HR'd Xmas '09!
Editor’s note: DeadJournalist.com proudly presents Jon Wolf’s monthly mixtape. As always, to get all the links, join his mailing list: highlyrecd (at) gmail.com or visit his Web site: http://highlyrecd.blogspot.com.
HIGHLY REC’D – THE MONTHLY MIXTAPE
Because good music is a right, not a privilege.
By: Jon Wolf
I like Christmas music, deal with it. Here is this year’s massive, bordering on the ridiculous, ever-evolving list of Christmas/holiday/winter music, none of this will ever replace any of your family classics, so if you listen to Johnny Mathis, Dolly and Kenny, or The Muppets every year because that’s what you did growing up, that’s awesome, please continue that tradition, but here are some classics, some covers, and some new entries into the genre that get it right.
Have a great holiday! Happy New Year!
Christmas ’09: “But It’s Not Like Christmas At All!”
1. Julian Casablancas – “I Wish It Was Christmas Today” (SNL cover)
2. No Doubt – “Oi to the World”
3. Blink-182 – “I Won’t Be Home For Christmas”
4. Heike Has The Giggles – “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (Mariah Carey cover)
5. The Alter Egos – “(Gimme Gimme) I’ve Been Good”
6. The Kinks – “Father Christmas”
7. Weezer – “O Come All Ye Faithful”
8. The Ramones – “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)”
9. Pearl Jam – “Someday at Christmas (Stevie Wonder cover)”
10. Stevie Wonder – “What Christmas Means to Me”
11. The Flirtations – “Christmas Time is Here Again”
12. Darlene Love – “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
13. Toni Stante – “Donde Esta Santa Claus?”
14. Elvis Presley – “Santa Claus Is Back In Town”
15. Zebra – “Christmas Morning”
16. Vince Guaraldi – “Linus & Lucy (Pocketknife’s Hark, The Holler Remix)”
17. Run-DMC – “Christmas in Hollis”
18. The Waitresses – “Christmas Wrapping”
19. Paul McCartney – “Wonderful Christmastime”
20. The Darkness – “Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End)”
21. Billy Mack – “Christmas Is All Around”
22. Metro Jets – “Jingle Jangle Christmas”
23. Gentleman Auction House – “Don’t Want Another Christmas (Like Last Christmas)”
24. The Standalone feat. Carrie Peters – “It’s Christmas Time (Sufjan Stevens cover)”
25. The Very Foundation – “All Lit Up (For Christmas)”
26. Zooey Deschanel & Leon Redbone – “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”
27. Over The Rhine – “Darlin’ (Christmas is Coming)”
28. Dar Willams – “Christians and Pagans”
29. Whale Tooth – “Hibernation Song”
30. Calamine – “Flicker”
31. Huffamoose – “Hanukkah And Christmas Hand In Hand”
32. Johnny Bertram – “Merry Christmas (You Won’t Get What You Want)”
33. The Very Most – “Away in a Manger”
34. Sufjan Stevens – “Did I Make You Cry On Christmas? (Well, You Deserved It!)”
35. Badly Drawn Boy – “Donna and Blitzen”
36. Freedy Johnston – “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
37. John Legend – “Let It Snow”
38. Ron Sexsmith – “Maybe This Christmas”
39. Slow Club – “Christmas TV”
40. Regina Spektor – “My Dear Acquaintance (A Happy New Year)”
I would also like to thank, among others, some really dedicated Christmas music sites: The Leather Canary (RIP), Big Rock Candy Mountain, Songs:Illinois / Swedesplease, and The Blue Walrus.
Fantastic list (favs. include The Kinks, “Father Christmas”; No Doubt’s “Oy to the World” and Paul McCartney, “Wonderful Christmastime” but where, oh where, is The Pogues, “Fairytale of New York”?!
Yes, I know, there will always be unfortunate omissions, as soon as I sent it I yelled: “Pretenders’ 2000 Miles!” followed by a Charlie Brown “Aarrrgh!” Maybe next year. So yeah, that is the risk you take, also, The Very Foundation’s “All Lit Up” might be the sleeper of this year’s class, a Jonathan Richman flavored song about the travel aspect of the holiday.