first album but with bells and no guitar solo (for you who miss that one especially, you know where to find it.)
Free pdf with DIY record cover: http://www.theknife.net

The Knife - Christmas Reindeer

Illegal Christmas Mix

My favorite Illegal Christmas soundtrack from last year is back for another illegal download !

Made by Jesper Larsson of Next Century Modern and Tokyo Style in Gothenburg..

..you should download Next Century Moderns Illegal Christmas Mix!

(Via Jean Snow.)

A Family Affair

Most people spend Christmas with their family and eat and drink untill they get sick of the food or uncle Joe telling dirty jokes. Here's an alternative: spend Christmas with the Partridge Family and just have a jolly good time whisteling along...

The Partridge Family - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Nice 'n' Easy does it

Here are 5 nice and cheesy christmas gems:
Drive > in Presents: Easy Tune vol.2, X-mas edition

featuring:
Johnny Diamond - Lonely Christmas
The Skyliners - X-mas Shopping
Olga Jankovski - Blues Noël
The In-Tunes - Easy
Juan Wells - Merry Christmas

Don't let the tracklist foor you: all tracks are written and produced by Dutch DJs Gerry Arling and Richard Cameron, before they called themselves Arling & Cameron.

Have yourself a Nice & Easy Christmas!

White Italian Christmas

Mina's Bianco Natale, in gorgeous black & white. Thanks to Pplipp for the link.

Whistle along..!

Here's a finger-snapping remix of Nat King Cole's version, by MJ Cole.

All I want For Christmas

(Boy, am I glad Natasha didn't choose the version of Alvin and The Chipmunks..!)

One more Christmas critter after all . . .

Lou Monte - Dominick the Donkey (The Italian Christmas Donkey)

Yellow in the snow

Natasha tells another tale: "I once witnessed a guy from Jamaica at a Canadian hotel freaking out at seeing snow for the first time. He took off his shoes, ran outside in his bare feet, turned around to look at the crowd watching him with a stunned expression on his face, realised his feet were cold and ran back in. Then, he ran back out dragging some of his reluctant Jamaican friends and started taking pictures. Yellowman’s ‘We wish you a reggae Christmas’ goes out to them and their culture shock."

Yellowman - We wish you a reggae christmas (OhShare)

Jerry Lewis :: I've Had A Very Merry Christmas

People who have visited my blog for a while know I'm a big Jerry Lewis fan. I know he isn't for everyone one. Love him or hate him, you just have to love this song if you love Christmas music.

Jerry Lewis :: I've Had A Very Merry Christmas

and another Danish band..

In Denmark we celebrate Christmas on the 24th. We eat roast pork or duck, with candied potatoes and red cabbage. Dessert is rice pudding.

I wish every new Christmas song sounded like this.
The thing about Danish duo Raveonettes is that they sound very much like the 60's. Their biggest inspiration are The Shangri-Las. Retrolovers, go download!

The Raveonettes - The Christmas Song

Tiger X-mas

Danish trio Tiger Baby (the Scandinavian Stereolab) decided to put their 2004-smash This Christmas online for free download. A fantastic, six-minute long song to cuddle up to and watch snowflakes fall down. Or, this year, imagine you see snowflakes fall down. Mre free Tiger Baby songs here.

Tiger Baby - This Christmas

look at frosty go-go

The Ronettes - Frosty The Snowman (1963)

A nice, crackly vinyl rip I made - I think it sounds a little warmer and more lively than the CD version.

You can hear all the songs from Phil Spector's Christmas album on Spiked Candy Canes Radio, streaming here.

No snow

Guess you heard that all the big skiing events in Europe are cancelled for lack of snow. Seems like we'll have yet another X-mas without snowman-material. Canadian duo Lola Dutronic wrote the perfect melancholy-filled song for an upcoming depression.

Lola Dutronic - X-mas without snow

You know how to whistle, don't you?

