| Author | Message | ||
     Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1294 Registered: 03-2006 |
"The Christmas Song" - Mel Torme "Marshmallow World" - Los Straitjackets "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - sung by almost anybody, but truth be told, Aimee Mann does a fine version on her new Christmas disc. "Run Rudolph Run" - Dave Edmunds "So This Is Christmas", or whatever it's called by John Lennon. "The Little Drummer Boy" - Bing Crosby and David Bowie (in fact, the only tolerable version of this song)... | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 74 Registered: 07-2006 |
i have a major band aid mk1 (12" mix) problem... "hi this is gary kemp from spandau ballet. happy christmas everyone" | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1042 Registered: 05-2005 |
The drummer initially said something like: "Happy Christmas to all our fans in Ethiopia. Sorry we did not get out there this year but we hope to tour there soon." Bob Geldof politely explained the lie of the land to him. I know you're going to think I'm kidding here. I'm not. It was in Geldof's excellent book Is That It? | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 75 Registered: 07-2006 |
heh...that's brilliant. wouldn't doubt you for a second padraig! | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 1081 Registered: 05-2005 |
Jona Lewie - Stop the cavalry | ||
| Cichli Suite Member Username: Cichli_suite Post Number: 206 Registered: 08-2004 |
The New Possibility: John Fahey's Guitar Soli Christmas Album (I'll bet Andreas likes this too) 2000 miles by the Pretenders Anybody heard anything from the Sufjan Stevens Christmas album? Apparently its 5 CDs long!! It'll be next Christmas by the time you get to hear it all. Are there any good Aussie Christmas songs about eating turkey sandwiches on the beach? | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1300 Registered: 03-2006 |
I have the Sufie X-mas album, Cichlie, and it's really good. The discs in it are more or less EPs, so the whole thing comes out to about the length of a standard double disc... Spence, is Jona Lewie the one that did "I'm Always in the Kitchen at Parties"? Great stuff. | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 194 Registered: 08-2006 |
I've always liked that Phil Spector Christmas comp, what's it called, "A Christmas Gift to You"? Also "Child's Christmas in Wales" by John Cale. Go figure, the guy who wrote "fear is a man's best friend" wrote a Christmas song. And no one dies in it, as far as I can tell. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1301 Registered: 03-2006 |
That Spector disc is a classic. Which reminds me of something I meant to mention. That disc is included in the Phil Spector box set, "Back to Mono". I don't know if it's being deleted, or what, but you can get it right now on Amazon for $12.99. It is a wonderful box set and is worth about ten times that... | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 195 Registered: 08-2006 |
Wow, that's an amazing deal, LK. I remember when it came out it was quite pricey, like $60-$70. The Christmas CD alone is worth $12.99. | ||
| Wolfgang Steinhardt Member Username: Berbatov Post Number: 41 Registered: 09-2006 |
Back in the students appartment: open the window for at least 24 hours, serve chilled vodka based drinks only and listen to Vladimir Vissotzky - wouldn't work in Australia... | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 1083 Registered: 05-2005 |
LK yep, you got him! That was a great tune too. For me its Jona, Slade and Wizzard at Christmas. The Spector and Ze Records Xmass comp were good too, Christmas Wrapping and Alan Vega too! | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 506 Registered: 08-2004 |
A Spaceman Came A-Travelling - Chris De Burgh, best thing he's ever done. | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 364 Registered: 04-2006 |
spence, slade and wizzard. they made the definitive christmas songs. at least to me. kind of neonatal imprinting, or so. cichli, but i think the profit rate for this bet is a low one. yes, surely this album is a fahey gem, too. but Fahey's christmas vol. II album is a bit better. stolen from the all music guide: John Fahey's second Christmas album may not immediately pack the artistic wallop that his reputation lays upon, but there is enough deviation and skillful interpretation within these two sides of vinyl to solidify any claims to greatness. If you were able to judge the album by side two alone, this would be up there with America or Fare Forward Voyagers. Richard Ruskin helps out on most of the tracks. Ruskin, an excellent player taught by Reverend Gary Davis who also recorded a few albums for Takoma, tackles these traditional songs with aplomb. But this is definitely Fahey's show. Taken up with mostly standards, Fahey digs into hymns and sacred material much like he would on any other album; it just so happens that he happens to do this with the holiday tracks that all parties secular and non have been privy to their whole lives ("Oh Christmas Tree," "White Christmas," et al.). This familiarity may have provided Fahey with his most popular recordings, but as with most of his material, there is something uneasy