Year-round Yuletide oddities
Christmas in the ’60s was fine maintains Fay Lovsky in “Christmas was a Friend of Mine.” Odd brassy slow-mo pop. Nick & Simon mainstream it. Not as good.
“My Christmas is Better Than Yours” is the war of the ’80s ‘gainst the ’60s. Don’t Call Me Ishmael seems to prefer the later (Instagram?!) but a ding dong daddy case is made for the old timey. Big band pop.
“The Beatles Fifth Christmas Record (1967)” does nae sa much celebrate the year that was, but contextualizes the mess of the latter ‘Sixties. (Laughter.)
Did someone ask about maryjane? “Green Butter Christmas” is no ‘Alice’s Restaurant,’ but Hilary Marckx employs the same storyteller schtick to explain why you didn’t get your presents in ’67 (the fat man was TOO high!).
The poignancy of the holidays punches up every memory. Hayes Carll tells the tale of Lola’s kid who went off to the War around Christmas, and all she has left of her boy from her bar she built in ’67 is the black velvet painting of “Jesus and Elvis.” Dixie home grown country pop, with a sudden outro.
“The Beatles 1968 Christmas Record” was a real trip, including talented fooling around. Here’s Side A.
Mary Chapin Carpenter has one memory of Christmases past and in her gentle folk “Christmas Carol” she mentions the Beatles’ White Album from that recall.
Chuck Brodsky spins a bluesy yarn “The Great Santa Snowball Debacle of 1968.” Halftime of an Eagles game the fans turned ugly on Kringle. Bad show, ya naughty-niks.
“Family Coach” from Lilac Time anticipates the moon landing of next summer, while traveling for the holidays. The similarities of the outer space capsule and the teamwork required melds nicely in this indie listenable.
The seventh and last of The Beatles’ fan club Christmas records, known oddly enough as “The Beatles Christmas 1969 Record,” highlights how they do nothing together in the same room. A little this, a lots o’ that. Actually melody from Paul. Plug for Ringo’s movie. And lots of Ono.
Thingmaker multi-mediates an experimental “Xmas, 1970” to reveal he is not too big for toys. Yep, that’s 1970 awreet.
Paulo Furtado, The Legendary Tigerman, lays down the blues from Christmas the year he was born (he got shoes) until now. “Fuck Christmas Baby (I Got the Blues)” is less casual BLUE ALERT and more musical hoedown.
“Suffering,” an emotional indie from Fab Foursome, Frode Johannesen, and Line Merete Larsen, asks that you put on the old records. And, i guess, it’s Christmas–somewhere.
Rod Picott waxes tragic over his repressed upbringing symbolized by the “Jackknife” gifted to him way back in ’73 for Christmas. It glints, it cuts, it lasted, it’s cold… you get the drill.
Twist and clap! “Christmas 1974” from Silvery is whoa-ohh partying rocking something something fun.
McCarthy Trenching gets almost cowboy with his folksy reminiscent “Christmas 1974,” a snapshot of a young (lonely) bride and her DIY Christmas in a farmhouse somewhere. Spookily quaint. (Missing his mom…?)
Getting spotty for the songs dedicated to honoring the particular years. Carbon Leaf’s bluegrass racer “Red Punch / Green Punch” does mention the greatness of Christmas in the ’70s and the early ’80s.
And i’ll stretch my taste berms apart to allow “12 Days of My 1970’s Christmas.” Charlie Hines gets disco steady for a cavalcade of appropriate toys: six-million-dollar man, rock ’em sock ’em robots, sizzler cars… so much plastic! (Think it only goes up to 11, though.)
“Adam Ant’s Christmas, 1977” is a tell-all about what MAY have happened at a certain person’s party. It ain’t pretty, but that’s between ZATH’s lawyers and him. Garage tomfoolery.
A two-parter from Hector Collectors: “Christmas 1977” starts out cursing playfully, but then turns wistful for the year in question wishing they had a junket like Mike Bevins. Quite Brit’sh. But punk pop.