Christmas In My Car

With Christmas less than a week away, and The 20th Annual This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio Christmas Show comin' up fast this Sunday night, I'm ready to start listening to Christmas music in my car.

Every year, I'm reluctant and unwilling to listen to any Christmas music before I think the time is right. Never before Thanksgiving, and I rarely listen to much until about a week or so before December 25th. The October release of Christmas Party, a new holiday album by The Monkees, kinda pissed me off, honestly, because I wanted the group to follow their superb 2016 album Good Times! with, y'know, another real album, not a seasonal novelty disc. I grumbled and Grinched, but I bought the album just one week after its release (when the Target exclusive came out, carrying two bonus tracks). Other than a quick online sample of a few of its tracks, I absolutely refused to listen to Christmas Party until Black Friday. (Incidentally, Christmas Party does turn out to be a pretty damned decent holiday album, especially on most of the tracks sung by the mighty Micky Dolenz. My favorite is "House Of Broken Gingerbread," a bitter tale told from the POV of a child of divorced parents, written by novelist Michael Chabon and producer Adam Schlesinger.)

Even if my new holiday Fave Rave of 2018 is ultimately a downbeat tune, the Christmas mix in my car reflects both the season's highs and lows, and is ultimately festive even when it claims it ain't.  Among the more than 600 tracks on this playlist, there are all manner of rockin' pop styles and attitudes, courtesy of Skeeter Davis, The Ramones, Charley Pride, Stew, Marvin Gaye, The Grip Weeds, Al Green, Roy Wood's Wizzard, The Ravers, Aretha Franklin, Sex Clark Five, Bing Crosby & David Bowie, Bing Crosby & Frank Sinatra, Squeeze, James Brown, Merle Haggard, Christopher Grey, Sloppy Seconds, Buck Owens, Carla Thomas, The Supremes, Gary Pig Gold, B.B. King, Mike Viola & the Candy Butchers, The Everly Brothers, Alicia Witt, The Drifters, Claudine Longet, Margo Guryan, The Anita Kerr Singers, The Darkness, Faron Young, Isaac Hayes, Anny Celsi, The Fleshtones, The Smithereens, Rotary Connection, Vince Guaraldi Trio, The Temptations, The Catholic Girls, Graham Parker & Nona Hendryx, Twisted Sister, Future Clouds And Radar, George Jones, The Grateful Dead, Big Star, Hawaii Mud Bombers, Surfin' Lungs, Ike & Tina Turner, Lisa Mychols, The Spongetones, The Surfaris, Waylon Jennings, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, King Elvis I, The Soul Stirrers, The Kinks, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, The Waitresses, Marty Robbins, Lou Rawls, Shoes, Los Straightjackets, Billy Squier, Brenda Lee, The Sonics, Gary Frenay, The Jellybricks, Michael Mazzarella, Lannie Flowers, Stephen Lawrenson, Michael Mitsch, Cliff Hillis, Bill Lloyd, Wilson Pickett, The Holly Twins (with Eddie Cochran), Mindy Smith, Cocktail Slippers, The Ohio Players, Soupy Sales, Dickie Goodman, The Flirtations, The Ventures, Solomon Burke, The Royal Guardsmen, Smokey Robinson, Otis Redding, P. Hux, Paul Revere & the Raiders, The Impressions, The Staple Singers, Pentatonix, They Might Be Giants, The Jackson Five, The Cheepskates, Material Issue, The Persuasions, Chet Atkins, The Pointed Sticks, The Montgomery Cliffs, Ray Conniff, Jeremy, The Ronettes, Sandler & Young, Shonen Knife, Si Cranstoun, Dance Hall Crashers, The Gems, Chuck Berry, Tina Sugandh, Darlene Love, The dB's, Up With People, Michael Carpenter, Loretta Lynn, Wednesday Week, The O'Jays, Nat King Cole, Gayla Peeevey, The Beatmas, The Beatles, and John & Yoko, among many others. It does NOT include Paul McCartney. No Elmo & Patsy either, and for damned sure no "Christmas Shoes." Your own sleigh's mileage may vary.




So I'm immersing myself in holiday music. My inner Grinch is giving way, giving in, its heart growing three sizes each day, days that may be merry and bright. I haven't yet heard my three favorite Christmas tracks of the last few decades, "It's About That Time" by The Idea, "Gonna Ask Santa Claus" by Bibi Farber with the Michael Lynch Orchestra, and "The Man In The Santa Suit" by Fountains Of Wayne. But I'll hear 'em soon. And I'll play all three of them on the Christmas Show this Sunday. It's time to deck those halls. Christmas is coming. My soundtrack is set.

(To read more of my thoughts on Christmas music, I direct you here: Christmas Music, Parts 1 and 2)

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Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes,Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here. A digital download version (minus The Smithereens' track) is also available from Futureman Records.