underneath the surface. This is best exemplified by "Christmas Fantasy," a track which takes up the entire second side and gives plenty of reason to search out this record. In fact, Fahey himself claimed this as one of his favorite recordings of himself. Here, he dips into his characteristic, methodical plucking that flows from uneven to dizzying before lapsing into more melodic segments. Crashing and discordant at one moment, gentle and flowing the next. It's not your typical Christmas fantasy and probably provided some nightmarish, surreal qualities to anyone hoping to inject some typical musical yuletide cheer into their holiday. and not to forget this nice box set of sufjan stevens. the songs are typical sufjan stevens songs. if you like him, you can buy it without any doubts. | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 185 Registered: 04-2005 |
For Rob: 'A Child's Christmas in Wales' are actually Dylan Thomas' words set to music by John Cale. Which accounts for the lack of an aural bloodbath maybe? | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 186 Registered: 04-2005 |
Here for Tom Waits crooning a few bars of 'Silent Night' (enough to strike fear into the heart of any small child like his version of Hi-Ho) http://rbally.net/ (despite threats to the contrary rbally is still up + running, posting wonderful things) | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 452 Registered: 10-2004 |
Vince Guaraldi - A Charlie Brown Christmas This trumps anything. I never get sick of it. I even listen to it in the summer. Guaraldi was a genius! | ||
| Cichli Suite Member Username: Cichli_suite Post Number: 207 Registered: 08-2004 |
Andreas, I knew it was a safe bet! Thanks for the information. Is the album you are referring to called "Christmas with John Fahey, Volume 2"? | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 1051 Registered: 04-2005 |
I'm with Jeff. It's the one Christmas album I don't protest when it comes on. Since I'm not a fan of happy Christmas music, Neko Case's version of "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" is #1 on my holiday hit parade this year. | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 76 Registered: 07-2006 |
there's nothing specific about it, but the cocteaus' "treasure" always feels very christmas-sy to me. it just sounds like bells and snow cover. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1043 Registered: 05-2005 |
Wow! Thanks for the tip LK. I'm going to order it right now. I guess people - and buyers - have been put off by Mr Spector's impending murder trial. Being a good Catholic boy though I have a ready made moral get out: love the sinner, hate the sin. Woo hoo! | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1304 Registered: 03-2006 |
That escape clause works for me - particularly if the sinner makes great music. Hope you get one - I wonder if it's about to go OOP...the only explanation I can think of for the price... | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1045 Registered: 05-2005 |
Yeah, ordered it. I bet it is going to go OOP. Only hip-hoppers sell more after being convicted of murder I think (not that I'm trying to pre-judge Mr Spector - but it's not looking too good is it?). | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 841 Registered: 03-2005 |
Not to worry, Padraig. The whole Joe Meek cult probably wouldn't have developed if it hadn't been for his bumping off his landlady and then (and this might be a crucial difference) turning the shotgun on himself. People have a bottomless appetite for crazed tortured artist types. Spector certainly qualifies. Kurt, where is that Neko Case song? | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1046 Registered: 05-2005 |
I was going to mention Joe Meek Randy but something stopped me. Probably to let someone else have a go! I have one CD of Joe Meek's work. Also got it from Amazon; several years ago. I'm pretty sure it was a $5 or $6 cut out. Liked it at the time but have not played it since. Must have a look for it. And yeah, I'm sure we would not have heard of him if he wasn't a muderer/suicide. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 1052 Registered: 04-2005 |
Randy, the site that had the Neko MP3 was: http://retromusicsnob.blogspot.com/ However, the link to their Christmas MP3s seems to be expired. Keep your eyes on your mailbox tomorrow. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 1053 Registered: 04-2005 |
I borrowed a copy of that Joe Meek anthology that came out in the States five or six years ago and was underwhelmed. It seemed like a lot of it was worth listening to once for curiosity's sake, but wasn't the sort of thing a person would want to hear repeatedly. Some of it was utter dross. I respect that he had interesting production techniques and some really out-there ideas, but he seemed like a very, very poor man's Spector at best. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1047 Registered: 05-2005 |
My thoughts were better expressed by Kurt above. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 842 Registered: 03-2005 |
