Comments on: Comments on 12669

Post number 12669

tsarfan — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 15:53:57 -0800

coolest christmas songs i'm trying to put together a really great Christmas c.d. I have some Burl Ives, the Chipmonks, David Bowie with Bing Crosby. But I know I'm missing some great tunes. Do you know of anything cool?

By: donnagirl

donnagirl — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:01:27 -0800

Crash Test Dummies singing The First Noel. I have it on a CD called "Lump of Coal", which I'd link if I could find it on Amazon. It's a great CD in general, this song in particular.

By: Hildago

Hildago — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:03:36 -0800

My snarky, sarcastic answer would be "Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis" by Tom Waits. My serious answer would be to make sure you include the Carol of the Bells on your cd, although I don't know what performance is best.

By: mcsweetie

mcsweetie — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:05:26 -0800

I suggest Grandaddy - Alan Parsons in a Winter Wonderland.

By: Su

Su — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:05:59 -0800

I have a copy of someone singing the tune of Warm Leatherette by the Normals, but with the words switched to a Christmas song. I'll dig through the rest of my MP3s. I've got more than a few that should cause a little trauma. Oh, and somebody better find a way to make this thread redeeming so Matt doesn't axe it. A link to Grokster's front page probably isn't going to do it.

By: Kafkaesque

Kafkaesque — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:08:39 -0800

I'd go with Waits doing Silent Night. And of course the Kinks' "Father Christmas". All the Nat King Cole Xmas songs are good, and for awkward the Bowie-Bing thing was great.

By: pxe2000

pxe2000 — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:08:48 -0800

PLEASE warn us before we go to a popup-heavy website like grokster. i'm still trying to keep the bastards away. down, boy! that said, my favourite pop xmess song is "christmas wrapping" by the waitresses. best. tune. EVER. i also like "the carollers' song" by green pajamas, "little drummer boy", "have yourself a merry little christmas" and "christmas in space" by tori amos, "listen the snow is falling" by galaxie 500, "suzy snowflake" by soul coughing, "rockin' around the christmas tree" by luscious jackson (which i taped off teevee from the gap ad, so sue me), "santa got a dui" (don't remember the artist), "santa's beard" by they might be giants, the entire _holy single_ by kristin hersh (as well as "amazing grace" by throwing muses)... ::steps back:: er, maybe i should quit while i'm ahead?

By: jozxyqk

jozxyqk — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:11:04 -0800

You can't forget Weird Al's good old "Christmas at Ground Zero", or Spinal Tap's "Christmas with the Devil". OK.. maybe you can forget them. :)

By: arco

arco — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:11:29 -0800

Find a copy of REM doing "Toyland." It's beautiful. (It was a B-side from one of their Christmas fanclub records a few years ago.)

By: Kafkaesque

Kafkaesque — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:13:49 -0800

Dear God I accidentally found this today.

By: Su

Su — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:16:09 -0800

Here goes: The Ramones - Mery Christmas(I don't Want to Fight) Cocteau Twins - Snow Red Peters - Holy Shit, It's Christmas Matt Rogers - Have a Pornographic Christmas & Have Yourself a 1900 Christmas Virginia Kegel - I Want a Boob Job for Christmas Unknown - Christmas on Acid Arrogant Worms - Vincent the Christmas Virus Alien Sex Fiend - Stuff the Turkey The Cryptkeeper Christmas Album(!)

By: BarneyFifesBullet

BarneyFifesBullet — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:18:48 -0800

Bob & Doug McKenzie (Rick Moranis & Dave Thomas) - The Twelve Days Of Christmas

By: machaus

machaus — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:20:43 -0800

Someone posted Man or Astroman's version of Frosty the Snowman on filepile.org the other day. Oops, I broke rule number one.

By: tsarfan

tsarfan — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:21:24 -0800

yes, this is exactly what i was looking for. please continue, good people, and sorry about the Grokster link.

By: rory

rory — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:21:38 -0800

Pshaw. Forget all those. All you need is Woody.

By: computerface

computerface — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:26:49 -0800

I got three for ya: 1) Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC (obvious) 2) (I'm dreaming of a) White Christmas. - BOB marley believe it or not. he did a cover of this long ago find it its worth it. 3) Fishbone's - Its a Wonderful Life EP

By: ric

ric — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:33:38 -0800

Any song from Leon Redbone's Christmas Island CD.

By: stefanie

stefanie — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:34:03 -0800

Root Boy Slim - Xmas at K-Mart The Pogues (w/Kirsty MacColl) - Fairytale of New York

By: vito90

vito90 — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:34:59 -0800

It's Christmas time, In Hollis, Queens. Mom's cookin' chicken and collared greens i second the DMC nomination

By: joeclark

joeclark — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:40:56 -0800

I think musical questions are the only acceptable form of “What do you think of [topic]?” front-page postings with nonspecific dot-com URLs, if they have any link at all. En tout cas: “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by the Smithereens; Bad Religion’s “God Rest You Jerry Mentleman” and “Joy to the World.” Christmas is an humbug.

By: emptyage

emptyage — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:44:35 -0800

Ouch! Ixnay on the rokstergay links! And now that I've finished whining.... These are all pretty good albums that are oft-overlooked Esquivel: Merry Christmas from a Space Age Bachelor PAd Merry Christmas to you from Phil Spector Dr Demento Presents: Greatest Xmas Novelty CD

By: Carol Anne

Carol Anne — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:45:33 -0800

Anne Murray's Wonderful Christmas

By: mcwetboy

mcwetboy — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:55:33 -0800

Christmas songs != great tunes. Exhibit A. Not trying to dampen anyone's holiday spirit -- apart from the fact that it's still four weeks away -- but I do get annoyed that regularly scheduled radio programming changes over to one of fifty or so tired pop covers of some tired song composed circa 1930-1950 for a solid month. Christmas music. I'm bored. Grump grump grump. That said, some of the suggestions here have been inspired.

