I Just Read About That…

This Christmas, I decided to list my 12 favorite Christmas albums. I have a rocky past with Christmas songs. Like every good Christian kid, I grew up singing Christmas songs. Then, as I grew a distaste for organized everything, for the commercialization of Christmas, and frankly, the astonishing disregard of Thanksgiving, I really started to rebel against them.

Plus, as everyone knows, you start to hear Christmas songs in November for crying out loud. I also worked a job where the only music we were allowed to play during the holiday was Christmas music. It was actually during this fallow period that I found out that there were some great alternatives to the standards.

Since that time, I have gotten married and I have two kids, and I really enjoy the feelings of hearth and home, and I want to share the joy of Christmas (and hopefully avoid the icky parts).

More back story: I grew up listening to big band music. My parents were just old enough that they didn’t really like rock n roll, so I got to listen to swing and big band and horns, horns, horns. I never really rebelled against that because it was pretty innocuous, but I did really start to miss it as I got older. And, what I found is that the Christmas songs that I like are the traditional ones sung by big band leaders. It was the “rock n roll” Christmas songs and some of the novelty songs that I really didn’t like. So, I try to avoid those as best I can, and I stick with the classics and some of these fun alternatives.

It seems there are now ample alternatives to traditional Christmas records out there, but ten or so years ago it was hard to find ones that were actually good. The first alternative Christmas record I got was Punk Rock Christmas. It didn’t make my cut for various reasons, but there are still some great tracks on it.

For this list, I’m leaving out the big bandy songs, because they’re pretty ubiquitous at this point, and I like most of them. Rather, I’m focusing on alternative takes, and some more unusual tracks. And here are the albums that can help bring some holiday spirit back into your Christmas slump. The titles are hyperlinks to the allmusic.com page if you want more info or full song lists. In no particular order:

1. Maybe This Christmas (2002)

This is one of a new batch of CDs I bought to get back into the Christmas spirit. Phantom Planet’s “Winter Wonderland” is a great rendition. Jack Johnson adds some nice moralizing to “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and Dan Wilson’s “What a Year for a New Year” is a nice addition of a non-traditional song. I’m a little bummed by Ben Folds’ “Bizarre Christmas Incident” because I love Ben, and I love his off-beat sense of humor, but this song is pretty vulgar and weirdly out of place on this collection. But otherwise, it’s a good set of slightly mellow alterna-pop. Note: Maybe This Christmas 2 was SUCH a disappointment, it’s full of such depressing songs. Ugh. However, there are two or three songs on it that are really great (see #12 below).

2Barenaked Ladies: Barenaked for the Holidays (2004).

I’ve talked about this one elsewhere, but suffice to say it stands up as a great all around Chritsmas/holiday record. You’ll be sucked in by the raucous “Jingle Bells” and you’ll want to stay for “Deck the Stills.”
3. Brian Wilson: What I Really Want for Christmas (2005).

I never liked the Beach Boys. Never liked their really-white harmonies or their surf music. I knew I should like them, and that Pet Sounds is genius and all, but it’s all just sort of, eh? Then I heard Brian Wilson’s SMiLE album. It didn’t change my life, but it gave me a new appreciation for his stuff. I bought this Christmas CD two years ago for Sarah, and I really like it. It has some of those old Beach Boys Christmas songs that I don’t really like (“Little Saint Nick” is actually about a car?), but this collection is great overall. There’s some new original songs like “Christmasey” and the title track which are wonderfully evocative and should be standards. The whole album has a warm, snugly feeling. I could listen to it all day long.

4. Christmas Remixed Holiday (2003).

This is my kind of Christmas record! It takes classic Christmas songs, in their original “big band” versions and remixes them with new drum and bass beats. It gives the songs a modern flair without making them sound “modern” (like the rock n roll versions that I don’t like). Most of the renditions are respectful, although some are outlandish. But the whole collection gives a wonderfully groovy feel to your holiday. Click on that link to see what’s here. If only I could add audio to get you to hear it yourself!

5. Esquivel: Merry Christmas from the Space Age Bachelor Pad (1996).

Esquivel is a trippy, fun guy. He made “space age” music for “bachelors” back in the swinging sixties. The big band revival brought some attention to him again in the last decade or so. This is a collection of his holiday songs, and I love it. The “zoop zoop zwee” the exotic, lisping greeting welcoming you to his pad. It’s wonderful mood music, for whatever mood you’re in. Its 12 songs done is his bizarre style and will certainly get your chilly heart warmed up.

6. Brave Combo: It’s Christmas, Man (1991).

I’ve liked Brave Combo for years. They do world music but primarily are a polka/rock band. They also experiment with various dance styles and usually let you know what style they are using per song (after the title on the CD jacket, which is rather handy). They often do covers of popular songs in vastly divergent styles from the original. And this album is no exception. “Must Be Santa” is a fast moving, off the hook version that is so much fun to sing along to, and that’s just the start! There are sambas, cha chas, even Mexican rancheros. A wonderfully diverse Christmas to you.

7. They Might Be Giants: Holidayland (2001).

This one’s an EP. Only 5 songs, so it’s hard to go wrong. “Santa’s Beard” is a classic song from ages ago, and there’s a nice rendition of “O Tannenbaum” Its only flaw is that it’s only about 10 minutes long.
8. Sufjan Stevens presents Songs for Christmas (2006).

Unlike this one. Sufjan Stevens never does anything subtly. If he can cram more instruments into a song, he will. His most beautiful songs are practically epic in scope (and just look at some of the titles!). This is a beautifully packaged 5 disc collection of Sufjan Stevens’s Christmas EPs from the last 5 years. It comes in a nice box, there’s artwork and a comic book, there’s even tattoos. Each disc has 7 to 11 songs for a total of 41. Most of them are beautifully orchestrated in typical Sufjan fashion. And yet despite this kitchen sink approach, the songs are never over the top. There are traditional songs ans well as originals, and aside from the fact that since they are all short EPs you have to get up every few minutes, there’s not a bad thing to say about the box.

