Comments on: Friday Fun Thread: Xmas Xarols

By: Sara

Sara — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 18:00:15 +0000

I play and write piano music every chance I get, and Vince Guaraldi is one of my musical heroes.

I think a lot of people would judge me if they knew I absolutely loved Gary Hoey’s arrangements of Christmas songs.

I guess I’m a sucker for instrumental music.

By: emilyanne

emilyanne — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 15:22:15 +0000

Cat – I am so with you on Do They Know It’s Christmas Time – it actually has the second worst lyrics of any song ever written (in case any one wondered the worst lyrics of all time are from Pink Floyd’s Falklands War Concept Album (yes, really) The Final Cut and are from the song The Post-War Dream, google them and you will see what I mean).

ps my favourite bad bit of Do They Know It’s Christmas – when Sting and Simon Le Bon earnestly sing: “And it’s a world of dreaded fear
Where the only water flowing is a bitter sting of tears
And the christmas bells that ring there are the clanging chimes of doom.”

Yay the clanging chimes of doom, how much more smugly patronising can one bunch of musicians get. At least We Are The World while crap is just treacly rubbish.

By: Tall-in-Heels

Tall-in-Heels — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 07:29:30 +0000

I grew up listening to the Ray Conniff Singers Christmas albums, and it’s still not Christmas without them. I’m not a huge fan of the newer pop stuff, but I do like that “baby please don’t go” song by U2 (I don’t know the real title and am too lazy to google).

I’m another Wonderful Christmastime hater. Worst. Christmas. Song. Ever.

Cat – I feel the same way about Do They Know It’s Christmas Time. I used to love it, but it came on the radio the other day and I cringed and had to turn the station.

By: Cat

Cat — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 02:41:24 +0000

I like The Messiah and The Nutcracker a lot. Choral stuff is generally good. And I love the album A Motown Christmas Carol since it makes me think of childhood.

The absolute rock-bottom worst for me is Celine Dion’s Christmas album, which my mother loves and which has in the past led me to barricade myself in my room blasting Sonic Youth to combat the shrieking. Also, I used to like “Do They Know It’s Christmas” a lot when I was younger, but now that I’m a social justice activist it really reeks of backpat-activism and unchecked privilege…even Bob Geldof’s tendencies toward black humor can’t redeem lyrics like “Well, tonight thank god it’s them instead of you” and “There won’t be snow in Africa this Christmastime/The greatest gift they’ll get this year is life,” as if it’s the Westerners who are keeping them alive. Criiiiiinge.

By: Mackey

Mackey — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 02:29:48 +0000

Growing up we had the nutcracker suite, and the Russian 5, Gloria in excelsis deo etc, and other traditional hymns. And thanks to that introduction for Christmas music, I really can’t do any of it – no jingle bells, etc. And I think the most “modern” of the household christmas music was “Good King Wenceslas” (and the thing I like best about it now, was that it isn’t about the 25th Dec, but the 26th Dec – the St Stephen’s feast day, and the day to give alms). I walk out of shops with christmas music in them – for some reason it just grates.

Some friends in lieu of cards do a christmas mixed tape/cd filled with even more modern music (like the decemberists and the ramones et al). I enjoy receiving my friends christmas “cards”, and will listen to them once, and only once.

However there was one even more modern christmas album that I don’t mind being played twice, it’s twisted sister’s “twisted christmas”, and all to the tune of their mega hit way back when it was all about hair metal and men wearing outlandish lycra that would put Jane Fonda to shame.

The gender politics is aweful in this film clip (I tried to find a less offensive film clip, but the media wasn’t available in my country via youtube), but please enjoy twisted sister’s “Oh come oh ye Faithful”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De47fjH6RKY

By: emilyanne

emilyanne — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 01:35:55 +0000

@MM – hah. but seriously I just think he peddles a thoroughly irritating ersatz vision of England entirely aimed at pleasing Americans and I just can’t watch a Curtis film without cringing and/or throwing things at the screen

By: SamRisna

SamRisna — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 01:27:19 +0000

I really like Fairytale of New York, but that’s just me. I also like this really obscure song called “Jesus was a Long-Haired Radical Socialist Jew”.

Basically, I enjoy more upbeat Christmas tunes that don’t overdo the miasma.

Oh, and speaking of Christmas songs:

http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/thedudette/nostalgia-chick/3250-top-10-disturbing-and-inescapable-christmas-songs

By: mischiefmanager

mischiefmanager — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 00:54:43 +0000

@emilyanne: Wait, you mean Alan Rickman isn’t really the PM’s brother-in-law?

By: Gen

Gen — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 23:59:30 +0000

Ooh! Ooh! I remembered another favorite! “Tis the Season for Los Straitjackets.” Basically it’s the surf-guitar version of a lot of Xmas tunes. Great for dancing.

By: emilyanne

emilyanne — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 23:43:36 +0000

@Becky – I know but how would you feel if a director consistently made movies portraying New York as only populated by white upper class ditherers and every one lapped it up as wonderful.