Christmas Posts 2011 #28

the-hives-cyndi-lauper

Merry Christmas folks!

Have a good one, enjoy these – I will be taking down the links to all the Christmas songs once Boxing Day has been and gone.

See you soon,

Ed x

The Hives & Cyndi Lauper -‘A Christmas Duel.’ mp3

Basement 5 -‘Last White Christmas.’ mp3

Daniel Johnston -‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.’ mp3

Half Man Half Biscuit -‘It’s Cliched To Be Cynical At Christmas.’ mp3

Elastica -‘All For Gloria (Peel session).’ mp3

Mew -‘She Came Home For Christmas.’ mp3

Aereogramme -‘Asthma Came Home For Christmas.’ mp3

Death Cab For Cutie -‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).’ mp3

Walkmen -‘While I Shovel The Snow.’ mp3

Dandy Warhols -‘Little Drummer Boy.’ mp3

Links taken down – it’s now after Christmas!

Some more Christmas tunes for you

wounded-knee

Is Christmas starting to get you down?! After a fairly difficult year which I have only alluded to in passing on the blog, I’ve felt surprisingly festive here. Mind you, the last time I looked at facebook, one friend had written ‘All this fuss for just one day?!’ and I guess I can see why some folks are getting more than a little stressed.

It’s actually been snowing in Edinburgh -which looks pretty -until it starts melting, then freezes again…but look at it this way, there’s only five days to go.

Half Man Half Biscuit -‘It’s Cliched To Be Cynical At Christmas.’ mp3

Housewives On Prozac -‘I Broke My Arm Christmas Shopping At The Mall.’ mp3

Ron Sexsmith -‘Something To Hold On To (At Christmas).’ mp3

Wounded Knee -‘Cold Enough for Snow.’ mp3* (see top)

65 Days Of Static -‘I’m Dreaming Of A White Noise Christmas.’ mp3

In a few hours we will know who has been successful in the battle for the Christmas no.1…

* Go Drew, today’s token scottish act!

Half Man Half Biscuit anyone?

Handed a CD-R by a very good friend the other day, which has much stuff I will share with you.

Amongst the stuff are three tracks from the 1999 John Peel session that Half Man Half Biscuit recorded for John Peel, and if anyone can furnish me with the fourth track ‘Gubba look a likes’, I would be eternally grateful.

Half Man Half Biscuit -‘Bottleneck At Capel Currig.’ mp3

Half Man Half Biscuit -‘Uffington Wassail.’ mp3

Half man Half Biscuit -’24 Hour Garage People.’ mp3 (This is the version that reached no.30 in the 1999 Festive Fifty. The following year, the song was recorded for the album Trouble Over Bridgewater (geddit?!)

meanwhile, here at the Half man Half Biscuit site page, there are various sessions recorded for Peel (one) and Andy Kershaw (two) this decade.

If anyone can help with an mp3 of Joy Division Oven Gloves from 2004 (the Peel session version) or even the entire session that would be great.

Oh, and while I’m at it, having difficulty getting my hands on the following tracks from the Peel Festive Fifties of 1999 and 2000. If these have become available on iTunes or emusic over the last two weeks I apologise but they weren;t there before I went away:

1999
Orbital -‘Style’ (Which one? Different versions appear on the net)
Sonic Subjunkies -‘Do You Even Know Who You Are?
Kraken -‘Side Effects’
Plone -‘be Rude To your School.’
Miss Mead ‘Living City Plan’
Wheat -Don’t Hold You.’

2000
Cowcube -‘Popping Song.’
Lab 4 -‘Candyman.’
Mighty Math -‘Soul Boy.’

A Festive Fifty Theme

First of all, thank you to everyone who has been in contact with details about new acts; I’m going to try and go through it carefully and give my considered opinion about what to post; so if you don’t see yourselves posted immediately, don’t take it personally!

I was considering posting some other stuff today, reflecting on what might make my Festive Fifty at the end of the year, and found my mind drifting to the great man of the Festive Fifty, John Peel.

So, with a big nod to Steve (and not Mike, as I mistakenly called him earlier!) over at the brilliant Teenage Kicks, a brilliant Peel-related blog, here are ten tracks that made John Peel’s Festive Fifty over the years.

Given that he often got frustrated at some things being unadventurous, and there being ‘too many white boys with guitars’ I have tried not to fall into the same trap.

Bang Bang Machine -‘Geek Love.’ mp3 (No.1 1992 Festive Fifty)

We’ve Got A Fuzzbox and we’re Gonna Use It -‘Rules And Regulations.’ mp3 (No. 31 1986 Festive Fifty)

Future Sound Of London -‘Papau New Guinea.’ mp3 (No.11 1992 Festive Fifty)

Half Man Half Biscuit -‘The Trumpton Riots.’ mp3 (No. 14 1986 Festive Fifty)

Althea & Donna -‘Uptown Top Ranking.’ mp3 (No. 2 1977 Festive Fifty)

Teenage Fanclub -‘The Concept.’ mp3 (No.6 1991 Festive Fifty*)

The Bhundu Boys -‘Foolish Harp/Waerara.’ mp3 (No.30 1987 Festive Fifty) (Steve from Teenage Kicks has got in touch and pointed out that it wasn’t this version that made the chart. However, it is fabulous!)

Kenickie -‘Come Out 2nite.’ mp3 (No. 1 1996 Festive Fifty)

This Mortal Coil -‘Song To the siren.’ mp3 (No. 4 1983 Festive Fifty, No.10 2000 Millennium Chart)

The Delgados -‘Mr. Blue Sky.’ mp3 (No. 29 2002 Festive Fifty)

For more on John Peel and fansites start here

* 1991’s Festive Fifty was known as the Phantom Fifty as John felt it was too predictable, topped as it was by Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and not featuring the dance sounds he’d been plugging that year. It was eventually unveiled, track by track over 1993).