NRBQ's "Christmas Wish" started its life as a 1980 single (b/w "Jolly Old St. Nicholas"). In 1986, the band spotlighted it again on an eight track fan club EP called Christmas Wish. In 1997, this EP was reissued on CD with a few bonus tracks, and a few months ago, it was reissued again with eleven bonus tracks (19 in all). The latest version is Christmas Wish (Deluxe Edition), but through all these reissues, the highlight is still its title track, the 1980 "Christmas Wish" single.
I've been a huge fan of the Q since I saw them open for R.E.M. in late 1989. It was a few days after the Loma Prieta quake, and they opened their set with "Shake, Rattle, and Roll". That performance at Shoreline in Mountain View was captured by the closed circuit cameras at the venue (so folks on the lawn and at the concession stands can still watch the show), and came out a few years ago on DVD, so I can relive that concert experience whenever I want.
"Christmas Wish" has been on a few holiday compilations and was covered by Darlene Love this year on her new most excellent Christmas album, so it's not totally obscure, but still not as well known as it should be. It was included on one of my earlier Christmas mix tapes (1997), and here it is again on the fourteenth day of Hot Roxmas, in the time of the year when all good things come true.
NRBQ - Christmas Wish
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