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Ho Ho Ho SpiceThe front cover of Ho Ho Ho Spice: A Hospice Awareness And Benefit Project (Volunteer Records, 2002) describes it as "an eclectic and friendly alternative-ish Christmas collection," and that's about as precise as is possible given the depth and breadth of the track listing. Ho Ho Ho Spice runs nearly 50 tracks, most of them original compositions, with recordings spanning more than 30 years.

Ho Ho Ho Spice was collected exclusively from indie artists and labels, most from New York and New Jersey, though its reach extends as far as Seattle, Arizona, Texas, and Ireland. And, obviously, it served a good cause by supporting dying patients in hospice care - specifically at the St. Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center in New Jersey. The problem is, Ho Ho Ho Spice possesses no discernible musical vision: folk, goth, punk, blues, pop, and much more vie for the listener's attention.

So, Ho Ho Ho Spice is a very worthy effort that can also be a taxing, discombobulating listen. That said, some very accomplished material is nestled here amongst a raft of anonymous, obscure music. To start with, Ho Ho Ho Spice contains no less than four entries from my Top 100 Songs list: super-rare tracks by the Reducers ("Nothing For Christmas") and Sonny Columbus & His Del Fuegos ("That Punchbowl Full Of Joy") plus two cuts from Chris Stamey's fine Christmas Time - out-of-print at the time, though expanded and reissued twice since.

Beyond those acknowledged classics, Ho Ho Ho Spice captures a number of worthy older efforts - some of them also quite rare - from well-known artists. These include exemplary songs from Graham Parker ("Soul Christmas" from his EP, Christmas Cracker), Wednesday Week ("Christmastime Here Could Never Be Like That" from the legendary Midnight Christmas Mess series), NRBQ (the title track from their album Christmas Wish), and Klark Kent ("Yo Ho Ho"), which was a pseudonym for drummer Stewart Copeland of the Police. Ho Ho Ho Spice also gathers up two cuts from the hard-to-find 1991 power pop collection Yuletunes and a rare 1993 track by 90's hitmakers Better Than Ezra.

Reducers
A Boston Rock Christmas
NRBQ
A Midnight Christmas Mess
Yuletunes

Some unexpected gems emerge on Ho Ho Ho Spice beyond those relatively stellar tracks. A few are lost classics unearthed for the project, including two by vintage New York bands: "Looking For Santa" by power poppers Hungry Dutchmen, previously released only on a 12-inch single back in 1988, and "(I'll Be Glad When) Christmastime Is Done," an unreleased 1994 track by art pop collective Bite The Wax Godhead. But, a lot of contemporary music - much of it newly recorded for Ho Ho Ho Spice - was generously donated by the musicians to support the cause. Some of the standouts are "Something About This Time Of Year" by Mike Daly (Whiskeytown), "It's Love On Christmas Day" by Buzzed Meg (featuring Jim Babjak of the Smithereens), and "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" by Marina Belica (October Project).

Adding that all up, Ho Ho Ho Spice encompasses 24 essential Christmas tracks (see below) and starts to look like a Christmas cornucopia. And, that is, indeed, a lot of good music - it's just spread out over two very long, sometimes tedious compact discs. Nevertheless, Ho Ho Ho Spice was sold for a bargain price, and it served a very worthy cause (read more), so it was well worth the effort.

Stop me when I've said too much

Holiday HeartNo surprise, then, that Ho Ho Ho Spice was a relative success, and three years later we got a sequel. Holiday Heart (2005) was subtitled "an eclectic, aural celebration of Christmas and Chanukah" and is almost identical in format to its predecessor - two discs of modern, mostly original Christmas music. Beyond that, the resemblance fades. About half of Ho Ho Ho Spice was very good, and a little bit of it was downright great. Much of the rest, however, sounded like well-meaning but uninspired home recordings.

And, that's what most of Holiday Heart sounds like. Worthy cause or not, listening to the whole thing is a real chore. Holiday Heart has some good moments (more on that in a minute), but let's talk first about what went wrong.

Unlike Ho Ho Ho Spice, most of the Holiday Heart tracks were recorded specifically for the project and/or made their commercial debut therein. Nearly all of the rest were pulled from recent independent releases, and almost none of the contributing artists are particularly noteworthy. In fact, many of the Holiday Heart artists qualify as positively obscure, and most deserve to stay that way. One exception is Rick Derringer, the man responsible for two of rock's greatest performances: The McCoy's "Hang On Sloopy" (1965) and his own "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo" (1973). But, on Holiday Heart he limps in with the treacly "Christmas Valentine."

