Mariah gets a lot of flack these days in the memes, but her Christmas tune is still a banger. Shane always made a good run this time of year and this year even more so with his unfortunate passing.
Let's see your favourites - even the obscure ones:
Baby it's cold outside - well they've tried to cancel it but it's still gonna be one of my favorites - particularly this version with Tom Jones and Cerys Matthews
IMO 2000 miles by The Pretenders is a criminally underrated Christmas banger
Happy Christmas GAABOARD.
River by Joni Mitchell
https://youtu.be/3NH-ctddY9o
There's so many....
Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Darlene Love
I Believe in Father Christmas - Greg Lake
Happy Xmas (War is Over) - John Lennon
I Wish it could be Christmas Every Day - Wizzard
The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
Let it Snow - Dean Martin
I Wish it was Christmas Today - Julian Casablancas (technically an SNL skit song, but he does a brilliant version)
Pogues/Kirsty McColl - Fairytale
Ray Charles - Walking in a winter wonderland
Could this be considered a Christmas song?
Al Green and Annie Lennox from Scrooged
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=S3J_3mcOwdQ&pp=ygU1YWwgZ3JlZW4gYW5uaWUgbGVubm94IHB1dCBhIGxpdHRsZSBsb3ZlIGluIHlvdXIgaGVhcnQ%3D
From the Nativity film, great wee song... One night one moment
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2f69_GhlFfk&pp=ygUdbmF0aXZpdHkgb25lIG5pZ2h0IG9uZSBtb21lbnQ%3D
O Holy Night done well is hard to beat too
Irish:
The Wexford Carol - The Chieftains
Rudolph Na Sróine Deirge - Róisin Elsafty
Christmas Countdown - Frank Kelly
Pop/Rock:
Merry XMas Everybody - Slade
Mary's Boy Child - Boney M
Stop the Calvary - Jona Lewie
Oh Come All Ye Faithful - Twisted Sister
I read somewhere 10 years ago that Chris Rea got 100k in royalties annually for his song.
If you keep your nose clean, then it's a constant source of income. Gary Glitter had a good Christmas song in the late 80's, but it's obviously not played nowadays.
Quote from: Aaron Boone on December 19, 2023, 06:57:17 PMI read somewhere 10 years ago that Chris Rea got 100k in royalties annually for his song.
If you keep your nose clean, then it's a constant source of income. Gary Glitter had a good Christmas song in the late 80's, but it's obviously not played nowadays.
I read recently Slade get half a million per year for their's.
On the other hand, I read a few years ago where Ron Wood was lamenting the damage streaming on places like You Tube was doing as he had been counting on his Xmas hit with Wizzard for his retirement, but was getting f**k all due to its free availability. It's starting to get played here in the states now due to covers, so hopefully he'll be in better shape.
What does Mariah Carey get now?
She's almost the face and sound of Christmas now in America! Apple TV special. Halloween night this year they had an ad where some horror characters were busting her out of a cage at midnight to launch the holiday season! 12am November 1st!
Love Actually has a lot to answer for!
Quote from: J70 on December 19, 2023, 07:19:14 PMWhat does Mariah Carey get now?
She's almost the face and sound of Christmas now in America! Apple TV special. Halloween night this year they had an ad where some horror characters were busting her out of a cage at midnight to launch the holiday season! 12am November 1st!
Love Actually has a lot to answer for!
I know what I'd like to give her.
No stronger reminder of my childhood than this
https://youtu.be/7KzKa6erJRo?si=okpgRm4AGMNuifFq
The one song I love listening to once all the shopping and sh!te has finished and your sitting back relaxing for Christmas. After 2 failed attempts with my oldest 2, I managed to get my youngest interested in the cartoon and he loves it now.
I remember the Aled Jones version.
One good thing about being in the states is the complete absence of that song from the Xmas rotation. :P
Although we get stuck with that Mannheim Steamroller/Transiberian Orchestra-type shit!
;D The wife hates it. So have it on repeat for the next week or two.
Think this thread should have been called ''Good Christmas Songs that go under the Radar''. We can all list the usual suspects - good or bad that are rolled out religiously every year. Can we unearth hidden gems?
Maybe not a hidden gem, but I always consider Arthur McBride and the Sergeant (Paul Brady version) as a Christmas Song and it's quite brilliant. It's an old song too (dating to late 1700s/early 1800s with class lyrics).
Bob Dylan - Must be Santa
Brilliant version (like the Pogues might have done). And Dylan in a blonde wig at a fairly wild house party in the vid.
Quote from: Puckoon on December 19, 2023, 04:46:23 PMMariah gets a lot of flack these days in the memes, but her Christmas tune is still a banger. Shane always made a good run this time of year and this year even more so with his unfortunate passing.
Let's see your favourites - even the obscure ones:
Baby it's cold outside - well they've tried to cancel it but it's still gonna be one of my favorites - particularly this version with Tom Jones and Cerys Matthews
IMO 2000 miles by The Pretenders is a criminally underrated Christmas banger
Happy Christmas GAABOARD.
Heard a version of Cold Outside while driving this evening. John Legend and Kelly Clarkson. Sounded like they rewrote it to be more acceptable to those who insist in interpreting it under the modern light of spiked drinks.
Sounded perfectly fine, to be honest. But I like the old versions too.
Brilliant version of O Holy Night by Etta James. Personally only heard it last year for the first time.
