The Best Christmas Songs

There are two things that you can guarantee at this time of year:-

1. We will be bombarded with Christmas Music and

2. We will be bombarded with Best of Lists

So why should we be any different?

Well we are going to be a little different, in some ways. First of all we are going to admit that all of these lists are arbitrary. We may think that these are the best Christmas songs, but we certainly do not think they will be the same for everyone. Even if it is a voted list at a radio station, that still does not make the decision final. Music is all about personal taste, so no Best of List is definitive. But you can enjoy the Christmas songs here and add your comments below, whether you agree or disagree, even add some of your own favourites too. We will welcome your thoughts and opinions.

Secondly most of these lists are a top 10 top 20 or even a top 100, well that’s usually what the radio stations go for, in order to fill plenty of air time. But we have gone for a bakers dozen, 13 for the uninitiated. I hope that we have no Triskaidekaphobics on board. For the uninformed, that is the fear of that superstitious number. Yes, that is a real thing; some people are scared of the number 13. If that’s you, choose your order carefully as we have saved one of the best for last.

And finally, our list is in no particular order, except maybe the order in which I thought of them and maybe that means something. So make sure that you go right through until the end, as one of the best is there. Enjoy!

1. I had to start with one of the most raucous and fun Christmas songs, the mighty Slade and Merry Xmas Everybody, from the 1970’s. When Noddy Holder screams “IT’S CHRISTMAAAAAASSS!” no one can deny it.

Does your Granny always tell you that the old songs are the best? But she’s up there Rock and Rolling with the rest.

Well this one is now an old song and a Rock and Roller, so it should please everyone.

Slade were the first band I ever saw live and still one of the most fun. So get your boots on, get down and get with it.

2. Bruce Springsteen - Santa Clause is Coming to Town. The Boss and the Big Man in a festive mood. They have been doing this song live since Bruce formed the E Street Band, I believe. So you better be good, because, Clarence is checking the list now too.

                                        

3. Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song (chestnuts roasting on an open fire). This is an old chestnut that everyone, from Frank Sinatra to Rod Stewart, has covered. But I think the King has the edge on this one. Not a great film quality but a great voice.

                            

    

4. All I want for Xmas is You, from Love Actually. OK it’s Mariah’s song, but that little girl nailed it in the film and who can go past a bit of pre-teen romance at Christmas.

Rumours were that Olivia Olson was so good that she had to dampen down her performance to make it believable that someone so young could sing like that.

That could all be publicity promotion, but there is no doubt that it’s a great performance. Here’s a great little 'where she is now' article if anyone is interested http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/12/17/love-actually-olivia-olson/

                        

5. Wham - Last Xmas. Now for some 80’s Christmas romance from a gay man pretending to be straight and he convinced millions for years and they all bought his records. Of course George Michael would never have made it without Andrew Ridgeley’s contribution, now what did he do now?

                                    

6. Chris Rea - Driving Home for Xmas. I included this one because it reminds me of many of my Christmases in the UK. Although I always lived very close to where I was born and grew up, for many years I worked miles away and often found myself driving along the motorways on Christmas Eve with this on the radio.

                                    

7. John Lennon - Happy Xmas (War Is Over). No Christmas song list would be complete without John Lennon’s plea for peace and it’s still as relevant today as when it was recorded, if not even more so.

                                    

8. The Waitresses - Xmas Wrapping. This as a different kind of Christmas song and a lot of fun. It was released in the very early days of Rap music and bares no relation to the abuse and violence in the lyrics of much of today’s Rap.

                                       

9. Elvis Presley - Blue Xmas. If you’ve got to have a Beatle, then you must have the King. This clip was originally recorded as part of Elvis's 1968 Comeback Special, but was very cleverly edited to add Martina McBride, about 40 years later.

                                        

10. Greg Lake - I Believe in Father Xmas. This is in fact an anti-Christmas song. Greg Lake (most famously a member of King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer) wrote the song in protest at the commercialisation of Christmas. But, with all the jingle bells and so on, most people listen to it without even noticing what the lyrics are about.

                                    

11. The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale of New York. A Christmas song from the wrong side of the tracks. No Christmas trees and presents here, just a look at the earthier side of life and an absolute classic song. So sad that Kirsty was taken so young.

                                        

12. Tom Waits - Christmas Card from Hooker in Minneapolis. Another one from the murky side. This really isn’t even a Christmas song, except it has the word in the title. But it is a great song from one of my favourite Tom Waits albums. If you are not familiar with it, do yourself a favour and grab a copy of Blue Valentine right away, you will not be disappointed.

