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Posted

Here’s my current Christmas playlist. While there are plenty of classic, traditional songs that we’ve all heard year after year, for the most part I prefer only originals and covers of “lesser” and/or more recent “classics” (at least for this playlist I listen to driving around in December, putting up the lights, etc).

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Posted (edited)

 

Not all, but most of my Christmas rotation.  It's built on Galilean Soul, not on lame FM standards.  There's another detla gospel layer to it that isn't really "Christmas Songs", but it jives well with the season.  Anyway, fuck Burl Ives. 

Santa Claus Wants Some Loving    3:54    Albert King 

Weihnachtsoratorium     5:42    Bach 

Mele Kalikimaka    2:55    Bing Crosby

Christmas Auld Lang Syne    2:43    Bobby Darin

Gee Whiz It's Christmas    2:47    Carla Thomas

Merry Christmas Baby    3:01    Chuck Berry 

I'll Be Home For Christmas    2:35    Dean Martin

Let It Snow    1:59    Dean Martin

Silver Bells    2:29    Dean Martin

White Christmas    2:32    Dean Martin 

Winter Wonderland    2:15    Ella Fitzgerald

Blue Christmas    2:08    Elvis Presley

I Believe In Father Christmas    3:19    Emerson Lake & Palmer

Grateful For Christmas    3:55    Hayes Carll

Doing the Santa Claus    3:11    Huey Piano Smith

Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto    3:03    James Brown

Soulful Christmas    3:09    James Brown

Tamale Christmas    3:18    Joe King Carrasco

Happy Christmas    3:33    John Lennon

Blue Christmas    2:22    Johnny Cash

The Little Drummer Boy    2:34    Johnny Cash

Feliz Navidad    3:02    José Feliciano 

Holiday Road     3:11    Lindsey Buckingham

Cool Yule    2:55    Louis Armstrong

Winter Wonderland    3:00    Louis Armstrong

Zat You Santa Claus    2:47    Louis Armstrong

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas    3:42    M. Ward

Sleigh Ride    2:44    M. Ward 

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town    2:09    Mason Jennings

Silent Night    2:10    Nat King Cole

Away In A Manger    2:33    Neil Diamond

Lisbon Antiqua     2:35    Nelson Riddle Ochestra

Fairytale Of New York    4:36    The Pogues

Thank God It's Christmas     4:19    Queen

That Spirit Of Christmas    5:06    Ray Charles 

Merry Christmas From The Family    3:54    Robert Earl Keen

Pretty Paper    2:45    Roy Orbison 

Stille Nacht Heilige Nacht    2:38    Sir David Willcocks & The Bach Choir

Holy Holy Holy    3:50    Sufjan Stevens

Oh Come, All Ye Faithful    3:15    University of Texas Chamber Singers

Handel: Hallelujah    7:39    UT Chorus

O Tannenbaum    5:11    Vince Guaraldi

Christmastime Is Here     6:08    Vince Guaraldi

Christmas    4:34   The Who

Blue Christmas    2:38    Willie Nelson

Frosty The Snowman    2:24    Willie Nelson

Please Come Home For Christmas    3:19    Willie Nelson

No Christmas For Me    2:41    Zee Avi

Edited by Lobo
Posted
5 hours ago, utee94 said:

A "recent" rock Christmas song that I like and my kids love, is this one:

 

Agreed this is a great song (especially hearing what he turned it into after the SNL bit).  Weirdly, I had downloaded that song years ago as "I Wish It Was Christmas Today" and yet, at some point, iTunes updated its name in my library to "Christmas Treat".

Posted
7 hours ago, mdleast said:

Neglected to add the main reason for my post above: does anyone have any recommendations for songs that would fit into the mold of my playlist?  

So I don't see a really obvious theme in your playlist, other than "non-traditional versions/songs" or something along the like.  I'll say that about ten years ago, Target released a free Christmas "album" which was really a collection of mp3s, all originals from non-mainstream bands.  It was called "The Christmas Gig" and I downloaded it then, and many of those songs have become the backbone of a lot of my "modern" Christmas music playlists.

Just searched it and it looks like you can still find it on Youtube here, not sure if you can find versions for download or not.  Worth a listen, though, if you're looking for something fresh.

 

 

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Posted
2 hours ago, utee94 said:

So I don't see a really obvious theme in your playlist, other than "non-traditional versions/songs" or something along the like.  I'll say that about ten years ago, Target released a free Christmas "album" which was really a collection of mp3s, all originals from non-mainstream bands.  It was called "The Christmas Gig" and I downloaded it then, and many of those songs have become the backbone of a lot of my "modern" Christmas music playlists.

