JamesG01
Member Since: 30 Apr 2009
Location: Worthing
Posts: 376
  
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| Best (or worst) Christmas Tune(s) or Albums |
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In my late teens I worked part-time in a record shop belonging to a large corporate entity. In the month leading up to Christmas, when playing "product" over the loudspeaker system, we would have to alternate between a normal pop album and a Christmas-themed album (an album would be a CD for all you young whippersnappers out there  ).
We became rather adept at ensuring the Christmas product we played would not sound stale to those of us working on the floor and we were sufficiently empowered to "special order" multiple copies of notable Christmas albums if we thought we could push them. As a result, I became something of a connoisseur when it came to good Christmas tunes and albums.
Over the years I've come to appreciate a few gems and blow the dust off of them every Christmas, but I have three albums that are my absolute favourites (in no particular order):
1. Elvis's Christmas Album - the perfect mix of secular and spiritual, with my all-time favourite Christmas tune: "Santa Claus is Back in Town"
2. The Chieftains - Bells of Dublin...A mix of different traditional and non-traditional tunes with a definite Celtic flavour and the Chieftains collaborating with the likes of Nanci Griffith, Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, and (another one of my favourites) Kate and Anne McGarrigle(sic?) singing the traditional French carol "Il Est Ne".
3. Die Roten Rosen - Wir Warten Auf's Christkind (We're Waiting for the Christ Child) (any native German speakers feel free to correct my translation)...Die Roten Rosen are the Christmas-themed alter egos of the German punk band Die Toten Hosen. They've done some kick-ass punk rock and straight-ahead and truly twisted versions of favourite German and English-speaking favourites. If you speak the least amount of German, their version of "Still, Still, Still" will have you rolling on the floor laughing. But, like I said, about half of it is in English, and very enjoyable; this could be due to their drummer being English, and formerly (ISTR) of 80s band Doctor & the Medics
Anyway, anyone else have any favourites or least favourites for holiday tunes? Or am I just sad?  55-Reg Java Black SE, Unlocked SatNav (via Wiggs and Bodsy), Nudge Bar/Driving Lamps/RAI, Front & Rear Lamp Guards, RLD Sump Plate, RLD spare wheel protector
"Every movie-going moron knows that only a mining company could be evil enough to attack Smurfs living in a rainforest." - Doug Casey
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 14th Dec 2009 7:54 pm |
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frenchy
Member Since: 05 Dec 2007
Location: Liverpool
Posts: 1036
 
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happy christmas (war is over) - John Lennon 
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| 15th Dec 2009 12:23 am |
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