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 Compared to Oglio Records' other yuletide offering
(The Coolest
Christmas, 1994), The
Edge Of Christmas (1995) has a reasonably well-defined
theme - alternative and classic rock holiday songs.
Most of these songs show up routinely on other compilations,
but a couple of them (the Cocteau Twins and Payolas
selections) are rather hard-to-find. I consider all
but one of the twelve cuts (Pat Benatar's pedestrian
take on Charles Brown's "Please Come Home For Christmas")
essential, so The
Edge Of Christmas is a good value unless you already
own most of these songs. Certainly, these songs portray
a view of Christmas quite outside the norm, but if you've
dug this far into Hip Christmas, that's probably exactly what you've been looking
for.
 Albums
Songs
- Christmas
Is Coming (Payolas, 1983)
-
Christmas Wrapping (Waitresses, 1981)  Top 100 Song [ close]
By the early 80's, it was OK to be a nerd (thank you, David Byrne). The Waitresses made something of
a career out of exploring the lives of nerds, first with the theme to Square Pegs,
a short lived sitcom, then with "I Know What Boys Like," a sneering portrayal of the ultimate
nerd (a horny male) as told by a woman (or prick tease, depending on one's perspective). "Christmas
Wrapping" fits this theory as well, only this time the insecure party is female and the story turns
out well. Employing a charming pseudo-rap style (think Blondie-meets-Tom Tom Club), singer Patty Donahue
begins with a resounding "Bah humbug!" After a year of missed romantic opportunities, though,
she runs into "that guy I've been chasing all year" while doing some last minute shopping. "That
Christmas magic's brought this tale to a very happy ending," she effuses, not unlike those Revenge
Of The Nerds movies two decades ago. "Christmas Wrapping" was the most popular song
from Ze Record's A Christmas Record, a neat LP that's
only
been reissued on CD overseas. However, the song often shows up on compilations ( Edge
Of Christmas) and is included on Best
Of The Waitresses. -
December Will Be Magic Again (Kate Bush, 1980)
-
A Fairy Tale Of New York (The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl,
1987)
-
Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight) (Ramones, 1989)
-
Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy (David Bowie & Bing
Crosby, 1977)
- Please Come Home For Christmas (Pat Benatar, 1991)
-
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Smithereens, 1992)
-
Run Rudolph Run (Dave Edmunds, 1982)
-
Thank God It's Christmas (Queen, 1984)
-
2000 Miles (Pretenders, 1983)
-
Winter Wonderland (Cocteau Twins, 1993)
Further
Listening
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