And yet another guestpost by Natasha from Radio Oh-la-la:

Hopping on the ‘all I want for Christmas’ bandwagon, the children’s classic All I want for Christmas (is my two front teeth) sung by crooner Nat King Cole, brings backs some unforgettable dental memories. There are many versions, including one by Alvin and The Chipmunks – speaking of teeth! I’m sure Christmas music on helium is passé and, well, they’ve got huge front teeth. I’ll take Nat’s pearly whites, thank you.

Nat King Cole - All I Want for Christmas is my two front teeth (OhShare)

Johnny Adams

One of the saddest Christmas-songs I know:


'And goodness knows, he didn't want a lot...'


Johnny Adams - The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot

Twistin' with Santa

Another guestpost by Natasha Oh-la-la:

A Christmas song is a lot like a slice of bread: you can top it off with anything you like. This time, it’s a twist of twist with enough French bop-bop-shoobeedoo-wop to kick off any retro Christmas party. The rockin’ guys of Les Chaussettes Noires definitely have a good argument for a Christmas twist number by giving Santa Claus a guitar for Christmas. How nice!

Les Chaussettes Noires - Le Twist du Père Noël

Christmas in Outer Space

A small selection of Space Age Christmas ditties, tied up in a neat lil' bundle for your easy listening pleasure . . .

Dickie Goodman - Santa and the Satellite
The BellRays - Rocket Ship Santa
Bobby Helms - Captain Santa Claus
Sonny Cole - Santa to the Moon
Troy Hess - Christmas on the Moon
Milton DeLugg & The Little Eskimos - Hooray for Santy Claus! (from the motion picture Santa Claus Conquers the Martians)
Senor Tonto - Hooray for Santy Claus!
Barry Gordon - Zoomah the Santa Claus from Mars
Shonen Knife - Space Christmas
Various Artists - What Can You Get a Wookie for Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb) [from Christmas in the Stars - A Star Wars Christmas]

Christmas in Outer Space

The Three Suns :: A Ding Dong Dandy Christmas!

Another favorite at Brainwerk studios. The Three Suns. Some say this was the peak of their career here with A Ding Dandy Christmas! What Lenny Dee does for the organ, these guys do for the xylaphone and tuba. Is this not one of the coolest covers ever?

THE THREE SUNS :: A DING DONG DANDY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas Time in DIY Hell

Thu Nov 30, 9:28 AM ET

LONDON (AFP) - British DIY superstore B and Q has apologised after staff blasted out the filthy song "Christmas Time in Hell" by Satan and the Damned on the soundsystem, shocking customers. Instead of the usual festive hits ringing through the aisles, shoppers were subjected to a foul-mouthed song from the television cartoon series "South Park". Due to an "oversight" at the store in Stockport, northwest England, bungling staff put on "Christmas Time in Hell" from the album "Mr Hankey's Christmas Classics". The offending track contains references to sex, torture and US cannibal serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.

Shopper Grant Sullivan, 42, from Stockport, was in the store's Christmas grotto with his daughter, Deonne, aged four. "I couldn't believe my ears," he told The Sun newspaper. "We were buying a tree and Deonne was looking for the star for the top of it. I was speechless. Christmas should be a wonderful time for kids -- they shouldn't have to listen to filth."

B and Q, which is owned by Kingfisher, Europe's largest home-improvement retailer, apologised over the incident. "The playing of South Park's 'Christmas Time in Hell' was an oversight on our part and we did not wish to cause offence or embarrassment to any of our customers, a spokesman said. "The song was removed as soon as the oversight was pointed out to us and please be assured that we will not be playing this song in this or any of our other stores."

Satan and the Damned - Christmas Time in Hell

Christmas Smash Hits

No, you won't hear Wham an Band Aid or any other too well known Xmas song here, but if you really want to get those as well, click on this link:

http://goodtimemusic.blogspot.com/2006/12/i-have-never-heard-of-artists-or-songs.html

Happy Happy Joy Joy

Everybody loves a Christmas story because there is always a happy ending.
And when it's sung over a melody by Burt Bacharach... well, it's irresistible.

The Bell That Couldn't Jingle

Pee-Wee's Christmas Special

I love Pee-Wee. I've been posting songs of his since I started my blog a year ago. I thought I'd grab the great opening song off of his Christmas Special and a sound byte. Perfect for your Christmas mix this year.