Well, in some ways he was literally a "poor man's Spector" except that he probably hadn't heard of Phil Spector when he began. He recorded on a shoestring budget in a decent-sized flat in London. This is in the era of fiddly tape machines, frequently with only two tracks, and big hot tube equipment, all of which was far out of the reach of ordinary folks. He designed a lot of his own effects devices and processors simply because he could not afford anything else. He had no record company support and, at the time, there was no established path in the hidebound British music industry for a totally independent producer like Meek. There would have been no Mickie Most (Animals' "House of the Rising Sun," Nashville Teens' "Tobacco Road," everything by Herman's Hermits, Donovan's "Sunshine Superman," Lulu's "To Sir With Love"), no Andrew Oldham (Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithfull, Immediate Records), no Shel Talmy (in the UK anyway, meaning Kinks thru '67, Who thru "My Generation," everything by Creation, Easybeats' "Friday on my Mind") without Meek carving the path first. And, yes, he made a lot of appalling records partly because of his own questionable taste but also because of his theory that he should just make as much as possible in the hopes that some of it would stick. BUT he also made a very decent string of uncontestable classics. There was a bit of the idiot savant phenomenon going on because he was a borderline illiterate country bumpkin with an uncanny ear for great musicians and total disregard for the quality of singers. "Telstar" really honestly was a miraculous achievement, particularly in light of the resources used to create it. At his best, Meek had his finger on a dark sensibility totally unique in his era, undoubtedly the creature of his own mental illness. If you are referring to the Razor & Tie antho, Kurt, it had a decent number of good things but missed a lot of tracks universally acknowledged by Meek freaks to be absolutely indispensable and included some inexplicably dreadful choices championed by no one familiar with Meek's prodigious output. Put bluntly I could toss together a much better single CD collection than the Razor & Tie set without breaking a sweat. In fact I've never seen a truly good single CD antho of Meek's because they all tend to try to include rarities for the anoraks like myself at the expense of an actually good selection that would appeal to the newcomer. Spector largely had one single sound idea which he refined and refined over the years until eventually it was just exhausted. Meek was not like that; he had loads of ideas, often in conflict with each other. No idea was too stupid for him to try, which is why he obviously came up with a lot of duds in between the triumphs. About the only constants in his work is the use of some form of distortion and his tendency to create a remarkably visual sound. But I think it might also be necessary to be a certain age to appreciate Meek with myself on the young end. A significant chunk of his best work pre-dates the Beatles, coming from a period in pop music conventionally slagged off (1959 - 1963). And some of his truly worthwhile records are fabulous over-the-top pop farts that I suspect simply cannot be digested by most people of the post-Beatles era. Ok, rant over. And thanks Kurt, I'm looking forward to hearing the Neko Case. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 337 Registered: 01-2005 |
Seperated by 40 plus years, but similar in tone: June Christy - This Time Of The Year Aimee Mann - One More Drifter In The Snow I just picked Aimee's Christmas album up, it's pretty decent. It remined me of June's early 1960's Christmas album that finally got released on cd last year. Both slightly off kilter songs, Aimee's less so. Favorite whacky Christmas song: Dusty, The Christmans Dustbuster | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 507 Registered: 08-2004 |
Nice rant Randy. It's funny how murder is somehow acceptable if you're considered to be talented/genius, almost a viable quirk There was a minor rumble here a few weeks back when another pointless killing was the subject in off-topic. I love Spector's A Christmas Gift. Some of the most joyous music ever made & the singing is nigh on perfect. The Ronettes are enough to make me believe in Santa Claus (I found out the hard way, he's not real). Sufjan Stevens: Have I missed the point, His renditions are a bit dull don't you think. On another board someone said they can't stand him since they found out he's a Christian, what a strange way to not like someone. Could it be he's a bit too clever & over-ambitious? | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 197 Registered: 08-2006 |
Oh, great, Jerry, way to just spill the beans on Santa. We'd been waiting for the right time to break the news to LK. Poor guy, he's gonna be heartbroken. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1306 Registered: 03-2006 |
Ouch. Dolly Parton's boobs are still real, right? | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 1054 Registered: 04-2005 |
Randy, thanks for the enlightening defense of Meek. I don't doubt you could put together a better comp of his productions than the Razor & Tie one I heard. And in fact, you may have the first draft of the liner notes in your message above. And Rob--funniest post of the week! | ||
