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Compared to my other musical loves - doo wop, disco, punk, power pop, bubblegum, and so many more - my passion for collecting cool and unusual Christmas records had gotten out of hand. I found myself getting excited that Frankie Avalon had once put out a Christmas album - and it was available on compact disc! Better yet, Max Headroom once released a Christmas single, and I found the original 45 rpm record - in a picture sleeve! I obsessed for days about exactly how many Christmas albums the Osmond Brothers had recorded, when they were released - and what they looked like! And here's the rub - all those records suck. They suck big time, and I know it. I knew it when I first learned about about them; I knew it when I was bidding for them on eBay like I'd just won the lottery; and I knew when I listened to them - boy, did I know it! But I love them anyway, in an unconditional, red-headed stepchild, good shepherd sort-of way. Hell, I love them the way Santa Claus loves all the little girls and boys. These tacky, wacky records are the pure products of an America gone plum crazy. I love them for what they say about my culture, what they say about my music, and what they say about me. Because somehow, even after working retail for over 20 years, I am still a huge fan of Christmas. And being a hopeless rock 'n' roll collector, nothing gets me going quite like a Christmas record that rocks - or rolls, swings, twangs, taps its toes, or bangs its head. Sometimes, rockers bring their own unique spirit to the festive proceedings - witness Bruce Springsteen lending the sound of the Jersey shore to "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" or the Drifters rollicking lasciviously through "White Christmas." Other times, artists translate Christmas into their own unique language, as when Ray Davies wrote of class struggle in the Kinks' "Father Christmas" or when Joe Tex taught us to "...make everyday Christmas for your woman." The brightest moments, though, occur when Christmas lifts the banal or mundane rocker to a higher plane. For instance, Bryan Adams (hardly a favorite of mine) cut a fantastic, faux rasta record called "Reggae Christmas." Faceless 80's journeyman Billy Squier cut the loosest, best record of his career with "Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You." Jethro Tull, Queen, Emerson Lake & Palmer, and Foghat - all bands that strained against the bonds of mediocrity - each recorded Christmas singles that, well, weren't bad at all. Thanks to my unhealthy obsession with these records - whether naughty or nice - and my anal-retentive tendency to catalog and document nearly everything, I give you this website. The Christmas portion of Randy's Rodeo is more thorough, more exhaustive, and just plain bigger than the rest of my website - probably always will be. Here, you'll find a million weird and wild Christmas records to hunt down at flea markets, dig for in dusty bins of vinyl, and search for on the vast internet - and if anyone finds a 45 of "Little Becky's Christmas Wish" (Warner Brothers, 1967), let me know! Conveniently, however, there are plenty of easy-to-find classics and quality reissues to put the finest of the season at the fingertips of the "regular Joe" record collector. My Christmas section consists mainly of hundreds of record reviews organized by artists - just click here to start browsing. These reviews are listed alphabetically in my extensive Artists & Albums index along with hundreds more Christmas albums - complete with links to their cover art and places to buy them. If I do say so myself, it's a collector's wet dream! Even further, the best songs from all the reviewed albums - plus scads of one-hit wonders and lost treasures - are cataloged in my Songs & Singles index. And if you still haven't found what you're looking for, use my Search Engine at the top of every page - you can search either the entire site or just the Christmas section. Neat! Of course, many Christmas records are unworthy of even my attention; look for Michael Bolton, Kenny G, and Mannheim Steamroller elsewhere on the web.... Finally, don't forget to peruse my Christmas Lists - I made 'em, and I checked 'em twice! First and foremost are my Top 20 Albums and Top 100 Songs lists, wherein I attempt (vainly, I fear) to distill the essence from my overstuffed record collection. But there's also esoterica like Jews For Jesus and Christmas In Vietnam, not to mention my Wish List - Christmas records even I haven't been able to track down. The staff of Randy's Rodeo (er, um, me) wishes you all the best for the holiday and in the new year (no matter when you're reading this). Thanks for visiting, and have a cool yule! If you have questions, comments, suggestions, or just want to put a lump of coal in my stocking, I'd be happy to chat. Drop me a line... Randy Anthony
