Best Christmas music?

Does anyone out there have favorite Christmas music? Something that stands out from the usual holiday fare?

(The way Josefina phrased her latest post to the "Best of 2005" thread gave me the idea for this one.)

A few I'll suggest:

LOS STRAITJACKETS - 'Tis the Season for Los Straitjackets
ESQUIVEL - Merry Xmas from the Space-Age Bachelor Pad
JAMES BROWN - Funky Christmas
V/A - Just Say Noel
BRIAN SETZER - Boogie Woogie Christmas

And any of the five (to date) "Twisted Christmas" CDs by Bob Rivers. None of them is consistent from start to finish -- the efforts at sketch comedy tend to slow things down. But anyone other than a true Scrooge will find plenty to laugh at with these.

The Phil Spector one gets dragged out every year.

Vince Guaraldi Trio - A Charlie Brown Christmas
St. Etienne - I Was Born on Christmas Day
Roy Wood - I Wish it Could Be Christmas Every Day

The first Dark Noel album on Projekt

Big Star - Jesus Christ
The Kinks - Father Christmas (Give Us Some Money)
Fear - Fuck Christmas

Pretenders - 2000 Miles

My favorite Christmas album these days is the one by Booker T & the MG's. My favorite Christmas song of all time is Otis Redding's version of Merry Christmas Baby, which to me seems like the last purely joyful song ever made.

i remember dogs barking jingle bells.
there is dirk keysser :[cdbaby.com] cluckng x-mas songs

and then s&M&M&M ; one of there songs is about you never gave me anyting for x-mas giveme something this year


rev. horton heat has an x-mas album

there's a 'punk' one including the ramones

such a variety and so much of it -
calypso, too.

less sunlight still depresses me.



Post Edited (12-17-05 00:40)

"Punk Rock Christmas" has the dickies, fear, DI, mojo nixon, damned and ramones, which came out about 10 years ago.

"New Wave Christmas: I Just Can't Get Enough" has Los Lobos, Squeeze,Throwing Muses, Wall of Voodoo, and XTC called the Three Wisemen. I have it on cassette, I couldn'y find it anywhere on CD.

"Christmas With The Vandals: Oi to the World" a classic nogged out slice o' holiday fun.

My mom got me "Its' goona be a Punk Rock Christmas" by the Ravers, which I never took out of the plastic and sits pristinely next to my signed (by all members) copy of the Modern Lovers first ellpeeee.

Jill Sobule did a cover of "Merry Christmas from the Family," it's pretty gruesomely funny (also, unless I'm mistaken, she's Jewish).

chris stamey did an all American Southeastern holiday album in 1987. and BRAVE COMBO------------- hello Denton!-----------------------------------------------
in 1995 or '96 called "it's christmas man!" that should be included with Mojo Nixon's holiday party album.

Smokin' Xmas LP: Reverend Horton Heat's thang

Sample Track: Run Rudolph Run

Also see:: Good King Wencenslaus version by Butthole Surfers

NP: Oblivians - Rock and Roll Holiday



Post Edited (12-20-05 15:24)

The Ventures' Christmas Album is a true hipster holiday tradition: each Christmas classic starts with the opening riffs from a popular early-'60s radio song. "Wooly Bully" morphs into "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "Tequila" turns into "Frosty the Snowman," the Beatles' "I Feel Fine" becomes "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer." Cool, man.

(But the best Xmas tune is still "Christmas Wrapping" by the Waitresses.)

I just discovered Merry Christmas from the Family by Robert Earl Keen. It is one of the funniest songs I ever heard; it ranks favorably with the Bob and Doug McKenzie version of 12 Days of Christmas (NO, YOU TAKE OFF HOSEHEAD).

If you haven't heard it, please go download it. It could be subtitled, A White Trash Christmas.

I'm rather fond of Porn Orchard's "This Holiday Season" with faux Tom Waits and Peter Murphy dueting on such gems as:

Oh, give me a noose I can hang from the tree,
I need no excuse to end my misery,
This holiday season is all the more reason to die.

and:

The bottle is empty, the sleigh has a flat,
The stripper in my bed is ugly and fat,
Her tassles are tangled, And what's worse, my jingle won't jangle.Delvin wrote:

~Joslyn

Don't forget to spin Timperley's own: Frank and little Frank Sidebottom this holiday season. You'll love it..."You really will!" "Thank you."