By: RevGreg

RevGreg — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:57:00 -0800

Don't forget all of the great tunes by Bob Rivers - like "I am Santa Claus" which is done to the tune of "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath!! Those albums have been X-mas standards around my house for many years now. On the serious side I nominate "I Believe in Father Christmas" by Greg Lake (of Emerson, Lake and Plamer fame) and "Another Christmas Song" by Jethro Tull.

By: sylloge

sylloge — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:58:38 -0800

WOODY! You can download Woody playing Thus Spake Zarathustra on power tools from Amazon (it's getting harder and harder not to be Panglossian). Other, more Christmas-y tunes also available.

By: lbergstr

lbergstr — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:59:27 -0800

Easy-E, "Merry Motherfuckin' Christmas"

By: jpoulos

jpoulos — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 16:59:32 -0800

Anne Murray? *Ick* I'll have to second (or third) the nominations of: Pogues - Fairytale of New York Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping Ramones - Merry Christmas (I Don't Wanna Fight) Run DMC - Christmas in Hollis Also, how about: Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) Ronnettes - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus Elvis - Santa Claus Is Back In Town Elvis - Blue Christmas

By: rushmc

rushmc — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 17:15:23 -0800

Savatage - Christmas Eve

By: dincognito

dincognito — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 17:16:26 -0800

If you can find it, Save Ferris does a version of Christmas Wrapping... Very good. Let's see, Long Beach Dub All Stars with their version of I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus is classy and so is the Squirrel Nut Zippers Santa Claus Is Smokin' Reefer. Also, fire up your favorite P2P app and check for "kevin and bean". They're the morning crew at KROQ [L.A. Radio Station] and they put out a quality X-Mas album every year whose proceeds go to charity.

By: kittyb

kittyb — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 17:22:54 -0800

Loreena McKennitt has two lovely winter/holiday releases (To Drive the Cold Winter Away and A Winter Garden) that I've had endlessly repeating for about a week now. Gorgeous stuff that I can't recommend highly enough, really.

By: eyeballkid

eyeballkid — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 17:27:04 -0800

Everclear's "Hating You For Christmas" (the hidden track at the end of So Much For the Afterglow) does wonders for my holiday cheer. And I have to finalize the other two nominations for The Pogues Fairytale of New York. Best. Xmas. Song. Ever. "It was Christmas Eve babe, in the drunk tank..." (makes me miss Kirsty Macoll) Also, I have all of those K&B cds that dincognito mentioned. Also great anti-Christmas fodder... not that you asked for anti.

By: Localemperor

Localemperor — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 17:31:46 -0800

Blues Traveler's Christmas Song. Great tune.

By: elsar

elsar — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 17:45:46 -0800

band-aid ..."do they know it's christmas?" just heard it at the korean deli around the corner.. feed the world... ps--not to hijack the link, but doesn't this song now sound somewhat, naive? does anyone else miss that?

By: missmerrymack

missmerrymack — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 17:47:37 -0800

It just isn't Christmas without Mele Kalikimaka by Arthur Lyman or Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt.

By: raysmj

raysmj — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 17:52:50 -0800

Clarence Carter's delirious "Back Door Santa," from which Run-DMC's "Christmas in Hollis" came. Also, what I found last evening, the Duke Ellington Orchestra's version of "The Nutcracker Suite Overture." Elvis' "Winter Wonderland," for the monster blues ending, and his absurdist version of "White Christmas." Dean Martin's "Baby It's Cold Outside." And, finally, the entire Gladys Knight and the Pips holiday collection.

By: nwduffer

nwduffer — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 17:55:29 -0800

Anything thing from any of the Ho! Ho! Hoey! discs, and my new Christmas favorite is "St. Patricks Day" by John Mayer (audio sample on Multimedia page.)

By: shinybeast

shinybeast — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 17:57:18 -0800

It's gotta be... Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt

By: modofo

modofo — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 18:10:11 -0800

Bob Marley's White Christmas is great. Here's a few of my favorites: Pet Shop Boys - It Doesn't Often Snow At Xmas Henry Rollins - Twas The Night Before Xmas Miles Davis - Blue Christmas The Beach Boys - Blue Christmas Wham - Last Christmas Al Green - Silent Night Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Jingle Bell Rock Booker T & The MG's - Soulful Christmas James Brown - Soulful Christmas The Drifters - The Christmas Song Squirrel Nut Zippers - A Johnny Ace Christmas The Temptations - The Little Drummer Boy Stevie Wonder - What Christmas Means To Me Ella Fitzgerald - Holiday In Harlem Snoop Dogg - Santa Claus Goes Straight To The Ghetto

By: salt

salt — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 18:12:10 -0800

Jethro Tull--"Ring Out Solstice Bells" (Songs of the Wood) is quite jolly and seasonal, even if the word Christmas doesn't come into it. And in a quieter vein: Joni Mitchell--"River" (Blue) anything from George Winston's "December" And for more obscure listening, Joan Baez did a Christmas album called, astonishingly, "Noel" on which she managed one of the few renditions I've ever heard of "O Holy Night" that does not involve sopranic shrieking.

