DarrenBarefoot.com

oops.. i don’t know how to make that a link you don’t have to cut and paste — sorry. :)

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Try the impromptu ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” by Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLaughlan. I think it’s pretty cool.

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How about “Christmas is All Around Us” from the movie Love Actually (starring Hugh Grant), sung to the tune of Love is All Around Us. I don’t know if it’s cool, but it’s pretty funny :)

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I’ll send you an email, I have many, many suggestions. :-)

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I’m afraid someone is going to say “He hasn’t been cool since 1979″.

Ah well, he still makes great records (or he is again).

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I second the nomination for the Barenaked Ladies’ rendition of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, and on the same album is “Elf’s Lament”, which is typical BNL funny.
Harry Connick Jr. has a New-Orleans-brass-style “Frosty the Snowman”, as well as a peppy “The Happy Elf” original peice.
And it doesn’t get any cooler than Diana Krall - she has a nice version of “Christmastime is Here”, of ‘Charlie Brown’s Christmas Special’ fame.
And last but not least, Jars of Clay has an awesome rendition of “Little Drummer Boy”.

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I like Dar Williams song “The Christians and the Pagans”. (A little bit Christmassy, but not too much).

My favourite Christmas album is Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas. It’s the only one I can hear a billion times and still like.

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- My very fave Xmas song of all time is Fairytale of New York by the Pogues, even though it’s not technically a Christmas song.
- I agree with the comment about Slade, it’s my fave British Xmas number (and there are many, stay away from Cliff Richard and most of the British stuff is ok))
- The Peanuts Christmas album, Vince Gulardi Trio, can’t get better than that
- Anything by Stevie Wonder, the man’s a genius
- For laughs, and not very family appropriate Christmas music, check out Christmas with the Vandals, including classics like ‘my first Christmas as a woman’ and ‘Christmas time for my penis’
- The singing cats or dogs Christmas albums, always good to include a number from each
- Bob and Doug McKenzie’s 12 days of Christmas, just to be a patriot

If you’re looking for a great local recording, Mint Records just put out It’s a team Mint Xmas Vol.2 and it has lots of good stuff, including a group cover of Do They Know it’s Christmas by some of Vancouver’s finest indies.
http://www.mintrecs.com/mall/index.html

The ones below are on a compilation called Cool, Cool Christmas. I wasn’t able to find all of them, but I think you would quite like Calexico, so that would be probably the best out of these.

Grandaddy ‘Alan Parsons In A Winter Wonderland’ The Dandy Warhols ‘Little Drummer Boy’
Eels ‘Everything’s Gonna Be Cool This Christmas’
El Vez ‘Feliz Navidad’
Belle & Sebastian ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’
Giant Sand ‘Thank You Dreaded Black Ice, Thank You’
Flaming Lips ‘White Christmas (demo for Tom Waits)’
Saint Etienne ‘My Christmas Prayer’
Departure Lounge ‘Christmas Downer’
Six By Seven ‘I Believe In Father Christmas’
Snow Patrol ‘When I Get Home For Christmas’
Calexico ‘Gift X-change’
Low ‘Just Like Christmas’

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I don’t know if the international scene is your bag, but I dig Ainbusk for Christmas (Yule) music. They put out an album in 2001 called “I Midvintertid.” Check out “En Julsaga.” Listen to the whole thing and see if you like it.

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“Merry Christmas From the Family” by Jill Sobule is a cover of Robert Earl Kean’s original, which actually has a sequel that’s even better.

Likewise Snoop Doggg’s “Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto” is a cover of the incredible edible James Brown. You should catch James Brown’s Christmas album, it’s chock full of goodies.

We should give credit on The Pogues “Fairytale of New York” to the added vocal genius of the late great Kirsty Maccoll (RIP). Her rendition of “You Scumbag, you Maggot, you cheap lousy f*ggot” really warms the cockles. :)

I should add some of my holiday faves for this list:
Fear - F*ck Christmas (From Fear The Album)
The Kinks - Father Christmas
-S

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Just got around to this. I’d suggest something from Booker T and the MG’s groovy 1966 R&B Christmas album:

amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000034CL

There are some further interesting and unusual links in this article (the Otis Redding “White Christmas”, also with the MGs backing him up, is particularly good):

tidbits.com/tb-issues/TidBITS-709.html#lnk6

I’m also partial to Leo Kottke’s acoustic-guitar version of “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” from his 1969 debut, “6- and 12-String Guitar”:

amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000003Z91

It’s not really a Christmas song, but Ray Charles and Betty Carter performing “It’s Cold Outside” is seasonally appropriate, and a great number:

amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000063EW/

The stodgy old Mills Brothers do a surprisingly swingin’ “Here Comes Santa Claus” you might enjoy:

mp3.com/albums/20732/summary.html

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I got a few for you that are really cool. I used t be a radio DJ and had hunted down some cool Xmas racks. Here you go!!

1. Lois Armstrong - ‘Zat you Santa Claus?
2. Bob Seger - Sock t to me Santa
3. Jimi Hendrix - Little Drummer Boy/Silent Night
4. moe. - Linus and Lucy

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there’s a monster ballads christmas that’s pretty rockin’. the faster pussycat version of silent night is the only thing on the cd that sucks, as far as christmas music is concerned

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