It's not Christmas until I hear . . .

Here are some of my favorite holiday-themed recordings - some expected, some not so much.  I hope you'll enjoy them all, and please feel free to share some of your own favorites with me in the comments section below.

What rock and roll Yule playlist is complete without this . . .

. . . this . . .

. . . this . . .

. . . this . . .

. . . or this?

I shared Keith Richards' cover of this in my most recent post; here's Chuck Berry's original.

There are several versions of this, but Bruce's is the most fun.

Not traditional, but still beautiful.  Emmylou Harris's ethereal harmonies make it more so.

There's a radio station around here that plays this on the air every year.  A friend of mine would also bring it on a '70s-themed Christmas CD to work during the holidays, and we would play it after closing time.  It gave us all a much-needed laugh after a stressful day in holiday-retail hell.

One of my favorite Christmas songs that you won't hear on the radio.



Here's two versions of "Pretty Paper," because they're both so lovely I can't choose.

One's by the author . . .



. . . and the other is a cover by one of rock's immortal voices.



And while I've got Sun Records recording artists on my mind, they sure don't make Christmas specials like Johnny Cash used to.

Here's one for when you've had a little too much family-togetherness . . .

. . . and one for when you haven't.

Steve Earle wrote this, but Joan Baez's version is my favorite.

Joan's onetime duet partner Bob Dylan confounded expectations yet again last year and released a Christmas album.  It - and this video - became instant classics.

I've shared this one on my blog already, yet my list won't feel complete if I leave it out now.
  

OK, so these last two aren't rock and roll, but they're essential.  "O Holy Night" is my favorite Christmas song, and most rock singers who've performed it just leave me cold (yes, I'm looking at you, Celine and Mariah).  Michael Crawford (the original Phantom of the Opera in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical) possesses a voice that actually does this difficult-to-sing carol justice.  

And just in case I ever start forgetting what Christmas is really all about, Linus, Charlie Brown, and the rest of the Peanuts gang are always there to remind me.

May you and yours have a very merry, blessed Christmas, and a most joyous New Year.

Christmas Is Happening!

I participated in a Facebook discussion yesterday in which we collectively lamented, among other things, the usurpation of traditional religious Christmas carols by silly, soppy secular ones.  So imagine my delight when I signed into Facebook this morning and was greeted by the posting of another friend (not involved in said discussion) sharing this website:

http://www.christmasishappening.com/

It's an online musical Advent calendar; each day a different song is revealed with accompanying artwork or Bible verse.  Most songs are religious in nature, though one offering is a poetry recitation (Day 10, "A Stranger Comes") and two others are secular (Day 4's "All I Want For Christmas is You," which takes on a different, deeper meaning à la Sister Act in this context; and Day 13's "Panther Chorus," which is "Jingle Bells").  I spent a pleasant morning catching up through today (Day 16, "O Little Town of Bethlehem"), and there are some real gems here.  Two particular favorites are "The Race That Long in Darkness Pined" (Day 5) and "Silent Night" (Day 9).

I've no idea who the musicians are, and the website doesn't say.  The title of my friend's Facebook posting wondered if this might be "A Mumford and Sons Christmas?"  A couple of the songs do indeed sound like the British folkies, and if you are a fan of their music, or of folk music in general, you will love these carols.  And to whom it may concern: Merci beaucoup for putting this site together, and for doing your part to put the "Merry" back into Christmas.

Update:  The credits have now been posted on the website.  To see the list of artists and musicians involved with this project, click on the red question mark in the upper left-hand corner of the home page.