By: pooldemon

pooldemon — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 18:33:38 -0800

Walkin' Round in Womens' Underwear

By: plinth

plinth — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 18:33:48 -0800

"Joy to the World" - Steve Morse, Merry Axemas "O Tannenbaum" - Vince Guaraldi, A Charlie Brown Christmas "Baby It's Cold Outside" - Lou Rawls

By: MAYORBOB

MAYORBOB — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 18:33:52 -0800

I can't believe that nobody mentioned Brenda Lee's version of "Jingle Bell Rock". But my all time favorite Christmas song is Nat King Cole's "Christmas Song" Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...

By: davros42

davros42 — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 18:38:25 -0800

Oi to the World, by either No Doubt or the Vandals... Merry Christmas I Fucked Your Snowman by Showcase Showdown... Mele Kalikimaka by Reel Big Fish White Christmas by Goldfinger and of course... Happy Xmas by John Lennon... Oh and if anyone can find it 12 Days of Christmas by Joe Dolce!!!!!!!

By: malphigian

malphigian — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 18:39:31 -0800

I can't believe no one has mentioned the Low "Christmas" Record, all kinds of sad.

By: thunder

thunder — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 18:39:31 -0800

The Roches, particularly the hysterical Brooklynese, "Wintah Wundahland", "Deck the Hawlls", and "Frawsty the Snowman". (phonetic spellings are mine - all mine) :-)

By: RakDaddy

RakDaddy — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 18:40:57 -0800

Cheech & Chong's "Santa and his Old Lady." Still funny after 20-so years. And God bless Kirsty McColl. "You scumbag, you maggot/you cheap lousy faggot/Happy Christmas your arse/I pray God it's our last."

By: davros42

davros42 — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 18:42:52 -0800

Oh... and the Vandals version of the Dance of the Sugar Plum Faeries, too... It'll be a cover song Christmas!!! Oh! Oh! and Weezer's The Christmas Song and Spike Jones's All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth!!!

By: missmerrymack

missmerrymack — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 18:50:28 -0800

I can't believe I forgot "Daddy is Santa Really Six Foot Four?". With lyrics like Daddy tell me - tell me is it true that he carries a torch for mama and a gun for you... it will no doubt become a holiday favorite for you too. I found this gem via Lileks' bleat about song poems.

By: eilatan

eilatan — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 19:14:11 -0800

I have a great mp3 of Enrique Caruso singing "O Holy Night". I first heard it on some NPR program a few years ago while driving one Christmas Eve through rural Nebraska. It was so beautiful. Last year, a friend of mine found an mp3 of it and sent it to me, along with the South Park version of the song. They make an interesting contrast. To say the least.

By: ColdChef

ColdChef — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 19:19:32 -0800

John Denver- "Please Daddy Don't Get Drunk This Christmas" It's a real song. I swear to god.

By: dnash

dnash — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 19:58:53 -0800

This collection, called Winter, Fire, and Snow has several of my favorites. Most especially "Christmas Wish" by Tuck and Patti. I can't recommend that song highly enough. "All the diamonds and computers can't fill the empty place inside - I want to give the kinds of presents that I know will never die." Also included is a great heartbroken Xmas ballad by Julia Fordham called "December 24," a great Gypsy Kings jam "Los Peces en el Rio," and a gorgeous choral folk song "Winter, Fire, and Snow." Also an original carol intended for children by my favorite singer, Jane Siberry. Oh, not on that CD, but I wanted to also mention "25 December" by Everything But The Girl.

By: spinifex

spinifex — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 20:00:12 -0800

"Christmas In Kentucky" - Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers. I always get a little weepy when I hear it, not sure why.

By: dnash

dnash — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 20:04:09 -0800

OOPS. Allow me to correct that link I just posted: Winter, Fire and Snow Afterthought: "Christmastime in Hell" from South Park's Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics is a riot. The whole CD is.

By: likorish

likorish — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 20:10:31 -0800

Please Come Home For Christmas - Charles Brown (not that wimpy Eagles version)

By: y2karl

y2karl — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 20:13:48 -0800

The Campbell Brothers - Sacred Steel For the Holidays. This is about the coolest thing to come along in a long time for me: The whole Sacred Steel phenomenon and I'll probably have a lot from this CD on my show come Xmas... Sacred Steel Live and Pass Me Not - The Campbell Brothers with Katie Jackson are two of the best albums to come along in years.

By: Oriole Adams

Oriole Adams — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 20:18:14 -0800

"Thank God It's Christmas" by Queen

By: y2karl

y2karl — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 20:21:39 -0800

The House Of God Church, Keith Dominion (Youth) is a good place to hear some Sacred Steel audio clips.

By: diddlegnome

diddlegnome — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 20:31:12 -0800

For high camp, it's tough to beat "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" by Elmo and Patsy. And for purely pompous, arena-rock schlock that's an extremely guilty pleasure, "Christmas in Sarajevo" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

By: thatweirdguy2

thatweirdguy2 — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 20:43:50 -0800

dnash - I'm partial to "Merry Fucking Christmas" by Mr. Garrison, myself. Some of the lyrics are so timely... "Hey there Mr. Muslim Merry fucking Christmas Put down that book the Koran And hear some holiday wishes. In case you haven't noticed It's Jesus's birthday. So get off your heathen Muslim ass and fucking celebrate."

By: panopticon

panopticon — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 20:54:42 -0800

don't forget what could be the grooviest christmas album of all time: The Beach Boys Ultimate Christmas.

