Matthew Elmslie

That first disc in the A Very Special Christmas series… that turned out to be pretty huge for Christmas music. A lot of the songs on there have become standards, pretty much. Anybody know if the songs were recorded just for the album, or if the album was compiled from already existing material? I have the idea that the former is the case. There’s good stuff on the second and third albums in this series, too, but that’s where I got off the bus; didn’t see anything on the subsequent entries that made me want to buy ’em.

On that first disc, there was only one original song, and this is it. It’s also the song I’d save if I could only keep one. (A strong second: Madonna’s cover of “Santa Baby”. The more I hear Eartha Kitt’s original version, with Eartha droning on like she doesn’t understand what she’s singing, the more I appreciate Madonna’s audible playfulness. Yeah, I know a lot of people don’t like it.)

Enjoy some chicken and collard greens in honour of Run-DMC’s Christmas in Hollis.

#25: Sleigh Ride
#24: Huron Carol
#23: Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!/Count Your Blessings/We Wish You a Merry Christmas
#22: The Twelve Days of Christmas
#21: I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
#20: Fuck Christmas
#19: Jingle Bell Rock
#18: What’s This? & Making Christmas
#17: Oi! To the World
#16: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
#15: Blue Christmas