It's Beginning to Sound Alot Like Christmas...

Yes, the blog has been quiet for a few weeks. My deepest apologies and we should be business as usual from now on. We're into December and the festive season is only a few weeks away. As is customary in my house my iPod is full to bursting now with a permanent christmas playlist and I wanted to share my top 5 christmas albums that are currently in rotation. All the traditional songs are included on the player, but I can't help but collect christmas music so I often end up with umpteen cover versions of the same song. Here's the albums I think you can't be without over the yuletide period as an antidote to the usual fare of Wizzard, Wombles and White Christmas.

5. Trojan Christmas Box Set - Various Artists

Who cares about walking in a winter wonderland when you can feel the jamaican sun beating down on your christmas turkey thanks to one of the bumper compilations of reggae from Trojan. Just over three hours of classic chugging guitar riffs and hammond organ. Highlight is John Holt's rendition of Merry Xmas (War is Over). 

4. Tijuana Christmas - The Torero Band
From a Jamaican christmas to a Mexican one. Fantastically upbeat brass renditions of old carol staples like 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' and 'Silent Night' that will banish any signs of boredom brought on by hearing these melody's for the millionth time. Admittedly the musicians are likely to be as Mexican as I am, but it's a forgotten gem nonetheless.

3. A Green and Red Christmas - The Muppets
With the forthcoming release of the new Muppets movie in the UK (We have to wait a whole two months more than the USA, Boo, Hiss...) it's time to introduce a new audience to this album and so it's getting a re-release. Frankly anything is vastly improved by the introduction of Muppets to it, so an album of Christmas classics performed by your favourite Muppets is a no-brainer. The headliners are all there:- Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie, but it's the covers of 'Zat You, Santa Claus?' and 'Run Rudolph Run' by The Electric Mayhem Band that really rock out.

2. Christmas Spirit... In my House - Joey Ramone
Jeffrey Hyman, instantly recognisable in look and voice under his stagename of Joey Ramone. This is more of an EP than a full album and was released, like his solo-album, posthumously in 2002. Five festive (or at least festive-ish) ongs as a grand tribute to the man who epitomised US punk. Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight) was originally a Ramones track from the album Brain Drain, but is still the stand out track of this small, but perfectly formed collection, beating out Joey's cover of What A Wonderful World by a Ramones-whisker. Gabba, Gabba, Hey! ONETWOTREETFOUR!

1. A Christmas Gift to You from Philles Records - Various Artists
The single greatest Christmas album in the world ever! Whether you're a lover of Phil Spector's 'wall of sound' or not, it contains, pound for pound, the single biggest concentration of great christmas music ever in its barely half-hour length. Not a duff track. Not a bum note. (Some modern compilations tend to spoil things by have Sir Cliff of Sodding Richards on them and anyway, they don't count because all these tracks were recorded for this album, not collected from elsewhere.) Surprisingly, not a big seller on its original release, this is the album that my family traditionally listens to as we open our presents on Christmas Day morning because, quite frankly, I need something a little up-tempo to wake me up at half-six. It's hard to pick a favourite on this album, but if I had to be pinned down then its The Ronettes rendition of 'Frosty the Snowman'.

Post-script: A number of artists nearly made it into the top five, so honourable mentions must got to the swinging Brian Setzer Orchestra, progsters the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and the ever lovely Tori Amos for their Christmassy albums without which it wouldn't be a particularly fun time of year.