By: BarneyFifesBullet

BarneyFifesBullet — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 21:11:21 -0800

Chuck Berry - Run Rudolph Run Canned Heat - Christmas Blues Elton John - Step Into Christmas Brenda Lee - Rockin' 'Round The Christmas Tree Pretenders - 2000 Miles Wings - Wonderful Christmastime Bill Monroe - Christmas Time's A Comin' Vince Guaraldi Trio - O Tannenbaum Jimmy Durante - Frosty The Snowman Jose Feliciano - Feliz Navidad For the surf rock fan, Gary Hoey's two Christmas albums: Ho Ho Hoey & Ho Ho Hoey Vol 2 Some of the other tracks in this thread (including the Pretenders 2000 miles) are on Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Christmas.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 21:12:08 -0800

Dawson Cowals is a Christian musician with one of the best Christmas albums I've ever heard. If you like Dave Matthews or Matchbox 20, you should give him a listen. Away In Five is "Away In The Manger" done to 5/4 time, and really kicks butt. We're Just Three Kings is a modern approach to "We Three Kings." I'm a big fan of both novelty Christmas music and the old standards. Cowals' music appeals to both my conventional tastes in holiday music and my... less conventional tastes. He captures both the partying aspects of the season and the awe-inspiring joy of it. I highly recommend Dawson Cowals. Tim Tamashiro is a Canadian jazz singer with a talented voice so ominous he gives Harry Connick Jr. a run for his money. His rendition of "Silent Night" never ceases to give me goosebumps. I also love his rendition of "What Child Is This" but he may not have it available online anymore. Digging around mp3.com for Christmas music is worth the time. Pretty much anything by Gypsy Soul has a Christmas feel to it, like their send up of "Scarborough Faire" and they have an adorable version of "Silent Night." Then there's Emily Richards' "His Wonder" which will leave you enthralled. Blevins & Pasley's "Children Go Where I Send Thee" is both fun and serious. The Dysfunctional Family Band is funny. Amy Fairchild's "Counting Angels" isn't Christmasy (it's kinda Valentiney) but something about it makes it seasonal for me. Kevin Montgomery's "Visions of White" is actually about being married, but would be ideal for a Christmas wedding. Ernesto Cortazar's piano work is Christmas all year round. His Love Theme from Titanic is better than the movie (well, I hated the movie but I love this). He has a song called Beethoven's Silence... ah! words fail me here! Oh, and he also does Christmas stuff which is amazing too, but you could play any of his stuff during a quiet romantic evening by a fire all curled up with the woman of your dreams with snow outside and.. (sigh) I once made a Christmas Station Page on mp3.com. It's out of date though. I should update it sometime. And here's a list of other songs I have in my personal collection. And trust me, even in situations where the artist below is not a personal interest of yours, the song they provide to the holiday season below is definitely worth a listen. This is the best of the best and believe me, I've been looking. In fact, according to my old cassette tape compilations, I've been looking since at least 1987. I guess I'm a sort of connoisseur of Christmas music. I've logged a lot of hours on this topic. Bryan Adams - Run Rudolph Run Beach Boys - Santa's Beard Betty Boop - I Want You For Christmas Boston Pops - Carol of the Bells Albert Brooks - Little Christy Carpenters - Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire Carpenters - Sleigh Ride Johnny Cash - Away In A Manger Charlie Brown - Christmas Time Is Here Charlie Brown - O Tannenbaum Cheech and Chong - Santa and His Old Lady The Chipmunks with Canned Heat - Christmas Boogie Harry Connick Jr. - The Little Drummer Boy Harry Connick Jr. - Let It Snow Bing Crosby - White Christmas Neil Diamond - Little Drummer Boy Celine Dion - Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire Dave Edmunds - Run Rudolph Run Enya - What Child Is This? Eurythmics - Winter Wonderland Jose Feliciano - Feliz Navidad Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn - Baby It's Cold Outside Stan Freeberg - Green Christmas Stan Freeberg - I Ain't Gettin' Nuthin' Fer Christmas Galaxie 500 - Listen, The Snow Is Falling (better than Yoko Ono's version) Dickie Goodman - Santa and the Satelite Elton John - Who'd Be A Turkey On Christmas Spike Jones - All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth Tom Lehrer - A Christmas Carol John Lennon and Yoko Ono - Listen, The Snow Is Falling Madonna - Santa Baby John Cougar Mellencamp - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus Randy Newman - Christmas in Capetown 98 Degrees - Silent Night Mojo Nixon - Son of Santa Mannheim Steamroller - A Fresh Aire Christmas (the whole album) The Muppets - Christmas is Coming Elvis Presley - Blue Christmas Elvis Presley - Christmas In The Congo Rockapella - Carol of the Bells Kenny Rogers - Carol of the Bells Alan Sherman - Japanese Transistor Radio (12 Days of Christmas) Soul Coughing - Suzy Snowflake Squeeze - Christmas Day Billy Squier - Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You Ray Stevens - Santa Claus Is Watching You Sting - Gabriel's Message Barbra Streisand - Jingle Bells Barbra Streisand - My Favorite Things Timbuk 3 - All I Want For Christmas (Is World Peace) Try Five - Rappin' the Bear (Teddy Ruxpin parody) Vocal Majority - Away In a Manger, and their Christmas Medley Andy Williams - Winter Wonderland John Williams - Carol of the Bells (from Home Alone soundtrack) George Winston - Carol of the Bells XTC - Thanks For Christmas Weird Al Yankovic - The Night Santa Went Crazy Also if you can find "Christmas is Revolting and So Are The Elves" that's hilarious. I don't know who recorded it though. Also search for "Meowy Christmas/Caterwall of the Bells by Tabbynacle Choir." Again, I don't know the real artists behind that distrubing recording but it's ..well, disturbing. I also concur with much of the above in this thread, including: Queen - Thank God It's Christmas Elmo & Patsy - Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer Tom Waits - Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis Crash Test Dummies - The First Noel, Alan Parsons in a Winter Wonderland (which is hilarious), The Kinks - Father Christmas, Weird Al Yankovic - Christmas at Ground Zero, Bob & Doug McKenzie - Twelve Days Of Christmas, The Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping (Oh yeah! Bah Humbug!), the creepy but breathtaking duet of David Bowie and Bing Crosby doing Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth, Run DMC's Christmas in Hollis (the only rap band that really works for me) Burl Ives (most anything he does is simultaneously bad and good) and anything by Nat King Cole (serious) or Bob Rivers (novelty). Alan Jackson's version of "Please Daddy Don't Get Drunk on Christmas" is better than John Denver's. No offense to the dead. Jackson's just more talented. Leon Redbone's Frosty the Snowman is cool.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 21:13:27 -0800

