Scenes From The Collection: Xmas Music On Vinyl

Frankly, CHRISTMAS isn't one of my favorite holidays, so I usually need a little help with "getting in the mood". When I'm wrapping presents, I like to lock myself in my room, fire up the turntable, and play some Christmas tunes. I don't know what Christmas would be complete without giving the A VERY SPECIAL CHRISTMAS comp a spin. Since 1987, it's been the "go to" album to get my Christmas spirit up (don't even bother with any of the subsequent volumes of A Very Special Christmas - none can touch the first and best one). Everything about it is so classic - from the gold-foil KEITH HARING design on the cover, all the way to RUN DMC's "Christmas In Hollis", one of my all-time favorite tunes to bust during the holidays...



I also always have to break out the BAND AID "Feed The World" single, even though the lyric "...let them know it's Christmas time" has always bothered me. Like, what do starving children in Africa care if it's Christmas? They just want something to eat! If you're too young to remember, or were born way after 1984, Band Aid was an all-star roster of 80's UK pop acts who got together to record a charity record to benefit starving children in Ethiopia...all the usual suspects are here: DURAN DURAN, U2, CULTURE CLUB, BANANARAMA, PHIL COLLINS, STING, SPANDAU BALLET, FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD, WHAM, etc. etc. etc...



BJORN AGAIN were basically this awesome ABBA COVER-BAND that put out a version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" in the style of the god-like swedish quartet. This was back in 1992. If you close your eyes and listen, you'd swear it was the real thing...



...speaking of the real thing, NO WAY SIS were basically an OASIS COVER-BAND who put out a version of "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" back in 1996. The song is most known for being used in a COCA COLA ad that they used to play around Christmas time - waaaaaaay back in the day. Every now and then, the Coke company likes to dust it off and run it on TV...it's been a while since I've seen it though. Anyways, Oasis apparently recorded a song that sounded very much like "I'd Like To Teach" and they got a lot of crap for that. No Way Sis decided to go one step further and actually record the song in the style of the Brothers Gallagher...puts you in the Christmas mood, down a few pints, and then get into a bar brawl...



I love HERB ALPERT & TIJUANA BRASS - it's the trumpet player in me. So every year I have to bust this out. Herb Alpert was the original "Rico Suave", but the sexy can't shine thru this Santa beard...



Last but not least, I have to play the THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS' "O Tannenbaum" seven inch...even though it skips. Missy has the exact same single and she claims that hers skips as well. Anyone else? Maybe we can get a CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT going and get our money back...