Santa's Out of Rehab

Full disclosure: I got several of these country and/or western Christmas tunes from my fellow blogger at A Truer Sound who posted a kick-ass country Christmas mix last year, and recently re-posted it.


1. Adam's House Cat - Santa's Out of Rehab by Christmas.mp3
No clue where this came from. Adam's House Cat is the precursor to one of my favorite bands, the Drive-By Truckers. This track was probably recorded sometime between 1988 and 1990. Its fun listening to a young Patterson Hood scratch this one out.

2. Ryan Adams - Hey Parker, It's Christmas.mp3
From: KROQ Kevin & Bean: The Year They Recalled Santa Claus (2003, out of print)
KROQ is a radio station out of Los Angeles. Ryan Adams is such a talented artist when he isn't busy being a pain in the ass.

3. Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison - Oklahoma Christmas.mp3
Buy: Happy Holidays (2006)

4. Jason Collett - A Beguiled Christmas in Sales.mp3
Buy: Peace on Earth Vol. 2 (2008)
All proceeds from the sale of this CD go to The Children of Uganda Fund. Only $7.50 for a digital download!!!

5. Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass - My Favorite Things.mp3
Buy: Christmas Album (1968, reissued 2005)

6. John Prine - Christmas in Prison.mp3
Buy: Great Days: The John Prine Anthology (1993)

7. Reverend Horton Heat - Santa Looked a lot Like Daddy.mp3
Buy: We Three Kings (2005)

8. Neko Case - Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis.mp3
From: New Coat of Paint: Song of Tom Waits (2000, Out of Print)
Neko Case covers Tom Waits. An even more interesting song when sung by a woman.

9. Robert Earl Keen, Jr. - Merry Christmas from the Family.mp3
Buy: Gringo Honeymoon (1994)

10. Paul Kelly - How to Make Gravy.mp3
Buy: Songs from the South: The Best of Paul Kelly (1997)
I just discovered the Australian singer/songwriter Paul Kelly this year. This is another song about spending Christmas in jail full of regret, only it describes Christmas down-under, where it is summer and hot outside.

11. Ry Cooder - Christmas in Southgate.mp3
Buy: My Name Is Buddy (2007)

12. Old 97's - Holly Jolly Christmas.mp3
From: Honky-Tonk Holidays: Christmas in Deep Nöellum (1994, out of print)
This track freaks me out a little bit because its the Old 97's doing jazz.

13. Alabama - Tennessee Christmas.mp3
From: The Time-Life Treasury of Christmas
There are dozens of Time-Life Treasuries out there. I have no idea where I got this one. It is also on Alabama Christmas (1985, out of print).

14. Steve Earle - Christmas in Washington.mp3
Buy: El Corazón (1997)

15. Eef Barzelay - Joy to the World.mp3
Buy: Bitter Honey (2006) (CD out of print, digital only)
Eef Barzelay is the man behind the alt country band Clem Snide.

16. Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison - Please, Daddy Don't Get Drunk.mp3
Buy: Happy Holidays (2006)

17. John Denver - Noel: Christmas Eve, 1913.mp3
From: John Denver & The Muppets: A Christmas Together (1979, out of print)
My little brother and I used to listen to this on cassette and watch the TV special every year. I found the CD a few years ago and even as an adult I still know every word to every song.

18. Los Straightjackets - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.mp3
Buy: 'Tis the Season for Los Straitjackets (2001)
Listen for a lick from Del Shannon's "Runaway" during this instrumental.

19. My Morning Jacket - O Holy Night.mp3
From: WFPK-FM X-Mas (2001, out of print)
WFPK is a public radio station in Louisville, Kentucky. I always thought that Jim James had an amazing voice, but this is ridiculous.

20. The Pogues - Fairytale Of New York (with Kirsty MacColl).mp3
Buy: If I Should Fall from Grace with God (1997, reissue 2006)
According to our friends over at Wikipedia, this track is frequently voted the Number One Best Christmas song of all time in various television, radio and magazine related polls in the UK.

21. Howard Iceberg & the Titanics - Christmas In Missouri.mp3
From: Final Fade (2003, out of print)
I don't know much about this band, but this song reminds me of when I lived in St. Louis.

22. Rocket Park - Rudolph the Redneck Reindeer.mp3
From: Better Than Fruitcake (2000, out of print)
"Freebird" meets "The Red Nosed Reindeer"
"Nourishing Holiday Classics by St. Louis' Finest Rockers." I bought this CD when I lived in St. Louis. 100% of the profits from the CD went to Operation Food Search, the St. Louis food bank. I have no clue what, if anything, ever happened to this band, but this song always cracked me up.

Please consider donating time or money to a food bank, animal shelter, or some other charitable organization this year. The economy sucks bad, and many people out there need lots of help.

Better Than Fruitcake

Nothing puts me in the holiday spirit like cheesy, unusual, and downright bad X-mass songs. That, and a good bourbon. And, as this comp demonstrates, there is a fine line between classic cheese, and just plain awful.

I originally made most of this mix in 2001 back when Napster was still a peer to peer service. I was supposed to be finishing up the final touches on my dissertation, but instead I was using my university's bandwidth to download bad X-mas tunes. I recently updated the mix because some of the original MP3 tracks were bad downloads/burns. Enjoy!

1. Darlene Love - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).mp3
From: A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (1963 - out of print)
According to David Letterman, this is the only Christmas song that matters. It has been performed by Ms. Love on the last Late Show every year from 1986 to 2006 (didn't happen in 2007 due to the writer's strike). Hopefully she will be on this year. I love her voice.

2. Adam Sandler - The Chanukah Song.mp3
Buy: What The Hell Happened To Me! (1996)
You know you love this song!

3. The Temptations - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.mp3
From: A Motown Christmas (1973 - out of print)
I originally heard this track on the television special A Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987) where the "California Raisins" were supposed to be singing this tune. I have the show on DVD and it is awesome. I'm going to watch it tonight.

