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]
The Four Seasons' Greetings. "Jersey Boys" notwithstanding, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons can be a challenge for modern ears. I love 'em, though, and I love to point out that their version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" inspired the Jackson Five's - which, in turn, inspired Bruce Springsteen's. Now, that's cool! [read more]
A Super Sunny Christmas. Rodney Bingenheimer, aka Rodney On The ROQ, was a Los Angeles disc jockey who figured prominently in the rise of American punk, new wave, and power pop. He also compiled several influential albums including two rockin' volumes of Santa's Got A GTO. His story turns ugly, I'm afraid, but the music remains. [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 Was Better In The 80's. One of the last great Rhino compilations was VH1: The Big 80's Christmas, which chronicled the decade that brought Christmas music back in a big way - and teed up the internet age, when it went totally bonkers. Great singles by the likes of Billy Squier and the Pretenders signaled great things to come. [read more]
I Can't Help Myself. The Four Tops were the biggest Motown act to never record a Christmas album - until 1995 when they briefly returned to the label to cut Christmas Here With You. It's a solid album, but it doesn't have that magic Motown sound that made songs leap out of tiny transistor radios and into our hearts. [read more]
Merry Gentlemen, Start Your Engines! An adjunct to the Hot
Rod Rock series, Hot
Rod Holiday (1997) collected 16 festive songs by vintage rock artists popular with
grease monkeys and the ladies who love them. Only one song is actually about a car, but most Christmas collectors (and gearheads) will enjoy the hell out of it. [read more]
My Little Brain Isn't Very Bright. Like a lot of their catalog, the holiday music of NRBQ consists of some real gems surrounded by frequently discordant, consistently amusing noise. In this case, we have one true classic ("Christmas Wish"), a handful of keepers, and a lot of stuff that sounds like Chuck Berry crossed with Ornette Coleman. [read more]
Cool Yule. In the 1980's, IRS Records was a paragon
of indie virtue, and their holiday sampler, Just
In Time For Christmas (1990), reflects that aesthetic. Comprised of both catalog tracks and new recordings, it strikes a lighthearted, if frequently acerbic, tone and includes songs
by Dread Zeppelin, Squeeze, the dB's, and Wall of Voodoo. [read more]
The Red-Hatted Stranger. Who doesn't like Willie Nelson? He deserves a spot in the holiday pantheon if only for writing "Pretty Paper." But, I'm not as enthusiastic about the rest of his Christmas music. There are some wonderful moments, but it ranges from breathtaking to puzzling to offhand - and sometimes all three. [read more]
Shoplifting You Something For Christmas. Portland-based Tim/Kerr Records released It's Finally Christmas back when a whole album of alternative holiday rock was a rare thing and a reason to celebrate. There are, indeed, some great songs here. But, too often they are obscured by pointless dissonance and hipper-than-thou diffidence. [read more]
Too Much Of A Good Thing. Adding up to four compact discs and nearly 100 songs, Ho Ho Ho Spice (2002) and Holiday Heart (2005) gave us a lot of music at a bargain price while serving a good cause - supporting hospice care. But, a lot of that music wasn't very good, and I've spent a lot of time finding the jewels amidst the dross. [read more]
How Comfort and Joy Turned into Obsession and Compulsion. For the incurably curious, I've written a page explaining me and my crazy website, Hip Christmas. Like most of you, I love cool and strange holiday music. The difference is, I have a problem with boundaries. Many thousands of records later, here we are! [the whole sad story]
Hag's Christmas. While he had a reputation for rough and rowdy ways, Merle Haggard's music was less so - often sounding soft-spoken, dignified, even genteel. Across his 50-plus year career, the Stranger recorded three middlin' Christmas albums - and one uncontested work of genius, "If We Make It Through December." [learn more]
The Six Strings of Christmas. Compared to most of my holiday favorites, Chet Atkins is a pretty tame. But, if you appreciate great guitar picking, you need to check out his beautiful, gentle, virtuosic Christmas music. Easy listening? Sure. Memorable? You betcha. Heart warming? Absolutely. [read more]
Cool It Now. I was a big New Edition fan when they showed up with a bang in the early 80's. They were like the Jackson Five 2.0, and who wouldn't like that? Sadly, it didn't work out that way, but the boys cut a little Christmas EP before the shine wore off the apple. It's cute and fluffy, but then so are puppies, and you like them, right? [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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