Your Favourite Christmas Song?

[shadowplay]

I heard something on the radio about the 'World Cup of Christmas Songs' and much like the football world cup increasingly losing it's lustre due to the absence of cool glamour teams like Scotland, it didn't half seem to be a celebration of the sort of Christmas tune that's about as welcome as being forced to watch Elf.

It was at least mercifully free of Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time which frankly makes me want to punch people but for me Christmas songs are generally Santa and Rudolf free zone. I made a Christmas mix one year and I was proud when I got feedback from a friend noting that there were a few deaths in the mix.

So probably my top three if I had to choose different artists but if I didn't it might be all Shirley Collins.

1. Shirley and Dolly Collins - The Moon Shines Bright Like a supernaturally beautiful frosty winter night, this just can't be beaten.

2. Rosa Mundi (Rose McDowall and Coil) -Christmas is Now Drawing Near At Hand Coil are absolutely my favourite band and bringing in Rose is like putting a real live angel on top of your Christmas tree.

3. Antena - Noelle a Hawaii chic as Chanel and even 35 years down the line from first buying it (it's on the second issue of a Les Disques Du Crépuscule Christmas ‎compilation from 82) I still adore it. Btw in the unlikely event you haven't heard Antena - Camino Del Sol remedy that pronto.

So let's show the World Cup of Christmas Songs what's what. I know for a fact that everyone who voted on it will be getting a festive shiriking from krampus and those who voted for All I Want for Christmas Is You...well you don't want to know what's coming down their chimney.



D

[Straight6DOHC]

The Pogues' Fairytale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8

The Ramones' Merry Christmas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y5GtaTrPHM

[Singlebladepickup]

The Temptations - Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcuvlIgSj0Y

[mynameisjonas]

Nothing fills me with holiday cheer quite like Noddy Holder screaming "It's Chriiiistmaaaaaaas!!!"

But seriously, I have always had a soft spot for Nat King Cole - "The Christmas song".
Also, "Vintervisa", from this lovely, very 70s, album (the soundtrack of all my childhood christmases):


I loved "Fairytale of New York" the first 10 000 times I heard it, but it has kinda lost it's charm for me now.

[windmill]

There is a lot of wonderful and fun christmas songs out there

For a traditional carol O Holy Night is the current favourite, the way the major/minor change changes the mood is a nice bit of writing

And if you are going to do something why not go over the top

O Holy Night [Live] ft. David Phelps

The coolest instrumental version of a christmas tune is

Los Straitjackets GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN

Of course the kiddies will enjoy Joe's version of this chestnut

Joseph Spence : Santa Claus is Coming to Town

My favourite for this year is
Jesus Christ by Alex Chilton

May you all have a Merry Christmas

[lefty]

James Brown - Soulful Christmas is probably my favourite. James Brown loves ya!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xj82h7jfgk

[mezcalhead]

Some nice ones here. I've just bought the Minus 5 christmas album so I'm hoping to get a couple of new favourites out of that.

I loved "Fairytale of New York" the first 10 000 times I heard it, but it has kinda lost it's charm for me now.

Yeah, it just shouldered too much weight as the only decent Christmas song that would get played on the radio, and I've heard it far too often now.

For a traditional carol O Holy Night is the current favourite, the way the major/minor change changes the mood is a nice bit of writing

For traditional carols I like In The Bleak Midwinter.

[cestlamort]

3. Antena - Noelle a Hawaii chic as Chanel and even 35 years down the line from first buying it (it's on the second issue of a Les Disques Du Crépuscule Christmas ‎compilation from 82) I still adore it. Btw in the unlikely event you haven't heard Antena - Camino Del Sol remedy that pronto.

I'll second the Antena recommendation. Like a French Young Marble Giants if they only had a bossanova preset (in all the right ways).

I'm still unduly fond of the Pogues "Fairytale" (aided by a bit of nostalgia of my mother requesting that I get "tickets to a Christmas concert" for her visit back when I was an exchange student in Munich. She liked the Pogues (as a folkie of the Weavers camp) so I dutifully got tickets to the Pogues Christmas show (with Joe Strummer). Not what she imagined...)

The Pretenders nailed the obligatory jangle melancholy

Dirty Sidewalks did a pretty good xmas song a while back; it's the KEXP song of the day today.

[Shadoweclipse13]

[nrs24985]

I've always enjoyed the Pogues and Ramones songs mentioned above, as for a newer song I think Marching Church's Christmas on Earth is great.

It is also hard to go past John Fahey's Christmas releases, particularly The New Possibility.

[scottT]

Actually, I have found as the years go by, I don't like to listen to Christmas music. I never put it on at home. I do like singing carols communally though, like at church, with a choir, or this year at a tree lighting ceremony. I would have to say my favorite is an Appalachian Christmas instrumental CD with lot of hammer dulcimer, which is a gorgeous instrument.

I want to add more of this sort of thing to shake me out of my stale music doldrums. I will get this later: Sharron Kraus and Harriet Earis

Winter Songs/Caneuon-y-Gaeaf

[shadowplay]

I want to add more of this sort of thing to shake me out of my stale music doldrums. I will get this later: Sharron Kraus and Harriet Earis

Winter Songs/Caneuon-y-Gaeaf

I'm a bit like you in this I pretty much can't have santa style Christmas songs in the house and find shopping at this time of year pure musical torture.

I really like Sharon Kraus' versions of To Shorten Winter's Sadness and the version with Harriet Earls.

Funnily we as a family are all set to start reading her first book 'Hares in the Moonlight', which is wholesome family Supernatural entertainment concerning children shapeshifing into hares.

D

[somebodyelseuk]

These three -
Greg Lake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqwqknq7nuI

John Lennon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN4Uu0OlmTg

Nat King Cole
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwacxSnc4tI

IMHO, there hasn't been a decent Christmas tune since the Jona Louie one.

[shadowplay]

These three -
Greg Lake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqwqknq7nuI

Have you heard this beautiful version?

D

[mcjt]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzb3mBgeezc