If we are getting into the cousins of Christmas songs, I do like this arrangement, and have never heard it anywhere apart from on a compilation album I happened upon once upon a time.
Not going to put it up here, but if you've ever had the misfortune to hear Bob Dylan's rendition of Hark the Herald Angels...
Dropkick Murphys "The Season's Upon Us"
If the gaaboard all got together, it would resemble these scenes...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTx-sdR6Yzk
Always enjoy the Mud performance on Top of the Pops with the fake snow. BBC4 show it every now and then.
Here's a man with strong Irish connections with a Christmas instrumental classic from 1975.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqIMZGbkbbo
More New Year's Eve than Christmas ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryg7ZB10hKQ
Lush, 31 Dec 99 OWC
Queen - We Will Rock You
Angelli & Nelson - El Nino [Xtravaganza]
Lustral - Everytime (Nalin And Kane 97 Mix) [Hooj Choons]
Paganni Trax - Zoe (Timo Mass Mix) [Incredible / Sony]
Fat Heads - Music For Lunch [Flammable Acetate]
BT - Mercury And Solace (Transa Remix) [Pioneer / Headspace]
Space Manoeuvres - Stage One (Tilt Remix) [Hooj Choons]
DJ Energy & Tatana - End Of Time (Extended Polaris Mix)
Thrillseekers - Synasthesia
Age Of Love - Age Of Love
Brothers In Rhythm - Such A Good Feeling
My Favs
Bruce Springsteen Santa Claus is coming to town - Live version
Love a bit of East 17 - Stay.
Very few good Christmas tunes the last decade. 80s,90s and early 00s was the peak for them it seems.
Agree Captain Obvious, most songs these days are awful. Think people make, or cover, a festive tune just to try and cash in
Saying that, I don't mind these two
Kelly Clarkson
Sam Rydar
I don't know if these are actually good or if the competition is just dirge
20 years old already. A recent live version.
Enjoying all these songs - great video global mod. Can't forget Dido. Her Dad was Irish. Christmas Day - Beautiful song, with even an Irish ref.
St Etienne and Tim Burgess - I was born on Christmas Day
https://youtu.be/4yd-pfEeHoA
Quote from: seafoid on December 21, 2023, 09:58:55 PMSt Etienne and Tim Burgess - I was born on Christmas Day
https://youtu.be/4yd-pfEeHoA
Sarah Cracknell was something else back then.
Nice one Tony had forget all about them
"She's on the phone........"
Quote from: Captain Obvious on December 21, 2023, 05:24:12 PMVery few good Christmas tunes the last decade. 80s,90s and early 00s was the peak for them it seems.
I'd say 1994 and East 17 was the last of the Christmas songs (at no 1 anyway). Although Mariah Carey was that year too
After that them spice girls took over , then it was that pop idol and X factor nonsense. Which is why we're still hearing Slade , Paul mc cartney and Wizzard every year
Not a gem, but speaking of looking good:
Quote from: J70 on December 19, 2023, 05:48:08 PMThere's so many....
Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Darlene Love
I Believe in Father Christmas - Greg Lake
Happy Xmas (War is Over) - John Lennon
I Wish it could be Christmas Every Day - Wizzard
The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
Let it Snow - Dean Martin
I Wish it was Christmas Today - Julian Casablancas (technically an SNL skit song, but he does a brilliant version)
Pogues/Kirsty McColl - Fairytale
Ray Charles - Walking in a winter wonderland
Darlene Love and Wizzard are great shouts.
I'd add Slade and Mud. The 70's were the pinnacle for Christmas songs.
Quote from: ziggy90 on December 22, 2023, 07:55:34 AMI'd add Slade and Mud. The 70's were the pinnacle for Christmas songs.
Quote from: armaghniac on December 22, 2023, 12:27:37 PMQuote from: ziggy90 on December 22, 2023, 07:55:34 AMI'd add Slade and Mud. The 70's were the pinnacle for Christmas songs.
the arts were more creative when access wasn't limited to people with money. The 60s to 90s were particularly creative. Now is really poor.
It was a bad sign when the 1st Christmas #1 of the 1980s in both Ireland and GB was Saint Winifred's School Choir with "There's No One Quite Like Grandma". She was a very different Grandma from the Irish Rovers Christmas Classic "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." I'll refrain from posting either.
There were a few pretenders to the Christmas song in the 80s though
No mention of the Buble yet?
Quote from: AustinPowers on December 21, 2023, 10:36:29 PMQuote from: Captain Obvious on December 21, 2023, 05:24:12 PMVery few good Christmas tunes the last decade. 80s,90s and early 00s was the peak for them it seems.
I'd say 1994 and East 17 was the last of the Christmas songs (at no 1 anyway). Although Mariah Carey was that year too
After that them spice girls took over , then it was that pop idol and X factor nonsense. Which is why we're still hearing Slade , Paul mc cartney and Wizzard every year
So you have Wham getting to number one after 39 years
or this rendition of a 1967 Stevie Wonder number
I thought big lizzo had been cancelled. Missed the bit where she was uncancelled again. It's so hard to keep up these days
Quote from: quit yo jibbajabba on December 23, 2023, 12:12:02 PMI thought big lizzo had been cancelled. Missed the bit where she was uncancelled again. It's so hard to keep up these days
I don't even try.
Quote from: armaghniac on December 22, 2023, 10:19:12 PMThere were a few pretenders to the Christmas song in the 80s though
Wasn't that written for one ex band member who died ?