Year-round Yuletide oddities
Children watch the skies every year, not for nuclear bombs/alien invasions like they did after 1951’s ‘Thing from Another World,’ but for reindeer/Santa.
“I Still Believe” is a homegrown folk ballad from PST. Earnestly overlong, but so is waiting on 12/24.
Martin Black uses syncopated country to silly effect with the kidsong “Fly Away Little Reindeer.” Oddly, this time the spotted reindeer is shooed into the sky. Which messes up this kid for life.
More twins, since who could singly replace Rudolph (with a cold)? The Jeff Archer Group goes gonzo with this polka adjacent kidsong “Starrlite & Starrbrite the Reindeer Twins.” Lounge-tastic!
Tinkly piano lounge introduces Rudolph’s twin sister “Rudolfa the Reindeer.” Mini Music Makers are just having family fun enlarging the mythos with previously unknown characters. NOT an evil twin at all.
Rollicking kidsong rock from Martin Black portrays “Ronnie the Reindeer” as a non-problematic hard-working tool of the trade. Santa’s the boss, Ronnie’s the hoss. Not so dull as you’d think.
“Redrick the Rick Rack Reindeer” is one of those that DON’T save Christmas. John D. Girod’s creation of kidsong has four right feet and crashes into everything. Santa sends him away. Yea, i guess.
Tim Dinkins slings a rock’n’roll country gee-tar all over the harrowing kidsong “Ole Pop Reindeer.” It’s a sad song, and hard to hear.
The classic (’59) novelty “The Happy Reindeer” by Dancer, Prancer, and Nervous actually determines the third reindeer is NOT Nervous. But it’s such a happy kidsong, we’ll allow it (yet again).
Cryptozoology may become a later topic for this blog. But, for now, let’s meet “Dippy the Reindeer” from Anton Mullan and Steve Elliott. Their concept children’s albums begin ‘Let’s Go to…’ and this one ends with ‘Dinosaurland.’ Dippy sings to us with dixieland pop, in an attempt to convince us it’s a REINDEER not a DINOSAUR. Well, you just listen:
Bernie, as a name, gets a bad rap. It’s no Herbert, but it’s an oddity. “Bernie the Reindeer,” a kids’ favorite from Maple Leaf Learning finds the big-antlered overeating agoraphobic a job as a telemarketer. You kidding me?
Alternative holiday reindeer don’t much more other than “Bernie, the Jewish Reindeer.” Stage Stars go so schticky that i’d call it anti-Semitic, if they weren’t just fun-loving Chosen boys. Kidsong parody comedy.
Redrick, and the Rick-Rack Reindeer; The North Pole Report is some concept holiday journey (we’ll visit Redrick later). Not sure who, when, or why, but it’s much better than most kidsong twaddle. For now we’ll visit the folky pop “Babes the Baby Reindeer.” Paul Bunyan’s Babe may be a close relative, ‘cuz this li’l ol’ thing does turn blue on occasion. But he’s so cute and tiny!