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Merry Christmas Baby (Fuel)
Fuel 2000 (2000)

Billed under the banner of "Charles Brown and Friends," Fuel 2000 Records' Merry Christmas Baby (2000) is really a compilation of blues and soul recordings made during the 1960's and early 1970's by various artists (including Brown) for the Jewel family of labels based in Shreveport, Louisiana. Jewel was founded in 1963 by Stanley "The Record Man" Lewis, initially as a blues label, but he eventually expanded into pop, country, soul, jazz, and gospel. Lewis added the Paula label (named for his wife) in 1965 and the Ronn label (named for his brother) in 1967. Eventually, a bunch of additional labels fell under the Jewel umbrella, some founded by Lewis and others purchased, including Cobra, Chief, USA, JOB, and Whit Records. Jewel stayed in business until the late 1990's when Lewis cashed out, and his catalog ultimately landed in the hands of Fuel 2000 - and that's when Merry Christmas Baby was released.

Belying the presence of some blues legends, Merry Christmas Baby isn't that great, as most of these artists were either past their prime (Jimmy Reed, Big Joe Williams) or recutting earlier hits (Charles Brown, Lowell Fulson). But that's not to say the album doesn't contain some (pardon the pun) jewels. Brown's update of the title track - which he has recorded many times - is a gas, punctuated by funky, wah-wah guitar. And, Fulson's rendition of his classic "Lonesome Christmas" nearly stands up to the 1951 original he waxed for Swing Time Records. Even Louis Jordan's "Santa Claus, Santa Claus" - recorded in 1968 when he was 60 years old - packs an impressive wallop. (Note, that's an entirely different song than the "Santa Claus, Santa Claus" recorded by James Brown the same year - go figure.)

All that said, the lineage of Merry Christmas Baby actually stretches back to 1974, when Jewel Records compiled a 12-song LP also titled Merry Christmas Baby (reissued on LP in 1985, but never formally reissued on CD). Then, in 1991, the company (this time under their Paula imprint) packaged the same material on a CD with another batch of holiday tracks, releasing it as (yet again) Merry Christmas Baby. This digital edition cast a wider net, picking up a variety of recordings both old and new - mostly obscure and eccentric, some of dubious quality, others quite cool. Most notable are Johnny & Jon's unbelievable "Christmas In Vietnam" (read more) and the super bad, extra funky "Black Christmas" by the mysterious Hot Rock Mays.

Then, Jewel released a third variation of Merry Christmas Baby in 1996 (this time under their Ronn imprint) with the same title, a new cover, but fewer songs. This edition served as the blueprint for Fuel's widely distributed 2000 edition, though the track listings are not identical.

Merry Christmas Baby (Jewel)
Jewel (1974)
Merry Christmas Baby (Paula)
Paula (1991)
Merry Christmas Baby (Ronn)
Ronn (1996)
Greatest Christmas Hits
Fuel 2000 (2005)

Bing Bong

Regardless, all editions of Merry Christmas Baby include an obscure soul classic: Bobby Powell's "The Bells." It's a stately, yearning ballad, with Mr. Powell haunted by a persistent ringing in his head. To drive the point home, the title of the original single's b-side (an instrumental version of the a-side) was actually "Bing Bong." What's really wacky is that "The Bells" isn't really a Christmas song at all - those are wedding (not Christmas) bells! And, by the way, "The Bells" sounds suspiciously similar to an even more obscure, earlier holiday platter, the Motivations' lovely "Christmas Spirit" (1970). Perhaps there's a relationship there? We'll probably never know....

In the end, however, either the Fuel 2000 or Paula discs will yield rewards for soul freaks and Christmas geeks, though neither is entirely perfect. The Fuel disc is mastered a little better, more thoughtfully (if incompletely) annotated, and easier to find (distributed by Varese Sarabande through Universal). And, it includes one track (Charles Brown's "Just A Blessing") not found on the Paula set. But, it focuses on the earlier, more traditional material (to the exclusion of later standouts like "Black Christmas"), and it includes a mere baker's dozen tracks. In sharp contrast, the Paula package swells to nearly double that size - 23 tracks, including several indisputably essential songs not found on the Fuel album. You be the judge, I bought both....

Consumers Notes

Fuel repackaged their Merry Christmas Baby in 2005 - same songs, similar cover, but a new title, Greatest Christmas Hits. And, a lot of these songs show up on another Fuel release, Merry Blue Christmas (2002) - though that should be considered a different album. Plus, there's an entirely different series of rhythm & blues Christmas albums called Merry Christmas Baby culled from the catalog of the Swing Time, King, and Hollywood family of labels - albums which also prominently feature Charles Brown. Confused yet? I sure am.

Finally, if you're an obsessive-compulsive record collector like me, it's important to note that Jewel Records had the bad habit of including the copyright date of their logo (1965) on their record labels. So, a lot of their records bear a date that does not accurately reflect the date of their release - and this has predictably distorted their discography. For instance, some copies of Johnny and Jon's "Christmas In Vietnam" and Lowell Fulson's "Lonesome Christmas" are clearly marked "©1965," but the records were actually released in 1966 and 1970, respectively. Jewel phased out this misleading practice after 1972 when record companies started routinely including the phonographic copyright date (℗) on their products. All the same, I've seen Jewel releases as late as 1974 that bear the 1965 copyright. [top of page]

Albums Albums

SongsEssential Songs

  • - Merry Christmas Baby (Paula, 1991)
  • The Bells (Bobby Powell, 1971)
  • Black Christmas (Hot Rock Mays, circa 1974)
  • Christmas Blues (Big Joe Williams, 1963)
  • Christmas In Vietnam (Johnny & Jon, 1966)
  • Christmas Present Blues (Jimmy Reed, 1970)
  • Lonesome Christmas (Lowell Fulson, 1970)
  • Merry Christmas Baby (Charles Brown, 1970)
  • Please Come Home For Christmas (Charles Brown, 1970)
  • Please Come Home For Christmas (The Uniques featuring Joe Stampley, 1966)
  • Santa Claus Santa Claus (Louis Jordan, 1968)
  • - Merry Christmas Baby (Fuel, 2000)
  • The Bells (Bobby Powell, 1971)
  • Christmas Blues (Big Joe Williams, 1963)
  • Christmas Present Blues (Jimmy Reed, 1970)
  • Lonesome Christmas (Lowell Fulson, 1970)
  • Merry Christmas Baby (Charles Brown, 1970)
  • Please Come Home For Christmas (Charles Brown, 1970)
  • Santa Claus Santa Claus (Louis Jordan, 1968)

Further ListeningFurther Listening

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