I uh.. had more but my computer threatened to run out of memory, so I posted cuz I feared a crash. =)

By: BarneyFifesBullet

BarneyFifesBullet — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 21:19:00 -0800

(firing up Morpheus)

By: pxe2000

pxe2000 — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 21:21:15 -0800

that is the first time i've seen galaxie 500 and the waitresses mentioned in the same breath as celine dion.

By: ArkIlloid

ArkIlloid — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 21:28:05 -0800

I second the Elvis Blue Christmas, it would be a blue Christmas without that.

By: manero

manero — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 21:29:14 -0800

Holiday in Cambodia - Cover by Richard Cheese.

By: rebeccablood

rebeccablood — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 21:53:52 -0800

silent night sung by sinead o'connor is the best version I've ever heard. for all you goths (and I know you're out there) try Excelsis: A Dark Noel and Excelsis, Vol. 2: A Winter's Song, complilations of various gothic artists doing traditional christmas songs. what a great thread.

By: CosmicSlop

CosmicSlop — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 22:02:04 -0800

Any fans of the Flaming Lips here? They put out a single of "White Christmas" last year, and it's wonderful. Also, the band is working on a movie about the first Christmas on Mars. No joke. You can check out pictures from the set. And there's more info here. Also, look for the promo-only x-mas-related track "Pete's Dad" by Porno For Pyros. Worth the effort.

By: y2karl

y2karl — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 22:19:44 -0800

I'm with you on that Beach boys colection - great Auld Lang Syne but don't forget the Deanster

By: lbergstr

lbergstr — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 22:31:09 -0800

Tangentially related, if you get a chance to pick up David Sedaris's book 'Holidays on Ice', you will treat yourself to the funniest Christmas stories you've ever read. 'Dinah the Christmas Whore' is great, and the one about him working as a Macy's elf is my favorite Sedaris piece ever. I think it was his first big success.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 22:32:06 -0800

pxe2000: "that is the first time i've seen galaxie 500 and the waitresses mentioned in the same breath as celine dion." I have rather varied tastes. =) Siouxsie and the Banshees did a song called "Staircase" which they featured once during some Christmas thing special. Very hard to find now, I gather. I got it on cassette from back when a guy named George Gimarc did a radio show called "Rock N Roll Alternative" here in the Dallas area.. Oh that must have been back in the late 1980s. He played it on his Christmas special. God, I feel old. ...Ooh. Kazaa has it. In fact between Kazaa and AudioGalaxy I can find on average most of the stuff on this thread, so far. For example, "Pete's Dad" by Porno For Pyros can be found on Kazaa. REM did a version of "Wicked Game" in 1995 for their fans one Christmas. Very haunting. Not Christmasy in sound, but it was a holiday gift to their fans. And in 1992 they recorded something called "Where's Captain Kirk?" again as a Christmas gift to their fans. More recently they did "Silver Bells." A very young Stevie Wonder did a version of "Silver Bells" that typifies him at his best. And of course anything by Ray Charles is a sure thing. "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," "Baby It's Cold Outside" with Nina Simone, "That Spirit of Christmas" ...you can't go wrong with Ray Charles, man. Danny Elfman's "What's This" from the Nightmare Before Christmas is incredible. Heck, the whole soundtrack is a joy. Billy Joel's "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" with Rosie O'Donnell, and "When You Wish Upon A Star" are both festive, though the latter's not Christmasy. "Nobody Knows But Me" is also not Christmasy, but has a distinctive inner child flavor to it, and is a very rare and precious find. It's about a kid's imaginary friend. rebeccablood: "what a great thread." I wholly concur. This may be the greatest thread with the worst postlink ever in the history of MeFi. A wonderful topic, but a terrible link. I'm still looking for a "best Christmas music of all time" Net link to compensate, but everything pales in comparison to this very thread, and Google keeps directing me to Amazon links. I don't wanna buy any more Christmas music. Between what I purchased before Napster's heyday, and what I've downloaded since, I really don't need any more Christmas music. ...But then if that's the case why am I still downloading stuff from Kazaa, even as I type this? Okay. I admit it. I'm a Christmas music junkie. =) This time of year always brings out both the best and the worst in me.

