Hip Christmas
Welcome To Hip Christmas! I think you'll enjoy my
dysfunctionally vast web archive dedicated to holiday music that rocks, rolls, swings, and twangs. If you do, please support
me by shopping at Amazon, Apple Music,
and Sheet Music Plus! Regardless, the best of
the season to you - no matter what month it is! [about me]
What Was New In 2024? Last year's new Christmas albums included lots of vinyl reissues, big names like Jennifer Hudson and Little Big Town, indie darlings like Dean & Britta and Phantom Planet, a full-length Tower Of Power album, a new collection from the Carpenters, and yet another Bear Family compilation. I've completed my annual obsessive, quixotic attempt to keep up with it all, including my Top 10 Albums and Top 25 Singles. [gimme gimme]
The Christmas Jukebox. My online Christmas music player is bulging with over 900 hip tunes - and counting! You can listen to the music I write about - the coolest, weirdest, and loudest holiday songs ever, all while enjoying my inimitable prose - or not! [press play]
My Face, Your Book. There's a lot of holiday hilarity going on over at Facebook, in case you can't get enough on my website - or vice versa. Check out the Hip Christmas page, and follow me for maximum holiday fun all year long. No Russian trolls, please. I also post cool cover art on Instagram and Pinterest. [follow me]
Intimate Christmas Music For Young Lovers. The
legacy of Hollywood Records is both glorious and shameful, encompassing
some of the greatest holiday rhythm & blues ever waxed - including the 1956 album Merry Christmas Baby - and some of the
shabbiest reissues in the history of record collecting. [read more]
Everything Is Cool. Wry songwriter John Prine came up with folks like James Taylor and Joni Mitchell, but he never earned such notoriety. Rather, he earned the respect of his peers and a devoted cult following. By the time of his death, however, he was universally acclaimed, and his Christmas music had become a big part of his legacy. [read more]
Christmas Is Going To The Dogs. The beloved 1966 TV special How The Grinch Stole Christmas included barely three songs, but one of them is an all-time classic. In the years since, it's been covered dozens of times, and the TV show spawned two movies, a Broadway musical, a raft of merchandise, and a lot more music. [read more]
A Not So Merry Christmas. Teen idol Bobby Vee isn't cool, but he's sort of "cool adjacent." His career included brushes with Buddy Holly, the Crickets, the Ventures, and, believe it or not, Bob Dylan. Similarly, his 1962 album Merry Christmas From Bobby Vee isn't that great, but it includes five pretty decent original songs. [read more]
Christmas Gumbo. On the one hand, Fats Domino is an underappreciated founder of rock 'n' roll seldom mentioned in the same breath as Elvis, Chuck, or Little Richard. On the other hand, his 1993 album, Christmas Is A Special Day, is not his finest moment. It's quaint and charming, but you won't find your thrill on this particular hill. [read more]
Sorry, Mariah Carey. To me, Brenda Lee will always be the Queen of Christmas music. "Little Miss Dynamite" is also one of the most successful female singers in history, and she recorded many Christmas sides including two albums and numerous singles. Only one became a preeminent hit, but at least one more is a bona fide classic. [learn more]
The Usual Rubbish. Not too surprisingly, the Beatles never recorded any formal Christmas music. But, they had a ball every year recording a Christmas message for their fan club. Collecting those little things is not an easy, inexpensive - or even legal - task, but it's worth the effort. Merry Krimble! [read more]
The King of Cool. My favorite thing about Dean Martin's 1959 concept album, A Winter Romance, has always been the cover. Get a load of Dino's trademark, two-timing leer... It's a good album - not a great one - but Martin sounds like he's having fun, more full of horny vigor (or spiked punch) than pious reflection on the season. [read more]
Bronx Bomber. Back in the 50's, Dion & The Belmonts accounted for some of the most thrilling white doo wop around - "The Wander," Runaround Sue," and many more. By the time Dion recorded Rock n' Roll Christmas, he'd gone through many changes and emerged as an elder statesman of the New York rock scene. [read more]
The Band With All The Toys. The Beach Boys' 1964 Christmas album boils down to just five original songs running less than 20 minutes. And yet, it's permanently ensconced in my Top 20 Albums. Briefly stated, those are five great songs, and all of them stand up to the best that Brian Wilson ever wrote. [read more]
'Tis The Season For Stalkers. In the 50's
and 60's, a number of Christmas songs were recorded about the two most popular artists in rock
history - Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Read about this strange and obscure - and obsessive -
phenomenon. [read more]
Christmas Is Coming. Is there any holiday album as universally beloved as Vince Guaraldi's 1965 soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas? None springs to mind. To me, what makes it so special isn't that it's a jazz classic, nor that it's a timeless holiday treasure. It's special because it's both. [read more]
Christmas Time's A-Coming. Long ago, country music was called "hillbilly" music, and nobody took offense. Rhino
Records' Hillbilly
Holiday tells the story of Christmas music during the golden age of Nashville, and by embracing the old appellation, it makes a statement: The best country music never denies its roots. [read more]
Christmas Time In The Valley. Freddy Fender's career had a lot of ups and downs, from deep in the Rio Grande Valley to the top of the pop charts. Through it all, he stayed mostly true to his Tejano roots. Sadly, his 1977 album "Merry Christmas - Feliz Navidad" isn't one of those times, but there's still a lot to like. [read more]
Your Private Santa Claus. He didn't start out that way, but country singer Eddy Arnold eventually became the moral equivalent of Perry Como in cowboy boots. That turns his Christmas catalog into a musical quandry - much like the rest of his enormous, hit-laden repertoire. [read more]
A Christmas Gift For You. Every year, I offer free MP3's from my voluminous collection - all unavailable easily or legitimately in the music marketplace. In 2024, I revisited the legendary, exceedingly rare Flagpole Christmas albums, filling in some gaping holes and sprucing up the sound quality. [listen or download]
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