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A Christmas RecordThough best known as the birthplace of the Waitresses' libidinous, evergreen classic, "Christmas Wrapping," ZE Records' A Christmas Record (1981) is - best I can figure - the first-ever alternative Christmas album. Plenty of alternative Christmas singles had been released by 1981, but this album was the first complete, coherent, full-length record to arrive from "left of the dial" (to employ Paul Westerberg's phrase). At the time, actually, we might have called the music on A Christmas Record "new wave," though "no wave" - a noisy, New York-based funk/punk hybrid - would have been more accurate. Regardless of such labels, A Christmas Record is a fascinating listen, ranging from evocative, ambient meditations to bleating free jazz to tasteful, tuneful pop.

Among the rarefied crowd that has actually heard A Christmas Record, most comment on James White's "Christmas With Satan." White was the provocateur behind such "no wave" icons as the Contortions, but his droll, blasphemous, nearly tuneless piece of skronk belies the LP's true intentions. ZE was founded by Michael Zilkha and Michel Esteban, and they wanted A Christmas Record to pay tribute to the classic Christmas albums by Phil Spector, James Brown, and Brian Wilson that they grew up with. So, a song like Davitt Sigerson's sweet "It's A Big Country" is more representative of the spirit of proceedings - if not the prevailing sound.

Most ZE records were self-defined mutant disco - twisted or tortured perhaps, but celebratory and kinetic at their core. Hence, A Christmas Record sounds like a party, albeit the strangest one ever thrown in honor of Old St. Nick. While resident ZE diva Cristina and Detroit weirdos Was (Not Was) work up a propulsive head of steam on "Things Fall Apart" and "Christmas Time In The Motor City," respectively, they also develop a severe case of holiday blues. Kid Creole & The Coconuts leader August Darnell, however, sounds positively gleeful celebrating "Christmas On Riverside Drive," and the dense funk of Material (vocals courtesy of Nona Hendryx) leaves no doubt that "It's A Holiday." Even Alan Vega (half of doleful proto-industrial duo Suicide) manages to sound (almost) cheerful, proclaiming "No More Christmas Blues."

A Christmas RecordA few of the Christmas Record alumni went on to some renown, most notably über-producer Don Was (Bonnie Raitt, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan) and Material's hyper-prolific mastermind Bill Laswell. But, most ZE artists were considered avant-garde in 1981, celebrated mainly by rock critics and Big Apple hipsters. Soon, nearly the entire Christmas Record roster was obscure. By the dawn of the CD era, ZE Records was moribund and their catalog out-of-print. Only the Waitresses' track was ever widely reissued on compact disc during the height of the CD era. See Edge Of Christmas, The Big 80's Christmas, and Holidays In Dementia, among others).

Thus, for years adventurous collectors were forced to hunt down A Christmas Record on vinyl. Intriguingly, two intersecting versions exist. The original 1981 version was only released in Europe - some pressed on white vinyl! A year after its initial release, a special edition was issued worldwide, with new tracks by James White and the Three Courgettes replacing songs by Charlélie Couture and Alan Vega. Further, the 1982 edition included updated versions of the tracks by Cristina and Material. The former featured "new improved lyrics" (minor changes, really) while the latter had been remixed and edited down to about half its original running time. So, vinyl junkies, take heed....

Happily, 2004 brought news that A Christmas Record had finally been digitally reissued, albeit in a strangely reconfigured format. ZE Records, resurrected in France, unleashed the awkwardly-titled ZE Xmas Record Reloaded 2004, comprising nearly every track from both editions of the original LP, plus three newer (largely pointless) cuts. The revised running order is a bit jarring, and one track (the Courgettes' lovely "Christmas Is Coming") was omitted without explanation - presumably because the trio was signed to ZE's distributor, Island Records, not ZE itself. But the package - featuring a booklet with the original cover art and an essay by label honcho Michel Esteban - is very nice. Mostly, though, it was thrilling to hear these songs again (without the pops and clicks) and know that younger listeners could hear them, too.

Eventually, however, ZE Xmas Record Reloaded went out-of-print. Thankfully, the company reissued A Christmas Record for download and streaming - several times, in fact, with several track variations. The most recent edition is called the Bonus Track Version - 14 songs including one version of each song from all editions, with the original artwork. Would that every company regarded their legacy so highly! [top of page]

Albums Albums

SongsEssential Songs

  • Christmas Fever (Charlélie Couture, 1981)
  • Christmas Is Coming (Three Courgettes, 1982)
  • Christmas On Riverside Drive (August Darnell, 1981)
  • Christmas Time In The Motor City (Was Not Was, 1981)
  • Christmas With Satan (James White, 1982)
  • Christmas Wrapping (Waitresses, 1981) Top 100 Song
  • Hey Lord (Suicide, 1981)
  • It's A Big Country (Davitt Sigerson, 1981)
  • It's A Holiday (Material with Nona Hendryx, 1981)
  • No More Christmas Blues (Alan Vega, 1981)
  • Things Fall Apart (Cristina, 1981)

Further ListeningFurther Listening

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