Much of the music on Holiday Heart (and a sizable chunk of Ho Ho Ho Spice) was made possible by the digital revolution of the 1990's. The cheap technology that emerged from those heady days created a world where everybody could make a record - and it became even easier when music moved online in the 21st century. Eventually, it seemed like everybody did make a record - never mind talent, or something original to say, or demonstrable demand for their dubious art. Freedom is great, but it inevitably produces a glut of mediocre byproducts - the sort of pleasantly competent piffle that comprises most of Holiday Heart.

And, some of this stuff doesn't even rise to that modest level. At least a dozen of these tracks are frankly embarrassing, and disc two, in particular, is a wasteland. Bluntly stated, way too much of Holiday Heart is navel-gazing, sentimental crap: poorly written, badly sung, and produced with all the panache of a cheap demo tape. Really. Stop me when I've said too much...

Montgomery Cliffs
Maybe This Christmas
NRBQ
Last Train Home
Chris Stamey & Friends

Finding Jewels Amidst The Dross

Nevertheless, amidst such dross, some jewels shine through on Holiday Heart, adding up to about a quarter of its bulky 44 tracks (see below). But, none of them approach the wicked genius of songs like "Nothing For Christmas" or "Punchbowl Full Of Joy" from Ho Ho Ho Spice, and only one of them is exclusive to Holiday Heart - though several are otherwise rare. That one song is "12 Days" by a New Jersey punk band called the Bitter Tears, and it's a bracing, emo-tinged reframing of the hoary old carol "Twelve Days Of Christmas." The band, however, like most of the artists on Holiday Heart, has disappeared into the fog of history.

Most of the remaining essential songs on Holiday Heart are by artists who, to be kind, are not exactly household names. The Montgomery Cliffs were a trio from New York led by Joey Salvia, and "Christmas Lights" (from their 2005 Stocking Stuffer EP) is a true lost power pop classic. The Dismemberment Plan was an indie rock band from Washington, D.C., and their dry, but compelling take on Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas" comes from a very obscure 2000 EP called A Very Milky Christmas. Mark Bacino's "Merry Christmas, I Love You" is from a slightly less obscure 2000 album called Parasol Presents Christmas Singles. Paula Kelley had been in the bands Drop Nineteens and Boy Wonder, and her frothy 1999 single "Why Christmas" was her solo debut.

But, Holiday Heart does include some songs by artists you may have heard of before. These include semi-stars Ron Sexsmith (his title track for the Maybe This Christmas series), Mary Karlzen (an updated version of "Not Just Until The Season Ends"), and Washington D.C. roots rockers Last Train Home (the irresistible "Home For Christmas" from their album Holiday Limited). The band Huffamoose had a minor hit single, "Wait," in 1998, but their goofy, charming song "Hanukkah And Christmas Hand In Hand" had been previously available only on a promotional CD. "Ten Tubas" is an unusual holiday song by Professor & Maryann, who'd previously recorded three albums for prominent New Jersey indie Bar/None. "If We Can Just Make It Through Christmas" is a harrowing romp by Chandler Travis, whose regular gig is the Incredible Casuals, a band that also includes Johnny Spampinato, brother of Joey Spampinato from NRBQ. And finally, Holiday Heart culls yet another track from Chris Stamey's Christmas Time - albeit a minor one, Cathy Harrington's "Sha La La."

So, is that enough to warrant a purchase? Given the cause - sure. As with Ho Ho Ho Spice, Holiday Heart has some great music - about an album's worth - but it would have benefited even more from a firm editorial hand.

Consumer Notes

Ho Ho Ho Spice and Holiday Heart were compiled by Spiro Ballas, volunteer coordinator at St. Barnabas Hospice, and released by Volunteer Records. Ballas describes the label as a "company of one," and it apparently existed only to release the two hospice benefit albums. In his liner notes, he explains that he always loved holiday tunes - a kindred spirit! - and the project must've been a way to combine his two passions. On both of the albums, Ballas does a pretty good job of annotating the songs given the massive track listings and limited budget.