PEE-WEE'S CHRISTMAS SPECIAL THEME WITH GUESTS

PEE-WEE'S CHRISTMAS SPECIAL THEME

WHAT WOULD YOU PUT ON MY CHRISTMAS LIST IF YOU WERE ME?

Jungle Jingle

Ending this small reindeer-free Christmas bestiary, here's the Four Seasons celebrating the fifth one with a hot 'n' humid Yule parade under the jungle's gala greenery.

The Four Seasons - Jungle Bells

Madonna and Child

It's december already and Christmas is getting nigh, so I feel it's time to introduce the two main characters in the original story.

Ave Maria by Cubismo Grafico
from his album Untitled (but just one [christmas?] wish)
Japanese Reggae

TV Jesus by TV Jesus
from their album TV Jesus Superstar
Japanese Glamrock

Alternative picture I could've chosen for this entry:

Or would you prefer . . . ?

Hank Thompson - I'd Like to Have an Elephant for Christmas

Wreck the Halls

The "Mighty" Fall - No Xmas for John Quays (Peel Session version)

Tres Navidades

One, two, "three christmas" by the fabulous mexican singer Queta Garay.



Queta Garay - Tres Navidades (1963)

(NEW UPLOAD)

Classels Christmas

Natasha, from Radio Oh-la-la-fame, makes a great guestpost on this blog. She says she has more goodies coming up!

Christmas in Québec is a big, cold, snow-covered affair. It starts the day after the Halloween stuff has been cleared from store shelves and lasts until people finally decide to chuck out their drying up Christmas tree onto that big pile of snow by the driveway so it can be recycled into Canadian paper sometime in February. This song by sixties sensation Les Classels has all the trappings of a Christmas song, with lots of neige. And that island rhythm is so much warmer than a fake fireplace!

Les Classels - Le Sentier de Neige (Ohshare)

noël avec sheila

(click for larger version. if adding any of my scans to another site/blog, link to spikedcandy.com)

Go here to download Sheila's Christmas performance of 'L'heure de la Sortie'.

According to the Sheila TVgraphie, this is from a program entitled Douce France and was broadcast on December 18, 1966.

The video truly lives up to this blog's name! Sheila, mercifully out of her insane bouffant phase, and her high-booted friends sing and dance in front of Christmas trees and inside what looks like a department store.



Or watch it at Youtube.

Hippopotamus amphibius

Xmas with the Beatles? Yeah, quite nice. But doesn't Yuletide with a hippo beat the eggnog out of Christmas with, er, Ringo? Judge for yourself . . .

Gayla Peevey - I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

(A Little Touch Of) Bach at Christmas, With Takako Minekawa

Every Christmas playlist needs a bit of Bach for the real Christmas spirrit!

Here's a nice ep by Minekawa Takako (mrs. Cornelius)

(A Little Touch Of) Baroque in Winter.

Tracks:
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (J.S. Bach)
Christmas Wish
La Valse Grise n3 on Aminure
Snow frolic

With The Beatles

Christmas in Graceland is nice, but nothing beats Christmas with the Beatles!

Ringo for Christmas - The Rainbow Choir
All I Want For Christmas Is A Beatle - Dora Bryan

Hark! The Herald Angel Sing . . .

A real guilty pleasure from those gloriously innocent days of childhood when winter was chilly, snow was high, and each and every Christmas record featured a terribly blaring children's choir: a truly shameless piece of unadulterated heavy pomp from Washington, DC, glamsters Angel's 1977 album White Hot which used to tint my frozen cheeks with a tender touch of glowing scarlet - and still does.

Angel - Winter Song

Les Baxter

Here are two great Christmas songs from the king of exotica. They are found on a various artist album called Happy Holidays. Santa Claus' Party appears on the Ultra Lounge Christmas Cocktails cd and they have it fade into another song. Here it is in it's entirety. Both from 1952.

LES BAXTER AND ORCHESTRA :: SANTA CLAUS' PARTY

LES BAXTER AND ORCHESTRA :: HANG YOUR WISHES ON THE TREE

¡Something Festive!

