Show #47 December 11, 2010

Merry Christmas Joy!

Ode To Joy- The Adicts Smart Alex
I Guess It's Christmas- The Wellingtons Christmas Present
My Girlfriend (Forgot Me This Christmas)- The Click Five The Perfect Christmas: Holiday Music 2006
Merry Christmas I Love You- Mark Bacino Christmas Singles: A Parasol Christmas Collection
Don't Feel Much Like Christmas- The Montgomery Cliffs Christmas Stocking Stuffer
Christmas (I Remember)- The Smithereens Christmas With The Smithereens
Power Pop Santa- Pointed Sticks Power Pop Santa
Everyday Is Christmas- Swag Nashpop: A Nashville Pop Compilation
^Fairytale of New York- The Pogues & Kristy MacColl If I Should Fall From Grace With God
I Wish It Was Christmas Today- Julian Casablancas I Wish It Was Christmas Today
Santa Claus- Chris Von Sneidern Dreamland With The Pop Snowflakes
Christmas Celebration- Weezer Photograph Single
God Bless Us All- Doug Powell Four Seasons
I Can't Have a Merry Christmas- The Riptides Tales From Planet Earth
*We Three Kings- Blondie We Three Kings
*Little Drummer Boy- Lolas Hi-Fi Christmas Party
*God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen- The Jigsaw Seen Santa's Got A GTO: Rodney On The ROQ's Christmas
*Angels We Have Heard On High- Duvall Oh Holy Night
All I Want For Christmas- The Genuine Fakes All I Want For Christmas  
Merry Christmas- The Automatics Xmas Snertz : Have a Very Gulcher Christmas!
Christmas- The Rooks Encore Echoes
Snow Day- Bleu For The Kids
Please Leave Me Home For Xmas- Imperial Drag Please Leave Me Home For Xmas
Super Sunny Christmas- Redd Kross Super Sunny Christmas Single
>I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday- Wizzard I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday Single
I Won't Be Home For Christmas -Blink-182 I Won't Be Home For Christmas Single
My Christmas Wish- Frank Marzano But Enough About Me
Christmas Would Not Be Christmas- Carpet Frogs Everything Is Beautiful
I Love Xmas- Screaming Santas Trim The Tree!
Lonely Christmas- Sloppy Seconds Lonely Christmas
Tinsel And Marzipan- Pugwash Tinsel and Marzipan
Peace On You- Three Hour Tour 1969
Christmas Christmas- Cheap Trick Dreamland With The Pop Snowflakes
Thanks for Christmas- XTC Rag and Bone Buffet: Rare Cuts and Leftovers

^Power Pop Peak: #1 Irish Singles Chart December 1987

*SacroSet: Power Pop Christmas Carols

>Power Pop Prototype: 1973

First off, much thanks to the brilliant Power Pop Criminals blog for turning up so much amazing music over the last few years. I thought I was good at coming up with rare Christmas records, but those guys are amazing!

Every year I look for one "perfect" song to join my personal Christmas canon and this year it's The Smithereen's "Christmas (I Remember):"

I close my eyes and I recall
When my dreams were big and my world was small
I was a good kid and I really dug school
My folks gave me love and my friends were cool
I had it made and life was great
But all year long I could not wait
For tales untold and the joy I found
And all the fun I'd have when December came around

The winter skies were white with snow
We'd grab our sleds and away we'd go
The air was filled with mystery
And the promise of peace and harmony
My mind went wild what should I see
A real fine stash underneath the tree
And every gift was good as gold
Like Shutdown Volume 2 and Rubber Soul

Christmas, I remember now, Christmas
Christmas I remember how
everything was like it should be

I close my eyes and I still recall
The years gone by and through it all
The kid inside my heart won't die
And he found out the reason why
The bells peal out and choirs sing
And why his life's so happening
The greatest gifts will always be
The love I give to you and the love you give to me

Christmas, I still dig it now, Christmas
Christmas, I still dig it how
everything is like it should be

Christmas, I still dig it now, Christmas
Christmas, can you dig it now, Christmas
Christmas can you dig it how
everything is like it should be

This song just kills me, especially "everything is like it should be." I think this means Christmas is a time where everyone is trying to be their best self, a big part of which is being there for other people. Hopefully this makes our reality a little closer to what our dream of the world can be- for a time at least.

 The Smithereens are big Beach Boys (Shutdown Volume 2) and Beatles (Rubber Soul) fans. While I don't share their love for those bands, I have a Christmas memory just like the one in the song. It was December 1980 and I was breathlessly awaiting the release of The Clash's Sandinista! I'd had the import of first single "The Call Up" since early December, but I needed more. Despite the moderate success of London Calling, Epic Records, The Clash's US label, had no confidence in a three album set that included an entire album side of dub. They decided to forego Christmas sales and put the record out in January of 1981. Even so, it was Christmas, the biggest record buying time of the year, so import copies of Sandinista! (released in the UK 12/12/80) were nearly impossible to come by, and believe me, I had tried. So, needless to say, my mind was completely blown when I woke up on Christmas morning and saw a strange album propped up on top of my turntable dustcover with Side 1 cued up and ready to go. It was surreal- I hadn't yet seen the artwork so I wasn't even sure what I was looking at. Then it dawned on me- THIS IS IT! THIS IS SANDINISTA! Turns out that for the last two weeks my dad had been hounding the import buyer at Musicsmith in the Hanover Mall on a daily basis (how cool is it that a chain store in a suburban mall had an "Import Buyer," who cares if he mostly opted for Gary Numan and Genesis records?) A day or two before Christmas the guy got two copies of Sandinista!, one for me and the other for himself- I don't even know if he cared about the band, but Dad had sold him on the record.

From the opening notes of "The Magnificent 7," I was hooked on Sandinista! Even if it took me years to fully appreciate the more adventurous aspects of the album, that morning it was hard to get me downstairs to open presents. It still amazes me that in just three years time, The Clash had gone from a three-chord punk band to a group experimenting with styles like rap, jazz, rockabilly, Motown, gospel, children's music and calypso, as well as tearing it up with songs like "Somebody Got Murdered." Who told them they could do that? No one- they just did it. It's one of the bravest things I've ever seen an artist do. Not to take anything away from Sandinista!, but I'm willing to concede a major link between my love of the record and love for the man who worked so hard to make sure I had it- all in time for Christmas.

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas and thank you for another great year of ALL KINDSA GIRLS!!!

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ALL KINDSA GIRLS Show #47 Christmas Crush