What's Your Favourite Christmas Single?

I'll give a big thumbs-up for both The Waitresses and Slade for bringing Christmas into the "real world". I'd certainly like The Waitresses in their Christmas stockings........

Slipping into the more traditional vein - what about the seminal "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby ? Makes me think of all things festive

Then along came David Bowie and his little drummer boy.....

Santa Claus, go straight to the Ghetto by James Brown gets my vote!

Run DMC - "Christmas in Hollis"

Any music from the New Years Day concert in Vienna
why - cos it says "Christmas is over, you can come out again"
<g> but perhaps not

but if pushed "Fantasy on Christmas Carols" by Arnold.

Derek

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With regards to music, I generally despise anything remotely "common". However, I'm embarrassed to admit that this solid stance utterly vanishes when it comes to Christmas music. I love all the standards, and I actually get mildly annoyed when anyone reinterprets the old favourites.

For Christmas classical, I love the Nutcracker, and absolutely abhor the boredom that is Handel's Messiah.

The only two newish X-mas songs that I enjoy are Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmas Time", and "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues (with Kristy MacColl).

Yes, I know... I'm pitiable.

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Praying For A Cheaper Christmas by THE SWINGING BUILDINGS (1981, Crepuscule).

One Christmas For Your Thoughts by THE DURUTTI COLUMN and Cream Or Christians by MICHAEL NYMAN are both pretty good...

Kevin

Troika.

Oh and Greg Lakes version

And urm Jethro Tulls Solstice Bells...

Now is the solstice of the year,
winter is the glad song that you hear.
Seven maids move in seven time.
Have the lads up ready in a line.

Ring out these bells.
Ring out, ring solstice bells.
Ring solstice bells.

Join together beneath the mistletoe.
by the holy oak whereon it grows.
Seven druids dance in seven time.
Sing the song the bells call, loudly chiming.

Ring out these bells.
Ring out, ring solstice bells.
Ring solstice bells.

Praise be to the distant sister sun,
joyful as the silver planets run.
Seven maids move in seven time.
Sing the song the bells call, loudly chiming.
Ring out those bells.
Ring out, ring solstice bells.
Ring solstice bells.
Ring on, ring out.
Ring on, ring out.

Ding dong


P

[This message was edited by P on MONDAY 03 November 2003 at 18:02.]

Some brilliant stuff here - why has no one ever attempted to assemble a slightly less mainstream Christmas album? Run DMC, Eartha Kitt, Swinging Buildings [never actually heard it, but anything on Les Disques de Crepuscule has got to be worth a hearing], Durutti Column, James Brown - it's got to have legs.

On the classical front, I do usually do the tree to Messiah [although I know it's for Easter really, but with numbers like 'We Like Sheep' [and who doesn't?] it's really hard to resist], but would highly recommend Saint-Saens' Christmas Oratorio - not at all unlike the Faure requiem, but, not being a requiem, that bit more cheery. Organ, harps, choirs & Saint-Saens' way with a catchy tune. My [the only one, I think] recording is on Capriccio, but I think it's now available on the even cheaper Laserlight. I seriously recommend this, and can't understand why we're not fed up to the back teeth with it.

throb

[Greg Lake? Please God, no..]

I nearly forgot- The Ramones "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)"

Hey Throb...

Arf...

P

"Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues does it for me.
I can only seem to remember from "You were handsome ,You were pretty" onwards - must be too much ale during the festive season.

Roy



Fairytale Of New York Lyrics

Artist(Band):Pogues
(Print the Lyrics)


It was Christmas Eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me, won't see another one
And then he sang a song
The Rare Old Mountain Dew
I turned my face away
And dreamed about you

Got on a lucky one
Came in eighteen to one
I've got a feeling
This year's for me and you
So happy Christmas
I love you baby
I can see a better time
When all our dreams come true

They've got cars big as bars
They've got rivers of gold
But the wind goes right through you
It's no place for the old
When you first took my hand
On a cold Christmas Eve
You promised me
Broadway was waiting for me

You were handsome
You were pretty
Queen of New York City
When the band finished playing
They howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging,
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on a corner
Then danced through the night

The boys of the NYPD choir
Were singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day

You're a bum
You're a punk
You're an old slut on junk
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
You scumbag, you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy Christmas your arse
I pray God it's our last

The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day

I could have been someone
Well so could anyone
You took my dreams from me
When I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone
I've built my dreams around you

The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing "Galway Bay"
And the bells are ringing out
For Christmas day

Alan

?????????

Derek

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I'm cheating, but this album is the only xmas record I've ever owned.

As for singles, it has to be "Fairytale of New York" for me too.

-- Ian

Mine's 'Snow' by Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee and Danny Kaye. Utter sentimentalist twaddle but it's become something of a tradition with the kids as I try to sort out the Christmas tree lights.

Either that or the Severed Heads song of the same name on Gigapus.

I'm spending Christmas with sideshowbob - the two best, and I forgot them both. Doh!

throb [back to mono]

My favourite is Jethro Tull's "Once in Royal David's City" which was the B side to an early single. A nifty take on the original. Nearly all of the others make me cringe I'm afraid.

Yours in Music

Syd

For those who like Celtic style Christmas music, "The Wexford Carol" by Loreena McKennitt from her Christmas CD "To Drive the Cold Winter Away"

For those who like their carols with a definite Punk/New Wave slant, "Stepping into Christmas" by The Wedding Present which can be found on an interesting X-mas collection CD titled "A Lump Of Coal".

For those who are interested the "A Lump Of Coal" CD playlist consists of:
1. Little Drummer Boy (Up the Khyber) - Hoodoo Gurus
2. The First Noel - Crash Test Dummies
3. Stepping Into Christmas - The Wedding Present
4. Blue X-mas (to whom it may concern) - Drunken Boat
5. O Holy Night - Divine Weeks
6. Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella - Carnival Art
7. Silent Night - The Primitives
8. O Little Town of Bethlehem - Young Fresh Fellows
9. Kings of Orient - The Odds
10. Here Comes Santa Clause - Clockhammer
11. Twas the Night Before Christmas - Henry Rollins

Cheers

Surely Kevin "Bloody" Wilson's "Hoy Santa" is the greatest Christmas song ever. I just wish I could find a copy.

Toss up between "Grandpa's Last Christmas" by the Vandals and the ubiqitous Kevin Bloody Wilson's "Hey Santa Claus You C*nt, Where's My F*cking Bike?"