Christmas Basics

This post will go back to the blogs beginnings with some Lightnin' Hopkins. Merry Christmas friends.

Christmas Blues

Merry Christmas

Heavy Snow

Death Might Be Your Santa Claus

On the Twelfth Day...

I did it! Twelve days! I didn't think I could, and I almost didn't But I did! Here I am! Happy Xmas everyone! Enjoy it however you celebrate it!

Here is Chuck Berry at his very best.

I somehow somehow found 11 other versions. Enjoy it to the max.

On The Eleventh Day...

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town is just a plain old fun Christmas song. It makes it an easy song for artists to cover and make their own version.

Hey! There is even a Christmas special with the name starring Fred Astaire. More known for his dancing than singing voice, he recorded quite a few songs over the years.

Plenty more for ya...

On The Tenth Day...

For some reason Little Drummer Boy is one of my earliest Christmas song memories. I don't have the slightest idea why. For whatever the reason, I enjoy it.

Here is a truly splendid version from Frank Sinatra.

Many more drummers after the jump...

Go Easy, Step Lightly, Stay Free

On this day, we lost two of the greats much too early. Both Joe Strummer and D. Boon encompass what art should be about. Open-minded, unapologetic, edgy, political. If ever the word inspiration was needed, it's to describe this music.

This is I Felt Like A Gringo from the "Acoustic Blowout" show, which is included as part of the bonus goodies from the We Jam Econo documentary (if you haven't seen this, go watch it. Right now.)

This is a great performance of Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC from 1999. Music doesn't get better than this.

On The Eighth Day...

I've always enjoyed Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. My Grandmother didn't. She thought the song was okay but didn't like the 'Little.' Nothing about Christmas was little with her. Being from a large family, the only way to celebrate Christmas was to go big. Despite all that, she was a fan of Judy Garland so here is the original from the Film Meet Me In St. Louis.

Some more after the jump.

On The Seventh Day...

Not going to be able to get home for Christmas this year. Probably gonna be a bit blue.

Although not originally recorded by Elvis, it is hard to imagine anybody doing a more definitive version. Here he is performing this during the sit down session of his comeback special.

Now here are some others trying to out do the King of Rock...

Happy Birfday To Keef!

Time to celebrate Keith Richards' 69th birthday with some of my favorite recordings he's ever done. This bootleg is a collection of early solo sessions, and the Toronto tracks from 1977 are especially incredible. Long live Keef!

Long View Farm, Brookfeld, Massachussetts, May 1981 (track 1-9)
New York City 1978 (track 10)
Sounds Interchange Studios, Toronto, Canada, March 12th-13th 1977 (track 11-18)

1. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

2. Say It's Not You 

3. Don't

4. Blue Monday 

5. Oh, What A Feeling 

6. Sing Me Back Home

7. The Nearness Of You 

8. Apartment No. 9

9. All I Have To Do Is Dream
10. Key To The Highway
11. Worried Life Blues
12. Sing Me Back Home
13. She Still Comes Around
14. Apartment No. 9 
15. Sing Me Back Home 
16. Worried Life Blues
17. Apartment No. 9 

18. Say It's Not You

DOWNLOAD

On The Sixth Day...

This song would probably work better for day 12 but what can you do. Possibly the easiest Christmas  song to parody and oh yes, there will be parodies. We start out with Johnny Cash and the Cash family singing The Twelve Days of Christmas on the Johnny Cash show.

More versions after the jump

On The Fifth Day...

"Joy to the world the teacher's dead

We barbecued her head!"

This post started out as Joy To The World but that is changing mid post. I'm keeping the opening picture because I want to use it somewhere.

First up is a favorite of mine from Nat King Cole. First released on his 1960 Christmas album The Magic of Christmas.

On The Fourth Day...

I guess this would have made more sense yesterday. You'll just have to deal with four versions of We Three Kings. Always a favorite of mine.

Released in 1967 we'll open with a beautiful version by Ella Fitzgerald

Three more kings after the jump

On The Third Day...

One thing I remember about the Christmas season when I was a child is my dad's The Beach Boys' Christmas Album cassette. I have memories of sitting in the front seat of the car as we went to different family Christmas parties while this played over and over. One song that stuck out to me was Little Saint Nick. It was released as a single a year before the release of the album. Despite being a Christmas song it is one of the perfect examples of The Beach Boys' sound.

a couple of covers after the jump

On The Second Day...

Upload MP3 and download MP3 using free MP3 hosting from Tindeck. Free MP3 download: 01 Merry Xmas Everybody.m4a

Christmas Playlist!