Just searched it and it looks like you can still find it on Youtube here, not sure if you can find versions for download or not.  Worth a listen, though, if you're looking for something fresh.

 

 

Thanks!  That is a good one.  Adding to the list.

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Posted
57 minutes ago, mdleast said:

Thanks!  That is a good one.  Adding to the list.

If you follow the link to YouTube it’s the whole playlist which I think is 13 songs, check them out  , if you like

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Posted
1 hour ago, HouTex said:

All I Want For Christmas is You by Vince Vance. It’s a different song than the one sung by Mariah Carey.

Yes it is. And IMHO a helluva lot better.

Posted
On 12/2/2020 at 3:30 PM, Chad Fuck said:

After Vince's Charlie Brown record, this is the best Christmas record of all time:

This is the best song on that record:

This one is probably the second best Christmas record:

But you can't be a Texan and not throw this one on:

 

 LOVE all of these. Roy is/was a true gift.  However, As a proud Native🤘🏻, I’m a bit partial to Willie’s version of “Pretty Paper”.  
 

But again, I won’t punch out of either of them! 

 

Merry Christmas, y’all!

Posted (edited)
On 12/3/2020 at 1:37 PM, mdleast said:

IMHO this cover surpasses the original:

 

 

Normally, the crunchy guitar would appeal to my punk sensibilities.  However, as exhibited by the post above, my intro to latter-day Christmas music came via MTV in the early 80s and is therefore, to me, traditional and fairly sacrosanct.

Although, that MTV sensibility does not extend to Band Aid and Do They Know it's Christmas.

Edited by TwiceHorn
Posted (edited)

The song itself is my favorite traditional Christmas carol.  Their performance is beautiful and I love their Fast Eddie, Minnesota Fats bit at the beginning.  

You shoot straight pool, mister?

Now and then.  You know how it is. 

You like to gamble, David Bowie?  Gamble money on Christmas songs? 

 

Edited by Bojack
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Posted
2 hours ago, utee94 said:

My apparently unpopular opinion-- I like Band Aid "Do They Know It's Christmas." :)

But I totally get why so many people don't like it.

I've always dug it, I remember hearing it when it was released, and thought it was well done for a completely pop creation. It captures a sound that Christmas songs should have. I can't always put my finger on it, but when I hear it I know it.  

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Posted
4 hours ago, utee94 said:

My apparently unpopular opinion-- I like Band Aid "Do They Know It's Christmas." :)

But I totally get why so many people don't like it.

I don't dislike it, per se.  I do associate it with sort of manufactured pop.

Posted
On 12/3/2020 at 10:19 AM, washparkhorn said:

Oh Holy Night - a lot of good renditions out there already listed above. This is one of my favorite performances of the song:

 

I like the one by Cher as imitated by Paul Shaffer.

 

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Posted
20 minutes ago, Carl Spackler said:

I like the one by Cher as imitated by Paul Shaffer.

 

I miss this and Darlene Love's Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) with Bruce Kapler's baritone solo on the old Late Night.

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Posted

JD McPherson came out with a pretty good original Christmas album a couple years ago, several of which have made it onto the playlist.
 

 

 

 

Posted

Best Christmas collection I've come across:

(Not for the Mitch Miller/Bing Crosby/Mormon Tabernacle Choir crowd.)

 

1.  Little Drummer Boy – Ben E. King

2.  Merry Christmas, Baby – Tina Turner

3.  Christmas Celebration – B. B. King

4.  It’s Christmas – Marvin & Johnny

5.  Just A Lonely, Lonely Christmas – Moonglows

6.  Christmas In Heaven – Billy Ward & The Dominoes (featuring Jackie Wilson)

7.  White Christmas – Otis Redding

8.  Please Come Home For Christmas – Little Johnny Taylor

9.  Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday – William Bell

10.  Far Away Christmas Blues – Little Esther Phillips

11. Christmas Blues – Charles Brown

12.  Christmas Tears – Freddie King

13.  Merry Christmas, Baby – Charles Brown

14.  Silent Night – Mary Wells

15.  Please Come Home For Christmas – Charles Brown

16.  Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley

Posted

The Vince Guaraldi Christmas Time Is Here (Instrumental) is probably my favorite and bonus points for the Arrested Development sad walk it spawned.

I'm a big fan of the Bob Schneider Christmastime album which featured a cover:

 

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