Ho! Ho! Ho! And by that I do mean the scantily clad women hanging around in a photogenic manner in this thread's various visual supports. It's Christmas time again, folks, and here at One Buck Records that can only mean two things: women in various state of Holiday-themed skimpy outfits and a specially compiled Christmas compilation for my very favorite readers - which is all of you, obviously.
You might have noticed on the last two volumes (which are also re-upped, gotta keep that Christmas music comin'....) that I keep the irreverent and snotty limited. Yes, these Christmas collections are supposed to be fun and not entirely traditional, but big ol' sentimental me also enjoys a genuine take on a Christmas carol by a favorite artist, so there's also quite a bit of those from perennial OBG faves like Tift Merrit, Tracy Chapman and Shawn Colvin. This doesn't stop me, obviously, from opening proceedings with Cheap Trick kickin' down Santa's door with "Come On Christmas". Power pop fans will be served on this volume, as we also have Christmas Carols from the likes of Chris Stamey, Del Lords and Fountains Of Wayne, while genre-adjacent Marshall Crenshaw's DIY contribution is a little more subdued (dig the 80s Casio groove, friends..).
And then there's the ones that split the difference between the genuine and...the genuinely weird. Hear Nat King Cole fight his way through a phonetic cheat sheet while wrestling the original German language version of "O Tannenbaum" to a draw! Witness the improbable once-in-a-lifetime dream team of David Bowie and Bing Crosby (or, as Bowie recalls him at his advanced senior age, looking like 'an orange sitting on a stool') with the improbably beautiful "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy". These are unironically two of my favorite Christmas tunes! I'll leave it to the listener to judge whether the group vocals during the second half of Chris Stamey's "Christmas Song" are genuine and charming or willingly amateur and a send up. If you do want lovely group vocals, don't go further than The Wondermints doing their loveliest Beach Boys impression on "Santa's Beard"!
We also have slightly jazzy takes from the likes of Ray Charles and Don Dixon! Further vets like Jose Féliciano and John Hiatt! Wisenheimers like Nick Lowe and Sufjan Stevens! Truly a cornucopia of Holiday tunages, accompanied, as ever, by the One Buck Records Elvettes coming up right underneath..
So, have yourself a merry little Christmas, everybody...
P.S.: While uploading this comp I've just learned that Chris Rea died this week. Not a huge fan, but considering tha radio proclivities of my parents, I couldn't escape the man. Here's his Christmas classic "Driving Home For Christmas"
Naughtier And Nicer
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Thanks for your Xmas treat, OBG, and a Joyeux Noel at ya, to boot!
ReplyDeleteWhen Rea died, I saw tons of references to this Xmas song, which I'd never heard, nor even heard of. But I did know Rea's music, as I've stuck this classic on many a comp made for others. Given your Americana proclivities, it oughta sound good to you, too, OBG!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8a6kHQN9BA&list=RDA8a6kHQN9BA&start_radio=1
C in California
Yeah, "Driving Home For Christmas" doesn't seem to have made it as a modern Christmas classic overseas, but over here it's a pretty inescapable radio staple in the run up to the holidays.
DeleteRea is the personification of the steady, rootsy AOR guy who never got much respecty from the music press, while quietly satisfying his faithful for years to come. I'm not sure a deep dive is warranted, but that's a pretty nice number you pulled up there...
Merry Christmas!
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