By: lheiskell

lheiskell — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 23:00:33 -0800

Check out the best cover of Black Sabbath's Ironman by Bob Rivers "I am Santa Claus" Ah, Twisted Christmas. I luvs it. Seriously, Grokster.com is acting more like a porn site. After leaving Grokster, I got one pop-up ad. I closed it. Then, another popped up. I closed it. Then another. Luckily they were all for casinos and not girlies with their naughty bits ;)

By: rks404

rks404 — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 23:03:13 -0800

Has anyone ever heard a version of Little Drummer Boy by Bing Crosby and David Bowie? I swear that I heard such a thing many years ago when I worked the phones and listened to hold music all the time. But in retrospect, such a thing does not seem possible.

By: Zurishaddai

Zurishaddai — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 23:03:31 -0800

the Chipmonks Now that's an order I hadn't heard of—I'm picturing Erik Estrada in a cowl...

By: swift

swift — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 23:04:08 -0800

Jingle Cats 'Meowy Christmas'

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 23:10:27 -0800

Swift, you are a SAINT! Omigod! I thought I was just getting de ja vu, but we have talked about this before. Looks like this is a topic that never gets old. In fact, I failed at this topic a year ago. Simple misunderstanding. Honest. I love Run DMC. A very Wookie Christmas came up in the past, too. And the true meaning of Christmas is now a dead link, but Steven Den Beste talked about how America's version of Santa Claus is really a Coca-Cola trademark. However, we haven't covered all the bases on Christmas yet. In hindsight, years past reveal a very unChristmasy crowd at MeFi. One would actually wonder if Christmas was happening at all. Well, you can see it occasionally in 1999 and 2000 but the operative term is "Xmas." Of course it probably gets old fast to see "Another Christmas-oriented post" every day. By the time Xmas comes around, it's probably the last thing we MeFiers'll wanna talk about. Regarding pop-ups: I recommend Pop-Up Stopper. I've had zero problems after clicking on the Grokster link that started this thread. Panicware is a godsend.

By: swift

swift — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 23:10:53 -0800

I have heard the Bowie/Crosby thing rk, just recently.

By: pracowity

pracowity — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 23:44:35 -0800

> Has anyone ever heard a version of Little Drummer Boy > by Bing Crosby and David Bowie? A thousand years ago (or maybe it was 1977), I was at a friend's house watching (with his parents) Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas television special. Guests? Stuff I couldn't stand. I've just checked online: Twiggy, Ron Moody, Stanley Baxter, Trinity Boys Choir, and the whole fucking Crosby family. But David Bowie. The parents loved Bing and my friend and I loved Bowie, so it was something we had to do together. And Der Bingle and Bowie really did sing together, though they interweaved two different songs: Bowie sang 'Peace on Earth' and Bing sang 'The Little Drummer Boy'. They sat together around the piano -- I think Bing was playing -- all cozy and Hollywood Christmassy. And Bowie even sang "Heroes". On a Bing Crosby show. They taped on September 11, 1977, and then in October Crosby died, so Bowie was on the last of that long line of Bing Christmas specials.

By: Grangousier

Grangousier — Tue, 27 Nov 2001 23:52:19 -0800

I'm Walking Backwards for Christmas by the Goons. And a definite second for the Cocteaus' covers of Frosty the Snowman and Winter Wonderland.

By: liam

liam — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 00:07:34 -0800

Late to the premature party, but, yeah, a great thread. So here's some festive numbers I didn't notice while scanning the above: Little Drummer Boy/Silent Night - Jimi Hendrix White Christmas - The Impossibles Silent Night - Mahalia jackson Silent Night - Joan Baez Silent Night - Emmylou Harris Winter Wonderland - Peggy Lee The Ze Records Christmas Album A1. Cristina: Things Fall Apart A2. Suicide: Hey Lord A3. The Three Courgettes: Christmas Coming A4. James White: Christmas With Satan B1. The Waitresses: Christmas Wrapping B2. August Darnell: Christmas On Riverside Drive B3. Material With Nona Hendrix: It's A Holiday B4. Was (Not Was): Christmas Time In The Motor City B5. Davitt Sigerson: It's A Big Country And one more hohoho-out to Kirsty McColl & The Pogues.

By: y2karl

y2karl — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 00:48:02 -0800

Alright, Liam--August Darnell !

By: diddlegnome

diddlegnome — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 01:42:17 -0800

I once saw Jon Anderson (of the mostly annoying band Yes) do a very pretty rendition of "Three Ships" on some TV special. He actually did an album that appears to be mostly Christmas music, but I can vouch for only the one song. And yeah, whoever nominated the Mannheim Steamroller album, great choice. "Good King Wenceslas" is the pick of that litter, if you ask me.

By: shinybeast

shinybeast — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 02:00:31 -0800

Here's an obscure one... From 1979... CLAWS - The Hybrid Kids Christmas album (UK: Pipe Records / Cherry Red Records) re-issued in Japan in 1981 and on CD in 1997 (UK: Blueprint/Voiceprint Records) It's seriously twisted and very funny.

