It’s the last Friday Music before Christmas, and so I’ve got a special holiday mix for you. You’ve got a choice — you can download the individual tracks linked below, or simply click the cover image to download a zipped collection of the whole mix, ready to go:
The tracks, in order:
My favorite Christmas song this year — a surfed-up version of a Christmas classic, adding influences from “Pipeline” and “Runaway”, performed by men in Luchador masks. Can’t go wrong there…. Los Straitjackets – “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”
According to a recent post by , this is one of the differences between UK and US Christmases — this song is *everywhere* over there: Slade – “Merry Xmas Everybody.”
A bit of Louis Armstrong hipster chic to give the collection a name: Louis Armstrong – “Cool Yule.”
A wickedly funny mash-up, combining Black Sabbath and Dean Martin: ToToM – “Rudolph the Paranoid Reindeer.”
A folksy story-song of different sides of a family coming together for the holidays. I’ve been there, and I’m sure a bunch of you have as well. Dar Williams – “The Christians & The Pagans.”
Some classic early-70s soul. You can probably still hear this on some so-called “urban” stations during the season, or maybe in a K-Tel “Funky Christmas” collection, but I think it deserves wider exposure: Donny Hathaway – “This Christmas.”
One of my favorite Christmas songs, of all time, in the history of Ever. ‘Nuff said. The Kinks – “Father Christmas.”
The cheese-tastic Christmas Single from Bill Nighy’s aging-rockstar character, Billy Mack, in the film “Love, Actually.” loves this one…Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) – “Christmas is All Around.”
Howsabout a tongue-in-cheek Muder Ballad for Christmas? Angry Johnny and The Killbillies – “6 Bullets for Christmas.”
And lastly, a cover of a sugary-sweet Wham! Christmas single, done by Billie Piper when she was in her teenage pop siren phase. Sit back and imagine Rose (or perhaps Belle Du Jour) singing this one: Billie Piper – “Last Christmas.”
There you go, kids. Merry Christmas.