                                        

13. Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home). Not only is this a great Christmas song, Darlene Love is the voice on so much of Phil Spector’s work. Darlene used to perform this song every year on the Letterman Show. Dave Letterman and Paul Schaffer love her and Schaffer just got so much enjoyment out of recreating that Spector Wall of Sound. Unfortunately, there is nothing that compares among the current crop of late night shows.

                                                    

So what do you think? Any good?

By all means add your favourites in the comments and have a great Christmas. 

 

It's the 21st of December, so we've added another one

                                        

Paul Kelly's Christmas lament and recipe for gravy, from somewhere where it never snows at Christmas.
 

Highlights of the story behind Rod Stewart's classic Every Picture Tells A Story

Rod Stewart's Every Picture Tells a Story is undoubtedly one of the great albums of the early 70's. Mick Wall has written a great background article, detailing the creation of this outstanding album, at Louder, the classic rock site. It is quite a lengthy piece, but I would definitely recommend reading it, for its comprehensive detail.

Having been a huge fan of the album, in my formative years, many details about the album's recording fascinated me. Some were entirely new, while others reaffirmed snippets that I knew from the past.

There are some insightful details about how the album differed, in both style and the recording process, to the Faces albums recorded during the same period. This detail does not go unnoticed in comments from three of the Faces, Kenney Jones, who only featured on one track of Every Picture Tells a Story, Ron Wood and Ian McLagan who both took part in most of the album.

The only track that features all of the Faces is, the Temptations cover, I Know I'm Losing You. It was surprising to read that this song was declined by the Faces, for one of their own albums, but was one of their most popular tunes, particularly in their live set.

The legend of Rod Stewart's frugality pervades throughout the article. Danny Thompson, from the folk group Pentangle, was never paid for his double bass contributions to Reason To Believe. Ray Jackson, from Lindisfarne, received only £15 for his defining mandolin inputs to Mandolin Wind and Maggie May, and Stone the Crow's singer Maggie Bell's priceless supporting vocal, on the title track, was only worth £30.

Incidentally, for anyone who doesn't know it, check out the Stone the Crows album Ontinuous Performance. The term 'underrated' is massively over used, but that album is truly underrated and Maggie Bell's bluesy vocals are a joy to behold.

In contrast to his frugality, Stewart was already driving a Lamborghini and a Rolls Royce, at the time the album was recorded. I am surprised that he picked up these accoutrements before his big break with Maggie May

What permeates throughout the article, is the sense that everyone involved enjoyed their time and were happy to be part of what they created. Recording sessions were brief and efficient and plenty of time was spent down the pub.

Nearly 50 years later, Every Picture Tells a Story is always worth a revisit.

Time for The Dixie Chicks to Shake Things Up Again, with Another Devastating Truth.

The Dixie Chicks have released a new single, Gaslighter. I was disappointed to discover that this was not a song about America's gaslighting, disinfectant injecting, stable genius, but a more personal anger statement.



For anyone who doesn't remember, The Dixie Chicks made a statement, in 2003, denigrating George W. Bush and his plans to invade Iraq. The Dixie Chicks are from Texas and this did not go down well with their redneck Republican fans, or even those who were never fans. It resulted in huge losses of revenue for them, with boycotts, protests and even death threats.

Other entertainers, including Bruce Springsteen and Madonna, defended their right to free speech. But many others, including TV producers, felt that Bush's right to invade another country, on the other side of the world, based on little to no evidence, was more important.

Although The Dixie Chicks' lead singer, Natalie Maines, who originally made the statement, made some concessions and perfunctory apologies, in the main (see what I did there?) they stuck to their guns and their musical response, to all of the attacks upon them, was 'Not Ready to Make Nice'.

At the 49th Grammy Awards Show in February 2007, the group won all five categories for which they were nominated, including the top awards of Song of the Year and Record of the Year for "Not Ready to Make Nice", and Album of the Year, for Taking the Long Way. So, while they were largely unsupported in their native Texas, the wider music world really appreciated their stand for peace and free speech.



However, all the of the pressure from the backlash against their statement took it's toll. While the Dixie Chicks also raised their children over the last 14 years, they have not released another album in all of that time.