1. James Brown – Soulful Christmas
2. Alex Chilton – The Christmas Song
3. Detroit Junior – Christmas Day
4. Chet Baker – The First Noel
5. Lightnin’ Hopkins – Heavy Snow
6. My Morning Jacket– I’ll Be Home for Christmas (Live in NYC)
7. The Beach Boys – Merry Christmas, Baby
8. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan – Baby, It’s Cold Outside
9. Roger Miller – Old Toy Trains
10. William Bell – Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday
11. Eels – Everything’s Gonna Be Cool This Christmas
12. The Ramones – Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)
13. The Marquees – Santa Done Got Hip
14. Lou Reed – Xmas in February
15. John Lennon – Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
16. She & Him – The Christmas Waltz
17. Roy Orbison – Pretty Paper
18. Linda Cassady – Is Santa Claus a Hippy?
19. The Soul Stirrers – Christmas Means Love
20. Tom Waits – Silent Night/Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis (Live in Sydney) 

Download Here

On The First Day...

In an effort to revive things on my end here, I am starting a 12 days of musical x-mas binge post spree. Without any planning ahead, I am going to post multiple versions of songs increasing each day concluding on Christmas Eve. I'm going to make this work damnit!!! Well to start things off here is a wonderful original song from Smashing Pumpkins.


Upload MP3 and download MP3 using free MP3 hosting from Tindeck.

Free MP3 download: 02 Christmastime.m4a

Favorite Songs of 2012 (Part 2)

Agent Ribbons' Let Them Talk EP has been in constant rotation. The dreamy melodies, the intelligent lyrics with a tinge of dark humor, the sensible use of space in each song...you'll soon find out why even after you stop listening, these songs don't leave you. 

 

Once again, it's probably apparent how much I love National Anthem from previous posts. But here's an incredible live version (probably the only version I haven't posted).

 

Seeing the return of The Woodbox Gang this year made me incredibly happy. Hugh DeNeal and Alex Kirt are one of the most unique songwriting duo's going. The ups and downs of Hugh were well documented in a movie about his life called Confidence Man, and his ultimate imprisonment and release make the lyrics on Glorious Scars all the more poignant. "You write it all right, but you live it all wrong. Stay up your whole life working on a song..."

Redd Kross know how to craft an incredibly catchy, intelligent rock song. Researching the Blues contains 10 of them.

Banga is beautiful, stark and truly captivating. Patti Smith's words have always cut through all the bullsh*t, and her voice and delivery only add depth.

Favorite Songs of 2012 (Part 1)

Not only did Dirty Three release one of my favorite albums this year, they were easily one of the best (and loudest) live music moments. Seeing them was like an out of body, religious experience. A more fitting name may be Dirty One, as it was remarkable how tightly they played as a unit. Some ignoramus in the crowd kept talking during the show and at one point asked Warren, "what's your favorite flavor?" To which he responded, "what kind of stupid f*cking question is that?" before tearing into the monstrous Rain Song. This NPR concert has a beautiful version (along with The Pier and Last Horse On The Sand).

My Jerusalem put out a record full of the most interesting rock music I've heard in a while. It's catchy, fearless, and there's a passionate urgency behind every song that reminds me of The Gun Club. Warning: this is going to get stuck in your head. For days.

In a time where mass consumption and immediacy seem to rule, it's refreshing to listen to an album that requires a little more attention. The songwriting and lyrics are beautiful throughout In The Dusk Of Everything, and the stripped down nature of the album reveals truly great songs.

It's probably apparent by now how much I love Dot Hacker's music, but this song deserves to be posted at all times.

See How We Are is one of my absolute favorite songs, and the live version released on John and Exene's recent Singing And Playing album makes my goosebumps get goosebumps.

Amy's Favorites Albums of 2012

I'm making up for not posting in ages with a cliche list of my favorite albums this year (in no particular order)...

Dot Hacker – Inhibition
Redd Kross – Researching The Blues
Leonard Cohen – Old Ideas
John Doe & Exene Cervenka – Singing And Playing
The Gaslight Anthem – Handwritten
The Orwells – Remember When
Heartless Bastards – Arrow
Matthew Ryan – In The Dusk Of Everything
Cat Power – Sun
Dinosaur Jr. – I Bet On Sky
OFF! – OFF!
The Woodbox Gang – Glorious Scars
The Tallest Man On Earth – There’s No Leaving Now
Flea – Helen Burns EP
The Evens – The Odds
Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls
Mark Lanegan Band – Blues Funeral
Thee Oh Sees – Putrifiers II
Death Grips – The Money Store
Bob Dylan – Tempest
Cory Branan – Mutt
Screaming Females – Ugly
My Jerusalem – Preachers
Deer Tick – Tim EP
Japandroids – Celebration Rock
Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
John Frusciante – Letur-Lefr
Agent Ribbons – Let Them Talk EP
Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
Dirty Three – Toward The Low Sun
David Byrne & St. Vincent – Love This Giant
Justin Townes Earle – Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now
Jack White – Blunderbuss
Burial – Kindred EP
Scott Walker – Bish Bosch
Swans – The Seer
Craig Finn – Clear Heart Full Eyes
Bob Mould – Silver Age
Disappears – Pre Language
Patti Smith – Banga