Getting In the Mood : Best Christmas Albums (vol.10)

I think it's pretty clear I'm a guitar guy, and there has been plenty of guitar on this list, and today we are adding more.

Joel Paterson : "Hi-Fi Christmas Guitar"

Paterson is an exception guitarist with a love for Christmas music as he released his second Christmas Album this year., "The More the Merrier." I haven't gotten it yet but I'm hoping Mrs. Claus brings it to me! For Hi-Fi Christmas we'll start with "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus."

Now we'll move onto his soulful take on "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."

How about "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm."

His take on "Jingle Bells" is such a great groove! Oh and he does "Jingle Bells Rock on this album too.

As we know, I always go with "White Christmas if it's on an album, and I need to keep hearing it, because it doesn't look like we're gonna have snow in Erie for Christmas. But in fucking April we'll have 6 feet.

Let's do one more, because I love me some good guitar playing! "Christmas Time Is Here."

Enjoy!

Track List: 

1. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

2. I'll Be Home For Christmas

3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

4. Mele Kalikimaka

5. Silver Bells

6. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm

7. Jingle Bell Rock

8. Blue Christmas

9. Pretty Paper

10. Jingle Bells

11. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

12. White Christmas

13. Winter Wonderland

14. Christmas Time Is Here

Getting in the Mood: Best Christmas Albums (vol. 9)

 

We're back with volume 9 of the best Christmas albums and we're going with an album full of oldies and goodies! 

A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector : Various Artists 

Since this song has been on most of my lists, we'll do it again. Darlene Love's take on "White Christmas."

When you think Phil Spector you think the Ronettes and then you think "Sleigh Ride."

And you gotta love The Crystals version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!"

We can't forget Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans with "The Bells of St. Mary."

This is just great old school Christmas tunes that you kids out there need to get hip to.

Enjoy

Track List:

1.White Christmas (Darlene Love)

2. Frosty the Snowman (The Ronettes)

3. The Bells of St. Mary (Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans

4. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (The Crystals)

5. Sleigh Ride (The Ronettes)

6. A Marshmallow World (Darlene Love)

7. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (The Ronettes)

8. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (The Crystals)

9. Winter Wonderland (Darlene Love)

10. Parade of The Wooden Soldiers (The Crystals)

11. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)  [Darlene Love]

12. Here Comes Santa Claus (Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans)

13. Silent Night

Getting In the Mood: Best Christmas Albums (vol. 8)

 

It's been a busy week or so and I haven't been able to get back to the list, but Christmas is fast approaching so it's my duty to get you the quality Christmas tunes! With number 8 we're going to rock a bit.

Bad Religion: "Christmas Songs"

There's something wonderfully ironical about Bad Religion rocking out Christmas songs, and they don't shy away from religious ones. Lets get started with "O Come , O Come Emmanuel."

As you should know by now, "White Christmas" is one of my favorite Christmas songs, so we have to hear their version!

And this next one, takes me back to the days at St. James Elementary School, but we didn't do it like this..."Angels We Have Heard On High."

If your looking to spice up your Christmas music playlist, and get a little umph, this is the way to go. Enjoy!

Track List:

1. Hark the Herald Angels Sing

2. O Come All Ye Faithful

3. O Come, O Come Emmanuel

4. White Christmas

5. Little Drummer Boy

6. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

7. What Child Is This?

8. Angels We Have Heard On High

9. American Jesus

Getting In the Mood: Best Christmas Albums (vol. 2)

 

 We're back with the second installment of Getting In the Mood: Best Christmas Albums. Today's pick is from a legendary Jazz guitarist. One of my all-time favorites, and one of Jimi Hendrix's major influences...

Kenny Burrell: "Have Yourself a Soulful Little Christmas"

We'll start with the opening track, "The Little Drummer Boy." It starts out how you may expect a Jazz guitarist to put their spin on the song, but eventually Burrell goes off with a solo that any shredder would love to play, and he's doing it clean with no pedalboard tricks. 

Now we'll move onto his rendition of my favorite, "White Christmas." Burrell's is beautiful, smooth and soulful. I simply elegant.

Now we move on to "Children Go Where I Send Thee." This is a total jam! Mixing Jazz, Blues, Gospel, Bing Band, the song just rips. You can't help but tap your foot and smile.

Burrell puts his unique and skillful style on every one of these classics, and for anyone who may say Jazz is boring or dull...There is nothing boring or dull about this album. Check it out kids!

Track List:

1. The Little Drummer Boy

2. Have Yourself a Merry Littles Christmas

3. My Favorite Things

4. Away in a Manger

5. Mary's Little Chile

6. White Christmas

7. God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen

8. The Christmas Song

9. Children Go Where I Send Thee

10. Silent Night

11. Twelve Days of Christmas

12. Merry Christmas Baby

Getting In the Mood: Best Christmas Albums ( vol. 1)

 

In 2020 I did a series of posts titled "Getting in the Mood," all about some of my favorite Christmas songs. This year we are going to be talking about Christmas albums. It's easy to put out one good song. It's something special to put out a album full of Christmas "bangers" as the kids say. Some may not find all the songs on these albums to be "bangers" but fuck them! They're clearly uncultured shit-bags who don't appreciate jazz, blues, soul, rock and the classics the way this old fucker does.

So, number one on the list...

Booker T. & The MG's: "In the Christmas Spirit"

This is the coolest, grooviest, and my favorite version of "White Christmas" which is one of my favorite Christmas songs.

And how about this jam of "Winter Wonderland!"

Then they take "Silver Bells," a traditional slow, somber tune and give it soul, and it's a version you actually hear plenty of jingle bells in, and in the end as it fades out they give you a taste of the songs original tone.

Every song from beginning to end is fantastic and grooves.

Full Track List:

1. Jingle Bells

2. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

3. Winter Wonderland

4. White Christmas

5. The Christmas Song

6. Silver Bells

7. Merry Christmas Baby

8. Blue Christmas

9. Sweet Little Jesus Boy

10. Silent Night

11. We Three Kings

12. We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Check it out!

Getting In the Mood (vol. 6)

 

There's the wife, in the white room, on the white loveseat, by the white Christmas tree asking for her white Christmas and I love giving her the white...Every day, not just Christmas!

All kidding and being a pervert aside, here we sit in Erie, PA, a place that never has trouble getting snow, and all I've got is rain. It often feels like we get snow 8 months out of the year. Just a couple years ago we got six feet in one night. But it's 2020 and everything is fuckered up. But damnit snow helps the wife and I both get in that holiday vibe. So today's song is a no-brainer..."White Christmas."

We'll start with the grooviest version out there, by Booker T. & The M.G.'s from their 1966 album, "In the Christmas Spirit." The coolest and most underrated Christmas album out there.

Speaking of cool, how can you not love The Drifters version?

Then of course there is Kenny Burrell's flawless Jazz version.

How about we shift gears in a totally different direction. Nothing shocked me more than, when Bad Religion put out a Christmas Album...And I love it!

How can you not think of Bing Crosby when talking "White Christmas?"

Which is your favorite? Are you hoping for a White Christmas?

Enjoy the music and enjoy the day!