Great song. To bad they didn't do a whole album of Christmas music.

SERGIO MENDES & BRAIL '66 :: THE CHRISTMAS SONG

A Graceland Christmas

Marlene Paul - I Wanna Spend Christmas with Elvis

make it a triple

Margo Guryan - I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You

The Saint Etienne and Claudine Longet versions have both been posted, so I thought it would be a nice idea to add the version by the song's creator, Margo Guryan.

Buy 25 Demos.

(I Don't Intend To Spend) Christmas without you

The very fist song on this blog was "I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You" by the wonderful Claudine Longet. This song was also recorded by Saint Etienne in 1998.

The background chorus was later 'borrowed' by Pizzicato Five for their song 20th century Girl. LaLaLaLa LaLaLaLaaaa!

Merry Pizzicato

Only 0.7% of the Japanese population are Christians*, but... everybody loves Christmas, right?

So, for my first contribution to this blog, here is a song by my favourite group: Pizzicato Five, with their Christmas single "Juni gatsu niju yokka"', or 24 decembre'.

And, as a bonus; here are two versions of Silent night from their 'out-takes'-album Great White Wonder : version 1 and 2.

Heeeeeeeeere's Donnie . . . !

Captain Beefheart -
There Ain't No Santa Claus on the Evenin' Stage

Michael is coming to town (too)

Jackson 5 - Santa Claus is coming to town (1970)

(poor Michael)

Frankie is coming to town

Bing Crosby Tv Show 1961 (probably)

Frank Sinatra - Santa Claus is coming to town

Jingle-Jangle by Electric Candlelight

Here's another yuletide favorite, this time coming from The King of Colchester, ex-head-Cleaner from Venus, "Britain's busiest songsmith, tunesmith and horticultural assassin" and all-round Greatest Living Englishman, Martin Newell, celebrating the "shoe-string saturnalia" of "Christmas in Suburbia", including gallons of "cheap old cherry wine" and bouts of drunken sex . . . now that's what I call Christmas!

Martin Newell - Christmas in Suburbia


PS: Read all about the man (and the Cleaners and just about everything else) in Giles Smith's excellent - and very funny - book "Lost in Music".

Yuletide Disco

OK. Thanksgiving is over. It is officially time to get this party started. Put on the platforms and get ready to shake it. Here is Yuletide Disco!

MIRROR IMAGE :: YULETIDE DISCO

Cold Cuttin' Xmas

Hi, folks. First off, thanks for the invite. I'm Roy Black from the infamous Germans Under Cover blog, but don't you fret, I won't post any Germanized cover versions over here. For starters, I'd like to present you with one of my favorite seasonal records, Coldcut's "Christmas Break" which the dynamic dee-jaying duo of Matt Black & Jonathan More put out in 1989, long before the disc-throwing Ninja became their distinctive trademark. Somewhat neglected at the time of its release, here's 6 1/2 minutes of snow-capped, candy-striped turntable wizardry which'll hopefully ring your Christmas bells. Enjoy!

Coldcut - Coldcut's Christmas Break

Norma Jeane

I like my Christmas to be sexy, and Marilyn is as sexy as it gets...

But... apparently I was fooled and it wasn't Marilyn after all.

Credit for this version should be given to Cynthia Basinet:


Cynthia Basinet - Santa Baby

Song has been removed on instruction of the management of Cynthia Basinet.

Cary Grant

Here is a song by Cary Grant called Christmas Lullaby off of a record called Joyous Christmas, Vol. 6.

