Christmas posts part 8

rundmc

Today’s posting is all about contrast from America.

So we have the alt-rock of Liz Phair, the 80s Hip-Hop of pioneers Run DMC and the alt.country of Giant Sand.

Liz Phair -‘Winter Wonderland.’ mp3

Run DMC -‘Christmas in Hollis.’ mp3

Giant Sand -‘Thank You Dreaded Black Ice, Thank You.’ mp3

And if you’re looking for more Christmas songs, may I suggest that you try my friend Jim’s blog, Aye Tunes. He’s posted stuff from the likes of Frightened Rabbit, How To Swim and several others. You should be checking this blog regularly, anyway, mind you…

Don’t Let It Snow

snowy-conditions-001

No posts yesterday – what should have been a fairly starightforward drive of twenty miles became a hideous nightmare of car spinning, virtually zero visibility, freezing temperatures…and posting ‘Thank you dreaded black ice, thank you’ by Giant Sand would be too much like playing ‘Crash’ by the Primitives in the car. I am back safe in the warm and never want to go near a supermarket ever again. At least not until we’ve run out of food.

Tom Lehrer – ‘A Christmas Carol.’ mp3

RUN DMC -‘Christmas In Hollis.’ mp3

Liz Phair -‘Winter Wonderland.’ mp3

Sufjan Stevens -‘It’s Christmas Time.’ mp3

Sonic Youth -‘Santa Claus Doesn’t Cop Out On Dope.’ mp3

Bullette -‘Blue Christmas.’ mp3

Hope Christmas cynicism has been abated by news of the Rage Victory…

Songs For Christmas XIV

Two very different tracks for you today.

I’m not aware of many Hip-Hop Christmas tracks (note: I didn’t say there weren’t many, I said I wasn’t aware of many, which is something else entirely). This one dates from about 1986 or 1987, I think, as a kid at school stuck it on a tape for me (as in when I was at school, not the kids I teach, who are probably now only vaguely aware of either cassettes or Run DMC). Anyway, this is Run DMC’s Christmas in Hollis:

Run DMC -‘Christmas in Hollis.’ mp3

As to whether this track is a Christmas one…well, it was a Christmas no.1 for East 17 and it sounded vaguely Christmassy, and maps have stuck this out as a free download. Only became aware of this today, but I rather like it.

Maps -‘Stay Another Day.’ mp3

There will be more Christmas stuff on here, for those of you interested in that sort of stuff, and when I finally work them out, my albums of the year. I got taken to task earlier for not including Arcade Fire in my Festive Fifty. Is it some kind of unwritten rule amongst mp3 bloggers that we have to praise them above all other bands?! Oh well, see you soon…