| jerry hann Member Username: Jerry_h Post Number: 346 Registered: 07-2005 |
Christmas with the McGarrigles-the wifes fave, I still like Fairy Tale to NY by the Pogues despite it being played to death | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 366 Registered: 04-2006 |
Cichli, yes i referred to the ''Christmas with John Fahey, Vol. 2'' album. btw: did you ever bought the paul quinn album? many greetings from berlin andreas | ||
| Andrew Kerr Member Username: Andrew_k Post Number: 187 Registered: 04-2005 |
Hey they've ripped us off http://music.guardian.co.uk/rock/story/0 ,,1972268,00.html + Andreas: there were 2 Paul Quinn albums on (relaunched) Postcard and an EP (which is great too) And trivia fans he played at the Glasgow Film Theatre the same night as a RF gig at King Tuts. But the memory is far too gone to remember which year. | ||
| John B. Member Username: John_b Post Number: 80 Registered: 10-2006 |
Jerry, come to Germany, here they hardly ever play "Fairytale of New York." I Love it. LK, "So This Is Christmas" and "Little Drummer Boy" are also on my list. And, yes, "Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer" is very high up there as well. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 861 Registered: 03-2005 |
"Last Train to Christmas" -- April March & Los Cincos | ||
| fsh Member Username: Fsh Post Number: 93 Registered: 05-2005 |
'Christmas morning' by The Last Bandits aka Nikki Sudden (RIP 2006), Simon Carmody (Golden horde) and Johnny Fean (Horslips). Released about twenty years ago! | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 230 Registered: 08-2006 |
I have a new favorite entry in the Christmas-music canon, courtesy of Saturday Night Live. Fair warning: this is not workplace-friendly or for more sensitive viewers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dmVU08zV pA | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 1123 Registered: 05-2005 |
How much did Bing not wanna be with Mr Bowie on their Drummer Boy song, Bowie, cool and detached, Crosby, wishing he was somewhere else!!!!! Forgot the classic, Mary's Boy Child by Boney M, even though it was sung by session musicians and not the folks we came to love in the 70's  | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1341 Registered: 03-2006 |
I am reminded, reading the posts above, that I did indeed leave off what probably is the best Xmas song ever: "Fairytale of NY". I guess part of why it slipped my mind is that I truly listen to that one year round. Here, Shane McGowan fondly remembers Kirsty MacColl, who so ably sparred with him on that immor(t)al duet: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2006/1 2/shanes_yule_blog_on_a_sad_day.html | ||
| jerry hann Member Username: Jerry_h Post Number: 357 Registered: 07-2005 |
I never get board of hearing that song, it is part of the fabric LK. Shane is one of the few true poet. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1344 Registered: 03-2006 |
Me either, Jerry. I think he is indeed a true poet - and a fantastic songwriter, to boot. It's interesting to read that "Fairytale" is pretty much a staple in the UK over the holidays, here you would almost never hear it. | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 238 Registered: 08-2006 |
I love that song, too, but it is hard to imagine a song with the line "You scumbag, you maggot/You cheap lousy faggot" muscling its way into the treacly American holiday music canon. | ||
| Allen Belz Member Username: Abpositive Post Number: 130 Registered: 09-2006 |
"The Christmas Song" - Ross Bagdasarian singing very slowly. "Have Yourself a Merry..." - the original by Judy G., best experienced while watching it in "Meet Me in St. Louis." Always liked the first "Very Special Christmas" album quite a bit. Spence, thanks for the "Christmas Record" mention...Ze Records can never get too much attention. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 348 Registered: 01-2005 |
One of my alltime favorite dj's, David Wisdom of CBC Radio 2 fame, introduced me to "Fairytale" on his late lamented Nightlines weekend show in the early 90's. Nightlines used to be on from 10:30 Friday night to 5AM on Saturday morning and from Saturday at Midnight to 6AM Sunday morning. David had an incredible singles collection. On Friday nights he would play 10 Singles in Alphabetical order. It took him years to finish the series, starting with A and running through to Z. On Saturday nights he had Hour of Power, wherein listners would send him an hours worth of their favorite tunes. Sometimes, the listners would be in the studio in Vancouver with David, introducing their picks over the radio, which was heard all over Canada and northern states in the US that could pick up CBC Radio 2. | ||
| peter ward Member Username: Peter_ward Post Number: 16 Registered: 06-2005 |
Aztec Camera - Walk out to winter Lou Reed - Christmas in Febuary The Associates - The little boy that santa forgot Stina N - soon after christmas Tom Waits - Christmas card from a hooker in Minneapolis Pogues and Kirsty - Fairytail of New York Leontyne Price - Ave Maria Perri Como - Home for the holidays Bing Crosby - Mele Kalikamaka Low - Just like Christmas Silver Bells - Dean Martin Scud Mt Boys - A Ride |