He'll sit 'em on his knee and teach 'em to bleed... you of all last year's savings.

December 18, 2012 11:13 AM

In 1965 (or 1966, or...1964, depending on your source), three northeast garage rock bands came together to create the definitive early garage rock Christmas Album that time has since forgotten. Merry Christmas from The Sonics, The (Fabulous) Wailers, and The Galaxies features everything from Bob Dylan sound-alikes, fantastic originals, sincere classics... and weird goof-arounds.

SIDE ONE

Santa Claus - The Sonics
She's Comin' Home - The Wailers
Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer - The Galaxies (scroll down, #16... worth it!)
Christmas Spirit?? - The Sonics
The Village Idiot - The Sonics

SIDE TWO

Please Come Home For Christmas - The Galaxies
Don't Believe in Christmas - The Sonics
Maybe This Year - The Wailers
Christmas Eve - The Galaxies (scroll down, #15... also worth it)
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) - The Wailers (sadly, can't find a link for this one.)

posted by SmileyChewtrain (12 comments total)

Fun. I think you meant northwest however.
posted by rainperimeter at 11:24 AM on December 18, 2012 [1 favorite]

Correct! But like, the northwest is totally northeast of somebody, maaan.
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 11:39 AM on December 18, 2012 [2 favorites]

A couple of those songs show up on the out of print Bummed Out Christmas CD which always ends up in heavy rotation in my house during the holidays.
posted by maurice at 12:12 PM on December 18, 2012

Brilliant. Thank you.
posted by Catchfire at 12:27 PM on December 18, 2012

Ill just leave this right here...

Pearl Jam doing Don't Believe in Christmas
posted by ShawnString at 1:21 PM on December 18, 2012 [1 favorite]

Fffuuuuuuu...... I made my audio Christmas card of little heard Christmas music last night. Guess I can bookmark this for next year.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 1:55 PM on December 18, 2012

Great! Thanks!

Did I ever mention how much I love the Sonics? I mean, I love them a lot all the time. Their earliest records (1961) easily surpass the intensity of early punk recordings 15 years later, and at their peak (1965 or so) they are harder than the Hives.

Saturday February 2, The Showbox in Seattle. The Sonics and Mudhoney.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 2:21 PM on December 18, 2012 [3 favorites]

I don't think the sonics had any records until 1964, but yeah!
posted by ericost at 3:38 PM on December 18, 2012

Oh god, how did I not know about this?! Loooove me some Sonics!
posted by skycrashesdown at 10:40 PM on December 18, 2012

I don't think the sonics had any records until 1964, but yeah!

The Savage Young Sonics was recorded I believe in 61. It's pretty rough but the snarl is still there.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 7:18 AM on December 19, 2012

Oh yeah. Love the Sonics and Wailers.
posted by ChuckRamone at 1:47 PM on December 19, 2012

Oh, this is fantastic, thanks!
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:12 AM on December 24, 2012