The back cover of Ho Ho Ho Spice warned, "This release is limited to the 2002 season," but both the original release and its sequel were available through CD Baby for a while. There was also a website, www.hohohospice.com, which sold directly to consumers. However, all of that was eventually dismantled, and these days copies of both albums are pretty scarce. Further, neither hospice album was ever made available for download or streaming - and likely never will be. [top of page]

Albums Albums

SongsEssential Songs

  • - Ho Ho Ho Hospice (2002)
  • And To All A Good Night (Five Chinese Brothers, 1997)
  • Another Perfect Christmas (Keith LuBrant, 2002)
  • Auld Lang Syne (Cucumbers, 2002)
  • Christmas Time (Chris Stamey Group with the dB's and Syd Straw, 1985) Top 100 Song [close]
    Comparing "Christmas Time" to the dB's "Holiday Spirit" - a song much higher on my Top 100 - the former is in many ways a better song. It is certainly a more sophisticated composition and expertly played record. But while the manic performance and cynical perspective of the latter won me over, Stamey's earlier record (a virtual paean to Big Star) is a classic in its own right. From the letter-perfect power pop arrangement (chiming guitars, soaring harmonies, thundering drums) to the inventive way Stamey rewrites holiday homilies in his lyrics, "Christmas Time" bores its way into the subconscious and will not let go. (Both songs are included on the CD editions of Christmas Time, a collection of tunes by Chris Stamey and friends.)
  • Christmas Wish (NRBQ, 1980)
  • Christmastime Here (Could Never Be Like That) (Wednesday Week, 1984)
  • The Gift You Always Wanted (Boss Gremlin, 2002)
  • Holiday Spirit (The dB's, 1993) Top 100 Song [close]
    When Chris Stamey's 1985 EP, Christmas Time, was fleshed out in 1993 to full-album length, the dB's "Holiday Spirit" was added and became an immediate Generation-X yuletide anthem. "I've got that holiday spirit - Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" Peter Holsapple screams over slashing guitars and a pounding, maniacal beat. In just one minute and twenty-six seconds, the band crams in three verses and three choruses of unrelenting sarcasm and sexual innuendo. Then, suddenly, it's over - efficient and brilliant, like Santa Claus himself.
  • (I'll Be Glad When) Christmastime Is Done (Bite The Wax Godhead, 1994)
  • It's About That Time (The Idea, 1991)
  • It's Christmas (Brave Combo, 1991)
  • It's Love On Christmas Day (Buzzed Meg, 2001)
  • It's Not Christmas (Kelley Ryan, aka the astroPuppees, 1991)
  • Joy To The World (Butties, 2002)
  • Looking For Santa (Hungry Dutchmen, 1988)
  • Merry Christmas Eve (Better Than Ezra, 1993)
  • Nothing For Christmas (Reducers, 1988) Top 100 Song
  • O Come O Come Emmanuel (Marina Belica, 2000)
  • Something 'Bout This Time Of Year (Mike Daly, 2002)
  • Soul Christmas (Graham Parker & Nona Hendryx, 1994)
  • That Punchbowl Full Of Joy (Sonny Columbus & His Del Fuegos, 1983) Top 100 Song
  • What We Call Christmas (Bleach, 2001)
  • X-Mas (Chinkees, 2002)
  • Yo Ho Ho (Klark Kent, aka Stewart Copeland, circa 1980)
  • - Holiday Heart (2005)
  • Christmas Lights (Montgomery Cliffs, 2005)
  • Hanukkah And Christmas Hand In Hand (Huffamoose, circa 2003)
  • Home For Christmas (Last Train Home, 1997)
  • If We Can Just Make It Through Christmas (Chandler Travis Philharmonic, 2004)
  • Maybe This Christmas (Ron Sexsmith, 2005)
  • Merry Christmas, I Love You (Mark Bacino, 2000)
  • (Not Just Until) The Season Ends (Mary Karlzen, 2005)
  • Shopping Mall (Holiday Music, 2005)
  • Ten Tubas (Professor & Maryann, 2005)
  • This Christmas (Dismemberment Plan, 2000)
  • Twelve Days (Bitter Hearts, 2005)
  • Why Christmas? (Longest Day Of The Year) (Paula Kelley & The Misfit Toys, 2005)

Further ListeningFurther Listening

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