5 Favorite Christmas Songs
My friend Kim over at Something to Say tagged me with a meme a while back, but I wanted to wait to post my response until I could give audio aids to demonstrate my ardor for the subject. The second on my list, I wanna Goat for Christmas, was one I had to track down and post on my own bolt listing. I suspect this 45 may have been vacuum sealed for the last 46 years, because it was remarkably devoid of snaps, crackles and pops. Anyway, I'm pleased it transferred to mp3 as well as it did.
OK. I love a lot of traditional Christmas music, and I love some more contemporary oddities. It's always hard for me to pin down favorites when it comes to music, but I keep coming back to a couple of these in my mind year after year. Two you most likely have never heard, and I hope you will click on the links, particularly the goat song, since I've tracked down the original vinyl and taken the trouble to post the little devil on bolt. Cheers!
Not in order of preference:
Blue Xmas by Miles Davis. This one is rather bah-humbug-ish , but it's a bit funny and definitely out there. You'll probably recognize vocalist ____ from the schoolhouse rock series - he sang several of those you would recognize
I wanna goat for Christmas by The Wilder Brothers, 1959. The oddball in me who is so besotted with David Sedaris is the same oddball who is so besotted with this song. LOVE it. Love the crap, the stuffing, the business out of it. My kind of holiday music.
Millionaire's Holiday by Combustible Edison. The video here at Youtube is mildly amusing and features a creature of dubious extraction who goes by the name Formica Dinette. Still, the song's a real humdinger. Me likee.
Go Tell It on the Mountain as sung by Leontyne Price, Jessye Norman or any other proper diva. I don't think I need to explain this one.
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - So much Christmas music is over-sweet and will lull one into a diabetic coma. This song sounds very Dickens era, and I love the minor key that never gives the sappy, no-brainer All-American happy ending of justfying on a major chord. In fact, despite having "merry" in the title, it sounds rather grim. Good for you - in a tough old world, stick to your dour, severe roots, baby.
10 comments:
My favorite Christmas carol of all time is O Holy Night as long as someone can hit that high note just right.
I've been listening to Louis Armstrong sing Christmastime in New Orleans, which has been cool.
And lastly, for a contemporary Christmas song with mild humor is Merry Christmas from the Family by Robert Earl Keen. Anyone on earth can sing it better, but it always cracks me up.
Eclectic choices, Phlegmmy. I like the Goat, too; never heard it before! The wo/man in the Millionaire's Holiday had nice legs, too...
I'm not much of a Christmas song fan. I think it's because for SO MANY YEARS, I've had to learn Christmas songs in September. Kinda sucks.
However, two things really make Christmas for me:
1. Singing the "Hallalujah Chorus"
2. Singing "Oh Holy Night", Schubert's "Ave Maria" or Bach-Gounod's "Ave Maria". (Not like Mariah Carey either...we're talking I can hit the high notes if properly inspired!)
Beyond that, I don't do Christmas music. Absolutely not.
Whoa! That Goat song is hillarious.
"Rio" by Duran Duran. I think I heard it on Christmas once...
Zelda: Hollyb turned me on to R.E. Keene's Christmas classic a few years ago and now it's a staple on my holiday playlist. What's hysterical to me is that I live near or have known every person in that song - tackiness rules!
Cheers!
Cait
I have a few favorite Christmas songs, but most of them are rather grinch-ly. The exception to that rule is Tom Waits' version of 'Silent Night' - it's absolutely sublime.
Some of my other favorites include 'The Cherry Tree Carol', John Prine's 'Christmas in Prison', and my all-time favorite, the Pogues' 'Fairytale of New York'.
James
You have a very eclectic Christmas music collection. The goat song truly makes the list, doesn't it? Every good list needs a little oddball in the mix.
Nice pics. I always dug the little drummer boy, and tha hallalujah chorus. I do recognise the singer from that miles davis tune. Nice post.
Ok, after exhaustive research, the name of that singer on Blue Xmas is Bob Dorough.
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