9. South Park: Mr Hankey’s Christmas Classics (1999).

This is just a wonderfully offensive album no matter how you slice it. If you like South Park, you know what to expect: surprisingly catchy tunes, raunchy lyrics, and offensive ideas. We’re not allowed to play this as much this year now that the little one is repeating things, but hearing Mr Garrison singing “Merry fucking Christmas, to you!” is a seasonal highlight. As is Mr Mackey singing “Ding, dong, Mmmkay.” And, the updated dreidel song in 4 part harmony! Oh, an Cartman’s “O Holy Night” makes me laugh every single time.

10. Christmas Remixed 2 (2005).

This one is similar to the above Christmas Remixed. It’s the same concept with different songs and remixers. I don’t like this one quite as much as the first one, possibly just because I like the first one so much, but it’s still a hell of Christmas album. Check out the link to see what’s on this one!

11. Hi Fidelity Holiday (1998).

When I started working in New York City, I first discovered Starbucks. By this time everyone either loved it (for the coffee grounds) or hated it (for ethical grounds). But since I don’t drink coffee, it was not a debate that I as interested in. When I first entered a Starbucks and had a hot chocolate, well, that changed my world a little tiny bit. Anyhow, it was at the Starbucks in the East Village (I’m sure there a dozen by now, but there was only one then) where I found this collection, as a special holiday gift idea. I was initially appalled at the thought of buying a CD from Starbucks (and now, look they have their own label or something), but when I saw the track listings, I was sold! A wonderfully diverse section of Christmas songs by Esquivel and the Cocteau Twins, The Alarm (!) covering “Happy Christmas (War is Over)” and James Brown’s “Merry Christmas, Baby.” There’s also some classic tracks too, by Dean Martin and Peggy Lee. It’s a nicely diverse collection, suitable for any party (which I guess is the mood that Starbucks now cultivates all the time). It was also my first exposure to a song which is pretty standard now too: XTC’s (as The Three Wise Men) “Thanks for Christmas,” a particular favorite.

12. Rather than find a 12th album, I’ll round up with some favorite songs that I really like but are released as singles or are standout tracks on otherwise less than stellar records:

Bob and Doug McKenzie: “12 Days of Christmas” (from ) A Beer. Classic comedy from the Great White North.

Grandaddy: “Alan Parsons in a Winter Wonderland” A silly idea, but one that works because Grandaddy are so damned good. (From It’s a Cool, Cool Christmas).The CD is a pretty good one with some really strong tracks, but I couldn’t include it because there are a lot of duds too. However, you’ll see several tracks from this compilation listed here

Tom Jones and Cerys Matthews: “Baby It’s Cold Outside” There are hundreds of version of this song, but this one from two Welsh super voices is outstanding.

Death Cab for Cutie: “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” (from Maybe This Christmas Tree).  I love Death Cab for Cutie, so having a Christmas song by them is an added bonus.

Guster: “Donde Esta Santa Claus” (from Maybe This Christmas, Too).  I said earlier that Maybe This Christmas, Too was a disappointment, and I guess the cover kind of says it all…a tree on fire!  The album is a really downer.  Even the Flaming Lips version of “White Christmas” is not very interesting.  Nevertheless, this Guster song is awesome, happy, funny, silly, and new to me!

Badly Drawn Boy: “Donna & Blitzen” (from Maybe This Christmas, Too).  This song is on Badly Drawn Boy’s About a Boy soundtrack.  And it’s a great Christmas song, too.

Avril Lavigne and Chantal Kreviazuk:  “O Holy Night” (from Maybe This Christmas, Too).  There is something so eerily compelling about Avril Lavigne’s utterly flat delivery of this song.  It’s not bad flat, it’s just so unaffected, that i can’t decide if it’s awesome or awful.  Nevertheless, Chantal makes a compelling duettist with her, and it is a beautiful song.

El Vez: “Feliz Navi-nada” (From It’s a Cool, Cool Christmas). A rocking Feliz Navidad with bits from Public Image Limited thrown in for extra fun. A truly great version.

Cartman: “O Holy Night” (from Chef’s “Chocolate Salty Balls” single) “Jesus was born and so I get presents. Thank you Jesus for being born!” So hard to choose which version I like better. This is the one from the promos from season 1, where Cartman gets a cattle prod every time he screws up. Oh the humor of pain at Christmastime.

Greg Lake: “I Believe in Father Christmas” (from Time-Life Treasury of Christmas: Holiday Memories).  I’ve always loved Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and somehow this pretentiously over the top Christmas song really works.

Fishbone: “It’s a Wonderful Life” (from the “It’s a Wonderful Life” single and A Different Kind of Christmas) No Christams is complete without ska!

The Dandy Warhols: “Little Drummer Boy” (From It’s a Cool, Cool Christmas). Dandy Warhols get better and better, and this track is no exception. But let’s face it, this song is pretty out there: a new baby enjoys hearing drums? Come on!

Jill Sobule: “Merry Christmas from the Family” (from You Sleigh Me). A raucous, drunken family story. It’s funny, it’s naughty, it’s disrespectful, but lots of fun. This CD was one of the first true alternative Christmas CDs I got, but it really hasn’t held up all that well.

Belle and Sebastian: “O Come O Come, Emmanuel” (From It’s a Cool, Cool Christmas). This version is disconcerting in the way they don’t pause after the “rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel” part. But Belle and Sebastian can’t do any wring, really, so here it is.