MP3 Truffles: Fruitcake Edition

'Tis the season to be overwhelmed with holiday music, and it is not only taking over the radio stations and the record stores, but the mp3 blogs as well. But heck, it sure makes it a lot easier to put together a really wild Christmas music mix that will make those relatives back in the midwest shake their heads with wonder (and fear). Start with some of the suggestions below, then head over to PCL LINKDUMP, for a round-up of links to most of the Christmas blogs currently up and running.

Most posts at FALALALALA feature a classic Christmas song accompanied by an essay filled with informative and insightful background details. For instance: Did you know that "Sleigh Ride" was originally a strange orchestral piece (at least by Boston Pops standards) and the lyrics weren't added until two years after it became a hit? I dare you to grab all 51 versions of the song that they have for download. But for all the knowledge dropping, the site is so far most hit by people searching for the Peter Pan record by the Peppermint Kandy Kids. Can't say I blame them.

CHECK THE COOL WAX has a plethora of posts featuring truly unique christmas albums. Start with the cheez-tastic Yueltide Disco, then enjoy classic sound of the Caroleers, enter into corporate culture by spending the holiday with Line Material, and finally disturb the neighbors by loudly blaring the pedophiliac-sounding rants of Walt Jacobs' Santa's Own Christmas. For more outre and international Christmas posts, try CHRISTMAS A GO GO!, which features such gems as Huggy Bear's Christmas by Antonio Fargas, William S. Burroughs' A Junky's Christmas or one of their multiple posts of Saint Etienne Christimas songs.

The heaviest hitting Christmas blogs are ERNIE (NOT BERT), and A CHRISTMAS YULEBLOG which lean  more toward the traditional Christmas classics. But as always, there are some obscure gems to be found, like a whole album of seasonal Air Force recruiting PSAs, the haunting sounds of Thurlow Spurr And The Spurrlows, or how about a selection of Christmas songs in space.

Remember last year's SANTASTIC, the mash-up holiday mix? Well, there's a new volume now available, all for free on their website. But before you start downloading, check out a video from the album that melds John Lennon's "Imagine" with the Jackson 5's "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", to rather profound effect.

For some international flavor, visit JULIGEN to read up on Christmas music in Sweden, including a history of "Jingle Bells" (or Bjällerklang), and the lively album Christmas at a Brothel (which I need John from Oslo to translate for us). Or stick to Americana for some great country, R&B, 50s rock, and even punk Christmas songs from BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN (Jimmy Butler's rather dirty "Trim Your Tree" is my favorite). 

And finally here are a few cult classics. TUNA MELT shares the Midnite Christmas Mess compilations filled with NY punk and underground artisits performing Christmas classics. For that "Adults Only" Christmas party, better nab Kay Martin's saucy I Know What He Wants For Christmas from GROOVE GROTTO. Or pop over to the VINYL ORPHANAGE for a WFMU holiday favorite, the Christmas album from the children of the Inpatient Music Therapy Program at the University of Michigan’s Children’s Psychiatric Hospital. RECORD ROBOT features a children's choir that, perhaps misadvised, sings the entirety of T'was the Night Before Christmas. And finally, the pop culture blog DARTMAN'S WORLD features Gloria Parker's glass-playing electronica Christmas album. That's what I call half full. 

If you don't want to put together your own mix, but just need a few good quality podcasts to play while the presents are being opened, SENSES WORKING OVERTIME offers daily Stocking Stuffer podcasts featuring songs in themes - Carolers, TV Stars, Dreidelicious, plus tons of classic radio, including Christmas Crime, multiple versions of A Christmas Carol, and, my personal favorite, Jack Benny's Christmas episodes.

Speaking of Christmas mixes, you should also shoot for these: The BOMAR MONK's Wild X-mas series, the novelty-licious sounds of OTTIS FODDER's Holiday Freakin', DJ RIKO's annual Mixmas compilation, or the completely original APPROPRIATE CHRISTMAS, which features of 2400 Christmas tracks reduced and mixed together into on 75 minute holiday soung piece.

And what is the lesson in all this? It's that Christmas is for suckers!

Comments

[The King of Jingaling]

Thanks for the mention. We aim to please. Serious collectors and Christmas geeks should definitely check out the forums.

Merry Christmas!

The King of Jingaling

[Aaron]

The lesson I learned from this is to put NSFW on the last link.

[krup]

here's a few more mixes to add to the mix:

http://www.looptvandfilm.com/blog/war/war_on_christmas.html

http://www.looptvandfilm.com/blog/merryfestivus/xmaspt1.html

http://www.looptvandfilm.com/blog/merryfestivus/xmaspt2.html

and beginning tomorrow, check out the Six Degrees Traveller Radio Holiday Extravaganza (hosted by yours truly) over at live365:

http://www.live365.com/stations/sixdegrees

itunes radio (under the Eclectic and Electronica categories)

or jazzizradio.com (in the VIP Lounge)

your pal, KRUP

[petter]

some Fairuz Christmas songs, for those who need some arabic music to complete their holiday mixes

[fatty jubbo]

don't forget Pastor McPurvis over at the Vinyl Orphanage who has his yearly post of Christmas at C.P.H. - The Children of the Inpatient Music Therapy Program, University of Michigan’s Children’s Psychiatric Hospital...wonderful stumbling renditions of all the holiday classics. he also managed to track down and interview the two music therapists responsible for this record.

there has a dandy Cabbage Patch Christmas record up as well.

[fatty jubbo]

woopsie doo! I ought to READ instead of looking at the pictures! eh! eh! I just woke up, don't blame me! You wouldn't believe how hard it was to type the above with morning crud and protien deposits attached to my contact lenses!

[ResidentClinton]

That's okay. It is good to remind people not to miss that album. It's fantastic. Their version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is...well, it ain't merry, that's for sure.

[Capt]

Clinton, the seasonal Air Force recruiting PSAs were offered at "A Christmas Yuleblog" and not "Christmas A-Go-Go".

This was a 45 single I won on eBay, never used for my own devices, and offered to all the home Christmas enthusiasts who put together their own comps.

Thanks for the link!

Capt

[ResidentClinton]

Whoop! Sorry about that - I fixed the mention (I went and got my blog names all confused). I also went and provdied links to the front pages of all the blogs, rather than just the posts.

By the way, that Air Force 45 is a great find. And I hope you weren't insulted about my comments towards your blog. While I said it isn't a "favorite" (which I changed actually, cause I thought that was kind of rude of me to say), I like it a lot and it is definitely one of the premiere sites for seasonal tunes. I just downloaded A Country Christmas and I love it!

[Cyborg Kickboxer]

Goddamn fucking whoreson motherfuckers at FALALALALA using that braindead piece of shit bullshit Rapidshare for the 'Sleigh Bells' complilation.

Is there a torrent of the comp anywhere?

FUCK!

Merry Christmas.

C.KB