By: otherchaz

otherchaz — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 02:32:13 -0800

"We Three Kings" arranged by Book of Love from Yulesville Surabaya-Santa by Jason Robert Brown (loosely based on "Surabaya-Johnny" by Kurt Weill and Berthold Brecht) from Songs For A New World 1996 Original New York Cast Recording Surabaya-Santa I was just seventeen When you rode into town Just a girl full of fantasies and longing I saw you I knew I had to be with you Then you looked in my eyes And you asked me my name And I trembled before you like a baby Then gently I kissed you Who could resist you? You took my heart and soul And before I had a chance to take control We retired to your palace on the Pole Where we only had ourselves And the reindeer and the elves And a lot of things we never said About the life I could have led If I had had the sense to stay away But here we are Nick And so Nick I know it's time for you to go Nick I know by now I'll never claim you for my own I've been resigned to spend my Christmases alone And so au revoir Nick It's grand Nick I don't pretend to understand Nick I saw you look at Blitzen long and lovingly The way you used to look at me I have sat twenty years In this drafty retreat As the latest in the line of Mrs. Clauses I've sat here And wondered what you want from me But you sit by yourself On the couch in the den And you watch "Miracle on 34th Street" You get sad and dreamy Can't even see me Won't even say, "Hello!" Now you tell me that it's time for you to go Ha! Sling your sack upon your back and "hohoho" Ha! And what matters most of all Is to sit inside some mall And you never think of me While I am pining by the tree But never mind I will survive While you are gone I set you free, Nick Goodbye, Nick Go ride your reindeer through the sky, Nick I don't suppose you'll ever want me by your side I know you now You want a plaything, not a bride So on your way, Nick Shalom, Nick Don't feel the need to hurry home, Nick Should I want comfort in the cold and bitter storm I've got the elves to keep me warm...

By: rory

rory — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 02:48:32 -0800

This thread has surpassed my wildest hopes. (And thanks for the new Woody album tip-off, sylloge!) Two more unmissable Christmas albums: Kazoo Christmas (with free kazoo!) and Disco Noel. The Blue Hawaiians' Christmas on Big Island is also pretty smooth. And don't forget the two Ultra-Lounge Christmas albums.

By: Summer

Summer — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 03:09:22 -0800

Noooooooooo. It's too early to start talking about xmas. It's not even December. Having said that, my favourites are 'Power of Love' by Frankie Goes to Hollywood and 'Fairytale of New York' by the Pogues and Kirsty McColl. Rest in Peace indeed. If I hear 'Merry Christmas Everybody' by Slade again I'm going to kill.

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 03:19:11 -0800

Black Flag's cover of White Christmas. Brings a tear to me eye every time...

By: salmacis

salmacis — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 03:33:19 -0800

A whole thread about Christmas music and not a single mention of Slade? Shome mistake, surely? More seriously, Halleleujah by Jeff Buckley.

By: Summer

Summer — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 04:01:55 -0800

Can't wait for the Winslet/Kidman Christmas single showdown.

By: thatweirdguy2

thatweirdguy2 — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 05:56:08 -0800

For those into a more natural sound, check out this list of gas-tastic Christmas, um, music.

By: mad

mad — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 05:58:23 -0800

Perhaps my most favorite Christmas tune is the white trash trailer park christmas song by Robert Earl Keen Jr., "Merry Christmas from the family".

By: groundhog

groundhog — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 06:05:51 -0800

Of all the xmas albums we pull out of the box each year, I always look forward to the Vince Guaraldi Trio's "A Charlie Brown Christmas" the most. I have a fantastic lp by fingerstyle guitarist John Fahey, "Popular Songs of Christmas & New Year's". Music for sipping hot chocolate. A few randomly thought of tunes: "I'll Be Home for Christmas" Sinatra. (Best version I''ve heard of a sentimental favorite). "Blue Xmas" Miles Davis, sung by Bob Donough. Could be the original cynical hipster xmas song? "Another Xmas Song", Jethro Tull. Their music suits the wintertime - "Skating Away..", "Solstice Bells", etc. I have GOT to get that Marley version of "White Christmas".

By: maurice

maurice — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 06:06:57 -0800

Robert Earl Keen's songs "Merry Christmas From the Family" and "Happy Holidays, Y'all." John Prine's "Christmas in Prison." Everything on the CD Bummed Out Christmas.

By: uftheory

uftheory — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 06:32:40 -0800

Dave Matthews - Christmas Song

By: sonofsamiam

sonofsamiam — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 06:33:22 -0800

Another great Flaming Lips song is "Christmas at the zoo."

By: bifter

bifter — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 06:34:28 -0800

Merry Crassmass anyone?

By: pxe2000

pxe2000 — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 06:41:05 -0800

briefly ot: my problem with pop-up stopper is that it not only blocks the adverts but it also won't open anything with the tag < target=_new>. which is frustrating. with that off my chest, another good xmess tune is patti smith's cover of "winter wonderland". hard to find but so damned worth it.

By: rory

rory — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 06:43:16 -0800

Steven Den Beste talked about how America's version of Santa Claus is really a Coca-Cola trademark Not so.

By: rory

rory — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 06:46:35 -0800

Bahhhhh! First the pop-ups, and now a broken layout in IE5Mac caused by a comment about the popups. Humbug!

By: anapestic

anapestic — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 06:51:21 -0800

I'm partial to traditional American Christmas songs. Those would include things like Children, Go Where I Send Thee Long Time Ago in Bethlehem Go Tell It on the Mountain Rise up Shepherd and Follow For most of those, I'd want a version by a large gospel choir, but I think that Harry Belafonte has a great version of "Long Time Ago in Bethlehem". And, as has been mentioned before, you can't go wrong with Eartha Kitt singing "Santa Baby".

By: eckeric

eckeric — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 08:20:22 -0800

Merry MeX-mas by El Vez is a great album. It has, among others, "Oranges for Christmas." El Vez also does a great Christmas show which will not hit anywhere near me this year.

By: TiggleTaggleTiger

TiggleTaggleTiger — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 08:37:22 -0800

Fuck all of this noise, go check out the track listings on this sweet album!