4. Charlie Brown & Linus - The Christmas Story.mp3
Just in case you forgot what this season is all about. This is a sound bite from the original 1965 A Charlie Brown Christmas television special.

5. Band Aid - >Do They Know Its Christmas?.mp3
From the 1984 British/Irish supergroup organized by Sir Bob Geldof. Paul Young sings the opening lines, which were originally written for David Bowie who could not make the recording. Wikipedia has a fascinating account of the recording and subsequent video.

6. No Doubt - Oi to World.mp3
Buy: A Very Special Christmas 3 (1997)

7. Bob & Doug McKenzie - The Twelve Days of Christmas.mp3
Buy: Great White North (1982)
For all of the Canadians in the house! Sing it with me!!!

Five Golden Toques!
Four pounds of back bacon,
Three French toast,
Two turtlenecks,
and a beer.

Beer makes a damn good Christmas gift.

8. Elmo & Patsy - Grandma Got run over by a Reindeer.mp3
Buy: Dr. Demento Presents: Greatest Christmas Novelty CD (1989)
I can't believe that Amazon has this in stock. This fine album also contains the above Bob & Doug McKezie track. I know lots of people are annoyed by this tune, but my cousins and I used to sing it as kids and we loved it!

9. Vince Guaraldi Trio - Linus & Lucy.mp3
Buy: A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Original Sound Track Recording Of The CBS Television Special (1965, reissued 2000)

10. Ramones - Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight).mp3
Buy: Hey! Ho! Let's Go: Ramones Anthology (1999)

11. Thurl Ravenscroft - You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.mp3
Buy: How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966 TV Film, 1995 reissue)

12. Elvis Presley - Blue Christmas.mp3
Buy: It's Christmas Time (1999)
According to "A Fan" posting on Amazon, "This is the 1970 edition of the Elvis Christmas album just re-packaged with a new cover and name."

13. John Lennon - Happy Christmas (War is Over).mp3
Buy: Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon (1998)

14. Clark Griswold - Merry Christmas.mp3
Sound bite from the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Special Edition, 1989).

15. Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters - Mele Kalikimaka.mp3
Buy: White Christmas (1992)
The first time I heard this song was in the movie Christmas Vacation (above), the scene where Clark is staring out the window daydreaming about his pool and the hot babe from the lingerie shop swimming naked in it.

Clark: "Tis the season to be Merry."
Babe: "Mary? That's my name."
Clark: "No shit?"

16. The Kinks - Father Christmas.mp3
Buy: Come Dancing with the Kinks: The Best of the Kinks 1977-1986 (2000)

17. MP3J - Christmastime Firestarter.mp3
Paul McCartney vs. The Prodigy (2007)
I used to have Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmas Time" on this mix, but all of my friends complained about how terrible that song is. And I agree, it sucks. Sucks hard. So last year I found this little ditty on the interwebs. I like it much better than Sir Paul's version. For more of MP3J's mixes and mash-ups, see: http://mp3j.podomatic.com/.

18. Burl Ives - Silver and Gold.mp3
Buy: 20th Century Masters: The Best of Burl Ives - The Christmas Collection (2003)
Burl Ives gives me hives. This song is also from the classic stop-motion animation Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer television show first broadcast in 1964. Burl Ives narrates the tale as the voice of Sam the snowman.

19. Les Brown and his Band of Renown - The Nutcracker Suite.mp3
I got a "Songs of the Season 2000" CD free at a camera store in, well, 2000. It has a bunch of Christmas standards on it, but I like this jazzy big band instrumental the best.

20. Jose Feliciano - Feliz Navidad.mp3
From: Feliz Navidad (1989, out of print)
Here's to our amigos in the south! How cheesy can a X-mas song get???

Stay tuned for the country and/or western themed Vol. 2.

My Comp Is True - Vol. 1

According to Last.FM and Zune.net, these are the tracks that I have been listening to the most over the last few months (one track per artist), although I suspect that the Zune counter is not very accurate as it shows the same tracks every month. By the way, I have no “Zune Friends,” so if you have a Zune and use the crappy “Zune Social” and want to be my “friend,” search for Aimz54901.

01 The Sadies - Dying Is Easy.mp3

In Convert Vol. 1 (2006)

02 Drive-By Truckers - That Man I Shot.mp3
Brighter Than Creations Dark (2008)

03 Uncle Tupelo - Still Be Around.mp3
Still Feel Gone (1991, reissued 2003)

04 Bo Diddley - Say Man.mp3
His Best: The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection (1997)

05 Old 97s - Color of a Lonely Heart is Blue.mp3
Blame it on Gravity (2008)

06 The Hold Steady - One for the Cutters.mp3
Stay Positive (2008)

07 The National - Lucky You.mp3
Daytrotter Sessions (2007)

08 Chris Mills - Calling All Comrades.mp3
Living in the Aftermath (2008)

09 Justin Rutledge - Too Sober To Sleep.mp3
No Never Alone (2004)

10 Okkervil River - Black.mp3
Black Sheep Boy (2005)

11 Johnny Cash - I Still Miss Someone.mp3
16 Biggest Hits (1999)

12 The Jayhawks - Blue.mp3
Tomorrow the Green Grass (1995, reissued 2002)

13 The SteelDrivers - If It Hadn't Been For Love.mp3
The SteelDrivers (2008)

14 Matthew Ryan - Drunk And Disappointed.mp3
Matthew Ryan Vs. The Silver State (2008)

15 Slobberbone - Bright Eyes Darkened.mp3
Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today (2000)

16 Lucero - Slow Dancing.mp3
Tennessee (2002)