Gaslighter, the title of the new single and album, breaks that quiet period. And, although the ladies are probably not in the mood to take on the Republican rednecks again, Gaslighter seems like the perfect title to describe President Trump. Who frequently makes outrageous, stupid and prejudicial statements in front of cameras and then later tries to persuade the country, or the world, that he said, or meant, something different.

The lyrics to Gaslighter are of a more personal nature and are apparently directed at Natlie Maines' ex-husband. But, if The Dixie Chcks are feeling up to it, I think a re-write to address the world's biggest gaslighter would be welcomed by many.

Highway to Hell - Perth Festival 2020

Perth Festival paid tribute to Bon Scott, on the 40th anniversary of his passing, with a parade of bands travelling and playing along the length of Canning Highway, from Applecross to Fremantle, the road that Bon dubbed the Highway to Hell, in the AC/DC song of the same name.

Bon Scott wrote the lyrics to Highway to Hell for AC/DC

The event was massive. The parade included eight bands, most of them featuring special guests and the road was lined with an estimated 150,000 fans.

The logistics of organising such an event are mind blowing, closing down one of Perth's major thoroughfares for 10kms for most of a day, the trucks, staging, lighting, sound systems, stewards, policing the list goes on. So a huge congratulations must go to Perth Festival and everyone involved, for pulling it off with such success and of course to the people of Perth and Fremantle, who showed up in huge numbers and made it so successful.

The trucks started out from close to the Raffles Hotel, in the Applecross suburb of Perth, one of Bon Scott's hang outs back in the day. They left slowly, in 10 minute intervals, with the bands playing AC/DC hits the the length of the trip. They would stop at designated points along the route and play a whole song for large sections of the crowd who had gathered at those locations.

The first cab off the rank was The Pilgrims, an older band who competently handled the Acca Dacca repertoire. Next were The Tommyhawks, an all girl band, with Dom Mariani guesting on guitar. The Tommyhawks were energetic and enthusiastic and include a saxophonist fattening up their sound.

The Tommyhawks with Dom Mariani

I guess the festival organisers wanted to include something for everyone, so the next few bands spanned a range of musical styles. For a traditional AC/DC fan, like myself, this did not always work.

Steve 'N' Seagulls played bluegrass versions of AC/DC songs

Next up were Steve 'N' Seagulls, a country come bluegrass band with a banjo, accordion and upright bass. I had seen this approach to AC/DC songs before, from the Hayseed Dixies. Steve 'N" Seagulls were animated and fun, although far from true to the original versions of the tunes.

At this point it became apparent that all of the bands were playing either It's a Long Way to The Top, or Highway to Hell, or both of them. I mentioned this to a woman standing near me. She said that AC/DC don't have many songs that lots of people know. I said "Really? They've released about 20 albums!" I could have also added that on their last tour they easily sold out the biggest stadium in Perth, twice over. I think the people in attendance would know more than two of their songs.

Carla Geneve was next to come along with The Floors, they answered some of my wishes, by being an actual rock band and playing a nice version of Hells Bells. Unfortunately, Hells Bells was not a Bon Scott era song, but you can't have everything, can you?

I'm not sure if Carla was making an attempt at an Angus Young impression, by wearing shorts and a tie, or maybe that was just her fashion choice for the day.

Shonen Knife, a three piece girl band from Japan, occupied the next truck. Unfortunately their stripped down, basic interpretations and pretty tuneless vocals did not appeal to this audience member. Odette Mercy with Matthas followed, who were proficient, without really doing much for me. Then came Amyl and the Sniffers, a punk rock type of band and once again the lack of quality vocals did not work for me.

Abbe May with the Southern River Band. This is not them, just a golf cart announcing their arrival.

But the best was really saved for last. Abbe May is a genuine bluesy singer and The Southern River Band are a real rock and roll band. Together they gave the true AC/DC fans, who were present, what they wanted.

My experience of the Highway to Hell parade ended at Tompkins Park, where Abbe May and the Southern River Band performed Jailbait, in front of a huge crowd that covered all of the sports fields there. It was announced that earlier over 3,000 people had broken the world record for simultaneous air guitar players, at this venue and there were at least that many here for this performance, which was beamed onto giant screens, so that everyone could see.

Abbe May with the Southern River Band on the big screen at Tompkins Park

From here the parade continued on to Fremantle, where no doubt the crowds were even bigger and more enthusiastic, as that was Bon Scott's home, where he is buried and some of his family still live. Add to that, the booze would have been flowing by then and the bands well warmed up, and you have the recipe for a very big night in the old town.

For those who continued to rock, we salute you!