There are several Christmas albums that I would consider essential listening for this time of year. The 2000 compilation Its a Cool Cool Christmas for one, with a host of quality songs from the likes of Eels, El Vez, Drugstore no a personal family favourite, Christmas Boogaloo by Big Boss Man. Christmas by Low, whose Just Like Christmas appears on the aforementioned compilation, is another must listen at Christmas, while a modern classic, Ghost Stories fro Christmas (Aidan Moffat and RM Hubert) jumped straight into my all time favourite Christmas albums list on its release a few years ago.
Of course, one of the all time classics is A Christmas Gift for You, featuring the famous wall of sound in contributions from Darlene Love, The Ronettes, Bob B Soxx and the Blue Jeans and The Crystals.
Several years ago Damaged Goods released their take on this, a compilation of the label’s artists doing some “Christmas” songs and cunningly naming it a Damaged Christmas Gift For You, and utilising the same album artwork just replacing the band pictures… This year, the album is getting a timely vinyl re-issue with an added track, taking advantage of the runaway success of The Courettes this year, they’ve added a re-recorded version of their Back in Mono song, I Can Hardly Wait changing it to Christmas (I Can hardly Wait) and bingo! Instant Christmas hit.
If you love or hate Christmas, A Damaged Christmas Gift for You is the Christmas album for you, giving you a selection of songs which both celebrate the season, but also gives enough for the bah humbuggers to “enjoy” too.
If you’ve already got the album, you’ll be familiar with the songs, in adding he Courettes, the running order of the tracks has also been updated. The album now kicks off with the legend that is Wild Billy Childish and his reflections on Christmas 1979, closing with the repeated refrain of a drunken father “Merry Fucking Christmas to you all”.
The closest song to the aesthetic of the original Phil Spector produced album comes in the form of The (Fabulous) Courettes and their aforementioned updated version of their Back in Mono track (the album that was my favourite of 2021 no less).
Death and destruction follows in the wake of Holly Gollighty’s sprightly and cheery country song, Christmas Tree on Fire with its kicker in the closing couplet “Now its burning all to hell, and its taken me with it too”. Did I say cheery?
Next up, Helen Love takes on the Ramones classic Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight), she does so at 100mph and brings elements of The Bay City Rollers, ABBA and The Undertones into the mix in the process.
Cuckooland take on the Christmas standard Silver Bells initially in harmonious laidback fashion, before tutting foot to the floor and laying into it with driving riffing guitars and while Wat Tyler goes for it on God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen scaring the shit out of every child within earshot bringing Satan fully into the mix (not a misspell).
Santa Claus does make an appearance as Thee Headcoatees do bring the other man in red into things with their re-recorded version of Daley Crockett before Severe treat us to a oubked up version of Joan Lewie’s anti war protest song, Stop the Cavalry.
Needing no introduction, the sadly missed Poly Styrene duets with John Robb on Goldblade’s City of Christmas Ghosts, lamenting those we “lost last year” and the excesses of Christmas, before Holly Golighty is miraculously re-born with The Greenhornes for another sad tale in Little Stars, who know how bad she’s bee, while on The Cute Lepers Christmas Song they decide they would forsake everything about Christmas if they could just get the girl.
TV Smith is on fine form as always with his rant against the excesses of Christmas on Xmas Bloody Xmas. The Singing Loins take Ding Dong Merrily on High and folkify it before Monkhouse say fuck the Mistletoe and thrash their way though some Guinness and Wine, chucking some logs on the fire for good measure.
Having opened the album in style, Billy Childish closes proceedings too with The Buff Medways and their distortion heavy fuzzy guitared message of peace and love to all, Merry Christmas Fritz, recalling the scenes displaying the futility of war with British and German soldiers coming together in no mans land for a game if football on Christmas Day before returning to their trenches and recommencing hostilities.
Thankfully no Ed Sheeran or Elton John to sully things on this all killer no filler essential Christmas album.
Something for everyone there, Gingerquiff! Merry Christmas!