Santa's Sackfull of Obscure Christmas Music

December 3, 2006 5:25 PM

So you're in the mood for some Christmas music, but you're tired of all the old standards. Not to worry, the web has you covered courtesy of several vinyl sharing blogs. First off, there's Check the Cool Wax, with the soundtrack to Rankin/Bass's Night Before Christmas, Pee-Wee's Christmas Special, Yuletide Disco, Western Christmas Songs & Exciting Christmas Stories featuring Batman, Superman & Wonder Woman. Much, much more inside.
posted by jonson (28 comments total)

In addition to the many other Holiday posts @ Check the Cool Wax, Big Rock Candy Mountain has Beatnik Christmas MP3's & Rockabilly Christmas MP3's.

A Christmas Yule Blog has Holiday Greetings from Arnold Schwarzenegger, among many other offerings from sources as varied as The Pink Panther & Mae West.

Ernie(not Bert) points us to a Merry Wurlitzer Christmas, Swing/Jazz Holiday Tunes from the early 70's & Charo's Coochie Choochie Christmas.

Of course, Fa La la la la (dot com) is going to have a bunch of stuff, chief among them this Pre-Donny & Marie Osmond Brothers Barbershop Quartet (seriously) singing Deck the Halls.

Senses Working Overtime has more good stuff than you can possibly download, including two Jean ("A Christmas Story") Shepard radio plays from the mid 70's (plus two more here), romance/seduction themed Christmas tunes, & a ton of holiday themed retro print advertisements, all collected in this great Flickr photoset.

The Wonderful Wonderblog has a collection of theme songs from famous Cartoon seasonal specials, as well as the appaulingly bad Star Wars Holiday Album (warning: don't listen to it).

Last but certainly not least, fans of Power Pop (Fountains of Wayne, Cheap Trick, etc) should enjoy this collection of jangly guitar covers of Holiday Standards.
posted by jonson at 5:26 PM on December 3, 2006

Have a very Menudo Christmas.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 5:33 PM on December 3, 2006

Also, I had that Star Wars Holiday album when I was a little kid, and listened to it constantly. It's only now I realize what a miracle it is that my parents didn't strangle me in my sleep.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 5:37 PM on December 3, 2006

Thank you for making me realize how much I needed the Charo Christmas album in my life. You have made my day with your linky bits and I salute you.
posted by Dr. Zira at 5:48 PM on December 3, 2006

What? No Sufjan Stevens xmas album? (warning: Pitchfork review)
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:56 PM on December 3, 2006

Excellent find jonson, oh ye of musical might, but for the last coupla XMases pinkstainlesstail's version of Jingle Rock Bell has been in constant rotation at me casa.
Can't use the link button on my handheld so cut/paste: http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/13267#230831
posted by HyperBlue at 6:19 PM on December 3, 2006

Awesome post.
posted by interrobang at 6:31 PM on December 3, 2006

I've always been a big fan of the stuff over at Suburban Sprawl...
posted by samsarah at 6:40 PM on December 3, 2006

Highly reccomended if you can get your greasy paws on it: John Denver + The Muppet's christmas album. That shit can't be faulted.
posted by Jimbob at 7:59 PM on December 3, 2006

Merry Christmas from the Beatles (1965).
posted by caddis at 8:10 PM on December 3, 2006

w00t! thanks, caddis.
posted by jonson at 8:11 PM on December 3, 2006

I remember the night Pee-Wee's Christmas first aired. I remember not getting to see a lot of it because some plane had blown up over some town in Scotland.
posted by evilcolonel at 8:24 PM on December 3, 2006

Don't assume I'm in the mood for moronic odes to an illegitimate brat born in a friggin' stables, with mum and dad pattering on about him being the Messiah and all that to save themselves from the embarrassment of one lowly Craigslist advert for an anonymous threesome that's now gotten way, way out of hand.
posted by moonbird at 8:40 PM on December 3, 2006

i keeeed, nice post.
posted by moonbird at 8:41 PM on December 3, 2006

oh quit your bitching and bring that kid some frankincense and myrrh, and then trance out on these funky xmas sounds
posted by caddis at 8:47 PM on December 3, 2006

I post a holiday-oriented MP3 every year on my music blog. Last year it was Beck's Hanukah rap. A couple years before that it was Neurotron 606's "I Cloned Myself For Christmas." Haven't decided what to post this year yet. </selflink>
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 8:54 PM on December 3, 2006

Soma FM's seasonally available Christmas Stream is always great.

DJ Riko's Christmas Mixes are also terrific, though he hasn't put one up for 2006 yet.
posted by blasdelf at 9:01 PM on December 3, 2006

A friend just called to inform me about Billy Idol Singing Jingle Bell Rock. There's also Happy Holiday and White Christmas, linked from the same page.
posted by benign at 9:11 PM on December 3, 2006

That's just wrong, benign. Billy Idol morphed into Perry Como.
posted by madamjujujive at 9:19 PM on December 3, 2006

Found this earlier today: Christmas a Go Go!, which is a Xmas music blog with an exotica vibe.
posted by myopicman at 10:34 PM on December 3, 2006

Best Christmas song, "St. Stephen's Day Murders," by Elvis Costello and Paddy Moloney.
posted by Listener at 11:42 PM on December 3, 2006

I've alwys been partial to the V/Vm Christmas Cracker (click 'tracklisting' to get the MP3s), and Cassetteboy's Festive Christmas. Also, the 1981 Ze Records Christmas Record is a hoot - Cristina, James White, Alan Vega et al, all doing not-so-jolly Christmas hits.
posted by jack_mo at 3:09 AM on December 4, 2006

Pee-Wee's Christmas special is a work of art. Magic Johnson, Little Richard, Grace Jones, Annette Funacello and K.D. Lang, all in the same place.
posted by piratebowling at 3:35 AM on December 4, 2006

Oh my - that record cover with the superheroes is wonderful. Batman with a white beard? And I love how someone wrote "Jones" right next to it so it looks like it reads "Batman Jones". Just precious.
posted by thekilgore at 5:58 AM on December 4, 2006

Could some kind, highly knowledgeable soul(s) listen to this YouTube post and tell me who the heck these people are? (I guessed the first one might be Aimee Mann....beautiful voice, interresting arrangement.)

TIA & hugs, pax d.
posted by pax digita at 7:45 AM on December 4, 2006

pax digita -- that's not Aimee Mann, it's (and I'm embarrassed to admit I know this) Sixpence None the Richer.
posted by Robot Johnny at 2:27 PM on December 4, 2006

I have the Yuletide Disco LP. The best 99 cents I ever spent.
posted by winston at 9:27 PM on December 4, 2006

Robot Johnny, thank you muchly. I have no prob at all with who it is -- I know it's fashionable to diss 6pNTR, but hell, I liked "Kiss Me" even though it got too much airplay.

Negative contact on the rock-guitar solo and the punk band, though, huh? Oh, well, one out of three ain't bad.
posted by pax digita at 5:20 AM on December 5, 2006