The Day Before Boxing Day

Robyn Hitchcock & Hannah Bird document the true meaning of Christmas.



I like that the Sainsbury's "expense report" at the end includes a bottle of Jim Beam, and hope everyone has a happy holiday full of good cheer!

For the rest of us

Happy Festivus!



The tradition of Festivus begins with the airing of grievences.

How about this 70 minute review of how much "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" sucked?

No assembly required ... because it's a book!

Happy Soul-stice!

Take the freeway down

Keith Richards is 66 years old today, and now that Dylan has done a Christmas album, the Stones may be the only major rock artists that haven't recorded a holiday song (yet!).

The closest thing to a Rolling Stones Christmas song is Keef's solo version of "Run Rudolph Run" (not "Run Run Rudolph"!) with Toots & the Maytals. Happy birthday Keith!

Navidad Macarena

Via Mistletunes, here's the biggest Christmas cash-in this side of Bobby Boris Pickett's "Monster's Holiday".

It's "Macarena Christmas" by Los Del Rio.



The exact same song with Christmas carols overdubbed during the verses. Not even a new recording!

Must Be Chanukah!!

Via my weekend comment(s), Bob Dylan's "Must Be Santa" gets the Chanukah treatment!



I claimed that Bob's "Must Be Santa" is the one saving gem on his Christmas album, and the song I used for my compilation. The song was performed originally by Mitch Miller & the Gang, but Dylan's version is borrowed from Brave Combo's version.

Four Crazy Minutes

I have now officially seen everything! Neil Diamond covers Adam Sandler's "Chanukah Song", complete with groovy Flash animation.



After I saw this review on EW yesterday, I just had to find the song on youtube. Neil Diamond has now gone full circle, like William Shatner, where he's become a self-parody, and is playing the parody for yuks, and expanding his appeal to a new generation.

And I know Adam Sandler has done a lot of bad things in his career, but these were four crazy minutes where he Got It Right. This song should be at least twelve years past its sell-by date, since it mentions O.J. and other folks (like Paul Newman and Ann Landers) who've moved to the yarmulke in the sky, but it still rings true after all these years. Happy Chanukah Everyone! LTFC!

Motown Christmas

Mojochronic (the guy behind "Yuletide Zeppelin" and "Yuletide Zeppelin II") has an new holiday mashup this year called "Motown Christmas", a nine minute megamash of Motown hits mixed with holiday favorites (by Motown artists).



I'd never include something like this in one of my compilations because it's nine frickin' minutes long, but it's impressive how everything flows together!

Imagine Santa

Using these last two weeks before Christmas to embark on an abbreviated Days Of Hot Roxmas, as I've done the last two years. One of the primary motivations for this year's holiday mix was the Santastic series of Xmas mashup albums by Boston DJ Bob Coburn (aka djBC). Here's one of djBC's own creations "Imagine Santa", combining the work of two late rock legends.



The J5's version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" seems to be really popular with bootleggers. Divide & Kreate's "Velvet Santa" also uses this as its vocal backing.

Xmas Don't Be 2K&L8

It's December 9th, which means that I'm at least a week late with my 2009 Christmas Compilation, but with my vacation and post-vacation catchup, I lost track of the date. But do not fret, because the compilation is ready for download now!

With the late date, I decided to call it "Xmas Don't Be 2K&L8", which translates in longhand to "Christmas Don't Be Two Thousand & Late" -- at the intersection where Alvin & the Chipmunks meet the Blackeyed Peas. Thirty tracks, plus one extra one, mostly rockers about the guy in the red suit. Here's the track listing.

XMAS DON'T BE 2K&L8
1. Intro (Charlie Brown)
2. Cool Yule (Louis Armstrong & the Commanders)
3. Rocket Ship Santa (The Bellrays)
4. Here Comes Santa Claus (Clockhammer)
5. Santa's Sock (Diabolics)
6. Must Be Santa (Bob Dylan)
7. Seven Joys Of Mary (Great Big Sea)
8. Super Rock Santa (The Fleshtones)
9. Santa Claus Got Stuck In My Chimney (Ella Fitzgerald)
10. Santa Do The Mambo (Big John Greer)
11. Heat Miser (Spyke Deggnog)
12. Christmas On The Beach (Irene)
13. Christmas Won't Be The Same This Year (The Jackson 5)
14. Santa Gave You What You Gave To Me (Jake Brennan)
15. Jingle Jane (Divide & Kreate)
16. Hang Your Balls On The Xmas Tree (Kay Martin & Her Bodyguards)
17. Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt)
18. Jingle Bells Boogie (Jody Levens)
19. Santa Done Got Hip (The Marquees)
20. Chipmunks Christmas Mash-Up (Mau)
21. The Night Santa Went Crazy (Weird Al Yankovic)
22. Dig That Crazy Santa Claus (Oscar McLollie & His Honey Jumpers)
23. Five Pound Box Of Money (Pearl Bailey)
24. Rock N Roll Santa (Yo La Tengo)
25. Santa's Got A GTO (The Ramonas)
26. Christmas Bop (Smash-Up Derby)
27. Get Behind Me, Santa! (Sufjan Stevens)
28. Cloudy Cloud (The Tycoons)
29. Velvet Santa (Divide & Kreate)
30. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (X)

Download: part1 part2

Happy Holidays! Comments and feedback welcome below!