CARY GRANT :: CHRISTMAS LULLABY

spiked candy canes

As requested on my blog, a repost of my Christmas mixes from last year:

Spiked Candy Canes Part 1 : (link 1) (link 2)

Claudine Longet - Snow, Dressy Bessy - All the Right Reasons, Deerhoof - Xmas Tree, Isabelle Antenna - Noelle Hawai, Peggy Lee - The Christmas Spell, Stina Nordenstam - Soon After Christmas, The Diskettes - Noel, The Gems - Love For Christmas, The Kinks - Father Christmas, The Knife - Christmas Reindeer, The Pipettes - In The Bleak Midwinter, The Sonics - Don't Believe In Christmas (46 MB)



Spiked Candy Canes Part 2: (link 1) (link 2)

Belle And Sebastian - I Took Some Time For Christmas, Brian Wilson - On Christmas Day, Ginette Reno - Vive Le Vent, Julie London - I'd Like You For Christmas, Lauren Laverne - In The Bleak Midwinter, Marlene Paul - I Wanna Spend Christmas With Elvis, Nena - Wunder Gescheh'n, Of Montreal - My Favourite Christmas (In A Hundred Words Or Less), The Carpenters - Merry Christmas, Darling, The Shitbirds (ft April March)- Christmas Is A-Coming, Universal Robot Band - Disco Christmas, Yo La Tengo - It's Christmas Time (42 MB)

Two options for downloading - NetFileGo, and SnapDrive. I tried to find hosts that I can directlink to (so no ads, waiting etc) and that are supported by download accelerators (both worked well for me with Free Download Manager). But if you have any other preferred hosts you would recommend for the next large files I plan to share, please leave a comment.

Un pizzico di nostalgia

NOBODY is going to top this - the best Christmas-song EVER! Raffaella Cara's Balla Balla, baby! [Grazie Plipp]

Navidades Blancas

In order to start I´d bring you an ep from 1965 belonging to one of the most admired spanish artists outside our borders that was named "Raphael canta a la Navidad" o "Raphael sings to Christmas", we are talking of Raphael. After more than forty years of his career as a singer, Raphael keeps on giving us the gift of many new recordings. Most of them see the light during this dates and are dedicated to the Holydays to come, Christmas.

To be concrete, we`d like to share with you, one version of the song "White Christmas", obviously traduced to spanish.

May all of you have a merry and white Christmas.

P.S. Thanks to Lush and Bruno for inviting me to participate in this blog.

Raphael - Navidades blancas

especially for us

Gamine - Oh, What A Kiss!

Gamine count French film noir and Julie London among their influences, and don't disappoint, bringing just the right amount of drama and style to their beautiful, grand piano-backed torch songs. 'Oh, What A Kiss!' is not strictly a Christmas song as such, but an ode to a passionate and possibly illicit first kiss, the tale taking place on a cold night before Christmas:

We'll drive
Through streets of ice
The lights,
A feast for the eyes.
Decked out for Christmas,
Especially for us.

And, in French:

Gamine - Oh, Mon Cheri! (via last.fm)

Les rues
Sont enneigées
La ville
Est illuminée
Ces décors de Noël
Me paraissent irréels.

Watch 'Oh, Mon Cheri' on YouTube.
Gamine on MySpace.

Jingle Bells, Batman Smells...

Here are three Exciting Christmas Stories. Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman all save Christmas in their own stories. Sorry this one is so dusty. This one doesn't say Power Records, but it basically is.

SUPERMAN :: LIGHT UP THE CHRISTMAS TREE MR. PRESIDENT

BATMAN :: CHRISTMAS CAROL CAPER PART 1

BATMAN :: CHRISTMAS CAROL CAPER PART 2

WONDER WOMAN :: PRISONER OF CHRISTMAS ISLAND

Soulful Christmas

I’m really glad Lush asked me to participate in this Christmasblog, because I think it’s a real shame what people are listening to in those dark days at the end of the year (in the Netherlands the hideous Skyradio for example).

I’ll start of with my favorite soul singer who nailed some great Christmas classics. But then again, if Otis would have been singing his grocery list it would have sounded great as well…

Otis Redding – Merry Christmas, Baby

Christmas in the sixties was fine

One of the most famous Dutch X-mas songs is Fay Lovsky's Christmas was a Friend of Mine. Released in 1981, it became an evergreen and nowadays is on every Christmasplaylist of every Dutch radiostation. Still, it manages to stay fresh, cool and seasonal. Fay Lovsky (real name: Fay Luyendijk) is a multi-instrumentalist, who started out as a singer-songwriter, but generally transferred to music for commercials and films. She worked with famous cartoonists Robert Crumb and Joost Swarte, and plays very funny theatrical shows with her band.

