[Yesterday, we covered the first ten tracks on the 2011 Holiday Music Mix of our Dreams. Here’s the last dozen or so–ed.]
Josh: “Come On! Let’s Boogey to the Elf Dance!” by Sufjan Stevens belongs on the mix, obviously!
Chelsea: Sufjan wins the prize for best original Christmas songs. Josh has chosen one of his better ones.
Roger: “Fairytale of New York,” the Pogues: Christmas is a lonely time and many of us, no doubt, look to this season of the year as a time of hopeful reconciliation. Shane MacGowan often has goals that outstrip his talent, and common sense. But when he’s right on, like in this heartbreaking Christmas song about a love affair’s rise, shattering fall and final reconciliation on Christmas Eve, he reaches a level of emotion and musical chops that few can ever hope to achieve.
Katelyn: All of Bob Dylan’s Christmas In The Heart, which is sidesplittingly funny from start to finish (intentionally, I fervidly hope) deserves mention. Picture the season’s overplayed favorites… growled, in a good-natured fashion. Bonus points to “O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fidelis),” in which Bob sounds particularly drunk.
Scott: “Father Christmas,” The Kinks: This punk holiday classic gets right to the point: Give us some money. It is the Christmas carol of the 99%. “Give all your toys, to the little rich boys…”
Tony: God, I loves me some Kinks. The Hoodoo Gurus’ “Little Drummer Boy (Up the Khyber)” rocks, too: With its spidery sitar, Dick Dale tremolo guitars, and a rolling surf beat that could submerge the North Pole in a tsunami, it should be a staple at every Christmas party worth its egg nog.
Clint: Like bourbon spiked with egg nog, Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell’s “Time of the Season” is a truly beautiful thing. Lines like “In your embrace I found my place/Outside it’s freezin'” sung by these two polar opposites–think sandpaper and silk–just make you smile and sip, smile and sip. The subtle acoustic guitar and orchestrated backing wrap like a blanket around each line. Like any timeless carol, it’ll pop into your head randomly during the holidays and throughout the year.
Scott: “Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth,” Bing Crosby and David Bowie: Two icons of their respective generations, each representing their constituency, yet blending together beautifully about a month before Crosby’s death. Bowie’s “Peace on Earth” counterpoint was written for this appearance on Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas, which aired in 1977.
Chelsea: How could I have forgotten the local classic “Sometimes You Have to Work on Christmas (Sometimes)”? In 2005, I took an afternoon off of work to go to the KOMO studios and wait around a very long time until it was time to rush the stage at the end of HD’s performance of “Sometimes”, “Hey Jude” style…I wish the video was on YouTube…
Margaret: I’d like to include a plug for Duke Ellington’s version of the Chinese Dance from The Nutcracker Suite, called “Chinoiserie (Chinese Dance).” It’s one of the more recognizable tracks on the album, and it ups the cool factor of Tchaikovsky’s piece by about 75%.
Chelsea: I recently discovered that my beloved Robbers on High Street recorded a Christmas song – a cover of “Season’s Greetings,” originally recorded by Teri Summers and the Librettos (ever heard of them? I hadn’t.). It’s a pleasant little mid-tempo tune and the Robbers added their signature keyboards nicely.
Audrey: Though it could also be used as a torture device, I am partial to The Chipmunks’ “Christmas Song.” And Angela Lansbury’s version of Mame’s “We Need a Little Christmas” captures the manic festive cheer necessary to get through the next couple weeks.