By: chainring

chainring — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 09:24:00 -0800

See if you can get a copy of The Yobs Christmas Album . Great punk versions of classics. Some of them with filthy lyrics. It'll surely liven things up a bit! Since I stored all my vinyl and put away the turntable I can't play it this holiday season.

By: marc-hamilton

marc-hamilton — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 09:26:33 -0800

How 'bout James Taylor's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."

By: chainring

chainring — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 09:32:29 -0800

Oh, and Check out this list . It lists some great ones like "Christmas is Coming" by the Payolas

By: chainring

chainring — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 09:33:42 -0800

Sorry, Screwed up the link.

By: Shadowkeeper

Shadowkeeper — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 10:34:07 -0800

About a year ago, a friend from the UK came to visit me at my last place of business, and he ... ...ahhhh, never mind. Long story short: I have this in my possession.

By: joaquim

joaquim — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 10:51:12 -0800

There are a couple good carols on Ottmar Liebert's "Poets and Angels". I also like "Closing of the Year" from the Toys soundtrack.

By: tsarfan

tsarfan — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 10:57:14 -0800

no one has mentioned "Dominick, The Italian Christmas Donkey"? I love that one.

By: whuppy

whuppy — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 11:37:05 -0800

Another Flaming Lips Christmas song is "Little Drummer Boy."

By: cakeman

cakeman — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 12:01:12 -0800

I second the "Toys" soundtrack. Perfect this time of year.

By: dincognito

dincognito — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 14:35:54 -0800

Crap. It slipped my mind, but "The Little Drum Machine Boy" by Beck is so funky you'll wish P-Funk did a christmas album.

By: BarneyFifesBullet

BarneyFifesBullet — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 17:29:38 -0800

If you love Blues or you want to do some exploring, don't miss the annual Blues Before Sunrise Christmas show the last weekend before Christmas on some of your better NPR stations, or you can listen online to 5 hours of classics and impossible-to-find-elsewhere Christmas Blues tunes. Here is last year's playlist and they play pretty much the same list every year.Essential stuff. This year the show will be going from my stereo to my hard drive, thru Cool Edit Pro and to 4 or 5 freshly burned cds.

By: CosmicSlop

CosmicSlop — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 18:28:27 -0800

If you're feeling...well, drunk for the season, seek out Mojo Nixon & the Toadliquors' "Horny Holidays" album featuring the most inept version of "Sleigh Ride" I've ever heard. And you get the long tale of Santa's brother, Horny Claus. It's a twisted, stupid, hilarious experience.

By: jpoulos

jpoulos — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 19:24:36 -0800

No one's mentioned Prince's "Another Lonely Christmas"? The reverb on that track simply must be heard.

By: pracowity

pracowity — Wed, 28 Nov 2001 22:40:48 -0800

> James Taylor's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."

By: dmo

dmo — Thu, 29 Nov 2001 14:16:21 -0800

Late posting, but why not. Pearl Bailey - Five Pound Box of Money Big Star - Jesus Christ Cindy Lauper - Christmas Conga

By: Miyagi

Miyagi — Thu, 29 Nov 2001 18:09:15 -0800

The Man with the Bag - Kay Starr Please Come Home for Christmas - James Brown

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Fri, 30 Nov 2001 03:56:04 -0800

Blue Meanies - You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Mon, 03 Dec 2001 01:19:26 -0800

"Yesterday, today was tomorrow, and tomorrow, today will be yesterday.." A good Christmas song for this year: Ding dong, ding dong from George Harrison's Dark Horse album. "Ring out the false, ring in the true."

By: liam

liam — Thu, 06 Dec 2001 00:34:56 -0800

Earlier today, while I was in the tax-free shop at London's Heathrow airport, the in-store speakers played The Pogues "Fairytale of New York". It's a standard in the UK at Christmas alongside "Silent Night" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". Still, there's nothing quite like scores of shoppers wandering around between the discount perfumes and cognacs, listening to "you scumbag, you maggot/you cheap, lousy faggot".

By: Dreama

Dreama — Thu, 06 Dec 2001 01:27:18 -0800

I once saw Jon Anderson (of the mostly annoying band Yes) do a very pretty rendition of "Three Ships" on some TV special. In the early years of MTV, they had an annual "MTV Christmas Video" which was all of the MTV staffers gathered around some artist singing a holiday song. One year the artist was Billy Squier, another year it was Hall & Oates (doing their "Jingle Bell Rock") but the all-time best was Jon Anderson's "Three Ships." I vividly remember Jon flanked by Martha Quinn and Nina Blackman, both in bright red sweaters, looking utterly transfixed. Classic stuff. That said, I offer this -- U2's cover of "Christmas Baby (Please Come Home)" is good stuff. Basia's "Angels Blush" is a neat commentary on the holiday season. (I think that's the second mention I've made of her on MeFi today. Scary.) Vanessa Williams' just-released holiday album is destined to sell millions and is worth a listen. And thank you, to every single one of you, for not mentioning the horrifying crap which is holiday music from the "we must turn three written notes into twelve as we sing" bunch - Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston or Destiny's Child. (gag)

By: tomorama

tomorama — Thu, 06 Dec 2001 20:59:02 -0800

Someone else said it, and I'll second it. Christmas Song - Dave Matthews Band "This is a non-denominational tune here. It may seem otherwise, but... take it was you will, it's just a song I wrote about an amazing man who got *screwed*. Not an uncommon story."