Fay Lovsky - Christmas was a friend of mine

Christmas Kitsch

Hey everybody. Let me introduce myself. I'm Brainwerk and I run a blog called Check The Cool Wax. I try to post mostly out of print records that lean toward novelty, tv/movie personality, kitsch, lounge, odd, etc. For a sample of the things you find there, check out Volume One. I'm really excited to be able to contribute to Christmas A Go Go! My first post is a 1961 record from a guy called Lenny Dee. In my humble opinion, he the unsung hero of the lounge-fueled crazy organ. I think the stand-out tracks are Sleigh Ride and Mister Santa (played to the tune of Mr. Sandman). You will either really like this or poke your ears out with a sharp object.

LENNY DEE :: HAPPY HOLI-DEE

lovely baubles

DOLLY PARTON - HARD CANDY CHRISTMAS
all i want for christmas is my very own dolly

I'm begging you Santa Claus

Okay, not évery X-mas song I like has to include death and/or despair, I like it when it's funky as well (and has a socialstudy-ring to it). Santa's got a brand new bag, and the Godfather of Soul's in it. This song was also nicely covered by, yes, Belle & Sebastian

James Brown - Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto

A cajun christmas from little miss dynamite

I just love Brenda Lee's voice,reminds me a lot of an ex-girlfriend of mine who also used to sing in a band.She made several christmas songs but this one is a bit special since it's about christmas on the bayou! Really old recording (1958),but sounds fresh even today.

Papa noël
BONUS especially for Kate!
I'm gonna lasso Santa Claus
files will be hosted for a limited time

Merry Xmas from the Dean & Sinatra Family

From a Christmas special staring both the Sinatra and Martin families on the Dean Martin 60's TV Show. Here's Frank and Dean doing a long duet of standard favorites, full of humor and great fun. In the end, we will see their family decorate a Christmas tree in the studio. Cheesy, but awesome! Christmas 1967.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Doris Day - Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

ffffffffff

Obviously the best Christmas song by the best girl. (Who doesn't love Doris Day??) Do yourself a favor and buy her Christmas album!

Winter in Canada

I think this song is going to be on top of my playlist in December. It's jinglicious!

gggggg

Elisa Gabbai - Winter in Canada

gggggggggggg

Also with a (very similar) version by Danish darling Gitte

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

Okay, so nobody dies in the old hymn Oh Come Emmanuel, is in prison or alone (see Prince-post below), but you can tell there's been a lot of suffering. Based on seven antiphons sung in medieval monasteries beginning a week before Christmas, these twelfth-century Latin verses were translated and reduced to five by the nineteenth-century English carol writer John M. Neale. Singer-songwriter Jonatha Brooke adds her own angelical voice, plus the vocal chords and glacial effects of Kevin Gilbert

Jonatha Brooke & Kevin Gilbert - Oh Come Emmanuel

Then you died on the 25th Day of December

Give or take a few jolly classics, I only like Christmas songs about someone being alone, dead, or in prison. Here's a great example by Prince:

Your father said it was pneumonia
Your mother said it was stress
But the doctor said U were dead and I...
I say it's senseless

Prince - Another Lonely Christmas

je chasse la neige

France Gall - Chasse-neige (1971)

Ultra-rare FG B-side, in which Mlle Gall sings about being a snow-plough that would clear frosty paths all the way to the Himalayas to be in the arms of her love. Yet another gem from her early 70s period that has yet to see light of day on a CD release. Thanks to Gerry for this one.

Links: Record sleeve, Lyrics

chwistmas wishes evweeone

CLAUDINE LONGET - I DON'T INTEND TO SPEND CHRISTMAS WITHOUT YOU.
obvious, but totally necessary!

Welcome!

You won't see any Wham, Band Aid, or Christmas Smashhits vol. 29 here. Think Christmas when the candy tasted a little sweeter, the Christmas tree was a bit greener, and the snow whiter. This is our collection of the funniest, sweetest, and best of the classic Christmas songs ever, that will get you in the right spirit and get you the best compilation ever!