Your witty comments, impertinent questions, helpful suggestions, and angry denials are altogether encouraged. Submit feedback via email; submissions will be edited and posted at my discretion. December 22, 2003. Hi, I just wanted to tell you, I was searching for an MP3 on Google - uhh,"I Yust Go Nuts At Christmas," Yogi Yorgesson - and I came across your site. Google found it, even though the MP3 for that song was not there (I found it on Kazaa later). Anyway, the reason I am dropping you a line is to tell you that I feel like I struck a gold mine when I found your site. I was blown away by your Top 20 Albums list - I want it ALL! LOL. I didn't even realize how great the site really was till I looked around a li'l more and found that its named after a Sex Pistols gig. WOW! My favorite all time band, always will be - them and the Cramps, of course. I will definitely be spending a lot of time here, reading and learning and discovering. I myself am a big flea market vinyl junkie. My wife takes the baby and walks around while I spend hours looking for that one record that I know has to be cool and I can't wait to take home and hear. I just wanted to let you know how great your site is. It has to be the best music site on the net!!! THANKS A LOT! Keep up the great work! Merry Christmas, stay sick, turn blue! - Josh Randy Responds: Aw, shucks... I always appreciate a little pat on the back, and it warms my heart to now that my obsession fuels somebody else's obsession. And I will, of course, stay sick. December 2, 2003. It's about that time of year again. I've been making a mix tape/CD that I send out to friends with discerning holiday music for the last nine years. Just came upon your website and am quite impressed. I thought I was the only obsessive compulsive freak that gathered all this stuff. Nice to meet a follow traveler. Great site!.....and a few rarities that I hadn't heard of. Keep of the good work and Happy Holidays. - Laurie Miller Randy Responds: Ever since I posted that Christmas update, freaks like you (and me) have been coming out of the woodwork. Not that many, really, but enough to make me feel a little better about my particular obsession. And, actually, almost all of us make an annual Christmas mix tape - Nick Hornby (or John Cusack) would be proud. Thanks for the kind words and, of course, Merry Christmas. December 2, 2003. Just a quick thanks! I'm transferring all my Christmas singles onto my hard drive and found your site has all the original release years listed. This has saved me the time of going through stacks of records hoping to find the dates. Merry Christmas! - Casey Randy Responds: You're welcome - at least my obsession serves a purpose! [close] December 12, 2002. I have also been trying to get a copy of "Santa Jaws" by Homemade Theatre. I was wondering if you managed to get one? If so, I would be ever so grateful if you shared your source with me, even though you don't know who the heck I am. - Kathleen Craig (Toronto, Canada) P.S. I really enjoyed your website. Randy Responds: As I told another reader earlier this year, I've posted an MP3 copy of "Santa Jaws" on this very website. Visit my Christmas music section and click on the "Santa Jaws" link about halfway down the page! I've never found a "real" copy - just a muddy (though listenable) WAV file on someone else's website. I downloaded it and converted it to an MP3. To download a copy, right click (PC) or click-and-hold (Mac), then save the file to your hard drive. November 19, 2002. I recall a Christmas song in the 60's or 70's entitled "Santa Claus Is Stoned" performed by a soul or Motown-type group. Nobody else seems to recall this song and I can't find any evidence of it, maybe because it is so politically incorrect. Thought you might be able to confirm this for me. - Jim Anderson (Bensalem, Pennsylvania) Randy Responds: I'm stumped - and intrigued! My only thought is, could you be thinking of "Santa Doesn't Cop Out On Dope"? Released in 1973, it was the b-side to "Santafly," Martin Mull's Christmas blaxploitation spoof. Mull was a cutting edge comedian at the time (better known now as an actor), and he specialized in topical musical numbers. The song, satirically at least, leans the other direction - Santa Claus isn't stoned. June 26, 2002. I was wondering if you guys ever happened to get a copy of "Santa Jaws" by Homemade Theater. Funny, I memorized the "Twas the night before Christmas when all 'round the beach..." when I was a kid, and I still spew it out to my nieces and nephews every Christmas. Any input on where else I could look? - Myles Liversidge Randy Responds: Why, yes, Miles, I know exactly where you can get one - I just posted an MP3 of this wacky Christmas nugget (my first download! we're gonna get sued!). Visit my Christmas music section and click on the "Santa Jaws" link (about halfway through the introduction). December 14, 2001. I really enjoyed your advice on Christmas albums, although I think I'll skip the Soul Christmas this year.... I've been hearing a song by Emmylou Harris this year. I suspect it's fairly new, and I don't know the name. (It might just be simply "Christmas Song"). It's got a lot of alleluias in it. (I know that sounds musically illiterate, but at least it's reasonably clear, I hope.) Do you know which album this is on? - Nikki Randy Responds: Glad you liked my reviews, but pass on Soul Christmas at your own risk - it's spectacular! As for the Harris track, lengthy searching on my part turned up only her classic 1979 album, Light Of The Stable, which you probably already own. Anyone? December 13, 2001. Hey, just a quick note to say that you've done a mighty fine job with your website. I visited it today because I was trying to remember which track King Curtis played on on the Stax-Volt Original Soul Christmas, which is one of my favorite holiday CDs. I'm a fan of nontraditional holiday compilations, and you've listed some really choice items. I'd forgotten that Phil Spector had issued such a CD years back; I'd always heard that it was one of the best Christmas CDs produced in the rock era, so now I'll have to go out and buy it. And Emmylou Harris is just an angel! - Bill Porter, pop culture writer, Denver Post Randy Responds: I blushing just like a little girl! As a pop culture writer wanna-be, it feels nice to get some kudos from the real thing. I'm quite proud of my Christmas music section - hope to expand it even more by next Christmas. |
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