Year-round Yuletide oddities
Not a year this count, but a line.
Ian Anderson (of Jethro Tull) bemoans spending his life on “Trains.” But he’s got ’em figured out. On the 17.30 he usually finds friends at the end of the day. And he heard there’s an office party on the 18.05 You’ll be home for Christmas if they Take you alive. Groovy pre-Milennial pop.
Kids, rap was different in 1979. There was more melody than malaise in the intonations, ‘tho the rhymes were a bit more basic. That’s history! Kurtis Blow’s “Christmas Rappin’” points out this ain’t 1823 and we need updates on our Xmas sentiments. Like Merry Christmas and to all a good night!
The past warn’t always golden years, kiddos. Bishops Green rock out a polemic about “Christmas in New York” way back then. Not pretty. Cool tune, though.
Carach Angren take us way back to when Colonel Loftus was haunted by a Christmas mother in the symphonic/metal “After Death Premises.” This must belong to the category of scary ghost stories we hear about in the song ‘It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.’
Loreena McKennitt has taken the concept off “Dickens’ Dublin (The Palace)” as crafted us a new-age Celtic warbler about a poor waif freezing to death on the streets in 1842. Strangley, the homeless one narrates between verses with a rambling steam-of-consciousness. It’s all unsettling, haunting, moving.
Calle Bini has a convivial rap style combining science, anthropology, history and Christmas in “One Degree.” I guess it means we’re not all that separated from each other, but Chas Dickens gets a shout-out for penning his ‘Carol’ in 1843 and popularizing religious observation as being about family.
‘A Mighty Wind’ was another of those Christopher Guest mockumentaries that squandered talented actors on loser characters. The folk singing duo Mitch and Mickey (Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara) include their Civil War Romeo and Juliet tale “The Ballad of Bobby and June.” Their stars are crossed by the draft, though the poor Reb makes it home for Xmas with a hole in his chest. Gratuitous holidayism, but we’ll allow it. [Included is a church-set cover by Brandon Boring with Kayla Cardenas–see, this is what i’m: the satire is so serious no one gets it.]
“Truce for Christmas” indicates that the German/Brit soccer game of 1914 wasn’t a new thing. Apparently the Rebs/Yanks got to singing together for a bit, too. Colby Gray goes ethereal pop, which is better than a Sousa march, i reckon. Oh, all right, i dig this.
Hungry for Music kicks off our Civil War Christmas remembrances with “Christmas 1864 (II).” This kicky folk strummer gets footnote-y betwixt the suffering and the angst. You knew this, right?
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures is one of the best-selling Weekly Shōnen Jump series of all-time. As mangas go… i have no idea (i only watch what my son recommends). But “Joestar Jingle Bells” by Firenetic goes the distance of the nine arcs of different JoJos, including one who died in a boat In 1889. This might be for fans only.
