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The Coolest ChristmasOglio Records was founded by aspiring disc jockey Carl Caprioglio in the early 1990's as a reissue label in the mold of Rhino Records. Out of the gate, Oglio was most notable for issuing a series of new wave compilations by Richard Blade, a mainstay on Los Angeles radio station KROQ. Subsequently, they diversified into a bit of everything including comedy, soundtracks, and two pretty good - if head-scratching - holiday compilations, The Coolest Christmas (1994) and The Edge Of Christmas (1995). The two albums are companions of a sort and, taken as a whole, collect a lot of good music.

Between the two, The Coolest Christmas has the broader appeal, but it seems to have had little or no rational process behind its track selection. These 14 songs range from 1953 to 1992, from easily listening to blues rock, and from super trendy to hopelessly lame. So, coolest? No. Coolish? Maybe. For sure, The Coolest Christmas is the only album in the known universe to include tracks by both Guy Lombardo and the Cocteau Twins. Despite that, we're presented with a bunch of, well, cool tunes - most of them classics - so I can't not recommend The Coolest Christmas. But, I do have to warn that you might suffer musical whiplash from listening to it.

That said, if you throw out a few songs, The Coolest Christmas begins to seem a little more coherent. Let's start with three titles that fall far outside the world of rock 'n' roll, though two of them are top-notch: Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby," an immortal tale of naughtiness, and Dean Martin's "Let It Snow," arguably the definitive version of that old standard. And, what New Year's Eve party doesn't end with Guy Lombardo's "Auld Lang Syne" (presented here in the brief 1961 LP version featuring a voice-over from Lombardo)? Still, none of those tunes were considered cool, exactly - certainly not by 1994 standards. Then, we can eliminate two clunkers: the world's worst earworm (Elmo 'n' Patsy's "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer") and an altogether random track by Celtic icons the Clancy Brothers.

The Edge Of ChristmasThereafter, The Coolest Christmas starts to resemble a collection of contemporary holiday favorites, including some widely acknowledged 60's classics by the Beach Boys, Ventures, Brenda Lee, and Roy Orbison. George Thorogood's 1983 single "Rock & Roll Christmas" was, at the time, a much more recent classic, and it appeared here on CD for the first time. Selections by the Temptations and the Alarm are OK, but they are both lesser versions of other people's classics - the Miracles and John Lennon, respectively. And then, there's the Cocteau Twins quirky, but charming reading of "Frosty The Snowman," previously available only on a European CD single called Snow. Admittedly, that's cool, but it sticks out like a sore thumb, musically speaking.

Yes, But It's A Dull Edge

This leaves us, finally, with David Bowie & Bing Crosby's 1977 television performance of "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy," first released as a commercial single in 1982. It's the only song that appears on both The Coolest Christmas and The Edge Of Christmas, which are otherwise complementary, and it arguably bridges the gap between the two albums. The reputation of the song has grown over the years, and it's the closest Bing Crosby ever got to being cool. Moreover, it's the only Christmas song David Bowie ever recorded, so it ought to be in everyone's collection. And, note that the version of the medley on The Coolest Christmas is the hard-to-find unedited take with the heartwarming dialogue between the two legends - which is kind of the point. Weirdly, however, The Edge Of Christmas includes the single edit that omits the banter, though Oglio also reissued the complete edit (and video) on CD single the same year.

Regardless, compared to The Coolest Christmas, The Edge Of Christmas has a reasonably well-defined, rock-centric theme. Almost all of the artists would be considered alternative, punk, or new wave, which makes classic rock tracks by Queen and (especially) Pat Benatar feel out of place. But, at the time, almost none of these tracks were easily found, and a few were quite rare - at least in America. That's not really the case anymore, but I consider all twelve cuts - even Benatar's paint-by-numbers take on Charles Brown's "Please Come Home For Christmas" - to be essential listening on some level. So, The Edge Of Christmas is still a good value. 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.

David Bowie & Bing CrosbyFans of this kind of holiday music will be well-acquainted with classics by the Waitresses, Pretenders, Ramones, Pogues, and (if you are English) Kate Bush. The Smithereens' "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" is fairly common, as well, but it's mostly played for laughs. Dave Edmunds' spirited reading of Chuck Berry's "Run Rudolph Run" is less common, but well worth hearing. In many ways, it's a tribute to Berry that Edmunds had been warming up for his whole career.

And then, the final two tracks on The Edge Of Christmas are genuine rarities. The Cocteau Twins' "Winter Wonderland" is the second half of that aforementioned CD single, Snow - albeit the lesser of the two tracks. The Payolas' "Christmas Is Coming" is a fine power pop song virtually unheard outside the band's native Canada. The song comes from their 1983 album Hammer On A Drum and was also released as a single, and The Edge Of Christmas is the only time it's ever been anthologized south of the border.

Postscript

Over 30 years later, Caprioglio and his record label appear to be an ongoing concern, though their release schedule tapered off considerably as the 21st century wore on. They've done some important reissues over the years, including albums by art rockers Sparks, power poppers 20/20, and Japanese indie heroes Shonen Knife. Oglio also continued to dabble in Christmas music, but they never did anything else like The Coolest Christmas and The Edge Of Christmas. And, like most cross-licensed CD compilations, neither made the leap into the world of downloads or streaming. Used copies aren't too rare, however, and most of the tracks can be found on other albums.

Albums Albums

SongsEssential Songs

  • - The Coolest Christmas (1994)
  • Auld Lang Syne (Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians, 1961)
  • Christmas Everyday (Temptations, 1980)
  • Frosty The Snowman (Cocteau Twins, 1993)
  • Happy Christmas (War Is Over) (The Alarm, 1990)
  • Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Dean Martin, 1959)
  • Little Saint Nick (Beach Boys, 1963)
  • Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy (complete version) (David Bowie & Bing Crosby, 1977)
  • Pretty Paper (Roy Orbison, 1963)
  • Rock & Roll Christmas (George Thorogood & The Destroyers, 1983) Top 100 Song
  • Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree (Brenda Lee, 1958) Top 100 Song
  • Santa Baby (Eartha Kitt, 1953) Top 100 Song
  • Sleigh Ride (Ventures, 1965)
  • - The Edge Of Christmas (1995)
  • Christmas Is Coming (Payolas, 1983)
  • Christmas Wrapping (Waitresses, 1981) Top 100 Song [close]
    Waitress, Christmas WrappingBy 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 of 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."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 1981 LP that's only been reissued on CD overseas, though it's available for download and streaming. However, the song often shows up on compilations like The Edge Of Christmas and is included on the group's fine Best Of The Waitresses. In 1982, "Christmas Wrapping" was issued as a 12-inch single, and this later showed up online, including the unhinged non-LP b-side, "Hangover 1/1/83."
  • 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 Tonight) (Ramones, 1989) Top 100 Song
  • Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy (single edit) (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) Top 100 Song
  • Winter Wonderland (Cocteau Twins, 1993)

Further ListeningFurther Listening

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