Hip Christmas
Welcome To Hip Christmas! I think you'll enjoy my
dysfunctionally vast web archive dedicated to holiday music that rocks, rolls, swings, and twangs. If you do, please support
me by shopping at Amazon, Apple Music,
and Sheet Music Plus! Regardless, the best of
the season to you - no matter what month it is! [about me]
What Was New In 2024? Last year's new Christmas albums included lots of vinyl reissues, big names like Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, and Little Big Town, indie darlings like Phantom Planet and the Sunturns, a full-length Tower Of Power album, a new collection from the Carpenters, and yet another Bear Family compilation. I've completed my annual obsessive, quixotic attempt to keep up with it all, including the Top 10 Albums and Top 25 Singles. [gimme gimme]
The Christmas Jukebox. My online Christmas music player is bulging with over 900 hip tunes - and counting! You can listen to the music I write about - the coolest, weirdest, and loudest holiday songs ever - all while enjoying my inimitable prose. [press play]
My Face, Your Book. There's a lot of holiday hilarity going on over at Facebook, in case you can't get enough on my website - or vice versa. Check out the Hip Christmas page, and follow me for maximum holiday fun all year long. No Russian trolls, please. I also post cool cover art on Instagram and Pinterest. [follow me]
Hey Sister, Go Sister! Long ago, Patti LaBelle got her start as the demure lead singer of a girl group, the Bluebelles. Their 1963 Christmas album is, well, charming, but not much more. Much later, LaBelle would record several holiday records befitting the diva she became, but none approached the funk grandeur of "Lady Marmalade" or the turbo-charged polish of "New Attitude." [read more]
Sorry, Mariah Carey. To me, Brenda Lee will always be the Queen of Christmas music. "Little Miss Dynamite" is also one of the most successful female singers in history, and she recorded many Christmas sides including two albums and numerous singles. Only one became a preeminent hit, but at least one more is a bona fide classic. [learn more]
Too Good For Words! The Ventures are an obvious antecedent, but Los Straitjackets take second billing to no one - except Nick Lowe, who they frequently support. More to the point, the Nashville-based masked marauders have piled up a fair amount of Christmas music - two albums plus several singles and odd tracks. [read more]
Santa Is Real. The Louvin Brothers are the most important brother act in the history of country music, and they were the direct antecedents of the Everly Brothers, the most important brother act in the history of rock 'n' roll. Not a bad pedigree, but their Christmas album is, sad to say, less impressive. [read more]
A Quiet Christmas Village. Vibraphonist Arthur Lyman was a giant of what we now call "exotica," and Mele Kalikimaka (1963) is a good example of what he did best: set a mood with music drenched in the romance of the South Pacific. The only difference is the presence of Santa and Rudolph, who seem to be enjoying their Hawaiian vacation! [read more]
Let's Get Demented. The high priest of musical mayhem, Dr. Demento, has compiled several Christmas albums over the years, most notably The Greatest Christmas Novelty CD Of All Time (1989), one of my Top 20 Albums. I've taken a fresh look at his lunatic legacy of missing front teeth, talking chipmunks, singing dogs, and renegade reindeer. [read more]
Just The Hits, Ma'am. In the 1990's, Rhino Records partnered with Billboard Magazine for a series of compilations that attempted to write the history of popular Christmas music from the top down. More than 30 years later, they are still an excellent place to start, even if they stop far short of telling the whole story. [read more]
Whispers of Christmas. With hits like "And The Beat Goes On" and "Rock Steady
, the Whispers helped define R&B in the 70's and 80's. But, their Christmas music was equally emblematic, if a tad too smooth for my tastes. Their 1979 album Happy Holidays To You was the high water mark, but there was a lot more to the story. [read more]
12 Worst/Best Songs of Christmas. I enjoyed this list from now-defunct Spinner Magazine (a division of also defunct AOL Music) so much that I preserved it after the rag went belly up. I am proud to say I own all 12 best songs of Christmas - and all but one of the worst! [read more]
Feliz Navidad, Baby! Never a household name, Juan Esquivel was thrust into the hipster limelight when his music was reissued during the lounge revival of the 1990's. Part of that bounty was Merry Xmas From The Space-Age Bachelor Pad, compiling his holiday recordings for RCA and Reprise between 1959 and 1962. [read more]
Swingin' For Christmas. The 1994 collection The Joy Of Christmas Past was one of the first rewards we reaped after GRP Records was bought by MCA and presented with the keys to the vaults of Decca, Chess, and other labels rich in vintage jazz. Starting in 1948 with Gene Ammons, we journey through two decades of swing, bop, and jive. [read more]
Christmas Gumbo. It's taken me a while to take a close look at Rhino Records' Alligator Stomp: Cajun Christmas. Why? I don't really like Cajun music that much. But, that's my problem. On its own terms, it's a great way to spice up your holidays. But, compared to Rhino's other compilations, it's got some problems. [read more]
A Rocky Mountain Christmas. You had to grow up in the 1970's to have a fondness for John Denver. His earnest folk pop is very much of an earlier age, and his four Christmas albums reflect the same aesthetic. But, the albums all have their charms - especially his classic country weeper, "Please, Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas)." [read more]
Yo, Santa, whuzzup? When I first heard Snoop Dogg's hilarious "'Twas
The Night Before Christmas," I assumed Christmas
On Death Row would be more of the same. I was wrong. The compilation from the infamous West Coast rap label has some good stuff (including another joint from Snoop), but it's mostly soft-headed slow jams. Sigh... [read more]
A Punchbowl Full Of Joy. It's just five songs long, and it was just a local record, but A
Boston Rock Christmas (1983) smokes from start to finish, covering everything
from roots rock to techno pop to hardcore punk - and the Del Fuegos make one of their earliest appearances on vinyl. But beware, dear reader, it's rare beyond description. [read more]
Top 100 Christmas Songs. In which I attempt to boil thousand and thousands of Christmas songs in my library down to their purest essence. Countdown to Christmas
Day with these always wonderful, frequently crazy songs - from Phil Spector's celebrated Wall Of
Sound to obscure punk, country, and rhythm & blues. [read more]
Hooray For Santa Claus! Rhino Records' Punk
Rock Xmas is not your normal Christmas compilation. These are songs for people
who love to hate Christmas - 18 slices of noise ranging from relative superstars like the Ramones, the Damned, and the Dickies to forgotten heroes like Fear, Pansy Division, and Celibate Rifles. [read more]
Sorry, Mariah Carey. To me, Brenda Lee will always be the Queen of Christmas music. "Little Miss Dynamite" is also one of the most successful female singers in history, and she recorded many Christmas sides including two albums and numerous singles. Only one became a preeminent hit, but at least one more is a bona fide classic. [learn more]
Your Private Santa Claus. He didn't start out that way, but country singer Eddy Arnold eventually became the moral equivalent of Perry Como in cowboy boots. That turns his Christmas catalog into a musical quandry - much like the rest of his enormous, hit-laden repertoire. [read more]
Farting On Santa's Lap. Hip-O Records' 2000 collection Sleighed:
The Other Side Of Christmas aims to present an alternative-rock-meets-Dr. Demento view of the holidays. It falls short of that mark, but 10 of the 12 tracks are pretty great all the same, including big names like Beck, Sonic Youth, the Smithereens, and (ahem) Spinal Tap. [read more]
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